I would sure welcome some company online
The look of this home page has changed today. The flag is larger and now fits official flag specs. My thanks to Conrad Suckow for this. While it is larger, the image for downloading is 1/20 the former
Citizen Journalist • Member since Oct 19, 2023
Each candidate for elective public office in Whatcom County is invited to submit a statement for posting on NW Citizen.
The look of this home page has changed today. The flag is larger and now fits official flag specs. My thanks to Conrad Suckow for this. While it is larger, the image for downloading is 1/20 the former
25 ballots today. In the only close race, Don Hansey has firmly out-polled Sheri Ward. Given how the Herald viewed the big absentee count on Friday afternoon, we can expect them to tell us tomorrow m
The dates of the Lunch Time Soapbox Forums schedule has been adjusted. It will now start on Wednesday, October 8, instead of the 1st as originally posted. The forums from that first week have been mov
Don Hansey has out-polled Sheri Ward and will face Terry Borneman for city council representative from the 5th Ward. Terry polled only 44% and probably faces a stiff race to retain his seat. Don is to
Were 8 US soldiers killed yesterday, besides the 3 being reported? We may not learn for days, weeks or months. As casualties mount, the US military appears to be playing with the numbers. The US only
Foreign Internet news sites are reporting 8 US soldiers killed in Iraq today. Nothing at the CNN, Fox and MSNBC websites. These reports are three hours old. What is happening? That would total 11 US b
It is humbling and most satisfying to see the voters choose for change in leadership at City Hall and the Port. For an incumbent to get less than 40% of the vote is a mandate for change. Ginny and Mar
The Auditor will post election results in almost-real time this evening. First post should be about 8:15, and because of the very few races the evening count may be done by 9:30.
The first live
I doubt it. Most visitors are political experts - elected, bureaucrats, reporters or junkies - and have their own candidates to support. Few casual citizens even know of this site. Regardless, below a
So now the US is crawling to the UN asking for help in Iraq. And asking France and Germany to help. George W and his Neo-conservatives are facing the abyss - defeat and humiliation.
Gentle read
A new political pressure group is organizing to try and slow the growth of Whatcom County and Bellingham. Pro-Whatcom claims to be a diverse grassroots group of citizens but is actually a savvy
Phone outage in Whatcom County, Bellingham and much of Skagit County since 7:45 am this morning according to news reports. KGMI is on top of this and the Bellingham Herald is posting special reports o
AlJazeera’s English language website has finally opened. This is the Arab news site that scooped the US news media on a weekly basis during the war last spring. The US Government supposedly blocked th
According to today’s Herald, editorial page editor Carolyn Nielson is on leave. Eric Thomas, who has been writing goofy editorials aimed at humor, is now going on vacation. So - during the two weeks l
You would think the Port of Bellingham getting a windfall of $17 million would be news. But since posting that here - and scooping the paid news media in Bellingham - they have ignored this. Th
Ginny Benton, seeking her third term as commissioner, stated this evening at the Rome Grange that she will not respond to the “mud slinging” being done against her. She will “not stoop” to dignify thi
At yesterday’s forum, the mayor and four challengers faced the audience for over an hour of questions. The forum does not allow them to use notes, so the give and take is very entertaining as well as
Go pick up today’s issue of the Bellingham Weekly and read the Skinny. It reports on the Bellingham Police giving jaywalking citations to downtown merchants who have dared to criticize the police. The
If you are interested in giving the raspberry to George W when he visits Washington State next week, then check out www.stopbushseattle.com and make travel plans. W is coming here for some photo ops o
If you like a good read then check The Door to War and the Futurist Markets article. The author takes the concept of a Terror Futures Market and looks at how the world works.
