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An aerial view of BP Cherry Point Refinery in Whatcom County in 2022. The decisions and inaction of past generations left us with climate change, among other problems, and Generation Z are the ones stuck fixing them, guest writer Will Parnow wrote in a recent guest commentary, published July 30. (Andy Bronson<\/a>\/Cascadia Daily News)<\/p>\nEditor,<\/p>\n
The guest commentaries (and letters) from young people that CDN runs from time to time are always a treat to read, and Will Parnow\u2019s recent piece (CDN, July 30, 2025<\/a>) on Gen Z wanting to help fix the world\u2019s problems was no exception.<\/p>\n The contributions of these thoughtful young members of our community give the lie to the thinking of too many that Gen Z are superficial and concerned mainly with their social media presence. Please continue to print what they have to say! (It would be really insightful to see a White House press conference with them asking the questions of the president \u2014 but I\u2019m a realist. I know the president would never make himself vulnerable to their straightforward scrutiny.)<\/p>\n Lauren St. Pierre Editor,<\/p>\n Federal funding cuts are threatening vital health programs, creating gaps in care and putting lives at risk.<\/p>\n Now, more than ever, our communities need skilled volunteers, especially retired nurses, to step forward and help bridge some gaps.<\/p>\n Health Ministries Network (HMN) volunteers, through its \u201cAsk a Nurse\u201d program, provide essential services such as blood pressure checks, health counseling, referrals, A1C screenings and other limited health screenings at no cost to those served. The \u201cAsk a Nurse\u201d program is strengthened by the support of numerous community partners.<\/p>\n HMN stands as a shining example of local action, relying on the expertise and compassion of retired nurses to support those most in need. Through education, advocacy and hands-on care, a focus of HMN\u2019s mission is to provide compassionate health support in rural and underserved communities, regardless of faith or background.<\/p>\n By volunteering with HMN\u2019s \u201cAsk a Nurse\u201d program, retired or part-time nurses can make a life-changing difference for individuals who might otherwise fall through the cracks of our strained health care system.<\/p>\n Your experience and empathy are invaluable assets that bring hope, attention and strength to our community\u2019s safety net.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s help ensure that no one in our community is left behind. I encourage retired nurses to consider sharing their skills through HMN\u2019s \u201cAsk a Nurse\u201d program. Your knowledge and compassion are needed now more than ever to serve, heal and uplift.<\/p>\n William Lombard, MD Editor,<\/p>\n As members of the Bellingham Community Food Co-op who are concerned with the genocide in Gaza, we requested that products sourced from Israel be taken off the shelves and that our co-op be in alignment with its stated values of respecting human rights. The co-op board and CEO reported their denial of our request in a June 26 email to the membership.<\/p>\n The board avoided the moral challenge by stating that the current bylaws don\u2019t boycott countries, only companies. Calling it a \u201cconflict\u201d rather than a genocide, as has been acknowledged by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, reflects a critical need for education.<\/p>\n Co-op leadership claimed \u201cfood is their lane.\u201d Meanwhile, forced mass starvation is happening in Gaza, and over 750+ people have been killed literally waiting in \u201cfood lanes.\u201d We were told some people might feel less safe shopping at the co-op if Israeli-sourced products were removed, yet others feel less able to continue shopping at a co-op that chooses to sell products from a country committing vicious war crimes.<\/p>\n How can we help stop this horror? Boycotts have long been a non-violent way of creating justice. They are happening in Olympia and other cities and countries around the world, including in the United Kingdom, where a food retailer will cease stocking Israel-sourced products in its more than 2,300 branches due to Israel\u2019s recognized human rights abuses and violations of international law.<\/p>\n Join us in urging the Co-op to uphold its stated values of human rights with ethical action.