westerner
@lanelmorgan.bsky.social
Editor and writer: salish-current.org and historylink.org. Adoption reform. PNW history. Regional news. I also have a blog -- remember those? -- 100 years of family letters: morgancorrespondence.blogspot.com
Reposted by westerner
Sharing this OHSU poster because of the recent mushroom poisoning news. These deadly Amanita species grow in Oregon, and misidentification can be fatal. If mushroom ingestion is suspected, call the Oregon Poison Center at 1-800-222-1222. #fungifriends #mushrooms
www.ohsu.edu/sites/defaul...
www.ohsu.edu/sites/defaul...
December 6, 2025 at 10:59 PM
Sharing this OHSU poster because of the recent mushroom poisoning news. These deadly Amanita species grow in Oregon, and misidentification can be fatal. If mushroom ingestion is suspected, call the Oregon Poison Center at 1-800-222-1222. #fungifriends #mushrooms
www.ohsu.edu/sites/defaul...
www.ohsu.edu/sites/defaul...
Reposted by westerner
What happens when public contracts, millions in amendments, and key decisions all move behind closed doors? This investigation found out.
Read the full story by Pat Grubb at the link below.
This article was first published in The Northern Light on Nov. 26, 2025, and is reposted with permission.
Read the full story by Pat Grubb at the link below.
This article was first published in The Northern Light on Nov. 26, 2025, and is reposted with permission.
Behind closed doors: How the Port conducts public business in private
Two consultant contracts triggered a year-long investigation into Port of Bellingham practices.
salish-current.org
December 3, 2025 at 8:29 PM
What happens when public contracts, millions in amendments, and key decisions all move behind closed doors? This investigation found out.
Read the full story by Pat Grubb at the link below.
This article was first published in The Northern Light on Nov. 26, 2025, and is reposted with permission.
Read the full story by Pat Grubb at the link below.
This article was first published in The Northern Light on Nov. 26, 2025, and is reposted with permission.
Reposted by westerner
Almost exactly a year after its unplanned closure, textile reuse nonprofit Ragfinery will debut its new location in January 2026.
Ragfinery sets opening date for early 2026 | Cascadia Daily News
Textile reuse nonprofit's Forest Street location closed after a 2024 fire
www.cascadiadaily.com
December 3, 2025 at 9:08 PM
Almost exactly a year after its unplanned closure, textile reuse nonprofit Ragfinery will debut its new location in January 2026.
Reposted by westerner
More to the point, you probably don’t remember the name of either man because they received far less coverage in the national media and relatively little attention from the Trump regime.
Remember Thomas Jacob Sanford, the Iraq veteran who burned up a Mormon Church in September? Remember Nigel Edge, the Iraq veteran sniper who shot up a bar from his boat in Cape Fear, also in September?
Keep track of how differently we speak of them than Rahmanullah Lakanwal.
Keep track of how differently we speak of them than Rahmanullah Lakanwal.
November 30, 2025 at 6:18 PM
More to the point, you probably don’t remember the name of either man because they received far less coverage in the national media and relatively little attention from the Trump regime.
Reposted by westerner
Cities and counties in Northwest Washington are preparing for tight 2026 budgets as inflation outpaces the state’s 1% property tax limit. 📉
Read the full story by Sam Fletcher.
Read the full story by Sam Fletcher.
November 24, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Cities and counties in Northwest Washington are preparing for tight 2026 budgets as inflation outpaces the state’s 1% property tax limit. 📉
Read the full story by Sam Fletcher.
Read the full story by Sam Fletcher.
Reposted by westerner
One I had in mind is near the north end of the Salish Sea, but here’s one that’s current and publicly referenced in TX. foodandpower.substack.com/p/lawsuit-al...
Lawsuit Alleges Deed Restriction Gave Albertsons a Local Monopoly
Historic downtown Denison, TX.
foodandpower.substack.com
August 30, 2025 at 3:15 AM
One I had in mind is near the north end of the Salish Sea, but here’s one that’s current and publicly referenced in TX. foodandpower.substack.com/p/lawsuit-al...
