Top Stories: Ski to Sea winners; tenant lawsuit settled; restaurant inspections

From a sold-out Ski to Sea race to a tenant lawsuit settlement, Bellingham saw a busy week of news. Here’s a roundup of top stories from The Bellingham Herald between May 18-25, 2026.

Here are key takeaways:

• Pacific North Sports won the 53rd annual Ski to Sea race on Sunday, May 24, when sea kayaker Ian Sawyer paddled to shore at Marine Park around 1:20 p.m. Nearly 5,000 spectators turned out for the Memorial Day weekend event, which sold out all 500 team spots on the first day of registration in January.
• The Whatcom County Water Rescue Task Force pulled two people from the Nooksack River on May 20 after their canoe became pinned under a tree during Ski to Sea practice. Task force members happened to be conducting training exercises in the area at the time, and no injuries were reported.
• Four Bellingham tenants reached a settlement with Lakeway Realty in February 2026 after suing over unsafe conditions at 1210 Ellis St., including water leakage, mold growth and frozen windows. The property failed five rental registration inspections between July 2022 and July 2023, with 35 code violations identified during that period.
• Food workers at four Whatcom County eateries failed to wash their hands during April health inspections, part of 11 establishments flagged for follow-up visits. Violations at restaurants including YunGaNe Korean Restaurant, Border Town Mexican Grill and Our Diner ranged from improperly stored food to dirty equipment, though 80 other eateries passed with few to no violations.

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.