Posted Wed, Mar 21, 11:12 a.m.

Too late for this story, but at last night's pre-scoping session in Bellingham (which drew 800 people), the lead planner for Whatcom County indicated that health questions will be studied as part of the process. A good summary is from John Stark at the Bellingham Herald, accessed at: http://blogs.bellinghamherald.com/politics/politics/health-impacts-likely-to-be-included-in-gateway-pacific-study/ As ...

Posted Tue, Mar 13, 10:34 a.m.

Responses to recent posts: Toughbretts: depending upon the route selected to reach Asia, Puget Sound could be heavily impacted by proposals to ship more crude from Alberta to British Columbia’s shipping terminals. See Dan Chasan’s recent piece on this: http://crosscut.com/2012/03/06/environment/22011/Why-a-new-invasion-of-tankers-threatens-Northwest-waters/ SSA Marine’s 2011 vessel traffic and risk assessment RFP for ...

Posted Mon, Mar 12, 11:08 a.m.

Rob McKenna is a very fortunate man because he does not face a serious Republican challenger in the primary, which has been the Waterloo of those who ascribe to the label “moderate” only to find themselves driven to the right by Grover Norquist and the Tea Party. Both candidates carry ...

Posted Fri, Mar 9, 7:20 p.m.

Steve: You are correct as regards to SEPA. My understanding--and I may be wrongly informed--is that economic impacts may be studied as part of NEPA, the federal environmental act. Gary: You are correct in stating that 294 jobs is the Phase I projection. But that is exactly what PFM (not ...

Posted Thu, Mar 8, 5:03 p.m.

Stephanotis: PFM did not attempt to do its own analysis of the jobs projections. Its study simply accepted SSA's figure, which was based on a midpoint between the analysis of Martin and FMRC economic studies.The FMRC review of the Martin study (FMRC is a local consultancy, Martin a national firm ...

Posted Wed, Mar 7, 9:18 a.m.

Kieth: I should have linked to this site: http://www.cob.org/services/neighborhoods/community-planning/waterfront/index.aspx It explains what the city and port have in mind. It's pretty ambitious, certainly will need adjustments as conditions change, but the site is excellent, between the present downtown and Bellingham Bay. They envision mixed-use, with light industry, expansion of Western ...

Posted Wed, Feb 1, 10:48 a.m.

Incidentally, if you want to see the Colbert Bump commercial--which is really quite good--check Politico: http://www.politico.com/blogs/david-catanese/2012/01/cornilles-seeks-the-colbert-bump-112819.html

Posted Wed, Feb 1, 8:52 a.m.

The latest results, as of 8 a.m., via The Oregonian: : Suzanne Bonamici, Democrat: 111,570 votes, 54 percent. Rob Cornilles, Republican: 81,985 votes, 40 percent. Yes, Mark Hatfield was a Republican, only one of several liberal Republicans at mid-century. Gov. Tom McCall, Congressman john Dellenback and a host of outstanding ...

Posted Tue, Jan 31, 8:31 a.m.

Oh, man, I booted that one!! My deep apologies to David Black (and readers)

Posted Mon, Jan 2, 11:48 a.m.

In the genre of presidential history, a fascinating biography and gripping tale of presidential assassination is Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and Murder of a President. It's the life and death of James Garfield, president for less than half a year in 1881, who was shot ...

Posted Tue, Dec 20, 10:27 a.m.

The comment above from NWneighbor illustrates a good reason for building a new facility work adjacent to the King Street Station. The misconception that Greyhound riders are "trashy" keeps people from using the bus when it makes a lot of sense to do so. Many bus riders are students, or ...

Posted Sat, Dec 10, 12:34 p.m.

I am afraid I made an error in this story, which I would like to point out to readers. When I stated "Crawford's win was good news for SSA Marine, sponsor of the proposed coal terminal; Crawford has spoken in favor of the project," I was in error. A check ...

Posted Thu, Nov 17, 9:58 a.m.

I’m not an expert on train routes (others please weigh in), but my understanding, from various sources, is that Stampede Pass from Yakima to Auburn cannot handle coal because of the climb for full trains, and the condition of the tracks. The line was essentially dormant until the mid-1990s, and ...

Posted Thu, Nov 10, 12:48 p.m.

Jamesa: You may have missed this recent article: http://crosscut.com/blog/crosscut/20624/New-study-points-to-jobs-from-Bellingham-coal-port/ Thanks for your comments

Posted Thu, Oct 13, 7:56 p.m.

We're on the same page; my point is that foreign wars won't trigger anything of the nature of Chicago 1968; in part because we now have a volunteer military, but also because the economy,, in particular the loss of hope by many young people and long-term unemployed. Yet, despite this, ...

Posted Thu, Oct 13, 4:49 p.m.

Actually, the 2012 convention will be in Charlotte, N.C.; if you read the New Yorker's Oct. 10 issue, Jane Mayer tells us that a billionaire named Art Pope has basically bought North Carolina for the GOP, so you wonder the value of a Dem convention in the state. I was ...

Posted Thu, Jul 28, 10:47 a.m.

Lifer is correct when he notes the Chuckanut tunnels serve coal trains without adding to the vertical clearance; the clearance is needed for double-stack cars and BNSF has listed lowering the tunnel floors as a priority for the line’s future. The Cascadia report is not an in-depth look at rail ...

