Government

The lawsuit claims that the sheriff’s office is illegally collaborating with federal immigration officials and aiding the Trump administration in its work to bring in local law enforcement.

The county council approved a $76,500 contract with Matrix Consulting Group at its meeting on Feb. 25.

Gov. Ferguson is aiming to bring the Washington state’s fleet back to pre-pandemic operating capacity, with at least 18 boats on the water by this summer.

Brown says that their actions amount to over $35 million in illegal debt collections, plus an additional $7 million in commissions.

A U.S. district court judge in Seattle dismissed the case with prejudice on Jan. 21, 2025, meaning that it can’t be brought back to court, but the group appealed the decision last month.

Whatcom County’s District Court is offering an opportunity for those with a warrant to avoid jail time.

The county is hoping to have a preliminary estimate of the project’s budget in May and finish a capacity study on both facilities.

Gov. Ferguson detailed his plan to address the projected $15 billion budget shortfall during a press conference at the state capitol on Thursday morning.

The County Executive’s office will still monitor and review requests to determine if other savings options are available.

Only four of Bellingham’s 12 sites are at the final stage of the eight-stage cleanup process. But that doesn’t mean the other sites are not far along in the process to remove toxic chemicals.