Eric Trent

News producer @cascadiadaily | former: @chronline, @LyndenTribune, @TheFrontOnline, @pcbuc | 2019 WNPA Sports Writer of the Year

Articles

Weekly Watchdog: June 13–19, 2025 | Cascadia Daily News

2 weeks ago | cascadiadaily.com | Eric Trent

Commissioners will host a public hearing on the county’s comprehensive plan update and development regulations. Commission members will discuss and vote on a range of amendments, including a proposal to require a two-thirds council vote to increase property tax levies using banked capacity. County council members Barry Buchanan, Ben Elenbaas and Jon Scanlon will host two community meetings on June 17: one from 2–4 p.m. at Blaine Library, and a second from 5–7 p.m. at Ferndale Library.
State track and field: Anacortes boys, Sehome girls win 2A titles

3 weeks ago | cascadiadaily.com | Eric Trent

TACOMA — Anacortes boys and Sehome girls claimed team state titles after three days of competition at the 2A State Track and Field Championships Saturday, May 31 at Mount Tahoma High in Tacoma. The Seahawks edged out second-place Tumwater, 75-74, behind junior Dylan Rowell’s record-breaking performance. Rowell reset the 2A state meet record in the 3,200 (8:58.55), holding up the No. 1 sign as he crossed the finish line while lapping two runners. He also won the 1,600 title (4:10.90).
District softball: Local squads fighting for state berths

1 month ago | cascadiadaily.com | Eric Trent

CENTRALIA, Lewis County — Lynden Christian and Nooksack Valley softball are both in contention to secure state playoff berths, while Mount Baker was eliminated at the 1A District 1/4 Softball Tournament May 14–15 at Fort Borst Park in Centralia, Lewis County. The third-seeded Lyncs entered with a first-round bye and are now in the tourney semifinals Thursday after winning in the quarterfinals Wednesday. A semifinal win would lock down a state berth.
Star catcher, red-hot Vikings look to make a splash at Super Regionals

1 month ago | cascadiadaily.com | Eric Trent

A lot was on the line when Western senior Emma Andrewjeski-Ramirez stepped to the plate with the bases juiced in the bottom of the fourth inning of a 2-2 game versus Cal State East Bay in the West Regional Championships May 10. A win there in Hayward, California, would send the Vikings to Super Regionals, while a loss would give Cal State East Bay another shot at ending the Vikings’ season. Andrewjeski-Ramirez looked back into the bleachers and saw her parents.
Murder of young Bellingham couple remains unsolved 28 years later

1 month ago | cascadiadaily.com | Eric Trent

Kermit Hanowell can still remember that winter night vividly — the night he learned his younger sister had been murdered. Hanowell was 23 years old and living in Oregon on Jan. 7, 1997, when his mother, Clare Doerksen, called and said police told her two bodies had been found in Bellingham — and they were pretty sure one was his sister, Brandi Hanowell. “I remember saying something to the effect of, ‘Wait, can you say that again?
Western men's hoops heating up at the right time

Feb 13, 2025 | cascadiadaily.com | Eric Trent

If there was ever a time for the Western men’s basketball team to catch fire, it’s now. The Vikings (15-8, 7-6 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) are currently tied for fifth in the conference with five regular-season games remaining before the start of the GNAC tournament. And the Vikings have been on fire as of late — except for one small hiccup. Western ripped off a seven-game winning streak, going unbeaten for nearly an entire month from Jan. 11 to Feb.
WWU athletics rank No. 15 in national standings for fall season

Jan 8, 2025 | cascadiadaily.com | Eric Trent

Kicking off the New Year has been a little brighter for Western Washington University athletics, as the Vikings finished the fall 2024 season ranked No. 15 in the nation in the Learfield Directors’ Cup standings. The Vikings placed 15th out of 151 NCAA Division II programs, according to a Jan. 3 announcement. Western was the top Great Northwest Athletic Conference school, and the second-highest West Region program behind No. 4 Cal Poly Pomona.
Former Squalicum student becomes world boxing champion

Nov 7, 2024 | cascadiadaily.com | Eric Trent

The memory is burned inside Jose Valenzuela’s mind. He can still hear his mom crying out in shock — from seeing her 3-year-old son pinned beneath a car after being dragged along the road. Valenzuela was playing soccer with his sister in the streets of Los Mochis, Mexico, when their mother, Vianey, went inside to change the laundry. The ball careened across the street and underneath a car. Valenzuela climbed under the car but the ball was stuck.
WWU Notebook: New-look women's hoops aiming high for upcoming season

Oct 30, 2024 | cascadiadaily.com | Eric Trent

Despite missing four starters from last season’s NCAA tourney run, Western Washington University’s women’s basketball has been picked No. 1 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Coaches Poll, released Oct. 21. The Vikings will have a lot to replace, including a trio of all-GNAC selections in do-it-all forward Brooke Walling and guards Riley Dykstra and Stephanie Peterson. Senior forward Aspen Garrison, a starter last season, is out with a season-ending injury.
Cystic fibrosis can’t stop WWU long-distance runner

Oct 24, 2024 | cascadiadaily.com | Eric Trent

Ryan Clough will remember the date for the rest of his life. Clough, now a cross country and track and field athlete at Western Washington University, was 6 years old and had just been diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF), a life-shortening lung disease. It was Dec. 20, 2008; five days before Christmas. “I remember asking my parents if Santa could take it away,” Clough said.