Charlotte Alden

6 days ago | cascadiadaily.com | Charlotte Alden

After months of advocacy, education funding in this year’s state budget was a letdown for many local educational leaders. But there’s one bright spot: special education. For years, the amount of special education funding a district received was capped at a percentage of students: This year, the cap is 16%. For example, Nooksack Valley School District has about 17.8% of students receiving special education.

1 week ago | cascadiadaily.com | Charlotte Alden

A planned social services campus on Orcas Island got a $5 million allocation in the Washington state Legislature’s budget. The Pea Patch Community Campus is a collaboration between OPAL Community Land Trust, Orcas Community Resource Center and the Orcas Island Food Bank to centralize social services on the island.

1 week ago | cascadiadaily.com | Charlotte Alden

ANACORTES — The day before setting off on an expedition around North and South America, a five-person team of sailors, scientists and students from around the region was busy. They took final trips to the hardware store, practiced rigging the boat, and made last-minute decisions on what to bring — “Do we want an extra synthetic towel?” It was an overwhelming day for the group, preparing to set off for 14 months on a sailboat.

1 week ago | cascadiadaily.com | Charlotte Alden

A team of current and former City of Bellingham employees will hit the Ski to Sea course for the 12th year in a row, competing as “City Haul.” On the team this year: former Mayor Seth Fleetwood; Planning and Community Development Department Director Blake Lyon; Deputy City Attorney James Erb; former Public Works Department Director Ted Carlson; planning department staff Chris Behee, Ryan Nelson and Steve Sundin; and Post Point Wastewater Treatment Plant staff member Caleb Haner-Sundin.

1 week ago | cascadiadaily.com | Charlotte Alden

Lexie Tom will be the new president of Northwest Indian College, after serving as the interim leader since October 2024. Tom, a Lummi Nation citizen, was previously the acting head of the Lummi Nation Educational System and a member of the Lummi Indian Business Council. She has a doctorate in Indigenous studies with a concentration in education.