KGMI’s Dianna Hawryluk talks to Bo Wilde about Mother’s Day Northwest Washington Fair’s ticket blitz and Cinco de Mayon in Lynden.adButlerLazyLoad("3599219253439638048",100,["662102","662102","662102"],"177027"); No injuries were reported in either incident The cuts have resulted in laboratories having limited testing for some infectious diseases and early childhood learning programs left unsure of future funds The dog had fallen into the cave and its owner also got stuck while trying to rescue it WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – When Dave Vitt founded Kulshan Brewing Company in 2011 WWU will bring its 13-game win streak into the national softball tournament Be sure you have your GPS enabled and try again LYNDEN — Lynden School Board’s complaints to the federal government over Washington’s transgender student rules argue the district is in a “legal double bind”: do they follow guidance from state officials who steadfastly stand by the state’s policy The school board approved the language of letters to U.S Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights at its Thursday The letters ask for the agencies to initiate directed investigations into the state’s education agency and interscholastic rule-making body to clarify that federal law “preempts” state law and for confirmation that school districts will not lose federal funding by following state law that is in “conflict with Title IX.”  Lynden received about $3.2 million in federal funding during the 2024–25 school year. The school board is also pursuing legal action against the state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI); nothing has been filed or submitted at this point Superintendent David VanderYacht said Thursday The letters’ approval comes just after the Trump administration announced Wednesday, April 30 that it would be investigating OSPI alleging that the education agency’s requirements for school districts may violate Title IX the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment. Lynden board members acknowledged that this fulfilled part of what the letters were asking Department of Education states multiple districts have reported that OSPI’s required policies “allow males to participate in female sports and occupy female-only intimate facilities.” Lynden’s letters make similar complaints.  “Washington state appears to use its position of authority to coerce its districts into hiding ‘gender-identity’ information from students’ parents and to adopt policies to covertly smuggle gender ideology into the classroom confusing students and letting boys into girls’ sports these are clear violations of parental rights and female equality in athletics which are protected by federal laws that will be enforced by the Trump Administration,” she said State Superintendent Chris Reykdal disputes that Washington’s policies violate federal law. He said in a statement that the department is “trying to co-opt laws enacted to protect students from discrimination and distort them into mandated discrimination “My office will enforce our current laws as we are required to do until Congress changes the law and/or federal courts invalidate Washington state’s laws,” he said we will be following Washington state’s laws not a president’s political leanings expressed through unlawful orders.”  Reykdal called the investigation “the latest target in the administration’s dangerous war against individuals who are transgender or gender-expansive.” The federal government is already investigating Maine and California on similar issues At Lynden’s Thursday school board meeting some Lynden community members voiced concerns that these actions could harm students told the board he was concerned that the removal of “trans-inclusive school policies” could have a significant negative impact on trans students’ mental health a current Lynden High School track and field athlete said she agrees that it’s “unfair to female athletes to compete with someone who’s born stronger than they are,” but expressed concern about how a law that restricts transgender athletes from girls sports could be enforced She said she worried that more masculine female athletes could be put under intense scrutiny “Sports should be a safe place where people can work hard and achieve,” she said we’re threatening that sense of safety and inflicting fear on talented [female] athletes.” Charlotte Alden is CDN’s general assignment/enterprise reporter; reach her at charlottealden@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext Email newstips@cascadiadaily.com or Call/Text 360-922-3092 This marks a significant milestone in the carrier’s commitment to enhance operational efficiency and ensure the highest standards of safety The avionics and autopilot modernization program will involve the installation of cutting-edge equipment The first aircraft is scheduled for completion in 2026 on this critical upgrade,” says Lynden Air Cargo President Scott Hicks “Moog is a leader in avionics technology and will provide state-of-the-art systems to modernize our fleet and advance our operational capabilities This initiative maintains our commitment to excellence and enables us to better serve our customers while meeting the evolving demands of the aviation industry It also underscores Lynden Air Cargo's dedication to continuous improvement Lynden Air Cargo is part of the Lynden family of companies and is a leading provider of air freight services specializing in transporting cargo to remote and challenging locations it offers reliable and efficient solutions to meet the unique needs of its