Government

The U.S. Dept. of Education says any schools that are found to be out of compliance with the order by the end of the February could lose federal funding.

Chris Reykdal says his office received a so-called “Dear Colleague Letter” from the U.S. Department of Education that declared DEI programs to be discriminatory and illegal.

They argue that the proposed state funding cuts will result in fewer classes, higher workloads for all staff and higher costs to students.

In the audit, they found that the Department of Commerce did not comply with certain requirements for grantees.

Environmental, medical, higher education and bills covering other topics are being discussed in Olympia by local lawmakers.

By March 3, qualifying residents can apply to be reimbursed for extended sheltering, home repairs and certain other unmet needs that were caused by the disaster.

Whatcom Health and Community Services is developing a “Five Year Local Homeless Housing Plan” and looking for feedback by March 7.

The district is re-running a similar bond to the one that failed in the Nov. 2024 general election.

The House Committee on Community Safety is expected to vote on whether to move forward with the bill on Thursday, Feb. 20.

The bill is being praised by law enforcement agencies around the state, but some prosecutors argue that the process of getting the vehicle out of the pound may be too complex.