A fire broke out Saturday night at the former Bornstein Seafoods headquarters at 1001 Hilton Ave. on the Bellingham waterfront.
Jay Bornstein, former owner of Bornstein (now Starlight One LLC), was on the property Sunday morning. The fire ravaged the cold storage and fish processing area, currently subleased to Michigan-based cold storage giant Lineage Logistics, Bornstein confirmed. The blaze is believed to have started near a door on the south corner of the building.
No one was inside the building at the time of the fire, and no injuries have been reported, Rachel Carlson, assistant fire chief of BFD, said shortly after midnight Sunday. However, firefighters had not fully searched the building. Carlson could not provide any information on the extent of the damage or cause of the fire.
The All American Marine building across the street (1010 Hilton Ave.) did not appear to be affected.
At around 9:30 a.m. Sunday, the scene smelled of fish and smoke. Bornstein said he had not yet been inside the burnt area of the building to observe damage. The concern over the next few days is removing product from the area, he said.
“We need to analyze what to do with the rest of the building,” he said. “Whether they’ll tell us if the building is safe enough to rebuild, meaning it was contained to the roof.”
What we know
Bellingham Fire Department and Whatcom County Fire District 7 units responded to the fire around 10:45 p.m. Sept. 12. A Cascadia Daily News staff photographer observed a ladder truck continuing to quench the blaze around midnight. He was told a fire inspector was on their way to the scene.
Lineage employees who work in the building told a CDN photographer that the warehouse in flames stored frozen seafood. While Lineage subleases the space at Hilton Avenue, the company acquired Bellingham Cold Storage in April 2025 and owns two buildings at 2825 Roeder Ave. and 600 W. Orchard Drive.
A fire burned for more than a week in June at a cold-storage warehouse in Los Angeles that Lineage operates, the New York Times reported. The stench of rotting food has plagued surrounding neighborhoods for months. The company spent more than 100,000 hours and upwards of $100 million on the cleanup, according to an Aug. 30 article.
On Thursday, Lineage sued the owner of solar panels on the roof of the Los Angeles warehouse, alleging Altus Power Inc. and its contractor Pearce Services caused the blaze in June, according to ABC7.
“The record is clear: this was a solar fire. Cold storage is not a risk to communities,” Greg Lehmkuhl, president/CEO of Lineage, said in a statement announcing the legal action, ABC7 reported. “It is an essential service that lowers food costs, expands food access and creates jobs.”
In 2021, a massive fire broke out at the Puyallup Cold Storage Facility, which contained 1,000 pounds of anhydrous ammonia refrigerant, according to the City of Puyallup. Residents within a 1-mile radius of the fire were advised to shelter in place due to the threat of toxic fumes.
History of property
The 2.89-acre property at 1001 Hilton Ave. is currently listed for sale for $8 million. The building, totaling 35,100 square feet, was built in 1990, according to the listing.
Bornstein Seafoods leased the site from the Port of Bellingham from 1952 to 2024. The space now “benefits from a newly completed 170-foot concrete and steel dock, plus a 133-foot floating dock currently planned for completion in 2027,” according to the listing. Since October 2025, Lineage has subleased part of the building, freezer and loading dock space on a month-to-month basis, said Shari Ireton with the Port of Bellingham.
Bornstein also closed its Bellingham groundfish processing plant in 2019. Its crab-landing facility in Ilwaco, Pacific County, was lost to a fire in 2024.
This story was updated at 10:19 a.m. Sept. 13 with more information. It will continue to be updated.
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When the Bellingham-based writer Becky Mandelbaum is in the thick of developing a story, her characters are always with her.
They came with her to a yoga class when she was in the midst of revising her latest novel, after days of reading and writing about them morning to night. She compares it to bingeing a TV show, where “the feeling of the show is in you” even when you’re no longer watching — “a cloudy infusion of it in your brain.”
Mandelbaum, 35, is awaiting the June 2027 release of her third book, “Homewrecker.” In the novel, a woman finds herself in a ghost story after accepting an ex-boyfriend’s offer to move in with him and his new fiancee. Respected names in the literary world, including Yiyun Li, Pam Houston and Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, have praised the book.
Mandelbaum’s success is extraordinary in the notoriously challenging world of fiction publishing.
Author Laura Moriarty, who taught Mandelbaum at the University of Kansas and continues to be a mentor, said that over her 18 years of advising students — including at the highly competitive graduate level — the number who have gone on to publish even one book is in the single digits.