customers and customer satisfaction sets it apart in the aviation industry Lynden Air Cargo entered a strategic agreement with Moog Inc to modernize its fleet of Lockheed Model 382G Hercules aircraft The initiative will equip the aircraft with the Genesys Avionics Suite to enhance safety The avionics and autopilot modernization program includes the installation of new equipment Already subscribed? Log in  Manage Cookie Consent Please enter your username or email address to reset your password After being held scoreless for the first 40 minutes Lynden boys soccer scored four goals in the second half for a 4-3 comeback victory over Lynden Christian in Northwest Conference play on Tuesday The Lyncs scored in the first five minutes of the match after Gunnar Parriera lofted a free kick to Harvest Howell who had an open shot after Lynden’s keeper left his line trying to grab the free kick.  This was a physical match between the rival schools — whose campuses are separated by less than a mile — and four yellow cards were distributed throughout the match.  Gallery: Lynden boys soccer pulls off comeback, beats Lynden Christian Lynden had promising counterattacks but couldn’t get the final touch needed to score That script changed entirely in the second half when Lynden sophomore Malachi Koenen was gifted an open shot due to an errant pass from LC defender Isaac Visser Koenen delivered a shot to the bottom left corner of the net that evened the match a free kick from Lynden’s Victor Huaracha entered the box and Koenen backheeled the ball past LC goalkeeper Gavin VanLoo to give the Lions a 2-1 lead.  Howell hunted for his second goal of the night he tied the game at 2-2 with a rocketing shot from the top of the box in the 70th minute.  Lynden had an immediate breakaway following the goal and Visser fouled a Lion player inside the goalkeeper’s box Junior forward Eduardo Briseno — who is second in the county in goals scored with 10 — took the shot but the ball was perfectly placed in the bottom left corner to regain a Lions lead in the 71st minute Due to the many fouls called throughout the game and aforementioned yellow cards Briseno scored on a breakaway after stealing the ball from LC sophomore defender Noah Ahlers and gave the Lions a comforting 4-2 lead.  Joshua Davis hit a short cross over the Lions’ defense and Howell — who leads the county in goals scored with 20 — converted a remarkable bicycle kick to top off his hat-trick performance on the final play of the match 6-6-2 NWC) failed to clinch the top seed in the May 3–13 1A District 1 tournament — where the top two teams advance to bi-districts May 17 The Lyncs will have another chance to secure the top seed in their final regular season game hosting Burlington-Edison (6-4-4 7-4-2 NWC) is tied for fourth in 2A and plays its penultimate game of the regular season on the road versus Oak Harbor (4-8-2 Zen Hill is a sports intern at Cascadia Daily News LYNDEN, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – A Lynden school bus driver passed away following a traffic accident on Thursday morning May 1.adButlerLazyLoad("225128769803833419",100,["662102","662102","662102"],"177027"); Lynden Police say the bus collided with a white SUV on W The Lynden School District says there were no students on board or involved in the accident The district said in a statement that she will be greatly missed by the entire Lynden Schools community Lynden Police say the driver of the SUV was sent to PeaceHealth St but the extent of their injuries is unknown The cause of the crash remains under investigation.adButlerLazyLoad("1298357137432685723",100,["662102","662102","662102"],"177027"); Anyone who witnessed the incident or has dashcam footage from around the area is being asked to contact Lynden Police by calling (360) 354-2828 Editor’s note: This article will be updated as more information is released from the Lynden School District Jason Upton is a reporter and afternoon news anchor at KGMI Feel free to send any story ideas or news tips to jupton@pnwmediagroup.com Lynden boys soccer scored four times in the second half to beat Lynden Christian Stephanie and Rob Brooks were told that their 18-month-old twin daughters — Halley and Avery — would not live past the age of 2.  the twins are 17 years old and shining on the Lynden girls tennis team.  “It’s a dream come true playing high school tennis with each other,” Halley said “We always practiced against or next to the high school players when we were 8 Halley and Avery were born with a rare DGAT-1 deficiency that hinders their ability to absorb fats and gain weight The girls weren’t officially diagnosed with their condition until they were 14.   ‘Your kid’s not going to make it to enjoy the rest of their life,’” Rob said “I think the really disheartening part for us was that nobody could figure out what was wrong.”  the Brooks parents opted for total parenteral nutrition (TPN) — an IV feeding method that delivers nutrients into the bloodstream without going through the digestive system.  “TPN is ultimately what ended up saving their life,” Rob said.  so their doctor recommended getting the girls physically active to gain muscle weight and burn the stored fat from TPN in their livers.  “We started to do some research and try to figure out something they could do together that they could have fun with,” Rob said “We got them in their first lesson at the Bellingham Tennis Club when they were about 3 and a half years old.”  What started as a way to keep the girls healthy has turned into a life of competition revolving around tennis They took their first lessons at 5 years old and competed in their first tournament at 8.  “We went to a full-time tennis academy in Dallas,” Halley said but moved to Texas after stops in Arizona and California as they followed Rob’s career at Amazon and Safran Aerospace They moved back to the Northwest this fall in part to play high school sports as homeschooled students “We’ve wanted to enjoy the team atmosphere and stuff like that before college,” Avery said “It’s a really nice opportunity to do it.”  This season they have helped Lynden to an 8-2 overall and 6-2 Northwest Conference record 2) are yet to lose a match competing for Lynden this season They’re fun to watch,” said Trey Ballard “They’re very cerebral in the sense that they’re almost too cerebral where they pick on themselves mentally.”  Lynden tennis is just one of many tennis-related activities the Brooks twins engage in year-round They recently returned to the Bellingham Tennis Club “A reason why they’re so good is that they’re very coachable,” said Cooper Anderson Bellingham Tennis Club’s head tennis professional “They have put in a lot of time and work into perfecting their tennis scheme and competed in some higher-level tournaments.”  They’ve participated in many competitive recreational tournaments in places like Oregon so a lot of open tournaments,” Halley said “It’s been really fun to experience and play against those players.”  Halley and Avery have time to achieve their dream of winning a state championship for Lynden but their early prep success has not made them complacent.  “They’re both super hard workers,” Anderson said and then working on finishing points at the net are the two main points we work on quite a bit.”  If the two can carry their regular season dominance into the May 9–14 2A District 1 tournament at Sehome High — where three singles players and three doubles teams advance to state — they’ll be one step closer to their season goal.  the only town in Whatcom County that adds fluoride to its drinking water the city council has again voted to end the practice Since 1959 the City of Lynden has added fluoride to its water to prevent tooth decay a group of residents brought the matter to the city council calling fluoridation “forced medication” by the government for which they have not given informed consent.  Dentists who spoke at the city council meetings were the most vocal proponents of water fluoridation Many reported a noticeable difference in oral health between patients who grew up drinking Lynden water and patients who were raised elsewhere in the county.  Anacortes is the only other jurisdiction that adds fluoride to its drinking water Bellingham residents voted against a fluoridation initiative in 2005.  a federal district court ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to further evaluate possible health risks from recommended fluoride levels in the U.S The state Department of Health continues to “endorse community water fluoridation as safe and beneficial to oral health,” according to an update from the department in October 2024.  Armed with new information about the perceived risk of fluoride the Lynden City Council decided to revisit the vetoed ordinance The city gave water customers and the state health department the required 90 days of notice about the decision and held another public hearing on April 21.  Kyle Strengholt and Mark Wohlrab — voted to end the practice State law says a mayor’s veto may be overridden by the vote of a majority of all council members plus one more vote The mayor can’t veto the council’s latest decision Julia Tellman writes about civic issues and anything else that happens to cross her desk; contact her at juliatellman@cascadiadaily.com by Joel Moreno with Council Members Gary Vis and Brent Lenssen opposed means Whatcom County no longer has any cities that treat their drinking water with the mineral additive RELATED | Lynden's fluoride debate returns as city council revisits last year's vetoed ban The city’s municipal water supply has been fluoridated since 1959 but community members have been coming forward asking for that practice to end Some questioned the possible side effects of fluoride consumption it was a matter of personal autonomy and not having a say in the decision Additives in tap water have been a long-time source of concern for Council Member Gary Bode He has reviewed varying studies about the health impacts of fluoride and led the drive to remove it there's something there," Bode said referring to various impacts from bones to cognitive concerns The wide-ranging studies with sometimes conflicting conclusions have been a tough balancing act for Council Member Gary Vis to navigate Vis ultimately voted to continue fluoride treatments but sought to postpone a final decision by calling for a citizens' advisory vote first I'm not exactly sure I'm comfortable voting either way on this Let's get the advice of the community," Vis said Bode said the community has offered plenty of input over the years and the debate ended on a 5-2 vote to remove the mineral additive from the drinking water the decision went beyond sorting out conflicting scientific studies “There was the five of us that voted to remove it,” Bode said “It all had to do with medical freedom." Vis said he appreciates that people want a say in health decisions “I am concerned about how this is going to impact dental situations for our youth moving forward,” Vis said Bode said it’s about personal consent and not having the government tell people how to treat their bodies but I don't want you to force me to take it,” Bode