Top Stories: New flight out of Bellingham; festival lineup; austerity details

The Bellingham Herald’s top stories on May 13, 2026, span travel, entertainment and local government. From expanded air service to a looming county budget crunch, here’s what readers need to know.

Here are key takeaways:

• Bellingham International Airport is adding a second daily nonstop flight to Portland on Alaska Airlines starting Nov. 1. The new midday flight will depart BLI at 12:35 p.m., complementing the existing early morning and late evening flights launched in March.
• The fifth annual NW Tune-Up Festival announced its July 10-12 concert lineup, with Hippie Sabotage headlining Friday and Here Come the Mummies leading Saturday. The festival blends mountain biking, an outdoor expo and waterfront music, drawing more than 13,000 attendees annually.
• Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu ordered a hiring freeze and other austerity measures to address looming budget deficits. The county faces General Fund shortfalls of $8.3 million in 2027 and $14.3 million in 2028 without cuts of 7% to 10%, prompting immediate limits on overtime, contracts, travel and training.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.