City, County dispatch mental health professionals on 911 calls

When a Whatcom County resident calls 911 for a behavioral health problem, it may not be only a police officer who responds. The city and county are expanding a program that provide teams of mental health professionals to accompany police on 911 calls. Read the article . . .

City adopts new American with Disabilities Act plan

The city of Bellingham is taking steps to improve the lives of disabled peoples in the downtown area. The Bellingham City Council voted 7-0 to adopt the “ADA Transition Plan for Pedestrian Facilities in the Public Right of Way” on Monday, April 26, 2021. Read the article . . .

More money for more risk: Grocery workers get extra pay

Whatcom County grocery workers will receive a $4 per hour pay increase as compensation, due to their constant exposure to COVID-19 while working, as cases continue to rise and vaccine demand slows. Read the article . . .

Council members defend extra compensation for some frontline workers

“If you were a captain and your ship was sinking and you had 100 people on board but only have lifeboats for 75, do you just tell everyone to get in the water because you can’t save everybody?” Read the article . . .

Council endorses hazard pay for grocery workers

The Bellingham City Council supported a proposed ordinance at its April 26 meeting to require grocery stores over a certain size to provide $4 per hour extra as hazard pay to their employees who are being exposed to COVID-19.  Read the article . . .

Grocery workers welcome pay raise during COVID

As of April 26, 2021, the City Council of Bellingham has finally supported an ordinance requiring grocery store employees to receive an additional $4 of hazard pay through the end of the pandemic of COVID-19. Read the article . . .

Residents share concerns on hazard pay proposal

Residents of Bellingham came forward during the public comment period to provide support and opposition for the ordinance, and opinions were roughly 70/30 in favor of the raise. Read the article . . .

Bellingham busineses soon must forgo single-use plastics

Bellingham restaurants, grocery stores, lodging establishments and other businesses will be banned from using single-use plastic in almost all cases beginning on July 31, 2022. Read the article . . .

Plastic restrictions will phase in over two years

Bellingham is requiring that businesses ban the use of single-use plastics in take-out services,  a shift that will bring many new changes to both businesses and the environment of Bellingham. Read the article . . .

Bellingham bans single-use plastics

Bellingham restaurants, hotels, schools, and grocery stores will soon have to move away from providing single-use plastic products as the City Council passed a ban on their use during their meeting on May 10, 2021. Read the article . . .

Belllingham jumps past statewide efforts to reduce plastic waste

Bellingham will ban single-use plastic and encourage compostable or reusable alternatives by city businesses, by unanimous vote of the city council on May 10. Read the article . . .

Bellingham businesses take step toward sustainability

Establishments such as restaurants and hotels in Bellingham will have to shift to using more compostable and reusable products within the next year. Read the article . . .