In the Media
Mount Baker towers nearly 10,800 feet in the sky, so massive that on clear days it can be seen as far away as Seattle. Whether because of its historic snowfall, its world-class skiing and snowboarding or its striking views, it's hard to think of Whatcom County and not think of Mount Baker.
But there's much more to the mountain than simply snow and skis. It has been the site of major motion pictures, thrilling athletic events, important mining camps and some of the most bizarre events in the county's history.
The student in front of you is surfing Facebook on his or her laptop. The girl a few rows across from you just received a text. A guy nearby just put his headphones in, drowning out the professor's rhetoric. Sound familiar?
The abundance of smartphones on college campuses has called into question this generation's ability to focus on classes.
Are attention spans of this generation becoming shorter?
The state's chief economist said Thursday that the state has taken in $12 million less than expected since September, and that revenues are projected to drop by $122 million over the next two years.
A dramatic rise in international students enrolled at Washington's public universities and colleges at a time when in-state students struggle to get in or are jammed into huge lecture halls are the consequences of the state's disinvestment in higher education.
Pat Shanahan, Boeing's head of airplane programs, said Tuesday the company's "commercial market outlook" over the next 20 years forecasts industry demand for 33,500 airplanes.
The challenge for this state is to be ready to embrace the opportunity, and compete to retain and grow the employment that comes with successful products. For Shanahan that means education: "We don't have enough engineers to do all the work."
Mr. Chin — a businessman, former UW regent, WWU trustee and community leader — died unexpectedly on Sunday in the Beacon Hill house he built. It was the home where he and his wife, Winnie, raised six children and welcomed 16 grandchildren and one great-grandchild over dinners, family reunions and frequent games of mah-jongg.
He was 87 years old.
Families looking for a fun way to celebrate fall are invited to Western Washington University on Saturday, Nov. 19, for a Fall Harvest Festival.
It was just another drive through Eastern Washington for Jim Narovich, who was heading to a veterans conference in Pasco with fellow vet Christopher Brock.
But for Brock, the dry landscape was a trigger, sending his mind back to the deserts of Afghanistan and to memories he’d rather not relive.
“He took a handful of anxiety pills just to make it through the desert, driving over there,” Narovich said of the trip two years ago.
“There’s things that you avoid, and that’s one of them,” said Brock, sitting next to Narovich recently in a small room at the American Legion Post 43 service office in Sedro-Woolley.
Budget crises are a breeding ground for bad ideas. A particularly bad one is spreading and is in need of stomping out before getting embedded -- the idea that we can save money by shortening Washington's school year.
"It reminds me of the sheriff scene in Mel Brooks' movie 'Blazing Saddles.' He put the gun to his head and said, 'Stop or I'll shoot,'" said George "Pinky" Nelson, the former NASA astronaut who is program director of science, math and technology education at Western Washington University.