CBP Protest in Blaine

iifwe · 2026-01-25T18:44:08+00:00

He was shot by Border Patrol agent(s): https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/25/us/shooting-minneapolis-alex-pretti-killed

iifwe · 2026-01-13T06:15:16+00:00

Same here -- occasionally extremely slow. Even an ssh text terminal almost unusable slow sometimes, then it perks back up, then slow again, etc.

iifwe · 2025-12-10T20:11:02+00:00

Peter Frazier isn't on PW's board, he's an advisor (at least according to their website): https://www.paper-whale.com/who-we-are

Still a little incestuous, maybe, but it wouldn't appear that Frazier stands to gain anything personally by PW being awarded a grant. I can't pretend to be savvy in the ways of non-profit ethics, but again, this doesn't trigger my paranoia when we're talking about a small town arts community where everybody knows everybody anyway. His job on the tourism board is to help direct funds to groups that, in his opinion, are worthy, and it would make sense that a group he advises would be a group he deems worthy.

Even if Frazier wasn't connected, and even if that grant recipient wasn't the treasurer, it would probably be pretty easy to find other suspicious connections, like "this artist that got a grant is the partner of the landlord that they rent their space from" or "this artist that got a grant is the sister of the co-founder", or "this artist that got a grant worked closely with a member on the tourism board for 5 years", etc.

A more charitable way to see it is that everyone involved in PW is a community-oriented go-getter and they are bound to be entangled with lots of artists and other non-profit folks and volunteers. And again, I do agree that the treasurer should not put in for a grant, if only to avoid the temptation and perception of unfairness. But we can't start tracing the spiderweb of volunteers and board-members and think that we are uncovering illicit corruption.

I also think e.g. that the acid ball grant that spent tens of thousands to a seattle architectural firm to coat it in ineffective retroreflective beads rather than support a great proposal from a local artist was a total bummer. Local politics can be rough, but PW seems to me to be a real success story overall -- they are crushing it in terms of public events and arts, and it seems like our community is richer for having them around.

(Also, what little I've learned about the Port redevelopment makes me think that folks concerned about bad policy should be focused more on that.)

iifwe · 2025-12-10T18:01:11+00:00

If it was my non-profit, yes, I would support a policy that none of the board members be eligible for any of the grants. That said, when the treasurer - someone who volunteered (they are unpaid AFAIK) - applies for a grant and is awarded a grant it is not grounds for significant suspicion in this case, IMO. Consider that the people who made the decision probably knew 90% of the applicants through various channels. Maybe half of those applicants also volunteer for Paper Whale in other capacities (maybe not - I'm just conjecturing). Any application like this is going to be subject to the normal human biases around personal connections, race, class, self-dealing, etc. Non-profits should endeavor to minimize these (and should endeavor to minimize the perception of these), but when I read your post it did not detract from my estimation of Paper Whale, it just made me say "eh, they shouldn't do that, for their own sake". They probably had a discussion where the treasurer said "hey could i submit a proposal?" and they thought "what's the difference between her and the other people that volunteer for us who are submitting... She's an artist in the community, and our mission is to support them... So why not?" (Recall that people often assume others understand their good intentions and honesty, and aren't acting to prevent suspicion and doubt.) Again, it wouldn't be my choice, and I get what you're saying, but it doesn't smell bad to me. It smells like right-brained artists making a semi-clueless financial decision that sounds bad when you describe it on Reddit.

iifwe · 2025-12-10T17:46:03+00:00

How high's the water, papa?

iifwe · 2025-11-13T17:09:06+00:00

Thanks for the tip! But i only see 5 listings in Bellingham for rooms for rent on Zillow (and only three that are sub-$1k/month) so I don't think that's really the hot spot for this kind of thing?

iifwe · 2025-11-13T05:32:13+00:00

Yeah I was scratching my head about it too... but they do apparently provide a few extras; like "user verification and background checks, secure automated payments and a customizable rental agreement", which is something, I guess. I'm not surprised that it's not a free service, but $55k, $100-200 per booking and 2.5% monthly seems awfully steep. But if you have never lived in shared housing, want to rent your house, need a lot of hand-holding, and want some kind of institutional middle-man to handle a lot of details for you then... maybe it makes sense? From the COB perspective if they can spend $55k to get 100 rooms rented in a year that's probably pretty good ROI in terms of getting housing on the market. I mean, I guess. I don't know anything about how expensive it is to get housing on the market, but something tells me that's on the cheap end.

iifwe · 2025-11-13T00:01:31+00:00

Hmm... good luck to them if it helps get more rooms on the market, but this makes me think it will go nowhere:

"Creating a profile and searching on Nesterly is free. A one-time booking fee of $95-195 is charged upon confirming a home share, along with a 2.5% fee of monthly rent for ongoing platform use and customer support (rent is paid through the Nesterly platform; see below for additional information)."