<\/p>\n Jessica Burchiel, Colleen Curtis, Lyn Fuller, Heather Korbmacher, Lindsay MacDonald, Shirley Osterhaus, Barbara Rofkar and Susan Witter Editor,<\/p>\n The first formal Justice Project Implementation Plan progress report is in circulation, following this month\u2019s Incarceration Prevention and Reduction Task Force (IPRTF) approval. The report describes progress toward goals and lists resources needed to further meet the goals of the implementation plan. While the report indicates that the Implementation Plan is moving forward, we have concerns.<\/p>\n The jail sales tax ordinance (2023-039) required data collection \u201cto measure progress toward desired outcomes and developing a data dashboard.\u201d There is no mention in the report of any resources needed to fulfill the collection of data to measure progress and the development of a public-facing data dashboard.<\/p>\n Robust and comprehensive data collection and a public-facing data dashboard are non-negotiable, contractual elements for this costly, publicly funded project. Without dedicated resources directed to these mandated plan components, public oversight, which is in the public interest, is compromised. The county owes it to taxpayers to report on what is happening with data collection, how disparate computer systems do, or do not, align, and who is \u201cin charge.\u201d<\/p>\n At the earliest possible date, we request the executive and IPRTF arrange for in-person public forums to share the county\u2019s progress on the Justice Project Implementation Plan. Specifically, the forums must detail what the county is doing to deploy fiscal and personnel resources for data collection and the development of a public-facing data dashboard.<\/p>\n Karla Ward, Riveters Collective Justice System Committee Editor,<\/p>\n The Georgia Pacific digester tanks, Acid Ball and chipping equipment are not \u201cugly eyesores.\u201d They are expressions of resiliency. We need the physical evidence to remind us of and reflect on how a community transitions from a contaminated industrial waterfront to a mixed-use and accessible shoreline.<\/p>\n Yes, we need better signage. We need signage that contextualizes and awakens people\u2019s curiosity about how a \u201cdirty little mill town,\u201d as longtime residents described our fair city, becomes a desirable community where retirees and young families are flocking for the clean air and stunning beauty of Bellingham\u2019s thriving waterfront.<\/p>\n We need physical remnants \u2014 and what better than the enormous steel and brick structures \u2014 that tell a story about the wastes produced by these resource extractive operations: sawmill debris, sulfuric acid, and chlorine dioxide used in processing paper. All of it dumped directly into Bellingham Bay. Now, more than ever, we need reminders of how our city, port and private entities collaborate with the public to remediate past mistakes.<\/p>\n Like Gas Works Park in Seattle, we have a unique opportunity to use these relics as contextualizing tools to explore the ongoing coordinated effort to clean up contamination and maintain a working waterfront. It\u2019s time to tell the story of how the city\u2019s backyard \u2014 the place where we would dump things and bury them \u2014 is being reimagined as our front yard. When we scrub our past, we risk losing our community\u2019s connection to place.<\/p>\n Anna Booker Editor,<\/p>\n Today, there are less than 75 Southern Resident orcas alive \u2014 the lowest their population has been in decades. These animals are some of the most beloved, iconic and charismatic creatures in the Pacific Northwest, and we\u2019re watching them disappear before our eyes.<\/p>\n Risa Schnebly\u2019s recent article (CDN, July 13, 2025<\/a>) highlights an expert report that highlighted one of the least-talked-about ways that the status quo is not working for the Southern Residents.<\/p>\n Though noise and water pollution play their part, a lack of food is really putting this species on the brink. For too long, state and federal governments have emphasized the importance of hatchery fish to supplement the diet of these starving animals and the report\u2019s authors make it clear that this is not working as intended.<\/p>\n Wild populations of salmon are what will save the orcas. Chinook salmon (the Southern Residents\u2019 primary food source) are blocked from vital spawning grounds in Idaho by four major dams on the Lower Snake River in the Pacific Northwest. By removing them, these fish could access spawning grounds, recover their populations and provide much-needed sustenance to orcas.