As the 2025-26 school year comes to a close, Western Washington University’s theatre arts program has come together to work on its final hurrah: Stephen Sondheim’s “Into the Woods.”
The Bellingham City Council unanimously passed an ordinance on May 11 to establish financial penalties for care facilities inappropriately utilizing emergency medical services to supplement labor shortages.
In the dead of night, a band of first-year students creeps across Western Washington University’s campus. Their pockets jingle as they pass through Fairhaven College, full of lucky pennies. They are headed toward a secluded sculpture, widely recognized by Western students under a humorously vulgar pseudonym.
This summer, Western Washington University will be represented on the national boomerang stage. Western second-year Forrest Morse, among others, will represent Team USA at the 2026 World Boomerang Championships in Indonesia.
Drilling, heavy machinery and backup alarms echo across Western Washington University’s south campus as construction for the Student Development and Success Center begins, interrupting lectures and disrupting students.
On May 30, the second annual Arboretum Day at Western Washington University aims to educate volunteers about Sehome Hill Arboretum’s existence and function through a variety of activities.
In March, project engineers with the city of Bellingham completed a 60% design mockup of a new roundabout connecting Squalicum Way, Birchwood Avenue and Meridian Street near Cornwall Park. Multiple traffic projects have been completed in Whatcom County over the past few years, including a roundabout at James Street and Bakerview Road, a roundabout on West Illinois and Meridian Street, and a bike and pedestrian lane reroute project on Holly Street downtown.
Whatcom County Councilmember Jon Scanlon spent almost 12 hours listening and engaging with constituents in Whatcom County on May 13, 2026. The county council is the main legislative body for Whatcom and is made up of seven members, including two at-large positions. Jon Scanlon has been an at-large representative for Whatcom County since January 2024. The Front followed Scanlon for a day on May 13.
April is Fair Housing Month in the United States, commemorating the passage of the Fair Housing Act of 1968, signed on April 11 of that year. The law prohibits housing discrimination based on race, national origin, religion, sex, familial status and disability. To commemorate the month, the City of Bellingham hosted an information session on April 28 to educate residents about city and state rental laws.
Slated upgrades for the incinerators at the Post Point Wastewater Treatment Plant have left local environmentalists frustrated, with a $40 million price tag pushing community members to look at alternatives.
Athletes from Western Washington University’s Track and Field team are heading to Emporia, Kansas, this week for the NCAA Division II Track and Field Outdoor Nationals meet. The Vikings sent off 15 athletes to represent at the meet.
Despite Birch Equipment taking first place for the last four years, Boomer’s Drive-In’s Ski to Sea team doesn’t let it affect them. They approach the race with a mindset focused on going out and having the best race day they can after coming in second the previous three years.
For Bellingham mountain bikers looking to get their weekly fix of competition, the Whatcom World Cup race series provides just that. Since 2019, the Whatcom Mountain Bike Coalition has hosted a nine-week long spring race series on Galbraith Mountain, offering mountain bikers of all ages and skill levels a chance to compete.
Western Washington University women’s rugby team and former players split off into teams for their 2026 annual alumni game on May 10. Players joined in at 1:30 p.m. at the Robert S. Harrington Field on south campus to play a game of touch-and-contact.
Since the beginning of the digital age, which began in the early 1970s and grew quickly from there, physical media has been used less and less. The introduction of the internet and mobile technology has made practically every form of media available all on one device, yet – in recent years – analog media has had a revival, particularly in the music industry.
Thrifting has been around for over 150 years, at least the modern idea of it. The Salvation Army launched its ‘Salvation Brigade’ in 1897 to gather used items and sell them to those in need. Since then, secondhand buying has grown immensely, becoming extremely popular and almost trendy in the age of social media. However, thrifting, which was originally advertised as a sustainable and affordable way to get necessities, has now become a new form of consumerism.
Women have always been underrepresented in film. Since 1929, only five women directors have been nominated for the Academy Award for best director, according to a study done in 2020. While representation has increased since then, the number of women directors is shockingly inferior to that of male directors, continuing the cycle of women being under-recognized.
When wandering the tightly woven one-way streets of Bellingham, you’re never more than a stone's throw from a music venue, with venue being a loose term for anywhere people have figured out a way to plug in an extension cord long enough to run an amp through. The gatherings of music often start in the funky houses of the York Neighborhood and Garden Street, with rattling windows and crowded porches overflowing with thick smoke and baggy jeans. The house show is the perfect stomping ground for fresh bands hoping to entertain burnt-out college kids, but the short-term reality of rental leases and college degrees creates inconsistency for concertgoers and musicians alike.
Solutions by The State News