“She wowed me” in college, Moriarty said, noting she had heard of Mandelbaum’s talent from other instructors. “None of us was surprised when she went on to greater acclaim.”
“I don’t think there’s a day of her life that she doesn’t write,” said Mandelbaum’s husband, Pat Dingle. Her dedication to her craft was part of what initially attracted him to her nine years ago when they were both spending the summer working at North Cascades National Park.
Amid all the moving pieces of her life, for Mandelbaum, writing is a source of calm even in moments of insecurity.
“I can feel doubt and feel doubt and feel doubt, and then all I have to do is open up the thing I’m working on,” she said, “and then I feel like I’ve slipped into a bubble bath.”
‘Delusion and complete pessimism’
Mandelbaum spent much of her childhood in Wichita, Kansas, as a self-described “pretty weird, chubby kid” who never felt like she fit in. Shy and creative, she loved animals and wanted to spend much of her time at home reading.
As “every writer” does, Mandelbaum has a story of the first “book” she wrote as a young child (about Tie-Dye, the dog made of tie-dye, in a tie-dye world). By high school, she was writing poetry and fiction, her confidence bolstered by encouragement from teachers. She experimented with playwriting, too, producing one-act plays as a teenager.
But though she knew she loved writing, Mandelbaum didn’t realize it was a subject she could study. A fiction workshop in college opened her eyes to that possibility. Soon, she was switching her major from psychology to English.
Moriarty first encountered Mandelbaum in a graduate fiction workshop she was teaching. Entry to the graduate program is highly sought-after (Moriarty estimated about 80 to 90 people apply every year for four or five spots), so she was resistant when another instructor suggested she let in an undergraduate student.
“I think you should just read her work,” the instructor said. Moriarty did. She admitted Mandelbaum to the class.
College was a revelation beyond the newfound dream of making it as a writer. It was there that Mandelbaum found her people, the “weirdos and artists” she hadn’t seen around her growing up.
A close friend and roommate, now a children’s book illustrator, would close her door and put up a “do not disturb” sign when she was working on her art. Another roommate was a musician, and friends in the English department wrote poetry and fiction.
Recalling those years now, Mandelbaum isn’t sure whether being a fiction writer felt attainable to her at the time. “In one hand, I was like, ‘This will never happen,’” she said, “and then (on) the other hand I was like, ‘I’m gonna be the next Stephen King.’”
It was “delusion and complete pessimism at the same time somehow,” she added.
Nostalgia delivers greatness
After her undergraduate studies, a devastating break-up and a stint working at Grand Teton National Park, Mandelbaum picked up and moved to California for the UC-Davis graduate creative writing program.
The state was “the promised land” for a Kansas kid, but when she got there, Mandelbaum found herself unexpectedly overwhelmed by homesickness.
“I missed everything,” she said. “I missed the thunderstorms, and I missed the fireflies, and I missed the crickets and I missed the smell of hot rain on a sidewalk.”
The short stories that made up her first book, “Bad Kansas,” were born out of that feeling. It was “just me writing about home,” she said. Recognition followed — Mandelbaum sent her graduate thesis to the Flannery O’Connor Award (one of only two contests she submitted it to, she wrote in a newsletter) and it won. The award meant that at only 25, Mandelbaum was going to be a published author.
She recognizes, now, how fortunate her path to first publication was. Looking back, “things were falling into my lap, and I didn’t realize it,” she said, adding she was “leapfrogging over” the years of struggle many writers go through.
But her early success is also a testament to the skill that inspired respect from her mentors. After “Bad Kansas,” a former professor connected her to his agent, who took on Mandelbaum’s second book. “The Bright Side Sanctuary for Animals,” a novel, was published in 2020.
Nearly a decade after her first book came out, Mandelbaum is savvier as she navigates publication for the third time. She’s taken on a new agent and is refining her online messaging in advance of the book’s release.
Some years back she might have said having to market books felt wrong. Her view today is more nuanced. In a way, it has to be, given how much of that work falls on the writer.
“I think in a perfect, lovely world, artists wouldn’t have to think about money,” she said. She understands now, though, that the marketing is “just a game.” It’s one she’s willing to play, “if it allows me to get my book into more readers’ hands.” Mandelbaum also provides manuscript consultations for other writers, puts out a newsletter and has a job in marketing.
‘A black box’
So, where does the idea for a story begin? Mandelbaum calls it “a black box” in her mind, inaccessible even to her. What she can say is that she often starts with a simple scenario, relationship or sentence.
