Clik here to view.
Friday Odds and Ends: Strikers, Hackers and Hollywood
Hello Loyal Readers, One week till ballots! You can practically feel the tension in the air as the final barrage of attacks, mailers, radio ads, television ads, smear campaigns and vehement denials...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Political Junkie’s Voters Guide
The Political Junkie’s Voters Guide to Whatcom County Yes, it is ballot time. Here is how I’m voting and why. I have arranged it in ballot order and as always, you can click the embedded links to find...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Bill Knutzen Voted Against Marriage Equality
A student who attended the Candidate Forum at WWU forwarded me this video and I thought it definitely needed sharing. It is a little soft so you might need to turn up your volume or turn on the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Friday Odds and Ends: Coal Money and Unusual Arguments
Hello Loyal Readers, We are deep into “Fogtober” and I am almost done with my Halloween preparations. I’ll put up pictures once it is done, but it has been a two month project that is finally coming to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Analyzing Whatcom Mailers 2013
On a typical off year election, the Sweeney household receives 3-4 mailpieces before election day. This has been anything but a typical year. Starting two days before ballots arrived, I have received...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Election Analysis: First Impressions
I am waiting for the next batch of results before I dig into the precinct by precinct analysis that I have done in years past, but I wanted to share some quick impressions because I know you, my loyal...
View ArticleClik here to view.
You thought 2013 was nuts? Wait till next year!
As the 2013 election season winds down (yes, we are still waiting to see how the Port races turnout, but looking ahead), the groundwork is already being laid for the wild ride of 2014. Let’s take a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Whatcom CERT Volunteers Prepare for the Worst
It was dark, and the screams of victims trapped by rubble echoed in the warehouse. Somewhere, nearby, I could hear my wife screaming for help as I sat, wedged between a fallen exercise machine and a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Friday Odds and Ends: Victory Laps, Sideshows and Celebrations
Hello Loyal Readers, It is time for our Friday Odds and Ends. I use these weekly columns to gather up all the tidbits that are important, just not important enough to justify their own post. First,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Think Foreign Policy Doesn’t Matter for Whatcom County?
After five years of tough negotiation, diplomacy has prevailed in the Iran/American conflict. News spread quickly of the details of the agreement, but the basic tenants are simple: Iran curbs its...
View ArticleClik here to view.
City Council Pleased/Displeased with Waterfront Plan
You may have noticed that this blog has maintained almost complete radio silence over the waterfront plans that were negotiated then approved by the city and port recently. Partially this is because it...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Bellingham Waterfront 101
This is another entry in my “Keep it Simple, Sweeney” category (you can find the other entries here), where I take a big complicated issue and break it down into easy-to-understand parts. The...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Friday Odds and Ends: PDC Fines and Farewells
Hello Readers, It is time again for small, chewy bits of fun called the Friday Odds and Ends. So gird your hemp-swaddled loins and let’s dive in. First on the docket, the Public Disclosure Commission...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Friday Odds and Ends: Hostel, Gorman and Habib
Hello Loyal Readers, Welcome to 2014! We are kicking off the new year with some stats. Last year, I published 145 articles on this blog drawing over 110,000 visitors. Thank you to everyone who has been...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sen. Doug Ericksen Tries to Limit Futurewise Efforts
Of the many bills Sen. Doug Ericksen has introduced so far this session (yes, we will be getting to all of them), there is one that is so narrowly focused, it might as well have been addressed directly...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Friday Odds and Ends: Elections Have Consequences
Hello Loyal Readers, It is time again for our weekly feature, Friday Odds and Ends, where I share all the news that’s important enough to share, but not enough to justify its own post. There is a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
County Council Responds to Complaints Over Marijuana Grows
UPDATE: At their evening meeting, the Whatcom County Council passed an emergency moratorium. More info to follow. At their committee meeting this morning, the County Council once again faced complaints...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Do Changing Liquor and Marijuana Laws Affect DUIs?
What has been the impact of privatizing liquor and legalizing marijuana on our roadways? In political debates, I hear plenty of rationalizations (“People are smoking at home rather than going to the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Jack Louws Speaks to the Whatcom Tea Party
Last night, County Executive Jack Louws stopped by the Whatcom Tea Party’s general meeting to talk to them about the state of the county and his accomplishments over the last couple of years. When I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
County Considers Purchasing Toxic Property
Whatcom County is close to purchasing the building at 1500 N. State St., a building that is leaking toxins into our groundwater. The building, currently home to our medical examiner’s office (i.e....
View Article