said Fluoride is used to help prevent tooth decay The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers water fluoridation to be one of the greatest public health success stories of the 20th century While it is true that too much fluoride can lead to enamel spotting and bone issues requires that water districts use less than half the concentrations of fluoride where harmful effects would occur Other Washington cities that do not fluoridate their water include Bellingham State law requires that notification go out to city water system customers and the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) whenever a municipality adds or removes fluoride to its drinking water system The Lynden City Council previously banned fluoride in a 4-3 vote in July of last year but Mayor Scott Korthuis vetoed the action City leaders then introduced a new measure and the 5-2 vote taken Monday night cannot be overridden by a veto the fluoride can be taken out of the water system as soon as five days after the mayor signs the measure into law – PeaceHealth’s Lynden Clinic marks a major milestone this month: One full year of serving north Whatcom County with high-quality the 22,500-square-foot clinic has become a trusted source of care for patients of all ages from Lynden Everson and other areas of north and east Whatcom County "The community has been extremely welcoming and grateful that we're here," Clinic Manager Arielle Serianni said "We receive many thanks from patients who are so happy to get their care in Lynden instead of having to travel to Bellingham." On-site imaging and lab services are available in partnership with Mt and a chance to reflect on the clinic's continued growth The number of Family and Internal medicine providers has grown from one to five The Priority Care (formerly Same-Day) clinic now has three providers and is open Monday through Friday with plans to expand to Saturday Pediatrics is available Monday through Friday Bellingham-based specialty providers rotate at Lynden one to three days per week “We opened the clinic with the goal of bringing high-quality primary and specialty care to the people of north Whatcom County and we’re so proud to see that vision achieved every day,” said Denise Walker vice president of operations for PeaceHealth Medical Group Northwest “Rural communities deserve the same access to care as anywhere else The team here is building something really special.” the Lynden Clinic was awarded LEED Silver certification by the U.S Known as the most widely used green building rating system in the world LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) provides the framework to create healthy highly efficient and cost-saving green buildings The Lynden Clinic is the first PeaceHealth LEED-certified facility Key elements in the clinic's design and construction include 162 solar panels water-efficient irrigation and landscaping that emphasizes the use of native and drought-resistant plants PeaceHealth is grateful to the City of Lynden for its warm welcome and ongoing partnership. For more information, visit www.peacehealth.org/lynden is a non-profit Catholic health system offering care to communities in Washington PeaceHealth has approximately 16,000 caregivers more than 160 clinics and 9 medical centers serving both urban and rural communities throughout the Northwest Joseph of Peace founded what has become PeaceHealth The Sisters shared expertise and transferred wisdom from one medical center to another always finding the best way to serve the unmet need for healthcare in their communities PeaceHealth is the legacy of the founding Sisters and continues with a spirit of respect collaboration and social justice in fulfilling its Mission © 2025 PeaceHealth Lynden School Board is pursuing legal action against the state over its gender inclusivity policies A resolution passed by the school board on Thursday April 17 declares its intention to take legal action against the state’s Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) over its gender-inclusive schools policy and its actions that “exceed its statutory authority and/or infringe on the Board’s right to operate the District.”  The board also plans to file formal complaints to the U.S Attorney General Pam Bondi over the state policies that allow transgender girls to participate in girls sports and parts of the gender-inclusive schools policy Board Vice President Ken Owsley said that allowing “biological males to participate in female sports” is discrimination against biological females under Title IX.  OSPI believes that nothing in state law conflicts with federal law and no language in Title IX says students cannot participate in athletics “in alignment with their gender identity,” said Katy Payne “I think there is a conflict between state law and rhetoric and messaging from the current federal administration,” Payne said Lynden Superintendent David VanderYacht said OSPI appears to be “doubling down” on a political ideology creating a “politicized environment” for schools.  “There are challenges within more-conservative-leaning communities with conservative majority boards in a state in which there are much more progressive and now those are being amplified as kind of a battle,” he said alleging that the agency’s gender-inclusive schools policy conflicts with federal law Payne said no lawsuit has been filed as of April 17 required by the Legislature starting in 2019 outlines how districts should best serve transgender and nonbinary students including guidance on restroom and locker room use Since June 2024, Lynden’s school board has been pursuing actions related to transgender students. In September, the board updated its gender-inclusive schools policy to state that the district will generally not withhold a student’s gender identity from parents or guardians The board also stated that teachers should not require students to disclose their pronouns but invite them to privately inform teachers of their preferred pronouns or name.  