Tim Newcomb
Tribune assistant editor

  LYNDEN — If the proper funding comes along, improvements to East Badger Road (State Route 546) and its intersections — including possibly a roundabout at Guide Meridian Road — could be on the planning table.
  The Washington State Department of Transportation is watching the federal Main Street Jobs Bill closely because it contains federal transportation money (under the acronym SAFETEA-LU) for border states to complete projects related to cross-border traffic.

Calvin Bratt
Tribune editor

  LYNDEN — The equipment remains idle at the West Main Street work site for a new Versacold-Cascade frozen foods warehouse.
  The work was suddenly halted on Feb. 25 by Primus Builders, the Georgia contractor on the project, and has not been restarted.
  Two local companies, Stremler Gravel and Honcoop Gravel, had been busy in land preparation, removing topsoil and bringing in sand and gravel. The foundation permit from Lynden Public Works estimated that work at just under $500,000. Also, a sale of the industrial land from local owners was being negotiated.

Calvin Bratt
Tribune editor

  WHATCOM — Over 100 American flags suddenly planted on your yard overnight? It means you’ve been “flagged” by a friend to call attention to your patriotism and loyalty to friends, community and country.
  The idea has been picked up by the Sons of the American Legion, Squadron 7, of Bellingham, and is gaining momentum.
  Since the first “flagging” in Bellingham last Christmas Eve, about 20 places have gotten the treatment — and local Sons of Liberty programs benefit from the $100 cost.

Calvin Bratt
Tribune editor

A backhoe is parked blocking access into the site that was active until last Thursday. — Lynden Tribune | CALVIN BRATT

LYNDEN — The project of building a new Versacold frozen foods warehouse in west Lynden is suddenly on hold.

Calvin Bratt
Tribune editor

  LYNDEN — New Mayor Scott Korthuis cast his first tie-breaking vote, and it was to extend the process of selling the old City Hall.
  On the 4-3 vote Monday, city leaders rejected the single $50,000 bid of Blake Starkenburg for the 82-year-old building and its site, appraised at $445,000 by the county, and decided to try to get a better price.

Operator Bill Smilie of KLB Construction rips up a section of the Guide Meridian on Tuesday between Wiser Lake and River roads. Work on the road project resumed on Monday. — Lynden Tribune | MARK REIMERS

LYNDEN — After a two-week hiatus for the Vancouver, B.C., Winter Olympics, work is again underway on Guide Meridian Road.

  LYNDEN — The Whatcom County Home and Garden Show continues into its third decade this weekend, showcasing close to 200 vendors at the Northwest Washington Fairgrounds.
  The 31st annual event of the Building Industry Association of Whatcom County, the largest home show north of Seattle, runs Friday through Sunday in the big Henry Jansen Agricultural Center building on the west side of the fairgrounds.

Tim Newcomb
Tribune assistant editor

Seattle's Apollo Anton Ohno, second from the left, competes in a men's 1,000-meter short-track race during the Olympics last week in Vancouver, B.C. Ohno qualified during this race and went on to capture a bronze medal in the Saturday final. — Lynden Tribune | TIM NEWCOMB

VANCOUVER, B.C. — Color and noise. Those are really the two most important aspects of a sporting arena, whether new or old. The more color, the more vibrancy. The more noise, the more life.

Tim Newcomb
Tribune assistant editor

Shaun White of the United States is more than impressive with his high-flying halfpipe snowboarding runs on Cypress Mountain. Here, during qualifying last week, he had the top score entering the evening's finals. He had the gold medal sewn up even before he took his final of two runs, allowing him to wow the crowds with even more gravity-defying moves. — Lynden Tribune | TIM NEWCOMB

VANCOUVER, B.C. — A constant stream of people into downtown Vancouver, B.C., keeps the city lively. And a constant stream of events to take in keeps Olympics days full.

Tim Newcomb
Tribune assistant editor

  LYNDEN — The Lynden Public Works Committee didn’t know what to do with the one low bid of $50,000 for the old City Hall building. So now it is up to the City Council to make a decision.
  Self-appraising at $400,000, the city opened the bidding process on Jan. 5 and the one bid that came in was revealed last Wednesday. Lyndenite Blake Starkenburg, who in the last few years purchased the building on Front Street that houses Blossoms and the Homespun General Store, was the bidder.