In the Media

For many of her students, Prudence Hockley was the teacher — the one who pushed them, challenged them, stretched their minds and told them to believe in themselves, no matter what.

She was the one they'd think about later and thank for their successes, many former students said on a memorial Facebook page.

Even as a child, there was never a doubt in Travis Bundy's mind that his future lay in art.

"I've been drawing my whole life, from the time I was able to hold a crayon," said Bundy, an Auburn resident since 2007. "My mother has saved all of the drawings I've done. It's great because you can see the progression."

Bundy, 33, is an established comic book artist today, with two graphic novels to his credit – his most recent, "Jeff", and his first work, "Gods of the New Empire", which was selected for inclusion into the Library of Congress.

The New Year is just around the corner and in preparation for it people have been busy planning where they will be, who they'll spend their time with, and what will they be drinking. With the answer commonly being in a public place, with friends, and beer, welcoming the New Year might not go over so well, especially when heavy drinking is involved.

There’s no doubt that Santa’s sleigh can hold quite a number of toys. But even the Jolly Old Elf himself would be impressed with how many toys one former Gig Harbor resident helped deliver for the holidays.

Lt. Col. Gerald Ostlund, a 1986 Peninsula High School graduate, was part of the U.S. Army’s 14th annual Operation Toy Drop that took place Dec. 10 at Fort Bragg, N.C., bringing in 20,000 toys for needy children across the country. The Toy Drop is overseen by the U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (Airborne).

Debbie Gibbons, youth programs manager at Western Washington University, wants to let parents know about the Western Arts Preparatory Academy, a youth enrichment program that offers classes in dance, theater and music. Winter session begins in early January, and Gibbons says, with the exception of the Suzuki violin classes, classes are a long way from being full. The two theater offerings are new and Gibbons is concerned that if there's not sufficient enrollment, they'd have to be canceled. Academy programs focus on providing life-enhancing skills and broadening the perspectives of youth in a safe, friendly and fun atmosphere.

Brooks Anderson moved to Bellingham a decade ago, and Jill MacIntyre Witt has been here a shade longer. They're not newcomers to Whatcom County, but they can't claim deep roots, either.Nonetheless, working together, they brought big change to Bellingham in 2011 by leading a successful effort to ban plastic shopping bags.

When she was a student at Davis High School, Elise Tulloss knew she wanted to work with nature, but she never thought she'd go through 10 years of post-college schooling to get there.

"I thought that only (medical) doctors did that!" she said.

Now, the 2000 Davis grad is about a year away from finishing her doctoral dissertation in ecology. And as a final boost this summer she was awarded a prestigious Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant from the National Science Foundation, one of the few students in her field to get it.

Paul Klein, 60, is a musician who would be hard to miss on the Bellingham music scene. He's in his 17th year of teaching (currently at Fairhaven and Kulshan middle schools) and has fronted numerous rock 'n' roll/ rhythm and blues bands over the years. The Atlantics, now in its 30th year, performs on New Year's Eve at Semiahmoo Resort.

PRESIDENT Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper signed a deal Dec. 8 that stakes out a menu of changes that will improve the border.

The Beyond the Border action plan has several provisions that will directly benefit our region. Amtrak southbound trains will be faster and more reliable because security inspections will take place in Vancouver rather than at the border in Blaine.

Born in New Hampshire and raised in Redmond, 21-year-old Matt van den Heuvel moved to Bellingham about a year ago to attend Western Washington University to pursue a degree in guitar performance.He performs locally with vocalist Sonja Lee and saxophonist Thomas Harris. Harris and his ensemble perform Dec. 28 and 29 at Blue Horse Gallery, in preparation for a recording session mid-January.