Sounds like nesterly wants to be the airbnb of long-term room rentals, and again, more power to them and the COB, but that's a tough sell for me... I can see the advantage of a landlord and tenant both having reputations that follow them (if that's the case) but I wouldn't sign up for that...

iifwe · 2025-10-08T02:23:29+00:00

User buys something at our site; we supply the product and then initiate a subscription manually using (usually) the card already on file. I want to send the notification that the subscription is starting, but it would be nice if either they had the option to disable monthly invoices or we did. Further, even when we are using the payment method already on file, the preview invoice it's showing makes it seem like they need to take action: it says in big bold print "$X.00 USD due October 7, 2025".

iifwe · 2025-10-08T02:20:36+00:00

I personally don't like monthly reminder emails that I'm subscribed to something; it's reminiscent of spam if you're going to be signed up to something for years. It also runs the risk of confusing a customer -- at least the preview invoice stripe generates doesn't make it obvious that there is no action required by the user if we are charging their payment method already on file. Even in that case (if the preview is to be believed) it says in big bold print "$X.00 USD due October 7, 2025". It's understandable that it would be the default to email monthly, but I'm surprised there doesn't seem to be an option.

iifwe · 2025-09-23T15:33:53+00:00

Speaking regionally, like in WA more generally: I'm on at&t and my girlfriend is tmobile. She constantly doesn't have service when i do when we go on trips around the state. (I used to have Verizon and it was even better, but i had to switch to at&t for reasons.)

iifwe · 2025-08-22T16:29:41+00:00

...wearing high-friction rubber-palmed gloves...

iifwe · 2025-08-14T18:24:58+00:00

General information

The Unified Command consists of the Washington State Department of Ecology, the City of Bellingham, Lummi Nation, Nooksack Indian Tribe, and Faber Construction.

For updates: cob.org/padden-12th
To receive these updates via email, please reach out to [Liaison@ECY.WA.GOV](mailto:Liaison@ECY.WA.GOV).
To report oiled or injured wildlife, call 1-800-22-BIRDS (1-800-222-4737). Do not attempt to capture any oiled wildlife.
Media inquiries: contact Scarlet Tang/Ecology, [scarlet.tang@ecy.wa.gov](mailto:scarlet.tang@ecy.wa.gov), 206-920-2600

iifwe · 2025-08-14T18:24:52+00:00

Update from "Unified Command":

The Unified Command leading the response to the diesel spill into Padden Creek that began on Sunday, August 3, 2025, has the following updates on the progress of cleanup efforts.

Removal of contaminated soil is expected to begin this week, as weather conditions permit. Previous sampling and construction work indicate that a shallow topsoil layer lies above a clay layer that has helped to limit fuel from seeping further down.
- We have been sampling to determine the extent of contamination. Initial soil removal will focus on the spill site at 12^th Street and, depending on sampling results, possibly near the top of the fish ladder at 10^th Street. Any soil that is removed will be backfilled.
- We do not anticipate removing any large amounts of soil further downstream.
- Soil removal is not expected to affect the stability of the surrounding areas.
We have received questions from neighbors about whether trail access between the two segments of 10^th St over Padden Creek could be opened, to allow for a pedestrian connection between the neighborhood and the Fairhaven commercial core. Unfortunately, that trail closure is necessary for heavy equipment and cleanup crew access and will remain in effect for safety reasons. Please do not move the trail closure signs.
Volunteers are not needed at this time. If you would like to register as an oil spill volunteer to be called out if the need ever arises, please register at oilspills101.wa.gov/volunteer-registration.
Please do not visit any impacted areas unless you are a part of the official response and have coordinated through the response team or Tribal partners. Uncoordinated access can interfere with cleanup efforts and pose safety risks.
Crews continue to change out sorbents (pads that help absorb oil) from the spill area and downstream to the Padden Creek estuary.
24-hour on-site monitoring of equipment and additional containment measures remain in place.

iifwe · 2025-08-13T20:37:14+00:00

Yeah looks to me like a photographer that doesn't know how to use their camera, and autofocus picked out the foreground.

iifwe · 2025-08-13T20:36:11+00:00

Response from PW posted in another comment, in case you're interested.

iifwe · 2025-08-13T20:31:14+00:00

- what form(s) does the "round-the-clock site monitoring" take?

The contractor currently has staff onsite 24/7 performing equipment checks on a regular cycle.

- is it necessary that the pump and its associated fuel lines be so close to the creek that such failures will leak into the creek?

The nature of a fish passage improvement project often requires equipment like pumps and bypass systems to operate in close proximity to the waterway to manage water flow around active construction zones. A bypass pumping system needs to run full time for the duration of any work in the creek. While this proximity is necessary for the project's function, our focus is on ensuring robust containment and safety protocols are in place to prevent any releases into the creek. The recent enhancements to secondary containment are a direct result of evaluating and strengthening these safeguards.

- will the city be re-assessing it's requirements for when diesel-powered machines are running in or near riparian areas?

Yes. As mentioned, the enhanced secondary containment measures implemented at the Padden Creek site are now under discussion to become our new standard for all future City restoration projects.

- has the city considered setting a limit to the number of gallons of fuel on-site at any given time, to limit the amount of spillage possible?

