Independent, fact-based news for Whatcom, San Juan and Skagit counties

News from the Salish Current August 4, 2023

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Dear Reader—
Congratulations! You made it through the primary election vote and we now have three months to look forward to the general election. Statewide voter turnout was 27.94% as of Aug. 3. Turnout locally was Whatcom County with 35.34%, Skagit County with 24.66%, and San Juan County with 34.2%.

It’s only reasonable after an election to ask if the news coverage provided voters made a difference or not. We like to think it did but, to be honest, we don’t know. That’s why we think every newsroom should be examining how it will report election news that can make a difference to voters. That’s what we’ll be doing in the next month to prepare for the general election.

As we move into August, enjoy reading Richard Walker’s account of the red foxes of San Juan Island and get inspired by Vernon Damani Johnson’s community essay about the One Whatcom network. Please let other know about this newsletter and encourage others to subscribe. Thank you for supporting Salish Current.

—Amy Nelson, Publisher

Salish Current affirms its commitment to work for truth, justice,
equity and healing for all people.
#SayTheirNames #BlackLivesMatter #NoJusticeNoPeace

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Salish Sea News Week in Review Aug. 4, 2023: 'Satchmo,' ocean temps, Pebble Mine, drought, Site C dam, BC wildfires, ticks, ocean heat, toxic pollutant list, dam fined.

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Humans urged to stay away from San Juan’s red foxes

While not native to San Juan Island’s American Camp prairie, a species of red fox from Alaska has certainly found a home there. Feeding and other interference by humans take a toll on its population but no legal protections exist for the island’s foxes. (Photo: Molly Neely-Walker)

By Richard Arlin Walker
“A fed fox is a dead fox,” warn signs on San Juan Island, urging humans to keep their distance from foxes in the wild — for the sake of the animals.

One Whatcom, born during the wave of hate crimes against Asians in March 2021, is creating a countywide network of organizations working to counter racism. (Courtesy image)

By Vernon Damani Johnson
Commentary: In a gathering last Saturday, the human rights group One Whatcom supported the local Jewish community against rising antisemitism.

Over one-third of registered voters in Whatcom and San Juan counties and one quarter in Skagit turned out for the Aug. 1 primary election. How did they vote? With a few ballots still to be counted, results continue to trend for the top two vote-getters in each race. (Salish Current photo)

By Editorial Staff
Who will make the cut? Auditors in Whatcom, San Juan and Skagit counties have updated primary election vote counts that determine which two candidates will face off in November’s general election.

Letters to the Editor

• Forests help streamflows in summer

Our policy: Salish Current welcomes letters to the editor from our readers. Letters should be sent with the writer’s name, address and daytime phone number. Those accepted for publication will focus on issues addressed in news articles or commentaries in Salish Current and be factual. No snark or put-downs will be acceptable; general nastiness will be rejected. Letters should not exceed 300 words and may be edited for length and clarity. Letters represent the point of view of the writer. Publication by Salish Current does not represent endorsement. Salish Current will publish letters sent to the editor at its sole discretion.

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Salish Current affirms its commitment to work for truth, justice, equality and healing for all people.
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News from around the region...

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Health and Safety

Youth crisis. A new youth crisis triage intensive outpatient unit and nonprofit youth resource center in opening in Everson under the management of TouchStone Behavioral Health of Blaine. (The Northern Light)

Education

Empathy opportunity. Roots of Empathy Whatcom Program Manager Sara Airoldi introduces volunteers to the opportunities in the program that improves the mental health and well-being of elementary school children through visits with an infant and its parents. Aug. 8, 10–11 a.m., Ferndale Library. Information.

The Border & Beyond

Digital standoff. Meta has responded to the passage of Canada’s Bill C-18, the Online News Act, which requires tech giants to pay news outlets for the content shared on their platforms, by blocking all Canadian news content on Instagram and Facebook in Canada. (The Tyee)

Nature

Butterfly survey. A team of volunteers with the Cascades Butterfly Project travels weekly to survey far-flung sites in two national forests and two national parks in the state. The project was started through the National Park Service, and is funded by Washington’s National Park Fund. (Skagit Valley Herald/paywall)

Tree planting. New research finds that planting a trillion trees would have a minimal effect on combating climate change. (Washington Post/paywall)