She doesn’t outline her stories, characterizing herself as somewhat “chaotic” in that regard, working instead toward more manageable milestones in the plot. The most immediate is an inciting event that sets the wheels of the story in motion. It’s there, she said, “where fiction begins,” when the tensions of the world press in on the characters.
Would she still write without readers? Yes, Mandelbaum said. Completing and revising a 300-page novel? Maybe not. Writing as exploration, however, “is completely for myself.”
The medium offers her a way to make sense of her thoughts. When she and Dingle were falling in love, Mandelbaum felt she had to get it on the page. She wrote poems and descriptions of his room, trying to capture “this thing that was so big.”
Dingle remembers when she began sharing her not-yet-published writing with him before the release of her second book. It was a gesture of trust, and one he hadn’t anticipated. In the beginning, on at least one occasion, he could feel her eyes on his face, trying to gauge his reaction as he read, he said with a chuckle.
Now he reads much of what she writes, offering proofreading and minor suggestions. He’s not a completely unbiased critic, however. “I hear her voice so much in everything,” he said. “So, in some ways, it’s hard for me to not just hear her like she’s telling me a story.”
Mandelbaum at times worries that her devotion to her writing is self-absorbed. She assuages the feeling by telling friends, mentees and herself that the activity is not harming anybody: It doesn’t use up electricity or cost anything.
“I just think writing is a nice way to spend a life,” she said.
Sophia Gates covers rural Whatcom and Skagit counties. She is a Washington State Murrow Fellow whose work is underwritten by taxpayers and available outside CDN's paywall. Reach her at sophiagates@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 131.
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Sehome senior Lil Desler, junior teammate Kjirsten Ludeman and Meridian sophomore Judah TeVelde each won their division for the second year in a row as 44 teams competed in the annual GearUp Northwest XC Preview on Saturday, Sept. 12 at Civic Field.
The meet serves as a yearly season kickoff for some of the best runners in the state, with competing schools all the way from Class 1B to Class 4A. Varsity races are split into eight divisions, divided by gender and grade.
Senior girls
Desler won the senior girls division in 11:29.74, besting her time of 11:38.19, when she won the junior division in 2025. Knipp was the runner-up for the second straight year, this time clocking in at 11:40.77 this time.
Squalicum’s Audrey Blue was eighth (12:09.43), Sehome’s Helen Buetow was 12th (12:18.49), Bellingham’s Nora Alexander came in 13th (12:29.78), Squalicum’s Sandra Voigt placed 16th (13:01.43) and Anacortes’ Gwynne Letcher finished 17th (13:11.55).
Senior boys
Sehome’s Judson Berreth was the top local placer in the division, coming in fifth at 9:50.33. Shorewood’s Elijah Graves won the race in 9:34.00.
Bellingham’s Baynes Machinski placed seventh in 10:00.92, Mount Vernon’s Samuel Riquelme was 12th (10:13.41), Anacortes’ Owen Kennedy came in 15th (10:21.18) and Sehome’s Ian James finished 19th (10:31.58).
Junior girls
Ludeman won for the second straight year, this time finishing in 11:15.16, after clocking in at 11:21.85 to win the sophomore girls division last season.
Meridian’s Wren Dickson placed second with a time of 11:20.74, after placing fourth last season. Sehome’s Sloan Clines came in third (11:22.67), Mount Vernon’s Mia Checketts was fifth (11:45.93), Anacortes’ Ashley Becerra Guzman placed 15th (12:33.63), Sehome’s Jewel Bryngelson was 17th (12:41.70) and Bellingham’s Nora Seltz finished 18th (12:42.73).
Junior boys
Mount Vernon’s Charles Lederle was the top local placer, coming in third (10:02.41). Cedar Park Christian’s Oliver Zimmerman won the race in 9:49.94.
Meridian’s Colton Valentine was fourth (10:03.59), Bellingham’s Jack Stoddard came in seventh (10:11.30), Anacortes’ Rowan Morgenthaler placed eighth (10:12.35), Lynden’s Luke Schouten came in ninth (10:12.68), Sehome’s Luke Zollner was 12th (10:16.87).
Bellingham’s Tarver May placed 13th (10:25.03), Anacortes’ Quinn Moroney was 14th (10:25.72), Sehome’s Jack Rybczyk came in 16th (10:30.87), Anacortes’ placed 17th (10:32.31) and Mount Vernon’s Lucas Hensey finished 20th (10:40.50).
Sophomore girls
Sehome’s Anya Cannizzaro placed fifth in a time of 12:14.55. Roosevelt’s Lilly Lendrum Fort won the race in 11:34.56.