<\/p>\n State and tribal agencies are already collaborating on dam removal projects, and we need the federal government to re-enter this partnership to save the Southern Residents.<\/p>\n Ian Giancarlo, Environment Oregon Editor,<\/p>\n The United States once taught Britain the lesson that there are no necessary nations and no permanent global order. Now \u2014 ironically \u2014 MAGA is teaching the world that lesson again. It is undermining everything that once made America great: the promotion of a reliable trade system, with the best technological and scientific institutions in the world, generous admission of foreign students to study at top-rated universities, the rule of law, some modicum of ethical sense, and advocacy for democracy. It breaks a patriot\u2019s heart.<\/p>\n Daniel Warner Editor,<\/p>\n In the lee of time, many horrific happenings can be identified long before they occur. Given that human nature has changed little over millennia, looking back is often the clearest way to see the future.<\/p>\n Many who lived through Hitler\u2019s rise to power in Germany said the same sort of things that some Americans say of Trump. To them, Hitler, like Trump, was a joke. An absurdly ungifted narcissist. A degenerate who flew his flag of degeneracy so high that people became desensitized to just how immoral he was.<\/p>\n In present times, we hear the echoes of that dark past. Too many people remain silent, preferring to be optimistic rather than realistic. Some elites find their own wealth increasing by keeping silent. They will confront their conscience down the road.<\/p>\n What people fear most is that twisted minds, drunk on power and control, seldom relinquish it without horrific cost. Only resistance can give the powerful the pause that is needed.<\/p>\n Michael Waite Editor,<\/p>\n Let\u2019s pause for a moment to remember a short piece of the South Bay Trail in Fairhaven, soon to be a remnant of another time. This green remnant, two blocks between Mill and Douglas avenues, is to be mostly buried by a condo building, part of a large project called Fairhaven Central. This development is to be mixed-use \u2014 residences, underground garage and commercial. The character of the beloved, spaciously wide pedestrian path will be destroyed. Now, a peaceful time before the ravages of development, the trail is bordered by blackberry bushes, shrubs, trees, flowers, grass and a huge horse chestnut tree. After construction, the path will be buried by a large condominium structure.<\/p>\n Looking west from the trail, in something of an irony, there is a Port of Bellingham industrial area, and in the near distance, BNSF railroad tracks and Bellingham Bay. Thick foliage and lack of engines mean the trail itself is serene, a favorite place for many, especially in the summer, thick with pedestrians of all ages and abilities, runners, baby strollers and buggies, scooters, wheeled walkers, and cyclists.<\/p>\n Both ends of the Mill to Douglas stretch are to be closed soon, which will be a shock to hundreds, if not thousands, of residents and visitors. The temporary replacement route will include several unfriendly urban features, including traffic and a steep hill, absent from sidewalks on Douglas Avenue \u2014 a definitely non-serene environment.<\/p>\n S.L. Sanger Editor,<\/p>\n An open letter to masked ICE\/CPB agents conducting enforcement operations: You may be getting an \u201cattaboy\u201d from MAGA, but others (including many foreign governments) are comparing you to Hitler\u2019s Gestapo, Pinochet\u2019s DINA, the Shah\u2019s SAVAK and the Soviet KGB. If you chose the noble profession of law enforcement in order \u201cto serve and protect,\u201d you will soon have another choice to make: Your boss, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, was confirmed despite shooting her \u201cuntrainable\u201d dog; her boss, the president, nominated her precisely for a willingness to do it. Are you prepared to \u201cshoot [Americans] in the legs\u201d if so ordered?<\/p>\n Fifty-five years ago, Sgt. Myron Pryor of the Ohio National Guard and 27 guardsmen fired 67 rounds in 13 seconds into a crowd of unarmed students protesting the Vietnam War at Kent State University, killing four. Although they were ultimately exonerated by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals on technical grounds, most are still living with this guilt.