In the Media
LEGISLATORS should pass the proposed constitutional amendment, Senate Joint Resolution 8214 and its companion House Joint Resolution 4219, to require proper funding of public employee pension benefits. The issue requires two-thirds of both houses and a vote of the people in November.
Legislators may have thought they were done when, in the last day of the ordinary session, they passed a bill stripping the 3 percent annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) out of the state Plan 1 pensions. This bill, assuming Gov. Chris Gregoire signs it, ends future increases to more than 500,000 beneficiaries.
In a time of multimillion-dollar budget cuts to higher education and double-digit college-tuition increases, how much money should a university president make?
The University of Washington's Board of Regents will answer that question Monday when it votes on a contract finalizing its choice of Michael Young, president of the University of Utah, to be the next UW president.
A proposed constitutional amendment to limit state debt has hit opposition in the House and become entwined in the Legislature's budget negotiations.
The state over the years has borrowed billions to build schools, sewer plants, government buildings and many other public structures. Some lawmakers believe it has gone too far into debt, although Washington still has a good credit rating.
This year's winners in the Sue C. Boynton Poetry Contest will read their poems at a free awards ceremony at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 12, at Bellingham Cruise Terminal.
The annual contest is open to Whatcom County residents of all ages. A total of 325 people submitted poems, including a first-grader who was one of the winners, and a poet who identified herself as 100 years old.
Western Washington University's Kara Zitzman finished in a four-way tie for second in medalist play and the Vikings were fourth among nine schools following first-round action at the NCAA Division II West Super Regional on Sunday, May 1, at the 5,964-yard Tascosa Country Club.
The Vikings finished with a round of 320 while No.1 seed Tarleton State, seeking its fifth straight title, shot 307 and held an 11-stroke lead over Cal State Monterey Bay and St. Edward's, tied for second at 318.
Pittsburgh, PA - Radcliffe heads to its first-ever DII College Championship final after downing Western Washington 32-14 in today's semifinal.
The teams felt each other out during the first quarter, and both sides had a couple of attacking opportunities inside their opponent's 22 meter. For Radcliffe, one thing became abundantly clear: Western Washington knows how to scrum.
"They were the strongest scrum we've faced all year," Radcliffe forwards captain Janelle Lambert said. "They were really aggressive, and we were lagging a bit. Once we amped up our intensity and became more aggressive on defense, our offense picked up."
But not before WWU lit up the scoreboard with a converted try 15 minutes in. It was a wake-up call for Radcliffe, and players like lock Nicole Poteat and flyhalf Evan Hoese forced a tide-change with some big tackles and leg-pumping punches.
The eighth annual Bellingham Electronic Arts Festival kicks off with a reception and performance at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 5, at Western Washington University’s Viking Union Gallery, showcasing works by visual/sound artists Doug Haire from Seattle and Gary Pennock from New York.
The former project manager on the Whatcom Museum's Lightcatcher building has accused his former boss, David Ebenal, of charging more than $160,000 worth of construction materials used on Ebenal's own home and cabin to the city's project.
The accusations surfaced in a lawsuit filed in Whatcom County District Court in May 2010. Plaintiff Chris Barnes has been attempting to force Ebenal and his firm, Ebenal General Inc., to pay him about $33,000 in accrued vacation time and medical benefits he said he was owed after 11 years at the firm.
Western Washington University's Michael Hoffman was a double-event winner, taking the men's discus with a NCAA Division II provisional national qualifying mark of 162-10, at the second annual Saint Martin's University Invitational Track and Field meet Saturday at the SMU campus track.
Hoffman, who already is an automatic national qualifier in the men's hammer (206-3), also won that event with a distance of 185-8.
Artist Julia Clifford, 48, was born and raised in Oklahoma and came to Bellingham in 1992 to attend Western Washington University for her master's degree.
She's been creating art for nearly 30 years, and she exhibits her latest collection, "The Color of Spring," from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, May 7, at the Chrysalis Inn & Spa, 804 10th St., in Fairhaven.