Top Stories: Tenant lawsuit settlement; river rescue; dire WA education warning

The Bellingham Herald’s top stories on May 21, 2026, span tenant rights, river rescue and a warning about Washington’s education funding system. Here’s a quick look at what readers need to know.

Here are key takeaways:

• Four Bellingham tenants who sued Lakeway Realty over dozens of code violations and habitability concerns at 1210 Ellis St. settled out of court in February 2026 for an undisclosed amount. The property had documented issues dating back to a 2015 fire and failed five rental registration inspections between July 2022 and July 2023, with 35 code violations identified.
• The Whatcom County Water Rescue Task Force pulled two people from the Nooksack River on Wednesday, May 20, after their canoe became pinned under a tree while they practiced for the Ski to Sea race. Task force members happened to be conducting training exercises in the area at the time, and both individuals, who were wearing life jackets, were uninjured.
• A new state performance audit warns that the 17-year-old IT system the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction uses to distribute funding to Washington school districts is at great risk of “catastrophic failure”. OSPI recently received $16 million over four fiscal years starting in the 2025-27 biennium to rebuild or replace portions of the system, with a new system expected by the 2028-29 school year.

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.