<\/p>\n The pendulum will swing back \u2014 the nation\u2019s repugnance for thuggery is rapidly multiplying. Someday, the International Court of Justice in The Hague may indict and try in absentia, Secretary Noem for \u201cdisappearing\u201d undocumented migrants to (de facto) foreign and domestic concentration camps. We would relive the Nuremberg Trials \u2014 this time as defendants.<\/p>\n Until then, if you have to wear a mask so your kids don\u2019t see live-streamed what you do for a living, maybe you shouldn\u2019t be doing it.<\/p>\n Omar Gandhi Firestone Editor,<\/p>\n Mr. Shelton\u2019s letter (CDN, July 25, 2025<\/a>) admonishing protesters to refrain from violence requires a reply.<\/p>\n First, he presumes without evidence that rocks or Molotov cocktails were thrown by protesters. Far more likely, those actions were perpetrated by either Proud Boys or Q-Anon infiltrators to justify violence by ICE agents and\/or the federalized National Guard.<\/p>\n Second, he asserted that people in the military or law enforcement \u201cdon\u2019t get to choose which orders [to] follow.\u201d That is simply wrong. In the wake of World War II, the Nuremberg trials established that obeying orders is no defense when commanded to violate human rights or moral principles. There can be not only the right to disobey orders, but the obligation to do so! The seizures being carried out by anonymous, masked ICE agents driving unmarked vehicles are un-American and certainly extra-legal. Secret police raiding workplaces to seize individuals of color \u2014 most of whom have committed no crime, have been hard-working members of their communities for decades, and often have families who are American citizens \u2014 is unacceptable in a free country.<\/p>\n Let us not rush to judge protesters and to defend government agents systematically denying persons their constitutional due process rights.<\/p>\n Tom Goetzl Editor,<\/p>\n Kudos to Elizabeth Smith for her letter (CDN, July 25, 2025<\/a>) in which she shames America for having \u201cturned into a fascist state in just seven months.\u201d Indeed, we are rapidly turning into the land of the unfree.<\/p>\n According to Human Rights Watch, the ACLU, the SPLC, the Civicus Monitor, the Guardian and other socio-political investigative and monitoring sources, the following civil and personal freedoms have become significantly at risk since January: freedom of speech; freedom of the press; academic Freedom; the freedom of assembly (re: Los Angles and elsewhere); civil rights (unlawful incarcerations, torture, targeting vulnerable populations based on discriminatory classifications); the right of Habeus Corpus; voting rights and political rights; immigration and asylum rights; the right to privacy; the rights to health care and (unbiased) education; the rights of Indigenous people; reproductive rights; and right to sexual orientation.<\/p>\n Additionally, the Fourth, Fifth and Fourteenth Constitutional Amendments (protecting individuals from unreasonable searches and seizures, self-incrimination and due process) are being challenged, as are ongoing attempts at tampering with the courts and using the military in actions against civilians. Executive orders and legislative measures since January have sparked ongoing debates about the state of democracy and freedoms in the U.S., showcasing how political threats and manipulations can profoundly influence civil liberties.<\/p>\n Thank you, Elizabeth Smith, for sounding the alarm bell. However, talking and writing no longer suffice. Action speaks louder than words.<\/p>\n Curt Wolters Editor,<\/p>\n I\u2019m still chuckling about the Skagit school board candidates saying \u201cno to politics\u201d (CDN, July 26, 2025<\/a>). Denouncing politics in our lives is a gargantuan American myth, and election season is a good time to call that out.<\/p>\n Politics is the default method of decision-making at every layer of human life. It is \u2014 to varying degrees \u2014 transparent, participatory and compromise-based, though sometimes you have to dig to reveal it. Where to go to dinner tonight? A political decision. When to give the teens the car keys? Politics all the way. Playing golf with the boss? Politics at every stroke. Of course, every government action, by Constitutional decree, is political at every level.