Officials with Phillips 66 say they will discontinue plans to construct a large-scale renewable diesel plant on the Phillips 66 Ferndale refinery property at Cherry Point. The decision comes days after Whatcom County planners and the Washington State Department of Ecology determined the proposal likely posed adverse impacts on the environment, and called for a more extensive public review.

“While we believe the Ferndale Refinery is a strategic fit for this renewable diesel project,…

Chances are, you’ve read one of British author Anthony Horowitz’s novels or seen one of his television shows. With more than 40 books under his belt (the Alex Rider series about a teenage spy has sold over 19 million copies) and BAFTA Awards for the television series Foyle’s War and Midsomer Murders, Horowitz has also written 11 episodes of Agatha Christie’s Poirot.

Horowitz received a commission from the Conan Doyle estate to write two original Sherlock Holmes novels and…

Last week, when snowstorms blanketed the region and frigid temperatures persisted throughout the lengthening January days, not much beat wrapping my cold hands around a ceramic mug of coffee or hot chocolate as I gazed out my kitchen window onto a world that had been transformed into a winter wonderland.

In those moments, I found myself thankful for the safety my home provides when the weather outside is frightful. I was also grateful to have been able to stock my larder with enough…

Shortly before the first major storm of the new year swooped in to cover my vegetable garden with six inches of snow and send the temperatures plummeting, I spent a couple of hours harvesting many of the remaining greens that had been planted during warmer months.

By the time I was finished, I had unearthed more than a dozen leeks and collected sizable mounds of curly and dinosaur kale, spinach greens, the last of the rainbow chard, and bunches of hardy parsley. While I was out there,…

By the time Western Washington University students make their way onstage for annual “Winter Dances” performances taking place Jan. 23-26 at the school’s Performing Arts Center mainstage, the work they will have put in to ensure their audiences are entertained will have gone far beyond what those seated in the theater will see when the curtain goes up.

That’s because in addition to putting their bodies on the line, those studying to secure their Bachelor’s of Fine Arts degrees offered…

Now that the recent snowfall has (mostly) melted, there’s no excuse not to take flight and get better acquainted with the wildlife among and above us. We’ve already written about the Skagit Eagle Festival—which comes to an end Jan. 25-26 in eastern Skagit County—so you may already be aware winter is the perfect time to find out even more about our resident and visiting feathered friends.

A good place to begin is the third annual La Conner Birding Showcase happening Sat., Jan. 25 at…

Last year, Cayley Schmid, the mastermind behind Bellingham’s folk and Irish festivals, told me that one of her favorite things about the events is spying folks downtown with musical instruments during festival weekend and trying to figure out who they are and what they’re up to.

My curiosity piqued, I decided to try and see things from her perspective, and, sure enough, seemingly everywhere I looked was someone hauling a fiddle or guitar through the rainy streets of the downtown…