Meridian’s Bria Rempp placed sixth (12:15.04), Sehome’s Paige Ricks was seventh (12:21.64), Meridian’s Airi Thompson came in 12th (12:48.63), Anacortes’ Peyton Floyd finished 17th (13:05.67) and Mount Vernon Christian’s Della Carlson was 19th (13:09.79).
Sophomore boys
TeVelde won his division for the second straight year, this time finishing in 10:00.03. He won the freshman division last year in 10:21.88.
Burlington-Edison’s Elian Hauptman came in third (10:17.79), Bellingham’s Erick Dennis placed fifth (10:37.97), Bellingham’s Abel Rae was sixth (10:44.69), Bellingham’s Parker Ask finished ninth (10:46.60) and Bellingham’s Tobias Lacic wound up 10th (10:54.70).
Anacortes’ Audyn Degraaf placed 12th (11:02.44), Meridian’s Denali Frierott was 14th (11:07.53) and Bellingham’s Quindry Pass came in 17th (11:12.36).
Freshman girls
Meridian’s Layne Dickson was the top local finisher in fourth place (12:08.94). Glacier Peak’s Dahlia Zener won the race in 11:45.87.
Sehome’s Morgan McMonagle was seventh (12:32.07), teammate Mia Cook came in ninth (12:42.23), Lynden’s Clara Bajema finished 13th (12:54.30), Meridian’s Ridley Strotz placed 14th (13:00.18), Lynden Christian’s Larkyn McConnell was 16th (13:19.93) and Anacortes’ Caroline Dekker came in 18th (13:24.02).
Freshman boys
Sehome’s Benjamin Havens was the top local placer, coming in fifth with a time of 10:38.83. Seattle Prep’s Gus Kemper won the race in 10:03.98.
Lynden’s Braxton Stacey came in sixth (10:45.83), Burlington-Edison’s Milo Wyman was 13th (11:07.06), Sehome’s Jonah Burdick placed 14th (11:08.66), Meridian’s Titus Belleme finished 17th (11:20.06), Blaine’s Wesley Balback came in 18th (11:20.71) and Lynden’s Jesse Penner wound up 19th (11:21.13).
For full results, visit Athletic.net.
Eric Trent is CDN’s news producer; reach him at erictrent@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 117.
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BURLINGTON — Mount Vernon football needed two quick scores trailing Burlington-Edison 35-21 with three minutes remaining in the 120th annual Battle of the Bridge rivalry game.
Bulldogs’ quarterback Brady Peterson found Henley Lopez for a 23-yard pass on 4th down and 10, setting up Peterson’s 3-yard touchdown plunge to pull within one score.
The Bulldogs’ defense forced a three-and-out with just over a minute to play, and then their offense marched down near the red zone to face a fourth down with 26 seconds left.
“I was kind of holding my breath to be honest,” Burlington-Edison coach Dalton Schwetz said. “We brought in some man coverage to make them go vertical on us.”
Peterson’s pass sailed over his intended wide receiver in the end zone, and Burlington-Edison held on to capture its third straight rivalry victory over Mount Vernon, 35-28, Friday, Sept. 11.
“This means everything to us,” Tigers’ quarterback Jake VanPelt said. “We have been working so hard this summer.”
Mount Vernon opened the game with an 80-yard kickoff return for a touchdown from Bodey Jacobs to take a 6-0 lead.
On Burlington-Edison’s first drive, running back Ben Daniels also rushed seven times for 53 yards, setting up VanPelt’s 10-yard rushing score. Daniels finished with 25 carries for 178 yards and a touchdown. VanPelt ran 11 times for 107 yards and four touchdowns.
“We needed to get back to it,” Schwetz said. “That is what we are; that’s Tigers’ football. We wanted to hang our heads on them tonight and they led the way.”
Daniels gave the Tigers a 13-6 lead with a 1-yard dive in the second quarter. Mount Vernon responded to take a 14-13 lead after Gideon Hope rushed for a 3-yard touchdown. The two-point attempt was good on a pass to Jay Davis.
The Tigers ended the first half with a 29-yard pass to Evan Johnson, which positioned VanPelt to tack on a 1-yard rushing touchdown.
“It was all due to our line,” VanPelt said. “They did all the blocking and opened all the gaps. The running back blocked for me.”
In the third quarter, Burlington-Edison spent seven minutes driving down the field before VanPelt ran in for a 4-yard touchdown to make it 28-14. Mount Vernon’s Anthony Rodriguez narrowed the lead to 28-21 with a 6-yard rushing score in the fourth quarter.
