Ahem, Sorry to Interrupt the Construction, But: Has anyone at COB noticed that the giant cement counterweight to the construction crane looming streetside at Elwood Edge Apartments’ Never-Ending Building Project (patent pending) hangs flimsily about 6 inches away from oncoming traffic on Lincoln Street?
YIKES, Hate to Imagine: What would happen if a truck or delivery van struck that thing and topped the crane, which looms most of the time with tons of steel girders over top of apartments and/or a busy thoroughfare? Do these folks have insurance?
Speaking of That Place: An insider source says people are dying to get out of the complex, known to some locals as The Blight, thanks to recently announced 40% rent hikes in some units. No word on whether this is just Crane-and-Giant-Gaping-Hole-in-Ground units.
Meanwhile, Out in Lynden: The Hammer, being something of an art enthusiast, salutes and endorses the Whatcomics Celebration Saturday from 2-4 p.m. at the Lynden Library. It honors the book of original local teen art published annually by Teen Services of the Whatcom County Library System. Check it out!
Not That We Would Plug That Just For This, But: Lots of momentum growing in the newsroom to apply the name “Whatcomics” to the regularly scheduled Whatcom County Council meetings, every other week online and in person.
Don’t Laugh Until: You have seen Kathy Kershner or Todd Donovan in action as Whatcomedians extraordinaire.
But remember: They’re only part-time public servants. Have some Whatcompassion.
Cost Coding: Seattle ranks near the top of cities with homes valued at three times higher than their occupants’ incomes, making it one of the most “house rich/cash poor” cities in the country, The Seattle Times reported once again this week. Note to Seattle: We’re right in your rearview mirror up here.
By Any Other Name: One of our reporters, working on a crime story, was told this week that it’s no longer cool to call prison detainees “inmates.” The preferred term: “residents.” Lots of sponsorship opportunities come to mind, especially for white-collar criminals: “He’s been sentenced to 30 years to life at a Washington State Marriott Residence Inn Penal Colony.”
The Hammer is swung on Wednesdays, or when public safety becomes an issue.
That glass ceiling: Some reasons a woman may have lost the U.S. presidency again