Good morning, Bellingham.

Joe Gaydos of SeaDoc Society revisited 1958 accounts of a sea serpent near Deception Pass and proposed that a wolf eel best matches the animal's description while noting that marine life may have been mistaken for a legendary creature.

Bellingham announced its first mitigation bank will open in early 2027 at the 100-acre Silver Creek watershed near the border with Ferndale & I-5 to provide credits for developers meeting environmental protection requirements.

On Monday, Oct. 19, the Washington State Department of Financial Institutions said it would revoke Digital Access LLC’s license for its kiosk in Ferndale after alleging the company overcharged customers by up to 31% between 2023 and 2025.

The agency seeks over $1 million + improved consumer protection.

The Washington State Department of Health launched the 988 in Washington dashboard this week to track crisis hotline contacts.

Whatcom County residents made over 20,000 calls between August 2024 and September 2026, with peak activity in October 2025 including contacts to the Veterans Crisis Line.

Weekend events in town include family trick-or-treat fun at Birch Bay (Sat, Oct.

24, 3-5 p.m.) and Lynden (noon-6 p.m.), plus an art exhibit opening at the Studio at Istari today and live shows from Energy Pyramid and Ingrid Michaelson. Ferndale’s sister city celebrations add a taste of Japanese culture.