Burlington-Edison’s final touchdown came from a 4th and 1 at Mount Vernon’s 41-yard line when VanPelt broke through the defense and sprinted down the sideline for the 35-21 lead. The Tigers allowed one more late score, then held on for the victory.
Burlington Edison (1-1, 0-0 2A NWC) travels to Squalicum at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 18. Mount Vernon (0-2) travels to Shorewood at the same time.
Nick Zeller-Singh is CDN's sports editor; reach him at nickzellersingh@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 104.
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Mount Vernon boasts one of the most thoughtfully curated and idyllic downtowns in our region: cafes, bars, boutiques and restaurants of every type abound. One of the newer restaurants to this picturesque environment is Fat Buns Cafe.
While the name is a bit cutesy, the food is deadly serious. An unassuming space, it’s nevertheless airy and comfortable. Keeping a 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. schedule, I could see myself sitting down in the early hours to get some work done.
Fat Buns makes everything in-house (except for the ketchup), a fact made more impressive by the sheer diversity of their menu. You can order a sandwich — a Korean fusion of banh mi on a house mini baguette — or enjoy one of their brioche (loaf) toasties. The Korean fried chicken sandwich comes on a gorgeous brioche bun, distinct from the stuffed buns, quick to sell out. Stuffed cookies, hand pies, scones, doughnuts, salads, coffee — this isn’t a menu that would get old quickly, though you might find a favorite fast.
The menu isn’t massive, and that’s just the way I like it. First up: the fries. A full side of them comes in at $8; a side order with a drink added on to a sandwich is $4, and I’d pay more than that based on how good they were. Hand-cut, skin-on and absolutely phenomenally crunchy, they went incredibly well with the intensely aromatic roasted garlic aioli and red pepper romesco sauce. The latter was a standout, smoky and fragrant; ketchup can take a back seat.
A trio of sandwiches arrayed in front of me: the Kalbi beef ($14), grilled veggie ($10), and spicy pork ($10) sandwiches. Served on an artisan 8-inch (house) hoagie, they’re reminiscent of a bahn mi, but the Korean influence shines through. The Kalbi beef is dressed with cucumber kimchi, pickled radish and carrots, and absolutely nails the combination of sweet, savory, sour, tender and crunchy that makes for a really, really good sandwich.
The grilled veggie combines zucchini and squash with the aforementioned red pepper romesco to provide vegetarians, pescetarians and vegetable lovers with a bitey, filling sandwich that doesn’t feel like an afterthought.
Finishing up the trio of subs, the spicy pork, marinated with gochujang and topped with an apple slaw, gave me just enough heat to make me feel alive without stripping me of any dignity. It’s a jam-packed sandwich, with not a single bad bite to be had. The only recommendation I have for someone ordering a sandwich here: Don’t wear anything you’re concerned about. They’re messy, as they don’t skimp on any of the toppings, natural juices or sauces, and you’re going to end up wearing the deliciousness if you aren’t careful.
A menu of “toasties” got my attention; simply, a pair of brioche toast slices topped with a host of options. We ordered the grilled cheese toastie ($6), but the cinnamon butter, PB&J and garlic bread were all tantalizing. What we got was, indeed, two slices of grilled brioche toast absolutely mounded with melted cheese. (Lactose intolerants, look away.)
Grilled open-face, the cheese took on that beautiful browning you find on a good slice of pizza, crispy bits that melted down over the side of the toast, which deserves its own accolades. Loaf brioche is surprisingly uncommon in restaurants, and I was thoroughly impressed. Buttery, pillowy, with a clean bite and just a bit of chew; they get a gold medal for the bread. The toastie menu is one I could see myself using to great effect with a cup of coffee and some work to do.
Finally, my absolute standout: the fried chicken sandwich. A hefty, crunchy Korean-style chicken thigh is crowned with arugula, pickled carrots and daikon, a house sauce, nestled inside a truly gorgeous black and white sesame seed-topped brioche bun for just $10. For comparison: Chick-fil-A will charge you $7.29 for a deluxe chicken sandwich; Popeye’s, $5.99.
A host of local restaurants in the region have their own takes on a fried chicken sandwich, like Accomplice, Fiamma, The Fairhaven, Billy’s Cafe and Bantam. They all have their strengths, but between the pickled veggies, the bun and the gloriously fried chicken, Fat Buns Cafe beats them all, at a price point that is similarly staggering. This is one that has to be tried to be believed.
