In the Media

Middle blocker Emily Jepsen had match highs of 13 kills on 18 attempts with just two errors for a hitting percentage of .611 as nationally ranked Western Washington University swept Simon Fraser University 25-16, 25-12, 25-11 in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference volleyball match Saturday, Oct. 30, at Sam Carver Gymnasium on the WWU campus.

Backers of a proposal to expand North Cascades National Park - perhaps by some 304,000 acres - will speak in Bellingham in the coming days.

Called the American Alps Legacy Project, the initiative is led by the North Cascades Conservation Council, The Mountaineers and other partners. They said it would complete the conservation and historical vision for the park, which was created on Oct. 2, 1968.

The free talks are:

• 3 p.m. Friday, Oct. 29, Communications Facility Room 105 at Western Washington University. Part of WWU's Huxley College of Environment Speaker Series.

• 6:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 1, in the community room at REI, 400 36th St. Organized by the Mount Baker Club.

Many Americans are worried that America's Christian heritage is being threatened. Even if the threat is more perceptual than actual, it has mobilized important religious leaders and politicians to question the separation of church and state. In a recent debate in Delaware, Christine O'-Donnell, the Republican candidate for the Senate, asked, "Where in the Constitution is the separation of church and state?" Indeed, many conservatives construe efforts to separate church and state as an attack on America's Christian majority. Many liberals, on the other hand, treat the separation of church and state as solely a political issue, a way to protect the state from religious influence.

Numerous ballot measures competing for voters' attention in Washington state have led to a record amount of combined money spent on campaigns ranging from liquor privatization to imposing an income tax on the state's highest earners.

One upside to the increase in money, said Western Washington University political science professor Todd Donovan, is the increase in voter exposure to those arguments both for and against measures.

"People are probably more likely to cast a vote," he said. "When there's more spending you get more attention. Although there's always negative ads, there's probably, in some ways, more information available to voters than in the past."

Everett Community College is joining six other colleges and universities to form the Northwest Higher Education Coalition, a group working together to increase higher education opportunities in northwestern Washington.

The coalition includes Bellingham Technical College, Everett Community College, Northwest Indian College, Olympic College, Skagit Valley College, Whatcom Community College and Western Washington University.

Forward Michael Duty had team-highs of 24 points and 10 rebounds, helping the Blue team defeat the White team, 103-86, in the 18th annual Blue/White men's basketball intra-squad game Thursday, Oct. 28, at WWU.

Guard Rico Wilkins had a game-high 27 points for the White team, 23 of them in the second half.

One upside to the increase in money, said Western Washington University political science professor Todd Donovan, is the increase in voter exposure to those arguments both for and against measures.

“People are probably more likely to cast a vote,” he said. “When there’s more spending you get more attention. Although there’s always negative ads, there’s probably, in some ways, more information available to voters than in the past.”

Cuts to school budgets have long-reaching tentacles, though, and are likely to be felt in the broader community. Western Washington University is neck and neck with St. Joseph Hospital for the rank of No. 1 Whatcom County employer. Those employees, who live and spend their money in the county, feed the local economy.

Haunted houses and scary celebrations are already under way in Whatcom County. Here are a few highlights. For more events, or for details on these events, go to calendar.bellinghamherald.com and type in "Halloween" or "Holiday" in the "What" search box.

The two major kids-trick-or-treating events are from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 30, in downtown Bellingham; and from 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 31, in historic Fairhaven.