Liz Darrow News Today

Third day of election results solidified several races.

There were 159,767 active registered voters on Tuesday, according to the Whatcom County Auditor’s Office website. A total of 46,163 ballots had been counted.

There were 159,573 active registered voters on Tuesday, according to the Whatcom County Auditor’s Office website. A total of 44,436 ballots had been returned.

Many economists believe inflation will further ease this year, which cannot come soon enough for overburdened rural Americans, including those in New Mexico. The Consumer Price Index -- the main indicator of inflation -- looks at the prices urban Americans pay for a set basket of goods. Stephan Weiler, professor of economics at Colorado State University and co-director of the Regional Economic Development Institute, said people in rural America are not surveyed, leaving out relevant data on 14...

Many of Ohios urban farmers and farmers of color are locked out of USDA programs because they are not registered with their local Farm Service Agency, according to local advocates. Chad Anderson, Columbus Urban Farmers Coalition Executive Director said most Black farmers are unaware that an FSA number unlocks the doors to funding, tools and opportunities needed to run a successful agriculture business. The coalition has helped two farmers register, with six more in the process, he said. ...

Legislation in Olympia would roll back recent gains farmworkers have made to receive overtime pay in Washington state. Senate Bill 5476 would allow agricultural employers to choose 12 weeks out of the year for which overtime rules would not apply until laborers had worked 50 hours. The 2021 overtime law is still phasing in, with time-and-a-half pay going into effect after 48 hours of work this year. ...

Progressive agricultural growers returning this week from the Food not Feed Summit in Washington, D.C., are asking their fellow farmers to consider a big transition. The summit focused on shifting federal farm policies away from huge, corporate mega-farms and raising animal feed, to adopting more environmentally-friendly practices for growing food. In Iowa, at least 5,000 Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations dot the landscape. ...

Early filers for the 2023 elections in Bellingham and Whatcom County include Satpal Sidhu, Kathy Kershner and Kristina Michele Martens.

The city did not enforce a Friday deadline for the illegal camp to clear out.