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Independent, fact-based news for Whatcom, San Juan and Skagit counties
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News from the Salish Current May 19, 2023
Dear Reader—
I hope you are enjoying as I am the longer days, the warmer weather and the blooms of Spring rushing us into Summer. Artist Tony Angell takes us there with his piece, “Sky Cutter.”
This week, Kai Uyehara dives deep into how new gun laws might make a difference in our community. Dr. Margaret Jacobson and PeaceHealth's Bryan Stewart present Community Voices points of view on PeaceHealth's decision to reduce palliative care services, as do letters to the editor from Delores Davies, Karen Lerner and Van Roberts. I think you will find these stimulating reading.
For those readers who like lists, peruse the candidate filings for the Aug. 1 primary elections at Whatcom County candidate filings, Skagit County candidate filings and San Juan County candidate filings. Salish Current will be taking you to the races in the months to come.
Original news reporting, curated local news snippets, and thoughtful community essays and letters are what Salish Current strives to bring you, our reader. Please share this newsletter with others and encourage other readers to subscribe for free. And, to keep Salish Current free to read and free from advertising, please make a one-time or monthly donation. Thank you.
—Amy Nelson, Publisher
Salish Current affirms its commitment to work for truth, justice,
equity and healing for all people.
#SayTheirNames #BlackLivesMatter #NoJusticeNoPeace
Want more environmental news? Salish Sea News and Weather is a weekday curated compilation of news from Salish Sea news sources. Free via email or on the web.
Salish Sea News Week in Review May 19, 2023: Endangered species Friday, woolly dogs, Trans Mountain debt, city trees, Snoqualmie Tribe, 'forever chemicals.'
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How new gun laws might make a difference
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School officials, student activists and firearms merchants all support gun safety … but define what that means differently and have different perspectives on what effect the state’s newest firearms law may have. (Kai Uyehara /Salish Current photo © 2023)
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By Kai Uyehara
A new firearms law addressing banning, waiting and training is aimed at aspects of safety and security. Will it work?
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Community Voices / Loss of palliative care is a community’s loss
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Specialist palliative care providers “meet people where they are,” in hospitals, homes, care facilities and shelters; discontinuing teams serving this area is seen as “a huge loss.” (Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash)
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By Dr. Margaret Jacobson
More than 100 current patients and all possible future eligible patients stand to lose palliative care when PeaceHealth shuts down its outpatient palliative program as the provider has announced.
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Community Voices / Outpatient palliative care program unfortunately unsustainable
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By Bryan Stewart
Insurance reimbursement levels and rising costs across all service lines led to PeaceHealth’s decision to end its comprehensive outpatient palliative program and restructure to continue to “provide the essential components of the program.”
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Artist’s Corner / Sky Cutter
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Represented in Sky Cutter, the common nighthawk resides here from late May until the end of August and early September, nesting in open meadows and forest edges and feeding on flying insects. (Tony Angell courtesy image © 2023)
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By Tony Angell
The common nighthawk winters as far as the Amazon Basin and returns to this area to nest in summer. Ironically and contrary to its name, the common nighthawk's numbers are diminishing.
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• What AI can’t predict
• Loss of a sense of safety and security
• PeaceHealth: Where are the good nuns?
• Thank you: PeaceHealth palliative care team
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. 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.
#SayTheirNames #BlackLivesMatter #NoJusticeNoPeace
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News from around the region...
(The links found here may have limited access for those who don’t subscribe to the source publication. Sorry for any inconvenience!)
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Health and Safety
Drug law. The Washington State Legislature passed, and the governor signed, a new bill making using drugs in public or possessing small amounts of drugs a gross misdemeanor. The bill also creates new options and funds resources to divert people from the courts and into addiction treatment. (NW News Network)
'Forever chemicals.' The state Department of Health has launched a dashboard to share data from drinking-water wells in the state that have been tested for the presence of toxic chemicals. (Seattle Times/paywall)
Toxic makeup. Starting in 2025, the Toxics-Free Cosmetics Act will be among the country’s strongest legislation against hazardous products. (Grist)
Gun law repeal. Larry Jensen of Skagit County reportedly plans to launch an initiative campaign to repeal some of the state's gun control measures. (KGMI)
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Education
School prayer. The U.S. Department of Education has issued updated guidance on prayer and other religious expressions in public schools by saying, "Teachers, school administrators and other school employees may not encourage or discourage private prayer or other religious activity." (NPR) See also: "Will Kennedy decision change the religious landscape in public schools?" (Salish Current, August 12, 2022)
Teacher cuts. The Bellingham School Board approved meeting its $16 million budget shortfall by not hiring back 42 teachers and reducing hours for 15 other teachers. (Bellingham Herald/paywall)
School jobs. The Lynden School Board voted to meet its $2.5 million budget shortfall by cutting about two dozen positions for the 2023-2024 school year. (Lynden Tribune/paywall)
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The Border
The Queen. Victoria Day is a federal Canadian public holiday celebrated on the last Monday preceding May 25 to honour Queen Victoria. The holiday has been observed in Canada since at least 1845, originally on Victoria's natural birthday, May 24. (Wikipedia)
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Nature
Tree cover. The Bellingham City Club returns to in-person meetings at its next forum presentation, "Boosting Climate Resilience One Tree at a Time" May 24, Noon, Bellingham Yacht Club, reservations. See also: "City seeks balance: housing needs and forest benefits" (Salish Current, May 5, 2023)
Similk estuary. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration awarded $11.6 million for a set of projects focused on large-scale restoration of the north Whidbey basin of the Skagit River estuary. (Skagit Valley Herald/paywall)
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Business
Boat charter. Island Opportunity Charters is operating passenger and freight service out of Bellingham to island destinations.(CDN/paywall)
Ferry meetup. Washington State Ferries will hold a virtual community meeting for its San Juan Islands/Anacortes route, May 31, 6 p.m. Register here.
