September 1, 2017 Jay Taber
As noted on the Jamestown S’Klallam website, “Hunting, fishing and gathering were some of the rights reserved by Northwest Tribes that signed treaties with the United States in the 1850’s…Reserved rights under the treaties are classified as property rights by the federal courts.” Continue reading
On Monday, July 10, The Vera Institute presented its preliminary data findings on the Whatcom County justice system at a special meeting of the Incarceration Prevention and Reduction Task Force (IPRTF). It took months for the Vera Institute to obtain the necessary data on the County Jail population in 2016, but the results confirmed stunning racial disparities in the jailed population, as well as a sizable pre-trial population that could be significantly reduced with the use of evidence-based methods of incarceration prevention. Continue reading
This “Residential Survey” of Bellingham residents is a quasi-yearly affair with this stated purpose: “… the Survey is to seek feedback from residents [bolding mine] about their experience as citizens of the city of Bellingham. Continue reading
Mar 03, 2017 Dick Conoboy
With the appointment of Mike Estes to the seven member Bellingham Planning Commission at the last City Council meeting, and the pending appointment of Iris Maute-Gibson in April, the development industry lock on the membership is perceptibly lessened but not yet complete. Continue reading
Amy Glasser guest writes this article.
I have recently declared my intention to run for a seat on the Whatcom County Council. One of the issues motivating me is that 55% of Whatcom County’s budget is comprised of “Law and Order” dollars and there seems to be a continuing push by some county officials to build a “mega-jail” even though it has been rejected by citizen referendum. Continue reading
February 27, 2017 Dick Conoboy
The Case for Public Banking
Public banks are an effective way to use public funds for the good of communities, much like public utilities, instead of for the profit of private mega-banks that take the public’s money and use it to play in the Wall Street casino. Continue reading
At the height of the objections to the rule breaking by Vargas.
Anne Mackie guest writes about the Monday, Oct 17, Bellingham City Council meeting. She is a community leader who lives in the York neighborhood.
Wed, Oct 19, 2016, 4:27 pm // Guest writer, Anne Mackie
What does it look like when a special interest group has your City Council president in their back pocket? It looks like what transpired at the October 17 Bellingham City Council Public Hearing on the Comprehensive Plan.
Rumors of a “crowd control problem” at city hall Monday night circulated on police scanners. As someone who was there, I can say the only control problem was emanating from Council President Pinky Vargas who violated meeting rules to accommodate her friends in the real estate and building industry. […]
Samish Hill Logging AreaMon, Oct 10, 2016, 3:50 am // Dick Conoboy
The city published a Notice of Application and Optional DNS* Process on October 5, 2016 with a comment period of only two weeks for a logging operation of a substantial nature on Samish Hill. Continue reading
Thu, Sep 01, 2016, 5:00 am Tip Johnson
Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) policy by all accounts is ripening. Meanwhile, other important policies seem unfortunately in decay – like opportunities for public discourse.
noisy waters northwest 
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