OSPI told the district that its updated policy does not fulfill all the requirements of state law The district has until May 7 to submit evidence that its policy follows the law.  Lynden has also been pursuing changes to Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) policy. The district put forward an amendment last fall that would restrict transgender student-athletes from girls sports and replace boys sports with a boys/open division open to all students the WIAA said it had received legal opinions that the amendment would violate state law If it passes (voting by the WIAA Representative Assembly concludes Friday VanderYacht said the district is seeking “legal clarity around the authorities of elected offices.”  Board member Tonya Hickman criticized State Superintendent Chris Reykdal’s messaging around these topics which she argued is pushing families away from public education.  Washington’s gender identity protections have been in place since 2006 with the WIAA allowing students to participate in the team that aligns with their gender identity since 2007 Payne said that policy was “implemented without controversy for nearly two decades until it becomes a talking point for a president.”  Payne took issue with the repeated reference to “these actions by OSPI” in the resolution.  “OSPI is doing our job to communicate and uphold and enforce what state law is,” Payne said and OSPI is doing our job that we’re tasked with doing “We’re not going out on our own here and bringing some type of hammer down on school districts for no reason,” Payne said “We’re not stepping out on a limb or stepping outside of our lane We’re doing our job that we’re literally tasked with doing in state law.”  Owsley said he thinks this question about transgender athletes and competing state and federal law will need to be handled by the U.S “Once we have that question answered by the Supreme Court A previous version of this article misstated that the superintendent would be initiating legal action A 71-year-old Lynden man was booked into the Whatcom County Jail Sunday night on suspicion of arson after refusing to come out of an RV that was on fire Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded around 8 p.m Sunday to a report of smoke and flames coming from a recreational vehicle at a trailer park located at the 7000 block of Guide Meridian in Lynden He was armed with a knife and a hammer and refused to disarm Deputies believed the suspect was going to attempt to assault them The trailer was also close to several other trailers and propane tanks Deputies were able to detain the suspect while the trailer became fully engulfed in flames The suspect was treated at the scene before he was booked into jail for probable cause of first-degree arson felony harassment and obstruction of a law enforcement officer Annie Todd is CDN’s criminal justice/enterprise reporter; reach her at annietodd@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext It was Lynden girls tennis that walked away unscathed after beating Bellingham in a battle of undefeated Northwest Conference teams Tuesday defeated Bellingham’s reigning 2A state doubles champions The Lions continued to take down former state competitors as Rilanna Newcomb beat Malia Hanks Bellingham did earn a singles victory when Ivy Brooks beat Lynden’s Karam Heirh Gallery: Lynden girls tennis wins battle of unbeatens 6-4 win for Bayhawks’ Ashley Ask and Riley Denton over the Lions’ Alisa Scott and Grace Hargrove Lynden’s second doubles team of Olivia Melendez and Emmy Migchelbrink came up big with a 6-3 6-2 win over Makenzie Milewski and Jane Goldsberry which was Lynden’s fourth win to earn the majority victory Bellingham’s Ana Rubey and Addy Dupre defeated Lynden’s Lexi Cuellar and Mickie Faber 4-0 NWC) remain undefeated and will host Blaine at 4 p.m 3-1 NWC) will play host to Anacortes at 4 p.m LYNDEN, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Pull out those cheap sunglasses because ZZ Top is making a tour stop in Lynden this summer The Northwest Washington Fair has announced “That Little Ol’ Band From Texas” will rock the granstand stage on Saturday Formed in 1969 as a combination of two rival bands ZZ Top is best known for their hits “Sharp Dressed Man,” “Legs,” “Tush,” and of course Tickets to see the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members go on sale this Friday, March 28 at 9 a.m. at the Northwest Washington Fair website Pre-sale tickets will be available for “Friends of the Fair” on Wednesday Listen all morning to Brad & John and enjoy classic rock all day on the region's rock station MYNORTHWEST NEWS the largest city in the United States without fluoride in its water BY FRANK SUMRALL Lynden city leaders voted 5-2 on Monday night to remove fluoride from the city’s drinking water system It was the only city in Whatcom County that treated its water supply with fluoride but community members recently voiced concerns over the safety of the mineral in tap water “Do not treat me for something that I do not wish to be treated for but anything you have to do to treat the water should be done minimally and as responsibly as you can,” Lynden City Council member