<\/p>\n I claim this is a good thing because the alternatives, frankly, suck. Decision by prayer? Only if it\u2019s my guy doing the praying. Dictator? Autocrat? King? These are where justice goes to die. And apathy, there\u2019s a good one. Let\u2019s just drift into anarchy with a smile on our faces.<\/p>\n We embrace politics until we lose a political contest, and then we deride it, instead of our own poor practice. You want to win? Getting better at politics is the only way. I\u2019m talking to you, Skagit school board.<\/p>\n Tom Horton Editor,<\/p>\n Outside of Sudden Valley, few are likely to know that members of Scout Troop 4019 recently gave back to the community in a big way. As part of his Eagle Scout requirements, Jack Anderson worked with the Sudden Valley Safety Committee and Washington State Parks on a joint effort to design, build and stock a Life Jacket Loaner Kiosk at the Sudden Valley Marina. He was responsible for recruiting fellow scouts and adults to do the construction, supervised the two-day effort, helped assemble and oversaw safety.<\/p>\n The kiosk provides life jackets (AKA Personal Flotation Devices, or PFDs) which can be borrowed by boaters and watercraft users, at no charge, and then returned when finished. It is state law that all boaters, including stand-up paddle boarders, have a life jacket in their possession when on the water, with children under age 12 required to wear them when in a boat under 19 feet in length. Given that Lake Whatcom and some other freshwater locations, along with Bellingham Bay, are classified as cold water, wearing a life jacket is important for one\u2019s safety.<\/p>\n This project is one that has been discussed for some time, and Sudden Valley is grateful to Jack and Troop 4019 for recognizing the need and bringing the idea to fruition!<\/p>\n Ted Wang, Sudden Valley Safety Committee member Editor,<\/p>\n As a former planner who worked in the NW Annex, I was happy \u2014 then disappointed \u2014 to see an article on it (CDN, July 12, 2025<\/a>). It tells a story, the bulk of which is the competing interests of historical preservation versus modern needs. But there\u2019s another story here: the disparate treatment in funding and journalism of the interests of the police versus everyone else.<\/p>\n The Annex is indeed a unique and special building \u2014 it is also falling apart. But when our local papers publish articles about the jail and sheriff\u2019s office, we get photo ops of working conditions, video tours and direct quotes from staff. No such treatment was afforded to planning employees at the Annex \u2014 not a single quote from someone who actually works in the building, and the only photos serve to display its historic charm.<\/p>\n This contrast doesn\u2019t exist just in our local paper, but in our funding as well. As noted in the article, \u201ccriminal justice functions are taking up more and more space\u201d \u2014 it also takes up more and more of our budget. \u201cLaw and justice\u201d in Whatcom County takes 55% of our general fund. Planning? Just 6%. Planning protects the environment, local agricultural and timber lands, clean drinking water, and ensures the buildings you live in and the businesses you frequent are safe \u2014 and much more.<\/p>\n Every other function of government, locally and nationally, competes for the scraps left over by \u201ccriminal justice\u201d \u2014 both in the paper of print and the paper of funding. In the future, may you do better to platform the needs of other departments that are as important and necessary.<\/p>\n McKale Jones Editor,<\/p>\n In response to Carol Brach\u2019s recent letter (CDN, July 29, 2025<\/a>) concerning incarcerated persons being charged room, board and medical, my first reaction is: If you can\u2019t pay the fine, don\u2019t do the crime.<\/p>\n Duke Farrell Editor,<\/p>\n In 1945, only one country in the world, the USA, had the world\u2019s supply of two nuclear bombs. Little Boy was dropped on Aug. 6 in Hiroshima and Fat Boy was dropped on Aug. 9. Over 210,00 were killed. In 2025, there are nine countries with nuclear bombs and 15,000 nuclear bombs in the world. Both the U.S. and Russia have 6,000-plus each. The explosive yield of the Hiroshima bomb was 15,000 kilotons of TNT. In 2025, one nuclear warhead on a Trident submarine yields 475,000 kilotons of TNT. There are at least 50 warheads on each submarine.