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.
The Centers for Disease Control updated guidelines for domestic travel during the COVID-19 pandemic on April 2 with a focus on those who are fully vaccinated.
The Underground nightclub opened its doors on Friday, April 2, after over a year in hibernation.
All Whatcom County residents ages 16 and older are now eligible to receive their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
Nicole Berman, the executive director at Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services, has difficult choices ahead. For a few months in the early pandemic, the nonprofit ceased asking for donations because of economic insecurity and the cancellation of events Berman said. They estimated DVSAS lost 70% to 75% of the nonprofit’s donations.
By Adela Cruz
By Sophia Struna
Solutions by The State News