RHD. The state Department of Fish and Wildlife reported the state’s first known case of rabbit hemorrhagic disease in a wild non-native Eastern cottontail found dead near Langley in early July. (Skagit Valley Herald/paywall)

Business

Illegal water use. RAN General Partnership has been fined $12,000 for illegally irrigating about 40 acres of blueberries this summer in north Whatcom County on three parcels without water rights. (Dept. of Ecology)

Nooksack water. The state process of adjudicating water rights in the Nooksack River watershed will be delayed until next spring due to more time required for community outreach, hiring staff to manage the process, and allowing time for a public comment process. (CDN/paywall)

Fraser water. Summer drought has lowered Fraser River water levels which allows salty Pacific Ocean water to flow into the river and into irrigation ducts, killing or damaging crops. (Castanet)

New editor. Andrew Paxton, previously assistant editor of the Sierra Vista Herald (Arizona), is the new executive editor of the Skagit Valley Herald and Anacortes American. (Skagit Valley Herald/paywall)

Whatcom real estate. The median price of a Whatcom County home sale in this year’s second quarter was $600,000, down 7.6% from a year ago. In the same period, 674 homes were sold countywide, a drop of 18.3% from last year. (Lynden Tribune/paywall)

Community

Noisy waters. Paper Whale presents the Noisy Waters Mural Festival on Bellingham’s waterfront, Aug. 18–20, featuring more than 25 artists from across North America doing live mural painting with a goal to activate a wider diversity of artistic representation in the community. (Whatcom Talk)

Arts & Leisure

“Nature’s Kingdom.” Allied Arts of Whatcom County's August gallery show features an exploration of the abundant forms, colors, and materials of the natural world in the works of Bluejay Blackburn, Lori Hill, Michael Colahan, Rachel Simpson, Sacha Bliese, Scott Ward, and Vikki Jackson. Opens Aug. 4, Tuesday–Saturday 11 a.m.–4 p.m. Information.

Library jazz. Whatcom County Library System presents Friends of the Library Summer Jazz in various locations on Aug. 5, Aug. 19. Free. Information and registration. Also check out the Jazz for Kids programs.

"A League of Their Own" Fairhaven Outdoor Cinema. Entertainment: D’Vas. Aug. 5. Movies start at dusk and entertainment about 2 hours prior to the movie. $7 per person cash, $8 per person credit card; kids 4 and under are FREE. Information.

Big band. Swing Connection, Bellingham’s signature big band, performs on Aug. 6, 2–4 p.m. and on Aug. 20, 11:30 a.m.–5 p.m. in the Big Band Bonanza, with Skagit Swings and A Town. Both gigs at the Fairhaven Village Green.

"Field of Dreams" Fairhaven Outdoor Cinema. Entertainment: Cardova. Aug. 12. Movies start at dusk and entertainment about 2 hours prior to the movie. $7 per person cash, $8 per person credit card; kids 4 and under are FREE. Information.

Rooftop cinema. The Pickford's rooftop cinema series features "Mad Max: Fury Road," Aug. 11, 7 p.m. party, film at dusk, always free. Atop Bellingham's downtown Parkade on Commercial. Info.

Park music. Bellingham's Elizabeth Park summer concerts are presented every Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m. through Aug. 24. Donations welcomed. Program information.

Jump in!

Lopez Uncovered. Two days celebrating the original music of Lopez Island. Aug. 4, 6–10 p.m.—All We Have Is Now, Bad Dads (from Orcas), Aggravated Mopery, Weed Killer, Jackson Bailey; Aug. 5, 11 a.m.–10 p.m.— The Fieldboats, Saint Aberrant, Karl Blau, Mudbath!, Sundown Rush, Gravel Roads, Lost Marbles, All We Have Is Now-Unplugged, Total Abandon, Derek Eisel, Hawk Arps, Stanley Greenthal, Phil Paige, Gretchen Wing. Lopez Community Center.

Summerfest! Meet the community providers and vendors at the Kendall Summerfest, Aug. 5, 4–8 p.m., Kendall Elementary School, Maple Falls.

Funk. National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is the beneficiary of the Fairhaven Funky Bizarre Bazaar, Aug. 5, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Fairhaven Village Green.