Fat Buns is an absolute gem. The care that goes into every ingredient is readily apparent, and all this at a price that will make most people double-check the year printed on their copy of Cascadia Daily News. They’ve put together something impressive here, an excellent slice of the quality and diversity downtown Mount Vernon is justifiably very proud of.
While I didn’t get a chance to try their assortment of (house) pastries, you can be assured I’m going to look for any and every excuse to stop in whenever I’m down south — and you would be well advised to do the same.
Fat Buns Cafe is open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday–Sunday at 521 S. Second St., Ste. D, Mount Vernon. Info: fatbunscafe.com.
Mark Saleeb is a frequent enjoyer of food. Find him at instagram.com/eats.often.
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The City of Bellingham lifted its ban on recreational fires within city limits at 5 p.m. Friday, Sept.11.
The change comes after local weather conditions have reduced the fire hazard, according to a city news release on Friday. Whatcom County also lowered its burn ban to stage 1, effective at 8 a.m. Friday, due to an increase in moisture levels.
“We appreciate everyone’s patience and compliance during the fire ban,” Bellingham Fire Department Division Chief Shawn Linville said in the news release. “Please continue exercising caution and follow the guidelines to ensure community safety.”
The city previously issued a complete outdoor burn ban on Aug. 6, due to increasingly dry weather conditions at the time.
Anyone with questions about outdoor fires within Bellingham city limits should contact the Bellingham Fire Department Life Safety Division at 360-778-8420. For unincorporated areas of Whatcom County, contact the Whatcom County Fire Marshal’s outdoor burn information line at 360-778-5903. More information can be found on the city’s outdoor burning page.
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Teachers in Lynden School District started the school year two weeks ago without a contract, after six months of negotiations between the union and the district failed to reach a compromise.
As negotiations continued, educators told the Lynden School Board in a crowded meeting on Thursday, Sept. 10 that they wanted better compensation increases and more planning time. Dozens showed up in red Washington Education Association shirts, holding signs asking for more respect from the administration in bargaining sessions.
The Lynden Education Association, the WEA’s local chapter, has asked for raises beyond the state-set inflationary adjustments (2.6% this year), said Audrey Ageyev, a Bernice Vossbeck Elementary teacher and a member of the union’s executive board. When the district declined, the union asked for more planning time, a request that has not yet been successful, she said.
All school districts have experienced financial challenges in recent years due to cost increases and state funding that doesn’t keep up. Lynden has had particular challenges when it comes to facilities maintenance. A bond to rebuild Lynden High School failed three times, as did a capital facilities levy to complete some other projects. The district has allocated some general fund dollars to capital projects in recent years to try to fill that gap.
Even so, some other local teachers’ unions have nabbed small salary increases on top of inflationary adjustments as a result of contract negotiations. Ferndale teachers secured state-funded inflationary adjustments to salaries plus 1.5% increases this year. Meridian teachers won a 0.8% increase on top of inflation adjustments. Marjorie Hendricks, a longtime Lynden teacher, pointed to Ferndale and Meridian as examples in her comments to the board and said Lynden educators want to feel “valued” like them.
“When we ask for a wage comparable to educators in surrounding districts, that request is not arbitrary,” Ageyev told the school board. “It is a request that does not come to break the bank of the district. It comes from knowing the skill, responsibility, time and heart this profession requires.”
In 2025-26, certificated teachers with a bachelor’s degree in Lynden made between $69,000 and $78,640 depending on years of service, with pay increases for more education. Teachers in Meridian with a bachelor’s degree made between $68,000 and $81,400.
Ageyev said the union and district have agreed to operate off the last contract language for now, even though that agreement expired at the end of August. The union has been in negotiations with the district since March, Ageyev said.
Superintendent David VanderYacht said in a statement to Cascadia Daily News that the district is “fortunate to have exceptional professional educators who care deeply about our students and serve our families and community incredibly well.” He said that three years ago, the district “made a commitment to place teacher compensation among the top three school districts in Whatcom County.” He said the current offer “maintains that commitment.”
“That’s why it was difficult for board directors to hear teachers say they did not feel their work was recognized or valued,” he said. “We have tremendous respect for our teachers and the work they do every day.”
In public comments, teachers made sure board members understood the complexities of their work. Ageyev said in her fifth-grade classroom, she has students who read at a kindergarten level, and others who are reading like high schoolers. She has to find ways to teach all of them.
“My work doesn’t end when the school day does. I wake up early thinking about my classroom. I stay late grading and preparing, or I take work home,” Ageyev said. “And there is not a night when I go to bed without at least one student on my mind.”