Lee Beld said “But you don’t add things to my water that I don’t want I’m trying to say that you should not be treating me for something I do not want.” Beld also shared that he personally doesn’t have fluoride in his home due to installing reverse osmosis filters Fluoride is the ionic form of the element fluorine. It is intended to prevent or help slow the progression of tooth decay while stimulating new bone formation, according to the National Institute of Health (NIH) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cited water fluoridation as one of the greatest public health success stories of the 20th century “Tooth decay is one of the most common chronic diseases among American children with one of four children living below the federal poverty level experiencing untreated tooth decay,” the CDC stated in its official statement on fluoride and poor appearance—all contributing to decreased quality of life and ability to succeed.” And while many council members and city leaders agreed there are health benefits to fluoride medicating without consent became a major focus of the meeting “Fluoride is readily available through toothpaste and brushing your teeth if you read the side of of a toothpaste box it tells you that it’s pretty dangerous to ingest this stuff in any quantity and to seek medical advice from poison control,” Lynden City Council member Nick Laninga said is that we are medicating without people’s consent and I don’t think we have any business doing that.” Trent Veltkamp of Veltkamp Family Dentistry in Lynden told KOMO News that he believes in the validity of fluoride as a helpful tool for dental cleanliness but he did state that too much fluoride can lead to enamel spotting and bone issues uses less than half the concentrations of fluoride where harmful effects could occur I’m not a scientist,” Lynden City Council member Gary Vis said “I don’t understand half these studies I’ve read I don’t know what’s right and what’s wrong How do I determine what’s a valid study and not a valid study based on my preferences beforehand Based on whatever…I don’t feel comfortable enough removing it until I would get their advice.” The Lynden City Council previously banned fluoride in a 4-3 vote last July but the decision was eventually vetoed by Mayor Scott Korthuis citing a lack of evidence that fluoride causes any actual harm when it is in the city’s water supply The move comes as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F said he plans to tell the CDC to stop recommending fluoridation in communities nationwide He’s assembling a task force of health experts to study the issue and make new recommendations Environmental Protection Agency is currently reviewing “new scientific information” on potential health risks of fluoride in drinking water The EPA sets the maximum level allowed in public water systems Follow Frank Sumrall on X. Send news tips here It seems like every championship team has a significant role player doing a lot of the work on the court or field that goes unnoticed Senior Kiki York has played that role for the Lynden girls basketball team which has now won back-to-back 2A state titles York’s effort earned her second-team all-Northwest Conference honors and an all-state selection after the 2024–25 season “It feels good to be recognized for my talents,” York said “We play for those that come before us and carry on their legacy and play our hearts out.” The 5-foot-8 forward finished her senior season with 150 points Besides making an impact for her teammates York has developed several skills since beginning recreational basketball in fourth grade “It feels nice to be a part of a well-structured program,” York said “Basketball made me have better communication skills With a couple months left in her high school career York has switched her focus to the track season 4×200 and 4×400 relays and sixth in the 200-meter dash at the 2A state championship meet York has begun this season winning all those events at the Bedlington Invitational on March 28 at Lynden Christian High She hopes to also influence the next generation of athletes who compete at Lynden “I want to show the underclassmen what to do and set a good example and be a role model,” York said she will head off to college and cherish the times she shared with the Lions “I have definitely enjoyed playing with all my best friends and getting to share that experience we all had together,” York said Nick Zeller-Singh is CDN's sports reporter; reach him at nickzellersingh@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext Gender inclusivity and transgender athletes competing in girls sports dominated Thursday’s Lynden School Board meeting with members approving letters urging legislators and the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) to review current law and policies The WIAA’s existing guidelines allow for full participation for trans nonbinary and gender-diverse students in the division of the gender they “most consistently expressed.” The policy aligns with state laws that protect transgender students from discrimination in school including in sports and physical education.   The school board directed Lynden Superintendent David VanderYacht in June to pursue an amendment to WIAA’s gender participation guidelines after controversy arose when a transgender girl won a state track championship in June requests clear legislative guidance on how to navigate transgender students participating in sports informed by “scientific evidence” and considering what other states are doing It also asks them to advocate for legislative measures allowing transgender athlete participation with necessary “safeguards to ensure fair competition for girls.” The second letter requests WIAA initiate a thorough review of existing laws; advocate for legislative measures to “allow all athletes to participate in high school sports while also implementing necessary safeguards to ensure fair competition”; and collaborate with school districts to develop inclusive policies.   