Remembrance walk. Join Community to Community Development, Nikkei Northwest, the Whatcom Peace and Justice Center, Whiteswan Environmental, and Northwest Youth Services in a walk, Aug. 6, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in remembrance of farmworker Honesto Silva Ibarra, who died due to heat stress and wildfire smoke in 2017 and many others who have been impacted by Bellingham’s history of colonization, white supremacy and oppression. Meet at the Bellingham Theatre Guild parking lot, bring a lunch for after the walk.

Celebrate Tokitae. Remember the Penn Cove captures on Aug. 6, the 53rd anniversary of the capture event. 1:30–3:30 p.m. at the Coupeville Wharf. Dockside event, free. Boat tour, $75. Orca Network.

Bay day. The Skagit Marine Resources Committee holds its Fidalgo Bay Day, Aug. 26, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Fidalgo Bay Resort. Information.

Government

Public Disclosure Commission report Aug. 3, 2023
City of Bellingham Mayor:
• Kim Lund: Raised $55,355.72, Spent $15,450.68, Outside For $415.74
• Seth Fleetwood: Raised $25,649.30, Spent $30,456.97, Debt $16,300, Outside For $415.74

Whatcom County Executive
• Satpal Sidhu: Raised $86,337.78, Spent $70,341.01, Debt $33,042.86, Outside For $415.74
• Dan Purdy: Raised $11,027.64, Spent $30,615.64, Debt $2,265

San Juan County.
The San Juan County Ferry Advisory Committee held a special meeting to discuss ferry service. Aug. 2. Video.

The council will meet on Aug. 8.
(Agenda posted after press time.)

SJ LWV Observer Corps:
• SJI Public Hospital District July
• SJI School Board July 2023

City of Bellingham.
The council will meet on Aug. 7. Agenda items include:

Public Works and Natural Resources Committee:
• Post Point Resource Recovery Plant Update. Presentation.

Climate Action Committee:
• Whatcom Transportation Authority Zero Emissions Fleet Transition Study. Presentation.

The council will meet again on Aug. 14.

Whatcom County.
The council will meet on Aug. 8. Agenda items include:

Consent Agenda:
• Request authorization for the County Executive to enter into a contract amendment between Whatcom County and Opportunity Council to administer the Housing and Essential Needs program in the amount of $5,106,192 for a total amended contract amount of $7,917,456. Staff memo.

Other Items:
• Request authorization for the County Executive to enter into a new grant agreement between Whatcom County and the State of Washington Department of Ecology to provide for continued implementation of the Swift Creek Sediment Management Action Plan Projects, in the amount of $4 million. Staff memo.

• Request authorization for the County Executive to enter into a Local Agency Agreement and execute the Federal Aid Project Prospectus between Whatcom County and the Washington State Department of Transportation, for federal aid funds for the construction phase of the E. Smith Road & Hannegan Intersection Improvement project, in the amount of $3,183,258. Staff memo.

Public Works and Health Committee:
• Discussion and request for motion related to Behavioral Health Fund opportunities and recommendations. Staff memo.

• Resolution affirming that affordable housing and homelessness are a public health crisis and requesting updates on county actions. Proposed resolution.

Committee of the Whole:
• Discussion and approval of a joint Council/Executive letter to the Port of Bellingham regarding broadband investments. Draft letter.

The council will meet again on Sept. 12.

Port of Bellingham.
The commission will meet on Aug. 8. Video link. Agenda items include:

Consent Agenda:
• Motion to authorize the Executive Director to send a letter of support to U.S. Representative Rick Larsen and other stakeholders for the Eliminate Aviation Gasoline Lead Emissions (EAGLE) Initiative.

Presentation:
• Q2 Financials and 2022 Audit Report

Action Items:
• Authorize the Executive Director to execute an Authorization to Proceed for the BoardMill Group LLC’s proposed BoardMill Block project within the Waterfront District.

• Approve a motion authorizing the Executive Director to execute an Agreed Order to perform remedial design at the Westman Marine cleanup Site.

• A motion authorizing the Executive Director to execute the Second Amendment 3 to the Whatcom Waterway Consent Decree.

The commission will meet again on Sept. 19.

Salish Current is a nonpartisan, nonprofit, online local news organization serving Whatcom, San Juan and Skagit Counties. Salish Current exists to protect and improve democratic governance by reporting and curating local news with independence and strict journalistic integrity.

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