Liz McLane is a fourth-year student studying journalism with a minor in Salish Sea studies. She enjoys the color green and good naps. You can find her on Instagram here, Twitter here and over email at lizmclane.thefront@gmail.com.
Sitting behind Arntzen Hall on the campus of Western Washington University is a patchwork of garden spaces — small raised beds full of soil, a greenhouse, a patch of growing camas bulbs and a compost pile. As part of the university’s campus, the Arntzen Hall gardens are utilized by the College of the Environment for classes that teach hands-on horticulture and agriculture concepts.
The Sunnyland neighborhood of Bellingham will soon have one more option for beer and eats with the addition of two new businesses under the same roof — El Sueñito Brewing Company and Frelard Tamales.
After a months-long national search, Western Washington University has selected Katy Potts as the new chief of the University Police. The announcement was made on Oct. 31, and Potts will begin her new position in the new year.
Food prices haven’t stopped rising — take a walk down the aisle at your closest grocery store, and you’ll see it right on the price tags — it’s no secret. From September 2021 to September 2022, the price index for food products rose 13 %, according to an October data release from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Certain essential food groups’ pricing increased even more in that time span.
Air quality in Bellingham has reached an “unhealthy” level due to ongoing wildfires in the northwest region. The Air Quality Index (AQI), which measures hazardous particulates in the air, reached 153 on Tuesday afternoon in Bellingham. Any AQI over 150 is designated to be unhealthy for everyone, especially people with lung, heart and respiratory diseases, people younger than 18 and over the age of 65 and outdoor workers. Elsewhere in Whatcom County, the numbers are even more unsafe — in Maple Falls, the AQI has reached a “very unhealthy” level of 203.
Take a trip with me: you’re on the campus of Western Washington University, walking south towards the stairs to nowhere. You enter the Environmental Studies building and walk up that dingy flight of stairs to the second floor. Walking east, you pass the geology department’s various museum displays — bugs stuck in amber and ancient animal tracks. Finally, you reach the end of the hallway — room 213. Look to your left and you’ll see a big set of cabinets and one small mini fridge. These, unlike the fossils just a few feet away, are quite new. The geology department just introduced their department’s food pantry, stocked with food for whoever passes by and needs it.
Data released last week revealed that the incoming class of first-year students at Western Washington University is indeed the largest cohort the school has seen in its 129-year history. The Office of Institutional Effectiveness, which provides yearly student demographic and enrollment data, reported that the new freshman class is composed of a total of 3,225 students, which exceeds pre-pandemic numbers. That’s up 3.5% since the fall of 2019, when the last set of enrollment data before the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic was released. This jump in enrollment comes after two years of decline at Western, following a trend that public four-year schools across the country saw during the COVID-19 pandemic.
When third-year student Kateri Rinallo arrived at Western Washington University, she had a realization. “Gas is really expensive,” Rinallo said. She’s not wrong — according to AAA, the average price for a gallon of gas in Whatcom County is $5.45 — almost two dollars more than the national average. So when she came to Bellingham, Rinallo switched from four wheels to two. She gets around on her bike and says it takes her only 10 minutes to ride from her house right to the front of any lecture hall.
Have you ever seen a child sabotage a game of cornhole?
So, naturally, I combined my expertise for shitty films with the knowledge that we’re all at different places mentally this Valentine’s Day. And BAM! I created a list that offers an easy, distracting and fun activity for us all. It’s my love letter (get it, because it’s Valentine’s Day? Love? Love letter? Like a Valentine. Get it?) from me to you.
Solutions by The State News
