The Washington state eviction moratorium was extended on March 18 for what is expected to be the last time before it officially expires on June 30. In response, the Washington State Legislature announced a new bill with the intent to alleviate the pressures of the expiring moratorium and improve tenant protections.
Southern Resident killer whales, a population of Orcas in the Salish Sea, may benefit from a recent court ruling imposing regulations on the Phillips 66 oil refinery in Ferndale.
Following the widespread demonstrations and growing number of Black Americans killed by the police, the Washington Legislature is moving forward on reforming the police statewide. A majority of police reform bills have been delivered to Gov. Jay Inslee’s desk to be signed into law while others are making their way through the Legislature.
A mysterious illness that appeared eight years ago and nearly wiped out sea star populations along the Pacific Coast is continuing to leave researchers puzzled.
A statue of Billy Frank Jr., Nisqually tribal activist and environmental leader, will be placed in the U.S. Capitol’s National Statuary Hall.
A report released from Leafly, a Seattle-based cannabis education and retail cannabis information provider, showed that Washington state made $1.42 billion in cannabis sales in 2020.
On April 14, Gov. Jay Inslee signed House Bill 1090 into law, banning for-profit prisons and detention facilities. The measure announces change to the immigration enforcement landscape in Washington state.
Western Washington University’s five-acre organic Outback Farm was designated an essential business throughout the pandemic, allowing continued operation of the student-led organization to provide the community with produce from their garden.
SconeGrown, a vegan bakery founded by Kyla Graham and Xander Terrell, is expected to open in the next two weeks.
The Bellingham City Council will be voting on an ordinance this May that will provide a $4 an hour hazard pay for grocery store workers. The ordinance will affect grocery stores with 10,000 square feet and over 40 employees.
The Port of Bellingham is reducing their greenhouse gas emissions by 86% after signing an 18-year-contract with Puget Sound Energy, according to a press release from the port.
Bellingham Public Library is set to open the doors of its Central branch in late spring, after a remodel of its main floor.
Vaccine passports are sparking political debate as extended border closures continue to strain Whatcom County’s economy.
“A police chief needs to understand the culture of the area,” said Michael Luna, a retired border patrol agent who lives in Bellingham. “It’s not a position where one size fits all.”
Spring has arrived in Whatcom County, and with it, the beginning of the Bellingham Farmers Market’s season, resuming weekly Saturday business from from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Depot Square Market.
Called by Gov. Jay Inslee “one of the most substantive pieces of climate legislation in the country,” the House of Representatives will vote on the Climate Commitment Act before the end of the legislative session, April 25.
Rena Priest was named the new Washington state poet laureate by Governor Jay Inslee on April 1. Priest is a member of the Lhaq’ Temish, Lummi Nation and is the first Indigenous poet to assume the role.
Western Washington University has become the first university in the United States to obtain an Asian giant hornet. The hornet is from a radio giveaway on Bellingham’s classic rock station 92.9 KISM.
On March 3, the U.S. Forest Service released its environmental assessment for a new forest management project in Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.
Solutions by The State News