Posted Mon, Jul 18, 1:54 p.m.

Regarding the small-town mayors, nearly all of them signed off in February on the Terminal project, after an early campaign by SSA Marine, before most of the county's residents even knew about the project. With the exception of Ferndale, none of the small towns are directly affected; that is, the ...

Posted Wed, Jul 13, 9:26 p.m.

My dear friend, Tom Wright of Portland, a journalist of long standing and brevity of verbiage, chips in the following: It just may be time for Citizen Murdoch to buy himself a new sled. amen

Posted Thu, Jun 30, 8:33 a.m.

The coal is from the Powder River Basin and it comes on BNSF through Spokane, down the Columbia Gorge and then from Vancouver, Wash. north; already three trains full and three trains empty are running that route, going to Roberts Bank south of Vancouver, B.C., for shipment to Asia. The ...

Posted Fri, Jun 17, 9:57 a.m.

For another analysis of this issue, Jean Melious, an attorney with specialty in environmental law and a professor at Huxley College, Western Washington University, has a blog with some in-depth analysis of the city-county flap. http://getwhatcomplanning.blogspot.com/2011/06/whatcom-county-blows-its-top.html

Posted Thu, May 12, 1:35 p.m.

I’m happy to report that Bill Dietrich (above) is absolutely correct about The Planet; it will publish next year and perhaps beyond; the publication is supported by student fees. The future of environmental journalism is more complex. When Bill informed Huxley that he wouldn’t return next year, the EJ program ...

Posted Tue, Apr 19, 3:22 p.m.

This just in from the emergency management folks in Grays Harbor County, where a full-scale exercise has already been conducted. Chuck Wallace sends this link: http://www.co.grays-harbor.wa.us/info/DEM/Index.asp Lotsa action on the coast!

Posted Wed, Mar 30, 11:53 a.m.

Denny Fleenor at Washington State University informs me that Linda Arthur, whose book is quoted above, is now at WSU and has taken a collection of aloha shirts to the Palouse. Arthur, now Linda Arthur Bradley, is heading up a big show of Hawaiian textiles beginning April 7, and she ...

Posted Mon, Jan 10, 1:55 p.m.

Several readers have pointed out that the American freight rail system is among the best in the world. They are correct; I meant to say our passenger rail system is among the worst in the industrial world, a statement I imagine most would agree with. Certainly that is the case ...

Posted Fri, Jan 7, 11:08 a.m.

Horsemeat was widely consumed during World War II, and considered a patriotic act. Many oatburners from the nation’s racing tracks wound up on dinner plates. The delicacy was served at the Harvard Faculty Club beginning in 1944, and much prized by members. As the Club puts it: “Members happily consumed ...

Posted Thu, Sep 10, 4:11 p.m.

The large and central question is, where were all these fiscal hawks when we decided to spend godzillion dollars on invading Iraq, Star Wars and other useless, bottomless-pit weapons systems and other boondoggles to prop up our weapons industry. the country isn't broke because we spend too much on health ...

Posted Tue, Jul 14, 12:46 p.m.

I'm not sure I would use the term "hyperlocal"; one of the fellows is from the Roanoke Times, a longtime daily in a major Virginia city; the other is from a regional suburban daily in Framingham, Mass. They would, perhaps, be comparable to the Everett Herald rather than a local ...

Posted Mon, Jun 15, 9:16 a.m.

Yes, of course I am aware of Eyman and the super-majority test, which I mentioned in my article. But this does not prevent Washington legislators from sending to voters any number of special taxes that will be paid by only a minority, or even an income tax on high-earning people, ...

Posted Sat, Mar 14, 11:49 a.m.

There is a rich history of soccer in Portland, even for those who like beer and weed. The original Portland Timbers (1974-82) drew huge crowds and had a couple of very good seasons. The players endeared themselves to Portlanders, and several still live in Portland; Clive Charles went on to ...

Posted Tue, Jan 27, 10:52 a.m.

The Press, which in the 18th century was the only form of mass media, is the only private business protected by the U.S. Constitution from intrusion by the government. Founders did not write the First Amendment to protect profits, of which there were few, but to protect commentary, particularly political ...

Posted Fri, Jan 2, 2:24 p.m.

Scott: Beware of assumptions. I would register as a Democrat if Washington required it, but in the past election I voted FOR Republicans Reed and McKenna and AGAINST Democrat Owen. I grew up in the progressive Republican era of Mark Hatfield and Tom McCall in Oregon. I suspect this pattern ...

Posted Thu, Jun 5, 3:14 p.m.

Those presidential lists: Lists and ratings are so much fun. Ask any baseball fan. In the case of presidents, there is actually a Web site Heptune.com, that has more lists of presidential attributes than you can possibly imagine. This set of listings has only one divorced president: Ronald Reagan. Gerald ...

Posted Mon, Jun 2, 11:56 a.m.

My error, sorry!: In my article on Central Washington Democrats, I made a couple of inexcusable errors, for which I apologize. Vickie Ybarra would not be the first Hispanic to serve the 14th District. Mary Skinner, the incumbent, is Hispanic; my apologies to Ms Skinner. Later in the story I ...