Watching Government

  August 2017

Port of Bellingham Commission

Action Taken at June 6, 2017 Meeting Shall the commission: 70. Authorize the executive director to accept a $782 state grant for costs associated with maintaining readiness for the oil spill response trailers at Blaine Harbor and the Bellingham Cruise … Continue reading

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  August 2017

Whatcom County Council

Compiled by Barry MacHale Action Taken at June 13, 2017 Meeting Shall the council: 111. Solicit public comment on the size of the proposed Whatcom County jail? (Public hearing held) At the 5/30/2017 meeting, vote #109, the council set this … Continue reading

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  August 2017

Bellingham City Council

Action Taken at June 5, 2017 Meeting Shall the council: 104. Grant a noise variance to the Washington State Department of Transportation for the I-5 cable barrier upgrade project? Construction work in residentially zoned areas between 10 p.m. and 7 … Continue reading

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  August 2017

poetrywatch

Boris Schleinkofer, poetrywatch editor “When power leads man toward arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations. When power narrows the area of man’s concern, poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses.” — … Continue reading

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  August 2017

All of Us Must Take Action

by Lyle Harris This section is devoted to studying the local impacts of specific issues the Trump Administration or Republican Congress will propose. Ronald Reagan said this in 1983: “Since the founding of this nation, freedom of the press has … Continue reading

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  August 2017

What Does Death Mean Today?

by Robert A. Duke “Modern Death: How Medicine Changed the End of Life,” by Haider Warraich, M.D., says modern technology and law have made death more complicated, so maybe you need to be more detailed about what procedures you want … Continue reading

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  August 2017

Improve Water-Use Efficiency: Focus on the Outliers

by Eric Hirst Whatcom County enjoys ample water supplies when averaged over the year, but summer conditions are quite different. Winter rains recharge groundwater and fill our streams, but summer’s hot, dry weather increases demand, especially for irrigation, and cuts … Continue reading

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  August 2017

Threats to Eelgrass and Solutions to Preserve and Restore

by Ron Kleinknecht Part 2 Editor’s Note: Part 1 appeared on the front page of the Whatcom Watch June 2017 issue. In Part 1, (1) I made the case that eelgrass (Zostera marina) and other sea grasses are critical to … Continue reading

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  August 2017

After 25 Years, EPA Cleaning Up Toxic Site Near Ferndale

by Andrew Wise On a marshy piece of land sitting in the shadow of the British Petroleum Cherry Point Refinery, just west of Ferndale and south of Blaine, sits a rusting collection of large industrial tanks connected by a spider … Continue reading

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  August 2017

Personal Costs of Driving and Car Ownership

by Preston Schiller To celebrate 26 years of publishing Whatcom Watch, we will be printing excerpts from 20 years ago. This article is from the August 1997 issue of Whatcom Watch. Previous articles (Whatcom Watch January 1997, May and June … Continue reading

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