said the association has heard concerns on its gender identity participation policies over the last two years “Our office is conducting a legal review of the policies in place evaluating the possibilities within Washington state law but the membership writes the rules of the Association,” he said Lynden’s draft letters to the WIAA and local legislators Board members struck the “education and awareness” section from the letter to the legislators at the Thursday Fourteen states (including Washington) and Washington, D.C., allow transgender students to compete in K-12 sports consistent with their gender identity as of July 30 according to LGBTQ+ education organization GLSEN Eight states have policies that impose some restrictions on transgender inclusion in high school sports while 27 have policies that exclude trans youth from competing consistent with their gender identity.  VanderYacht told CDN that this is a “complicated and potentially contentious issue” and young people “deserve the adults that are in leadership positions to process through and work towards a resolution on this.”   We want to honor the dignity of all students and provide opportunity …” he said we want to protect the integrity of girls sports that we’ve worked so hard for and make sure all those opportunities are there.”  VanderYacht said he’s also motivated to keep young people out of situations that might harm them He expressed concerns about a young trans athlete who’s following all the guidelines but may end up becoming a “lightning rod” for national conversations.   He said he is worried that these efforts will be interpreted as working to be “restrictive” toward trans students “The intent is trying to make it work for everybody.”   School board members struck an “education and awareness” section from the letter to legislators to focus more on the “very specific intent of this letter,” which board member Ken Owsley described as “we don’t want biological males competing against biological females in K-12 sports.” Adri Tiesinga, a 2015 Lynden High School graduate, wrote a critical article in the Lynden Tribune this week on board members’ opposition to transgender student participation in sports Tiesinga said they’re “relieved” that both letters “express a desire to navigate the inclusion of transgender athletes with ‘understanding’ and ‘respect,'” but remained skeptical given previous statements in opposition to transgender inclusion “I hope to be proven wrong as this conversation about transgender inclusion progresses,” Tiesinga told CDN in an email Tiesinga said they are unaware of any transgender athletes at Lynden in the last five years and questioned why this is a pressing concern given that fact VanderYacht told CDN he was not aware of any transgender athletes at Lynden at this time “I think it’s fine for the school board to participate in the statewide conversation because it’s an important topic that needs to be discussed,” Tiesinga said I worry that the framing of the letters might serve to further ostracize transgender students in a city that often does not treat LGBTQ+ people with the respect they deserve as human beings.” LYNDEN — The sand traps at the Homestead Farms Golf Course are barely recognizable as such — visible from the patios of many residents in the adjacent Lynden subdivision the bunkers are rocky and filled in with weeds untouched by golfers and grazed over by a large flock of migratory wigeons the greens are fuzzy with grass growth and dotted with thistles “It makes me want to cry,” said Ada Wiersma who has lived in Homestead for 25 years and used to golf regularly with her late husband Her backyard abuts the course and she can watch from her breakfast nook as waterfowl enjoy the untended links.  The deterioration of the 18-hole course is the most conspicuous reminder of a class action lawsuit over open space maintenance fees that has spanned nearly five years ended without clear resolution and has now been appealed to the Washington Supreme Court.  The parties entangled in the lawsuit — the golf course owner the class members and the intervenors — have spent millions on legal costs the north Lynden planned residential development grew to include more than 600 houses and condominiums clustered around the private golf course Homestead has just under 9 acres of common open space The subdivision is governed by a master declaration with covenants which gives control of common open space to an elected HOA.  The Homestead litigation saga began in 2019 when the common area maintenance fees charged to property owners of the development increased from $36 to $93 a month a steep jump that shocked many owners.  the local company that managed the course for Canadian ownership company 18 Paradise was responsible for upkeep in the large neighborhood and claimed years of deferred maintenance meant more money was needed to improve the development’s common open space The company not only raised the maintenance fees multiple times but also amended the subdivision covenants to allow for annual fee increases and special assessments Homestead residents convened a series of meetings in late 2019 and early 2020 to get some answers The meetings became “pretty boisterous,” Steve Zehm remembered.  