Reposted by westerner
The billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott is funneling tens of millions of dollars into tribal higher education, months after the Trump administration sought to cut one of the system’s most essential funding sources.
MacKenzie Scott Expands Giving Spree to Tribal Colleges
The billionaire philanthropist is steering millions of dollars toward tribal schools, after the Trump administration proposed a significant federal funding cut.
nyti.ms
November 20, 2025 at 6:05 PM
The billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott is funneling tens of millions of dollars into tribal higher education, months after the Trump administration sought to cut one of the system’s most essential funding sources.
Reposted by westerner
Keep local news free and accessible to all. Oh and Stay Current!
Link below!
salish-current.org/donate/
Link below!
salish-current.org/donate/
Support Salish Current
With a gift of $120 per year or more, you will receive a weekly newsletter featuring our latest news stories along with curated local stories from other news publications.
salish-current.org
November 19, 2025 at 9:26 PM
Keep local news free and accessible to all. Oh and Stay Current!
Link below!
salish-current.org/donate/
Link below!
salish-current.org/donate/
Reposted by westerner
Leaning in to “Let’s just be assholes” ithacavoice.org/2025/11/feds...
Feds tell county to cease naturalization ceremonies - The Ithaca Voice
ITHACA, N.Y. — Tompkins County officials received a directive from federal immigration officials to cease all local naturalization ceremonies. Naturalization ceremonies are typically held throughout t...
ithacavoice.org
November 20, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Leaning in to “Let’s just be assholes” ithacavoice.org/2025/11/feds...
Bird's nest fungi with hemlock needles for scale, growing on a chunk of old plywood. They are so tiny. I just read that the spores are spread when raindrops bounce the "eggs" out of the cups. No wonder they are happy here in November. #Fungi Friends
November 17, 2025 at 3:08 AM
Bird's nest fungi with hemlock needles for scale, growing on a chunk of old plywood. They are so tiny. I just read that the spores are spread when raindrops bounce the "eggs" out of the cups. No wonder they are happy here in November. #Fungi Friends
Reposted by westerner
Water recognizes no borders!
By Alexi Guddal
By Alexi Guddal
Water recognizes no border
Commentary: Improved water quality requires cross-border neighbors to work together.
salish-current.org
November 13, 2025 at 5:56 PM
Water recognizes no borders!
By Alexi Guddal
By Alexi Guddal
Reposted by westerner
It’s baby octopus season 🐙🦑
Saw this little guy last night with the Salish Sea School in Anacortes, WA as part of their free community dock walk I volunteer as an interpreter for.
We can tell it is a giant pacific octopus from the single line of chromatophores on each arm.
Saw this little guy last night with the Salish Sea School in Anacortes, WA as part of their free community dock walk I volunteer as an interpreter for.
We can tell it is a giant pacific octopus from the single line of chromatophores on each arm.
November 15, 2025 at 9:32 PM
It’s baby octopus season 🐙🦑
Saw this little guy last night with the Salish Sea School in Anacortes, WA as part of their free community dock walk I volunteer as an interpreter for.
We can tell it is a giant pacific octopus from the single line of chromatophores on each arm.
Saw this little guy last night with the Salish Sea School in Anacortes, WA as part of their free community dock walk I volunteer as an interpreter for.
We can tell it is a giant pacific octopus from the single line of chromatophores on each arm.