<\/p>\n President Trump\u2019s nuclear modernization plans will cost $1.7 trillion in the next 25 years. His goals are supported by the majority of Republicans and half of Democrats.<\/p>\n Do you agree with this policy?<\/p>\n There are two paths: Join 93 countries in this world to pursue the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons \u2014 eliminate them! Or, remain silent in the face of this growing threat to destroy everything living on this planet.<\/p>\n We need reason, connection, communication and cooperation. We need nuclear disarmament. Let us honor the victims of nuclear bombs and testing. You know the drill: Call your representatives; speak to your people; fight for moral budgets.<\/p>\n Bellingham City Council has been urged to sign onto an action with 85 other US cities to tell our federal government to negotiate to drawdown\/elimination of nuclear weapons.<\/p>\n Join us: wanwcoalition.org<\/a> and preventnuclearwar.org<\/a><\/p>\n Barbara Sardarov Editor,<\/p>\n Mid-Summer Report Card for Bellingham City Hall.<\/p>\n Protecting Tenants: A (successful elimination of ridiculous rental fees).<\/p>\n Protecting Trans Citizens: A-minus (excellent effort, but sanctuary city status still needed).<\/p>\n Growth and Development: F (As we rape and ruin our once-lovely town with unsightly overdevelopment, the public is subjected to continual manipulation with \u201cfeel-good\u201d buzzwords like \u201cabundance.\u201d This indoctrination process could have been lifted from the Trump playbook. Meanwhile, citizen services like crucial health care are strained to the max because too many people have moved here much too quickly.)<\/p>\n With the exception of a couple of city council members, I no longer trust city hall\u2019s ability to orchestrate a sensible, environmentally friendly planning program that seriously considers the needs and priorities of current citizens. Instead, we suffer the Growth Machine\u2019s clarion call: \u201cPave, baby, pave!\u201d<\/p>\n Warren Sheay Editor,<\/p>\n Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are people who are seeking refuge from economic and social violence perpetrated by their own government. Insatiable Consumer Demand (ICD) \u2014 particularly in privileged societies \u2014 creates the economic and social violence carried out by police, militaries and guns-for-hire elsewhere.<\/p>\n For the foreseeable future \u2014 due to ICD \u2014 IDPs will skyrocket worldwide as they flee government oppression, criminal terror, and environments ravaged by international banks and corporations working in tandem with states. Rent refugees, war refugees, bigotry refugees and climate refugees all on the move \u2014 looking for a place to call home.<\/p>\n The world has become a giant open pit mine\/garbage dump\/slave market, and ICD is driving it all.<\/p>\n Jay Taber Editor,<\/p>\n Please support Northwest Youth Services. Yes, they have had drama with leadership, but we need to help them rebuild now. Today\u2019s homeless teen is tomorrow\u2019s indigent person, draining public resources and endangering themselves and others. The sad irony is that these kids are on the street because the adults in their lives gave up on them, and now we have a bunch of privileged adults who could help turn the organization around instead of gossiping at parties about how they \u201ccouldn\u2019t\u00a0possibly\u00a0support NWYS after\u00a0all\u00a0the drama.\u201d I implore those folks to take another look at what\u2019s been happening.<\/p>\n The staff at NWYS are part of the first line of defense against homelessness. They tell these teens, \u201cWe are not giving up on you no matter what,\u201d so I think we should give those staffers the resources to back that claim up. All the relevant government entities have done their due diligence and kept the funding flowing, so let\u2019s refocus on empowering the kids and leave the adult drama behind.<\/p>\n Andrew Shelton
Fairhaven<\/p>\n
Bellingham<\/p>\n
Bellingham<\/p>\n
Sudden Valley<\/p>\n
Bellingham<\/p>\n
Oregon<\/p>\n
Bellingham<\/p>\n
Sedro-Woolley<\/p>\n
Bellingham<\/p>\n
Bellingham<\/p>\n
Bellingham<\/p>\n
Bellingham<\/p>\n
Sudden Valley<\/p>\n
Sudden Valley<\/p>\n
Deming<\/p>\n
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Thousands died from radiation poisoning later. Let\u2019s remember this on Aug. 6.<\/p>\n
Bellingham<\/p>\n
Bellingham<\/p>\n
Blaine<\/p>\n
Bellingham<\/p>\n