Marianne Hollander, another teacher at Bernice Vossbeck, said that behavioral struggles in the classroom make teaching especially hard right now. She said she acts as a trauma expert or therapist in supporting her students who are struggling.
Hendricks told the board she’s “never experienced” bargaining like this year.
“By the tenor and tone that your bargainers are coming back with, it doesn’t feel like negotiations — it feels like a consistent no,” she said.
School board directors and the district’s bargaining team met after the meeting to prepare for the next round of negotiations.
“The board remains committed to reaching an agreement that recognizes the value of our educators while maintaining the district’s ability to meet the needs of all students and preserve the programs, services, and opportunities our community expects from its schools,” VanderYacht said.
The union and administration will meet again to resume bargaining later this month.
Charlotte Alden is CDN’s education/enterprise reporter; reach her at charlottealden@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 123.
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BLAINE — A light sea breeze flowed through American and Canadian flags set in a semi-circle around the Peace Arch marking the U.S.-Canada border. Uniformed police, first responders and military personnel from both sides of the border mingled, remembering Sept. 11, 2001, when nearly 3,000 souls died in terror attacks in New York, Washington D.C. and Pennsylvania. Thousands more died later of related illnesses.
The ceremony, held on the Canadian side of Peace Arch Park, also doused a bit of water on the fiery relationship between the U.S. and Canada — at least for a day.
“This place represents so much more than a shared border: It represents friendship, trust and a shared responsibility,” British Columbia Lt. Gov. Wendy Cocchia said of Peace Arch Park.
The two countries’ friendship has been put to the test over the last 18 months as President Donald Trump has called for the annexation of Canada, imposed tariffs and recently renamed Lake Ontario to Lake America.
Whatcom County, specifically Blaine, has felt the impact from a Canadian boycott that started shortly after Trump’s inauguration. Southbound traffic between British Columbia and Washington is down about 45% from August 2024 compared to August 2026, according to the Whatcom Council of Governments.
The relationship soured further in July when Trump announced a new set of tariffs against Canada, impacting automobile imports, hockey sticks and Canadian alcohol. Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced dollar-for-dollar counter tariffs, some as high as 50% on dairy products.
A late summer poll by Postmedia-Leger found 41% of Canadians considered the U.S. an “enemy country” as the relationship frays.
On Friday, no speaker directly referenced the fraught relationship, rather they alluded to how families argue but stay together — all of this said under the inscription on Peace Arch “Brethren dwelling in unity.”
Local government speakers thanked their Canadian counterparts for opening their doors on 9/11 to the thousands of travelers diverted to airports across Canada.
The compassion and cooperation showed “our two countries are connected not just by geography, but our shared values,” said Mayor Brenda Locke of Surrey, B.C.
U.S. Consul General to Canada Shawn Crowley thanked community members in Gander, Newfoundland, who welcomed thousands of air passengers who were sent to their town after the terror attacks (an event that inspired the hit musical “Come From Away”). He noted communities across Canada have continued to commemorate 9/11.
“These anniversaries remind us that the ties between our people have been built over generations,” he said. “They have been tried by difficult times, by natural disasters and even by war. They endure because, whatever our differences may be, and at times they are many, we are there for each other when it matters the most.”
Annie Todd is CDN’s criminal justice/enterprise reporter; reach her at annietodd@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 130.
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The Western Washington University volleyball team opened Great Northwest Athletic Conference play with a thrilling five-set (23-25, 25-15, 25-19, 23-25, 15-8) victory against Northwest Nazarene at Carver Gymnasium on Thursday.
“It is great,” Western coach Diane Flick-Williams said. “We have a pretty young squad out there and we haven’t had a match at home, so we did a good job riding the nervous wave.”
Western (4-3, 1-0 GNAC) will look to keep momentum when it hosts rival and No. 20 Central Washington at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12.
O n, Emily Vossenkuhl led the Vikings to an early 5-2 lead with a block and kill. Senior star Delaney Speer had her first impact of the night with a pair of kills to help the Vikings hold onto a 12-7 lead halfway through the set.
The Nighthawks crept back into the game and narrowed their deficit to 20-18 when Abby Black smashed four kills. Northwest Nazarene then rallied four straight points to take a 24-23 lead, led by Maddy Hellem’s kill and block. Hellem finished the set with her fifth kill.
“We need to sustain our game plan and play longer,” Flick-Williams said. “It is a sign of youth.”
