Posted Thu, Apr 26, 10:58 a.m.

This is a good idea and affordable. To mimic nature is always easier when nature is left to do the job it does. There will always be pro & con arguments, but preserving these steep slopes from clear-cutting has to be a no-brainer! Bellingham & Whatcom County are very fortunate ...

Posted Wed, Feb 1, 10:03 a.m.

The idea seems ironic to postpone doing something that is good sense just because the 'economy' isn't very good right now. With the historic stand taken by the Building Industry, no new regulations would ever be passed or implemented, particularly if developers are required to pay their 'fair share' of ...

Posted Fri, Jan 27, 5:03 p.m.

This article captures this issue as well as any I've seen. Of course, it requires basic knowledge of how this proposal occurred and the questionable path its advocates have chosen to take. Simplistic, it isn't, so get used to it being discussed in terms other than ideological sound bytes. I've ...

Posted Thu, Dec 15, 12:56 p.m.

Railroads already 'toll' at grade crossings, with the fare exacted equating to inconvenience and safety risks. Likely, RR rights-of-way can be compared to the Internet and public airways, where powerful interests -those who can afford broadband- may come to dominate over the rights of the public in general. Hauling people ...

Posted Thu, Dec 8, 12:16 p.m.

Since when is gambling in Vegas equivalent to gambling with the very herring that salmon feed upon? Priorities seem to be pretty cattywampus here, don't you think? How long do you think the 'all-you-can-eat' mentality will last once the salmon are history?

Posted Tue, Dec 6, 6:30 p.m.

One wonders if an Oregon higher education model based upon what California and North Carolina use might be better for Oregon. As far as gaining endowments to rely upon for sustainability apart from continued State support, the models employed by The University of Texas and the University of Virginia have ...

Posted Mon, Nov 21, 8:34 p.m.

I disagree. Obama's intervention would have doubly assured gridlock. His position in support of Simpson-Bowles telegraphed his hopes and set the R goal at stalemate. His threat of veto to any extension of Bush tax cuts is more a promise that the R's understood. The entrenched partisanship continues until the ...

Posted Wed, Nov 16, 9:45 a.m.

Another good piece, but with some oversimplification embedded around the Coal Terminal issue. The lines are not as clear cut, but there is no question that Mayor Pike tried to use the GPT issue as a shield from answering other questions more pertinent to his job. This was a battle ...

Posted Tue, Nov 15, 1:51 p.m.

NPR & PBS have both been themselves 'pressured' by 'conservatives' who wish to muzzle them and most of their dedicated audience. So, if these organizations -who I like and trust- can be co-opted into broadcasting a weaker, more simplistic opinions, one can see how that might translate into such acts ...

Posted Sun, Nov 13, 3:32 p.m.

The missing party may refer to 'the party of the first part', in other words, us, the voters. Nowhere in our Constitution is a party system mentioned as a requirement, yet since the Federalist Papers, two clear sides have been demonstrated; a strong central government versus a distributive republic of ...

Posted Fri, Nov 11, 10:18 a.m.

More frequent passenger service is key to attracting more ridership, as has been demonstrated with local & regional bus transportation systems. This has to do with convenience as well as reliability. Another concern is competition with freight traffic, which always seems to take precedence. That is one of several concerns ...

Posted Thu, Nov 10, 8:13 p.m.

The author is reporting an issue that matters to Bellingham as well as other communities along the proposed railroad route, which remain underrepresented in the decision to proceed with this understandably controversial proposal. Unless these potentially negatively impacted interests find at least an equal voice in these proceedings, decisions will ...

Posted Fri, Oct 28, 2:39 p.m.

If the past cannot teach the present and the father cannot teach the son, then history need not have bothered to go on, and the world has wasted a great deal of time. ~Russell Hoban We might be close to this point.

Posted Thu, Oct 20, 1:25 p.m.

This issue won't be settled for some time; after the elections for sure. Meanwhile, it continues to dominate local discussions, with one Mayoral candidate even using it as a shield against his spotty performance during the past 4 years. Imagine that! Public sentiment here is strongly against the GPT proposal, ...

Posted Thu, Aug 4, 12:57 a.m.

Thanks to Bob Simmons, issues that affect Bellingham are being given a wider audience. Our issues reflect those that also impact our region and beyond.