During March, The Bellingham Herald published several articles on how to access public records and what can be found in them. To demonstrate the kind of information that can be obtained from public records, below are summaries of some stories published by The Herald in 2007 that involved public records.

Faulty fire engine: A public records request for correspondence between the city of Bellingham and American LaFrance revealed the details of a $362,000 fire engine that broke down 10 times in two months.

911 tape: The Herald obtained and put online a 911 recording that was played in court in the case of John Rideout, who was charged with vehicular homicide in the March 2007 death of 14-year-old Landen Harless. The recording was used as evidence that Rideout was sober at the time of the accident. The tape likely contributed to the jury finding Rideout not guilty.

Fire district woes: Through a public disclosure request, The Herald obtained receipts that documented the more than $30,000 that Whatcom County Fire District No. 18 spent on an unpermitted landscaping project that led to nearly $24,000 in fines from the county and state for unauthorized clearing on the Lake Whatcom shoreline.

Ferndale mayor: Nine months’ worth of former Ferndale Mayor Jerry Landcastle’s e-mail showed that the mayor had asked his staff to process a building permit for Fairhaven Candy despite the fact the application was incomplete. The paper’s probe led to Ferndale City Council members calling for a criminal misconduct investigation.

Living wages: A review of Bellingham city contracts revealed that a 2002 ordinance passed by City Council members was little more than symbolic in requiring businesses that worked for the city to guarantee living-wage jobs for their employees. In fact, just four of 1,093 contracts between 2003 and 2007 required a business to follow the rules.

Everson city administrator: When Everson Mayor Jaleen Pratt refused to tell one media organization who she selected as the new city administrator, The Herald filed a public records request and found out that Debra A. Davidson had been selected.

Treasurer candidate: After Joe Elenbaas filed paperwork to seek the position of Whatcom County treasurer, a search of court records showed he had been arrested within the past year for obstruction of a law-enforcement officer after making a reference to getting a gun. Elenbaas was found guilty of the obstruction charge in February. Other records showed several past civil filings against him for personal business debt.

County planning: With a 2½-year backlog of county planning initiatives and 10 Whatcom County Planning and Development staff members quitting during the first half of 2007 — the same number who had left in all of 2006 — The Herald requested the exit interview paperwork for those employees. The paperwork revealed that staff members complained of poor management, County Council members interfering in work and inadequate pay as reasons why they had left.

Waterfront plans: A review of Port of Bellingham e-mails showed that a Phoenix firm was exploring the central waterfront as a potential site for a multipurpose events center. Port officials said they responded politely to the firm’s inquiries but had no active plans to make a deal for such a center.

Natural gas plant: Lummi Nation’s exploration of a possible liquefied natural gas plant at Cherry Point was confirmed via the appointments calendar of a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission executive. The Center for Public Integrity had obtained the calendar through a records request and made it available to the public.

Embezzlement case: Bankruptcy and civil court records shed light on embezzlement charges against Carl Zaremba, a local businessman convicted and sentenced to 26 months in prison.

Casino liquor: E-mails obtained through a public records request to the state Liquor Control Board showed that local state liquor agents questioned the granting of a liquor license to the Nooksack Indian Tribe’s Nooksack Northwood Casino, and that the state had temporarily suspended its liquor law enforcement activities at the tribe’s Nooksack River Casino.

Western Airlines: Bankruptcy records indicated that the airline founder’s personal financial woes may have played a part in the airline’s rush to get up and running in early 2007. Port of Bellingham e-mail records showed that port officials had grave doubts about the startup airline’s financial viability in the weeks before its first flight. The airline shut down after just three weeks.

Safety fines: A look at written reports from the state Department of Labor and Industries between 2004 and 2006 showed a steady decrease in local companies getting hit with significant fines but did shine a light on what violations they were still committing.

City hall burglary: After someone burglarized Bellingham City Hall in December 2007, e-mails between city employees revealed that city officials knew a janitor had lost a city master key a week before the burglary. Officials had decided not to change the locks despite the lost key. Further records showed that it cost more than $2,000 to replace locks on several city buildings.

School budgets: Examination of the budgets of Whatcom County’s seven public school districts found that several were operating this school year at a deficit.

AYP and WASL scores: The No Child Left Behind Act requires schools and school districts to meet benchmarks each year. In 2007 the benchmarks changed, and by examining the rules and results from each school and district, The Herald found that every district missed benchmarks in at least one category. No public disclosure re quest was required — the schools and the state had no problem handing over the data.