Gravel mine. No permitting decision has been issued after a county hearing on a 51-acre gravel mine proposed near Sedro-Woolley in 2016 by Concrete Nor'west. (CDN/paywall)
Bow fiber. The state Broadband Office has granted the Port of Skagit $8 million to install 36 miles of fiber-optic broadband infrastructure that will serve about 630 homes and businesses near Bow and the surrounding area. (Skagit Valley Herald/paywall)
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Community
RUN movie. Racial Unity Now (RUN) presents a free screening of the movie "A Better Life" about the bond between a hardworking undocumented immigrant and his ambitious son in their quest for opportunity and stability. May 25, 6:30 p.m., Jansen Art Center, Lynden. Information.
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Commentary
On guns. Helen Cox Richardson writes: "For years now, after one massacre or another, I have written some version of the same article, explaining that the nation’s current gun free-for-all is not traditional but, rather, is a symptom of the takeover of our nation by a radical extremist minority. The idea that massacres are “the price of freedom,” as right-wing personality Bill O’Reilly said in 2017 after the Mandalay Bay massacre in Las Vegas, in which a gunman killed 60 people and wounded 411 others, is new, and it is about politics, not our history. (Letter from an American)
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Arts & Leisure
Women's films. The Cascadia International Women's Film Festival continues online through May 21. Information.
Aloft and At Rest. Sculptor Tony Angell looks back on the evolution of his work over 75 years, describing subtle changes over time that he describes as a "curious reciprocity between the artist and the subject." Foster-White Gallery, Seattle, through May 20. Details.
Matthew Shepard. Kulshan Chorus presents "Considering Matthew Shepard," the first concert-length work by Craig Hella Johnson, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the death of Matthew Shepard, a young gay student at the University of Wyoming in Laramie who was kidnapped, severely beaten, tied to a fence and left to die in a lonely field under a blanket of stars. May 20, 7:30 p.m., Mount Baker Theatre. Tickets here.
Early music. Salish Sea Early Music Festival Bach II (Bach B Minor Suite, Bach Cantata 209 etc.) • with Maike Albrecht (soprano), Hans-Jürgen Schnoor (harpsichord), Jeffrey Cohan (baroque flute), Carrie Krause (violin), Elisabeth Phelps (violin), Lindsey Strand-Polyak (viola) and Annabeth Shirley (cello). May 23, Fir-Conway Lutheran Church, 7 p.m.; May 24, Orcas Adventist Church, 6 p.m.; May 26, Bellingham First Presbyterian Church, 7 p.m.; May 27, Lopez Grace Church, 12:30 p.m.; May 27, Friday Harbor Brickworks, 7 p.m.; By donation $25; under 18 free.
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Jump in!
Blaine oysters. The Blaine Oyster Festival returns to downtown for a second year on May 20 with proceeds benefitting local nonprofit organizations. (The Northern Light)
Birding. North Cascades Audubon Society presents Joe Everson talking about "Status and Trends of Wintering Marine Birds in the Marine Waters of Washington State 1993–2023" on May 23, 7 p.m., at the Whatcom Museum Rotunda Room (in-person only)
Work party. Rain or shine, come out and build trails at the Barr Creek Restoration Area with the Skagit Land Trust. May 26, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Registration.
Ivy removal. Save trees by removing the ivy on Bellingham's Railroad Trail (along Illinois Path near Huron St.). May 27, 9 a.m.–Noon. Register
Day of uplift. The League of Women Voters of Bellingham/Whatcom County invite you a celebration of Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) people at Market Square Depot, June 2, 2–6 p.m. Vendors, food, dancing and singing.
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Government
Elections
Candidate filing for the Aug. 1 primary election closes at 4 p.m., May 19. The order in which candidates will be listed in the primary ballot will be determined by drawing at 4:45 p.m., May 19.
Whatcom County candidate filings
Skagit County candidate filings
San Juan County candidate filings
San Juan County.
The council met on May 16. Agenda items and video recording are here.
LWVSJ Observer Corps: County Council May 16, 2023
LWVSJ Observer Corps: SJI Fire District, May 9th, 2023
LWVSJ Observer Corps: Friday Harbor Town Council May 4, 2023
City of Bellingham.
The council will meet on May 22. Agenda items include:
• Public Hearing Regarding the Draft 2024–2029 Transportation Improvement Program. Staff memo.
The council will meet again on June 5.
Whatcom County.
The council will meet on May 23. Agenda items include:
Other items:
• Request authorization for the county executive to enter into a Local Agency Agreement between Whatcom County and Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) to receive state funding for the Lummi Island Ferry Replacement and System Modernization Project in the amount of $5.3 million. Staff memo.
The council will meet again on June 6.
Port of Bellingham.
The commission will meet on May 23. Video and agenda include:
Consent agenda:
• Approve a motion authorizing the executive director to enter into a grant contract between the Port of Bellingham and Washington State University (WSU) for the acceptance of the grant for researching and creating the Whatcom County Digital Equity Plan.
Presentations:
• Dockside Market Update
• Climate Action Strategy Update
The commission will meet again on June 6.
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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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