Reposted by westerner
November 15, 2025 at 7:09 PM
These magnolia seeds are now stratifying in my refrigerator for planting next spring. I've never seen them in the yard before -- guessing that's because we had a fire this summer that displaced our resident squirrels. I learned magnolias are among the very first angiosperms. Dinosaurs ate them. 🌱
November 13, 2025 at 8:35 PM
These magnolia seeds are now stratifying in my refrigerator for planting next spring. I've never seen them in the yard before -- guessing that's because we had a fire this summer that displaced our resident squirrels. I learned magnolias are among the very first angiosperms. Dinosaurs ate them. 🌱
Reposted by westerner
NEW: I wrote about British churches installing heat pumps, in some cases in 1,000-year-old buildings! Decarbonisation may not be easy, but many view it as an act of faith.
This is a special feature to mark The Reengineer’s first anniversary! Spread the word! 🥳
www.thereengineer.pro/p/let-there-...
This is a special feature to mark The Reengineer’s first anniversary! Spread the word! 🥳
www.thereengineer.pro/p/let-there-...
Let there be warmth! The British churches putting their faith in heat pumps
Ancient buildings and old bones aren’t getting in the way of decarbonisation
www.thereengineer.pro
November 13, 2025 at 12:06 PM
NEW: I wrote about British churches installing heat pumps, in some cases in 1,000-year-old buildings! Decarbonisation may not be easy, but many view it as an act of faith.
This is a special feature to mark The Reengineer’s first anniversary! Spread the word! 🥳
www.thereengineer.pro/p/let-there-...
This is a special feature to mark The Reengineer’s first anniversary! Spread the word! 🥳
www.thereengineer.pro/p/let-there-...
Reposted by westerner
Fire risk and the struggle to follow through with a plan.
Read the full story by Sam Fletcher at the link below.
salish-current.org/2025/11/07/c...
Read the full story by Sam Fletcher at the link below.
salish-current.org/2025/11/07/c...
November 7, 2025 at 9:10 PM
Fire risk and the struggle to follow through with a plan.
Read the full story by Sam Fletcher at the link below.
salish-current.org/2025/11/07/c...
Read the full story by Sam Fletcher at the link below.
salish-current.org/2025/11/07/c...
Reposted by westerner
Way way back when I worked for a local utility, a much older sewer worker told me this story, and I just assumed he was making it up.
#OnThisDay in 1957, a giant sinkhole opened up in Seattle's Ravenna neighborhood. historylink.org/File/3138
November 11, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Way way back when I worked for a local utility, a much older sewer worker told me this story, and I just assumed he was making it up.
Reposted by westerner
wow. WOW.
Breaking: Marion County agrees to pay out $3M for newspaper raid, express regret kansasreflector.com/2025/11/11/m...
Marion County agrees to pay out $3M for newspaper raid, express regret • Kansas Reflector
A handful of county-level officials who were involved in a small-town Kansas newspaper raid in 2023 will pay a cumulative $3 million to three journalists and a city councilor.
kansasreflector.com
November 11, 2025 at 5:53 PM
wow. WOW.
Reposted by westerner
Have you heard of “The Populist Playbook?”
A few years ago, I posted what I still consider one of my most important messages.
It was about “The Populist Playbook” that I’ve watched play out often over my 33+ years of city planning.
Since then, it’s only gotten worse.
Do the steps sound familiar?
A few years ago, I posted what I still consider one of my most important messages.
It was about “The Populist Playbook” that I’ve watched play out often over my 33+ years of city planning.
Since then, it’s only gotten worse.
Do the steps sound familiar?
November 8, 2025 at 12:48 AM
Have you heard of “The Populist Playbook?”
A few years ago, I posted what I still consider one of my most important messages.
It was about “The Populist Playbook” that I’ve watched play out often over my 33+ years of city planning.
Since then, it’s only gotten worse.
Do the steps sound familiar?
A few years ago, I posted what I still consider one of my most important messages.
It was about “The Populist Playbook” that I’ve watched play out often over my 33+ years of city planning.
Since then, it’s only gotten worse.
Do the steps sound familiar?
Reposted by westerner
Asked about any existing models of long-term farm health that she takes inspiration from, Anna Martin thought for a moment, then grew serious: “I think more about where I don’t want my life to go.”
