City & County
Bellingham Urban Forest Plan on pause
By Adah Bassok | October 14Bellingham’s Urban Forestry Management Plan is currently paused due to a limited number of staff and their abilities.
City County
City & County
New Little Squalicum Park heronry completes first nesting season
By Carden Mercier | October 13The City of Bellingham is collaborating with Hamer Environmental to monitor the new heronry and release a protection plan for the Little Squalicum herons in their 2025 annual report on the Post Point Heron Colony.
City & County
Bellingham City Council candidates meet at CDN town hall
By Bodey Mitchell | October 13With Election Day nearing, candidates for Bellingham City Council gathered at a town hall meeting on Saturday, Oct. 11 at Sehome High School to discuss housing, protecting vulnerable groups and their rights, communication and biking infrastructure.
City & County
March for Gaza unites community in downtown Bellingham
By DuPree Nugent and Janessa Bates | October 10An estimated 200 people gathered in Maritime Heritage Park on Oct. 7, participating in the March for Gaza wearing keffiyehs, waving flags and holding homemade signs, where members from various groups spoke in solidarity with Palestine.
City & County
Introducing -HUT-, a nightclub designed for the 18+ crowd
By Sophia Jellinghaus | October 9It’s been a month since Bellingham’s newest club, -HUT-, first opened its doors, but the venue is just getting started. -HUT- aims to be a space where everyone, especially young people, can feel free to be themselves and enjoy the music.
City & County
Downtown Sounds officially back for summer
By Bridgette Jennings | August 6Downtown Sounds has officially returned for the summer. The first event, held July 9 at the intersection of Bay Street and Prospect Street, went from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. and was the beginning of a summer-long event. These events will continue every Wednesday night until Aug. 6.
City & County
Vital’s upcoming rope gym expected to foster climbing community
By Bridgette Jennings | July 22Rock climbing is reaching new heights in Bellingham, not only as a physical outlet, but as a strong social engagement tool and hidden gem for mental well-being. With Vital’s rope gym on the way at 315 W. Holly St., the expansion of the local climbing scene is on the horizon, offering climbers a new space to grow their skills.
City & County
City ordinance would write LGBTQ+ protections into law
By Farrel Harten | July 15The Bellingham City Council is moving forward with an ordinance designed to strengthen protections for LGBTQ+ residents, especially transgender and nonbinary individuals, by adding anti-discrimination language to city law.
City & County
Community to Community channels outrage into action
By Tori Lehman | July 13A small room in the Clover Block building in downtown Bellingham beams with light and the sounds of community. It hosts Community to Community’s participation labs — one of many events the group organizes to fight for better conditions for farm workers, immigrants and food sovereignty in Skagit and Whatcom counties.
City & County
The kismet histories of Bellingham’s historic buildings
By Brenna Witchey | June 13When Ken Culver first laid eyes on the historic Gamwell home, all he could think was, “God almighty, what is that?” The home, built in 1890, is a hulking mass of intricate craftsmanship sitting on the corner of 16th Street and Douglas Avenue in Fairhaven.
City & County
Pick, snack and savor at Whatcom County’s berry farms
By Jonah Billings | June 13Summer is berry-picking season in Whatcom County, and there’s no better way to celebrate than getting out on the farm, enjoying the sunny weather and plucking your own berries right off the vine.
City & County
Disc Golfers fear for future of Bellis Fairways with arrival of new businesses
By Cameron Riggers | June 6Bellis Fair Mall has served the Bellingham community for over 35 years, and upcoming additions of Chick-fil-A, Dutch Bros, and Washington Trust Bank are drawing new attention to the area. However, the Bellis Fairways Disc Golf Course may face a potential reduction in size as a result of these businesses’ arrival.
City & County
Q&A: How to become a steward of the land in Washington state
By Quincy Koch | June 4Have you heard of the WTA? No, not the Women's Tennis Association or the Whatcom Transportation Authority. This WTA stands for the Washington Trail Association.
City & County
Dust off your dancing shoes with Una Fusion
By Claire Mayne | June 3During the pandemic, partner dancing took a hit in Bellingham. In response, Una Fusion, a fusion dance community, was launched. Their next event is June 7, at 7:30 p.m. at Presence Studio, above Bellingham Bar and Grill along Cornwall Avenue.
City & County
Just five minutes: How intentional sound and silence can soothe you
By Brenna Witchey | June 1Sound baths, with their otherworldly sounds and almost hypnotic nature, are at the forefront of wellness culture's "wild west," according to Kristi Moseley of Mystic Heart, a Bellingham-based sound practitioner. But Moseley said the practice of using sound to heal isn't new.
City & County
City Council plans policy action to protect transgender community members
By Jae Ranney | May 22At roughly 8:30 p.m. on May 19, Bellingham City Council member Hannah Stone announced the City Council’s plans to discuss a proposed city ordinance that will offer legislative protections to transgender community members, among others.
City & County
Whatcom Youth Pride 2025: Celebrating love and inclusion in Bellingham
By Julieta Larios | May 21As we near June, we can expect lots of Pride events celebrating LGBTQ+ members of our community. Whatcom Youth Pride Coalition has aimed to create an event to celebrate the LGBTQ+ youth in Whatcom County.
City & County
Skate culture finds a permanent home in downtown Bellingham
By Tori Lehman | May 21What was once a hidden gem for local skaters will be taking on a new life. The City of Bellingham, in cooperation with Northwest Skate Collective, is renovating the informal skate park under Roeder Avenue Bridge into an official city park.
City & County
Culvert replacements to reopen salmon streams near Lake Samish
By Josh Maritz | May 18Depending on the time of year, you’re bound to see some type of salmon running up a Washington waterway-spring steelhead, summer sockeye, fall chinook, chum, coho or the year-round cutthroat. But in many places, that journey ends abruptly at a culvert: A narrow, aging pipe where roads cross streams, often blocking fish from reaching their historic spawning grounds.
Recreation
Border slowdown hits Whatcom’s tourism and recreation industries
By Jonah Billings | May 13Canadians are crossing the border from British Columbia into Whatcom County at increasingly lower rates, according to recent data. For Blaine’s recreation companies, the effects of cross-border tensions are still uncertain.