Amazing. I can call the supposed president of our country insane and my conservative friends only object to the f word. This is an adult site. If my “credibility” rests on that, then folks know nothin
Tuesday afternoon, the Bush administration back peddled from the Terrorist Futures Market idea under fire from Senators from both sides and ridicule from news media. You should know this plan was not
They are proposing a future’s market on terrorism, assassinations, atrocities and war. These guys figure out a way to make money on most anything. So this is their vision of the future - war for profi
The Bellingham Herald has good reporting in today’s paper on the City Council’s stumbling into a $300,000-plus gift to a local business. The business happens to be owned by one of the best friends of
Just to finish the reporting on the carpenters, the union members approved the new contract, which retains their health benefits. The basic reason they went on strike was to avoid cuts in these health
A tentative agreement was reached last evening by the carpenter’s and the contractors associations. Construction will resume on all the sites Monday morning and and the agreement will go to a vote of
The Associated General Contractors and the Carpenter’s Union will meet tomorrow morning to try and settle the health benefits dispute and end the strike, which has stopped major construction projects
The carpenters’ strike continued all day Friday - at St. Joe’s Hospital and at several other large construction sites around Bellingham. Nada in the Herald, of course. All over Western Washington, sit
The carpenters’ strike at St. Joe’s Hospital continues. They are also striking several other construction sites around Bellingham. The dispute is over the construction industry association reducing th
For the record, the Herald today reported on yesterday’s story below. Reasonably accurate, if they did leave out some important information.
Posted here because the Bellingham Herald has now ignored this for two days. Of very high importance to Bellingham - and with significant developments.
that provide national and international news that is most important and not always available. One site is truthout and it depends on visitor donations to continue. No ads, no popups, no commercial spo
St. Joe’s Hospital will probably be facing fines for venting toxic gas into the construction area of their new addition. Our Bellingham Herald has not reported a bit of this. Rumor has it that one or
If you have info on candidates or possible candidates, send it in. The list to the right will be maintained through the election. We gripe about the actions of elected representatives - well, here is
as I will be out of town. Upon return, my first interest will be updating the candidate listings in the right-hand column. If you have info on a candidate - or a person considering running - then plea
The Bellingham city council passed the Public Facilities District (PFD) agreement last night. What was passed was 100% what the mayor, last September, told the PFD board to propose. They obeyed. The b
Welcome back. I thank you for visiting Whiner Net - as it is called around Bellingham City Hall. Even the mayor has endorsed that name in our local government corridors. Seems they check the site ofte
he will run for Mayor of Bellingham. He has resigned his news job at a local radio station. At the end of his last broadcast this morning, the station ran his paid political ad. There will be a cam
One rumor proved false. Scott Walker will not run for mayor. He had heard the rumor also.
Not rumor is the fact that Port Commissioner Ginny Benton and her husband declared bankruptcy in Novemb
The Bellingham City Council last night voted 5-2 to support the Clean Water Alliance legal action against Whatcom County’s designation of Sudden Valley as an Urban Growth Area (UGA). Grant Deger and B
Waterfront Futures for Bellingham - nothing here. This is one of those processes t
The Bellingham City Council will finally hold its very first public hearing of the Public Facilities District (PFD) proposals next Monday, May 19, 7 pm at city hall. Really - the
The Bham Herald admits sitting on - covering up - for months the headline story today about developer Rick Westerop being a Canadian felon and being barred from entry into the US. This was one of the
but too much fun to resist. Local coming - with a bang.
The Dixie Chicks played to their third sellout crowd last night. One person stood outside with a protest sign. One. A search of Google Ne
our government can be. Fox news isn’t telling you about how the US military will not allow a Belgium plane to fly to Iraq with medical equipment and medicines. Why? Oh, come on. Because Belgium oppose
Elections this fall could bring positive change to Whatcom County and Bellingham. In particular, we need a new Mayor and we need a new Port Commissioner. The challenge is not convincing the voters
The American media are reporting the basics of the massacre of unarmed Iraqi civilians by our US Army two days ago. Finally. But they are using the lowest reported numbers - not the higher and more re
and the US news media cooperated in the big lie. As the war ended around mid April, the truth was revealed but you probably did not read it anywhere.. About April 9, the US wounded was listed a
I can write for myself.
We have liberated Iraq. Now we should work to allow them to rule themselves. We should turn their country over to them quickly. We don’t have to teach them anything.
Reliable rumor has it that local radio news guy, Brett Bonner, might run for mayor of Bellingham. If he does, then Mayor Mark is in deep trouble with his reelection bid. Brett knows the local i