Western opened the second set with a couple of successful challenges to overturn calls and take a 6-4 lead. Jasmine Terry and Speer fueled Western offensively and defensively with a couple of blocks, digs and kills. The duo kept the Vikings atop with a 13-7 lead before the Nighthawks called a timeout.
Western capitalized on the Nighthawks’ seven attacking errors and a handful of kills from Speer to win the set.
“I liked the fact we were balanced distributing the ball on offense,” Flick-Williams said. “That makes the net a long place to play for other teams. We were scrappy, too, and dug a lot of balls for us.”
Northwest Nazarene looked to sway the momentum in their favor in the third set, but Terry’s block and kill gave the Vikings a 16-10. Western held its slim lead through the set until Skagen scored the final point.
Northwest Nazarene and Western exchanged points in the fourth set, holding a 6-6 draw through the first few minutes. Skagen and Brooke Berglund scored three straight points to take a 9-6 lead and force a Nighthawks’ timeout.
Western piled up errors while the Nighthawks dominated the front line to tie the game at 16-16, forcing Flick-Williams to call a timeout. After Western built a three-point lead, the Nighthawks crept back again with a 21-21 tie. Northwest Nazarene exploited Western’s mistakes down the stretch and stole the fourth set.
In the final set, Speer and Vossenkuhl swayed the momentum in Western’s favor. The Vikings took an early 4-2 lead and kept a two-point lead for the majority of the set. Skagen earned a pair of kills and Stuber finished the night with a kill.
Speer led with a match-high 22 kills; Aly Skagen and Terry had 11, Maren Stuber had 10 and Vossenkuhl added nine. Freshman Maya Quitiquit finished with a team-high 34 assists and four aces.
“We threw (our freshmen) into the water quickly and they are responding well,” Flick-Williams said. “I am proud they are balling out as best as they can. When it came to the fifth set, Jasmine made the plays we needed.”
Nick Zeller-Singh is CDN's sports editor; reach him at nickzellersingh@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 104.
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Christian Schraegle (he/him)
Age: 34
City: Bellingham
Lived here for: About 13 years
Originally from: Freudenstadt, Germany
Notable: Personal trainer at Iron Mountain Strength & Conditioning in Bellingham
What is your approach to personal training?
My main approach to personal training is to make sure that people have the best understanding of resistance training and of their bodies to make more informed decisions for themselves. So I do like to educate my people as best as I can, so they can have a better understanding of why we’re doing something, the different parameters in which we can work in. Because it turns out it’s not a super specific scientific thing. There can be a lot of different ways to approach something, and I often find that that can help people who may be a little bit more intimidated, reserved, maybe had experiences in the past where they may be fearful of movement.
Everything is very unique to that individual. … People have different needs at different times, progress at different rates, all that kind of stuff.
You talked about helping people through fears about movement. I would imagine that a big component of personal training is helping people through that psychological aspect. Can you tell me about that?
[If] someone comes in very fearful, very hesitant, then I gotta make sure to really dose things correctly and kind of meet them where they’re at. Because if I do too much, then that could mean that they stop training.
It can be a very fragile thing. One thing that I generally like to do with someone like that is give them as much control as possible. You know, it’s like, ‘Do you want to do this? We can do something else. Should we stay at this weight?’ Stuff like that — just kind of give them time to live and experience that, ‘I did this, and I’m OK. My symptoms aren’t getting worse. Yeah, I might feel some soreness.’
Over time, as people experience that more, the confidence grows, and that’s really cool to see when people can … not be as fearful of movement. It’s fantastic.
I heard you have a particular focus on older clients. Is that the case? And can you tell me about why that is?
I mean, I work with anybody, but I definitely do like to work with seniors. A lot, actually. I’ve had some previous experience in that field. When I moved to Bellingham, I got about four years’ experience in the dementia care realm. So there was some familiarity there, and I think weight training can have a profound positive impact on our seniors.
[That] really inspired me to work with them, especially if there are … fears, maybe there are hesitations, maybe there are like, ‘Oh, I shouldn’t be lifting heavy because I’ll hurt myself’ type of thoughts. Well, let’s turn that around. Let’s see if we can work through that and overcome that. And yeah, it’s been really cool to see some turnarounds as seniors have started weightlifting. It’s really cool. Makes it all worth it.
“Faces in the Crowd” is published online and in print Fridays. Have a suggestion for a “Faces in the Crowd” subject? Email us at newstips@cascadiadaily.com.
Sophia Gates covers rural Whatcom and Skagit counties. She is a Washington State Murrow Fellow whose work is underwritten by taxpayers and available outside CDN's paywall. Reach her at sophiagates@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 131.
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