Here are the top local news stories that ran in The Bellingham Herald last week.
WHOOPING COUGH ON THE RISE
Health officials in Whatcom County hope to combat a growing outbreak of whooping cough with free vaccinations for adults.
There were 54 confirmed or probable cases of whooping cough in 2011, according to a county health department report. The county reported 25 cases of the disease in 2010. There have been several cases already this year.
Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is a highly contagious bacterial respiratory infection that can lead to pneumonia. Whatcom County has 1,500 free doses of the vaccine available for those 19 and older who are uninsured or underinsured, have an income of less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level and are in regular contact with children. For more information, call 360-676-4593.
VOTERS GET BALLOTS FOR LEVIES
Ballots for the Feb. 14 special election arrived in Whatcom County mailboxes.
All seven public school districts in the county are asking voters to approve levies, with Blaine schools also asking for a yes vote on a $3 million bond.
In Ferndale, voters also are being asked to increase the city's sales tax by 0.2 percent to raise money for road repairs. A yes vote would increase Ferndale's sales tax from 8.5 to 8.7 percent, the same as Bellingham's.
BELLINGHAM MAN DIES AFTER PUSH THROUGH APARTMENT RAILING
A man who was pushed from a second-story apartment complex walkway died of his injuries Wednesday night, Feb. 1.
James Lacey, 38, was vomiting over the railing on the back side of the apartment complex at 2849 Maplewood Ave. about 9:25 a.m. Tuesday. His next-door neighbor, Daniel Savage, 28, yelled from his bedroom to go inside.
Lacey had been sick with flu-like symptoms for almost a week, his wife said. When he recovered from the vomiting spell, he walked to Savage's front door and an argument began. Savage said that he pushed Lacey after the man had hit him in the jaw. When Lacey charged at him, he pushed him again; this time Lacey went through the railing and fell 10 feet, landing on his head in the parking lot.
The incident remains under investigation by police; no charges have been filed.
HOMESTEAD FINANCIAL DETAILS GRIM
The latest documents filed in the Homestead Northwest bankruptcy case indicate that little, if any, money will be available from the failed real estate development firm to pay investors or other creditors.
The full extent of the Lynden-based company's debts and investors' losses won't become clear until all Homestead-related companies have filed their own bankruptcy documents and disclosures, according to the lawyer who handled the Jan. 18 bankruptcy filing of Homestead NW Development Co., one of several Homestead companies controlled by founder and president Jim Wynstra.
The other companies are expected to file a separate bankruptcy case to bring those firms and their debts and assets under the supervision of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Seattle.
