Rewind: Downtown safety, mall additions, school districts sued, pastor arrested

The Bellingham Herald covered a range of top stories last week, from downtown safety updates to new mall stores and changing speed limits. A child molestation charge against a local pastor and a downtown business closure also made headlines.

Here are key takeaways:

• Downtown Bellingham safety efforts under Mayor Kim Lund’s Downtown Forward initiative are showing progress, with the bike patrol unit making 691 calls for service and impounding 329 grams of narcotics so far in 2026, according to a city progress report. About 10% of first-floor properties in the city center remain vacant, at the high end of what’s considered a healthy occupancy rate.
• Bellis Fair mall announced two new stores coming to Bellingham, with pop culture gift shop BoxLunch opening in Fall 2026 in suite 332. Build-A-Bear Workshop will return as a kiosk in early 2027, located between Claire’s and Zumiez.
• The parents of a deaf elementary school student filed a lawsuit June 18 in Whatcom County Superior Court alleging their daughter was sexually assaulted on school buses operated by the Blaine and Bellingham districts during the 2020-2021 and 2025-2026 school years. The suit accuses both districts of negligence, disability and gender-based discrimination and violations of the Equal Educational Opportunity Law, and it comes the same day Bellingham Public Schools settled a similar case involving an autistic student.
• New lower speed limits took effect across Bellingham last week, with a default maximum of 20 mph for neighborhood streets and the downtown core. The first signs are scheduled for installation in August, and traffic deaths and injuries have tripled in Bellingham over the past five years.
• Antonio Carlos Segar, 68, a part-time pastor at Spring Creek Bible Church, was charged with first-degree child molestation on Monday in Whatcom County Superior Court. Segar pleaded not guilty and was released on $100,000 bail Tuesday afternoon, facing up to life in prison if convicted.
• EverLocal, a downtown Bellingham secondhand clothing and locally made goods shop, is closing permanently at the end of July due to rising rent and decreasing foot traffic. Owner Rob B. is seeking community support through shopping and donations to cover remaining lease payments and avoid roughly $90,000 in fees.

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.