Rewind: Business owner felonies; tech firm leaving; Rock and Rye closure; new laws
The Bellingham Herald covered a run of consequential local and state stories between June 29 and July 5, 2026, from felony charges against a downtown restaurant owner to a wave of new Washington laws. Below is a quick digest of the week’s top stories.
Here are key takeaways:
- Brandon Robert Bates, 48, owner of Schweinhaus Biergarten and co-founder of Formula Brewing in Issaquah, was charged with first-degree theft, identity theft, and trafficking of stolen property on June 29. Court records allege he made unauthorized alcohol purchases through Formula Brewing while it was in receivership, causing an estimated $125,000 loss between November 2022 and July 2023.
- Alpha Technologies Services, Inc., one of Bellingham’s largest manufacturers, announced plans to lay off 75 employees beginning Aug. 31 and permanently close its operations unit Oct. 15. Parent company EnerSys said manufacturing and assembly will move to an existing facility in Suwanee, Georgia.
- Rock and Rye Oyster House in downtown Bellingham will close permanently after 12 years in business, with owners targeting early autumn. Administrative Manager Lorraine Sullivan cited rising food and labor costs, inflated rent, decreased foot traffic and a sharp drop in Canadian customers as reasons for the closure.
- Washington State Patrol reported seven vehicle crashes on the I-5 bypass south of Bellingham between June 19 and 25, including one serious injury collision that required transport to Harborview Medical Center. The 1.5-mile temporary bypass, activated June 18, routes drivers around a WSDOT work site tied to a $159.6 million fish migration barrier correction project.
- Ten new Washington state laws took effect June 11, affecting grocery shopping, rental properties, sports betting and traffic stops. Among them: retailers can now round cash transactions to the nearest nickel, impersonating a law enforcement officer is a gross misdemeanor punishable by up to a $1,000 fine, and gambling on in-state college teams is allowed at tribal casinos.
- Five more Washington laws took effect July 1, including Senate Bill 6346, which imposes a 9.9% levy on residents with annual household income over $1 million starting in 2028 and is expected to raise at least $3 billion a year. Other changes end certain sales tax exemptions for data centers, cap the estate tax rate at 20%, and authorize a one-time 3% cost-of-living adjustment for some retired public employees.
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.