Read the full story by Hannah Swartos at the link below.
salish-current.org/2025/11/06/a...
Read the full story by Hannah Swartos at the link below.
salish-current.org/2025/11/06/a...
Addressing the physical toll of farming
Local farmers plan for a healthy future
salish-current.org
November 6, 2025 at 7:04 PM
Asked about any existing models of long-term farm health that she takes inspiration from, Anna Martin thought for a moment, then grew serious: “I think more about where I don’t want my life to go.”
Read the full story by Hannah Swartos at the link below.
salish-current.org/2025/11/06/a...
Read the full story by Hannah Swartos at the link below.
salish-current.org/2025/11/06/a...
Reposted by westerner
From Nov. 7 to 9, Downtown Bellingham will host the first-ever Salish Sea Poetry Festival, a three-day celebration of verse in all its forms.
salish-current.org/2025/11/03/p...
salish-current.org/2025/11/03/p...
Poetry enters everyday spaces with festival
The first Salish Sea Poetry Festival opens tomorrow across Downtown Bellingham, with readings, food, visual arts and even improv.
salish-current.org
November 3, 2025 at 8:04 PM
From Nov. 7 to 9, Downtown Bellingham will host the first-ever Salish Sea Poetry Festival, a three-day celebration of verse in all its forms.
salish-current.org/2025/11/03/p...
salish-current.org/2025/11/03/p...
Reposted by westerner
With the help of their community and a language app developer, two Indigenous teachers have brought Swinomish Lushootseed classes to the palms of people’s hands.
Read the full story by Luisa Loi at the link below.
salish-current.org/2025/10/29/i...
Read the full story by Luisa Loi at the link below.
salish-current.org/2025/10/29/i...
Indigenous teachers help keep ancestors’ language alive
With the help of their community and a language app developer, two Indigenous teachers have brought Swinomish Lushootseed classes to the palms of people’s hands.
salish-current.org
October 29, 2025 at 7:16 PM
With the help of their community and a language app developer, two Indigenous teachers have brought Swinomish Lushootseed classes to the palms of people’s hands.
Read the full story by Luisa Loi at the link below.
salish-current.org/2025/10/29/i...
Read the full story by Luisa Loi at the link below.
salish-current.org/2025/10/29/i...
Reposted by westerner
Recovery: the trumpeter swan’s story.
Read the full story from our Artist’s Corner by Tony Angell at the link below.
salish-current.org/2025/10/21/r...
Read the full story from our Artist’s Corner by Tony Angell at the link below.
salish-current.org/2025/10/21/r...
Recovery: the trumpeter swan's story
Recovery has been the work of conservation organizations, tribes, and county officials, all of whom have supported action and programs that support the natural diversity of this region.
salish-current.org
October 21, 2025 at 9:45 PM
Recovery: the trumpeter swan’s story.
Read the full story from our Artist’s Corner by Tony Angell at the link below.
salish-current.org/2025/10/21/r...
Read the full story from our Artist’s Corner by Tony Angell at the link below.
salish-current.org/2025/10/21/r...
Reposted by westerner
Broadband access is improving across Northwest Washington — but many rural residents are still waiting for affordable, reliable connections.
Read more about who’s still offline and what’s being done to bridge the gap at the link below.
salish-current.org/2025/10/23/b...
Read more about who’s still offline and what’s being done to bridge the gap at the link below.
salish-current.org/2025/10/23/b...
Broadband access in Northwest Washington improving — but gaps remain
Internet options are limited and expensive for those living in "the last mile."
salish-current.org
October 23, 2025 at 6:06 PM
Broadband access is improving across Northwest Washington — but many rural residents are still waiting for affordable, reliable connections.
Read more about who’s still offline and what’s being done to bridge the gap at the link below.
salish-current.org/2025/10/23/b...
Read more about who’s still offline and what’s being done to bridge the gap at the link below.
salish-current.org/2025/10/23/b...