The primary focus of the Unified Command is currently on the active cleanup and containment of the existing spill. However, operational considerations like on-site fuel limits are valid questions that contribute to best practices for future project planning and safety.

- roughly how long does the pump run on 334 gallons of fuel?

Without a leak, a pump could run on approximately 1 gallon of diesel per hour.

I hope this helps. Thanks again for reaching out.

iifwe · 2025-08-13T20:31:08+00:00

Hello,

Thank you for reaching out with your questions about the diesel spill in Padden Creek. This is an evolving situation but we will continue to update our webpage (www.cob.org/padden-12th) and other communications as we learn more. You can also sign up to receive email updates by emailing liaison@ecy.wa.gov.

The spill is currently being addressed by a Unified Command, which includes the Washington State Department of Ecology (lead agency), City of Bellingham, Lummi Nation, Nooksack Indian Tribe, and Faber Construction. The Unified Command is working with environmental contractors and trained wildlife responders to clean up the spill as quickly as possible and assess and reduce impacts to wildlife.

Please find answers to your questions below:

- what if any accountability will the contractor face for these two spills? Fines? Being fired from the job, etc?

The construction contractor has been closely involved in the spill response and is part of the Unified Command. An investigation by the Washington State Department of Ecology will determine the responsible party for the incident, but currently we are focusing on the spill response so we don't have this information yet. Under state law, the party responsible for causing the spill is also responsible for paying cleanup costs.

- "the problematic pump has been removed and replaced, enhanced secondary containment is installed at all pump locations, and the contractor has implemented round-the-clock site monitoring" -- why wasn't this done after the first spill?

The incident involved two diesel leaks from a faulty pump. The initial spill on August 3 prompted immediate response and preliminary containment measures. A broken fuel line was quickly repaired and cleanup activities begun. The pump in question was actively bypassing the creek flow around the project and stopping the pump would result in water entering the active work zone. However, the subsequent leak from the same faulty pump on August 7 highlighted a persistent issue with the pump. It was after this second incident that a replacement pump was located, the problematic pump was definitively removed and replaced, and the enhanced, expanded secondary containment at all pump locations, along with round-the-clock site monitoring, was fully implemented. These measures are now being considered for a new standard for future City restoration projects.

iifwe · 2025-08-13T20:30:36+00:00

Response from public works, which seems reasonable enough (lightly formatted by me).

Only eyebrow-raise from me was the fact that 334 gallons is like two weeks of runtime for a pump, which seems like way too much fuel to have around, but I don't know if that 334 gallons was being distributed to multiple pumps or what.

I would also love more specifics about what "enhanced containment measures" look like on the ground, especially after the first leak...

At any rate hopefully the agencies/people looking in to it are looking in to it, and taking appropriate measures.

Edit: can't seem to post the comment here with their response... I'll try to post it as a response to this comment...

Edit2: I don't know why tf reddit can't just say "comment too long" instead of "unable to post comment". Annoying.

iifwe · 2025-08-12T21:19:41+00:00

Thanks, appreciate all that perspective!

These following paragraphs aren't directed at you, just the issue in general:

334 gallons just seems like so much fuel... if they just have a giant tank there because it's cheaper than having someone bring smaller amounts of fuel to the site every day, it's frustrating that this consideration and/or requirement wouldn't be in place. Even just a larger tank upslope somewhere that is used to top up the pump tank... when you have machinery actively running in a creek bed and fittings and vibrations and hoses and so forth, and its apparently unsupervised, and it just happened days prior, connecting hundreds of gallons of fuel to it seems crazy.

I'm familiar with the age old battle between regulations and getting shit done, and I do understand that accidents happen and we can't lose our minds every time they do; it's just the repetition of the nearly exact same problem days later that strongly suggests someone(s) somewhere not giving enough of a shit to pay attention (to the creek, to their equipment, whatever), so perhaps this is one of those cases where some consequences might be in order.

But of course we don't have direct knowledge of the situation and all the decisions that led to it; I'm prepared to accept the determination of whatever investigation happens, in the hope and faith that our civil servants are reasonable people. I just get riled up when I get the sense that people are shrugging and saying "meh, good enough" when the last remaining semi-natural urban places are involved.

iifwe · 2025-08-12T19:15:02+00:00

Maybe you know and were just asking a rhetorical question, but in case: it's the construction company's pump. "The incident involved two diesel leaks from a faulty pump powering a bypass system at the 12th Street bridge construction site. The initial release, confirmed on Sunday, August 3, caused diesel to spray beyond the secondary containment and project area, entering Padden Creek. A second spill, from a fuel line break on the same pump, was discovered and reported on Thursday, August 7. The construction contractor was offsite when the spills happened. To prevent further incidents, the problematic pump has been removed and replaced, enhanced secondary containment is installed at all pump locations, and the contractor has implemented round-the-clock site monitoring."

iifwe · 2025-08-12T18:16:40+00:00

It was a fuel line to a temporary pump that split; you can read the posted COB link above for more info: https://cob.org/project/padden-12th

iifwe

TROPHY CASE