Zehm is one of 11 representative plaintiffs in the class action lawsuit against 18 Paradise and MJ Management he purchased a Homestead property in 2009.  “It breaks my heart that it’s in the shape it’s in,” Zehm said about the golf course which 18 Paradise shuttered unceremoniously in 2023 due to the lawsuit it is also guarded by “no trespassing” signs to keep Homestead walkers off the golf cart pathways.  The course once attracted many Canadian visitors and hosted national-caliber tournaments a former Lynden High School golf coach and one of the Homestead lawsuit intervenors (someone who was not named in the suit but has a stake in the outcome) Lynden Christian and Nooksack Valley now must drive to practice at courses across Whatcom County.   a group of property owners filed their first complaint had violated consumer protection and civil racketeering laws.  In November 2020 the case was certified as a class action with the class defined as every lot and condominium owner in Homestead Owners had the ability to opt out if they did not wish to be involved in the lawsuit.  who has lived in a Homestead senior community said she’s participating in the lawsuit because she wants to help protect the interests of the people in her condo complex.  “I really believe we need to have voting rights over our fees and how they’re spent,” Lyons said during an interview in November 2024.    A small group of residents who opted out of the class action and felt their interests were not being represented joined the proceedings in 2023 as intervenors They were concerned the common open spaces ponds and golf course weren’t being maintained while the ongoing litigation was “contributing to the decline of the property leads the intervenors because she’s worried the residents of Homestead especially the many seniors who live there are being taken advantage of or misled by lawyers who she thinks are looking for a big payout from the class action.   “This has been a money grab from the very beginning,” Skinner added “Every one of the appeals they’ve filed have to do with money.”  The plaintiffs don’t feel that’s a fair characterization of their motives “They’ve been casting aspersions on us and our lawyers engaging in ad hominem attacks,” Lyons said about the intervenors “They think the lawyers are leading us around by the nose and want all this money they deserve to get paid for the work they’re doing “I could care less about monetary gain — I want justice for homeowners,” Zehm said.  Both parties operate their own websites, posting updates on the lawsuit and lobbing thinly-veiled criticism at the opposing side. The “Our Homestead Lynden” site calls the maintenance fees reasonable and paints a picture of what Homestead could be under new ownership that commits to taking care of the common open space again.  The plaintiffs’ “Homestead Parcel Owners” site explains their grievances advocates for an independent HOA and encourages contributions to the trust fund set up to support the cost of litigation a Whatcom County judge issued a temporary restraining order (and levied a $24,000 fine) to force the plaintiffs to remove confidential documents from the website.  with its myriad contested motions and amended complaints took four years to wend its way through a court system that was experiencing a severe backlog due to COVID-19 limitations but each side blames the other’s intransigence for a lack of compromise.   The City of Lynden was named as a defendant in the lawsuit for failing to enforce its planned residential development ordinance that requires a homeowners association, but was dismissed from the case in 2022. After its dismissal, Mayor Scott Korthuis, along with the city’s legal counsel and planning department, sent a letter explaining its stance to the plaintiffs.  One of the reasons the city did not become involved in the development’s HOA was because Homestead “appeared to function smoothly from 1992 until recently in 2020 when complaints were raised by homeowners.” MJ Management was effectively dismissed later in 2022 although the company and its two owners found themselves drawn back into the case thanks to ensuing actions by the plaintiffs The business partners were again dismissed by the court in March 2024 when Whatcom Superior Court Judge David Freeman ruled that the Consumer Protection Act had not been violated.    After a two-week-long bench trial in spring 2024 and a few more rounds of motions Freeman issued a ruling in July and a final order in October The judge nullified the two amendments to the master declaration and the $57 maintenance fee increase He also ruled that the development must have an HOA but wrote it was not the court’s duty “to opine further on how to establish a homeowners association here.”  MJ Management’s attorney Jeffrey Possinger described Homestead as “one of the more complicated cases I’ve ever worked on.”  Freeman echoed that description during yet another motion hearing in November 2024 saying that the Homestead case will likely change the way the court does business in the future.  “This stretched our county to the limit as far as what it could handle because we are a small bench and quite honestly, I’m looking at ways that, as the judge for water adjudication how we can identify cases like this that do have this complexity,” Freeman said “Certainly there was complexity to a number of claims the plaintiffs brought that hopefully in the future we can streamline quicker because the community deserves that despite our limitations.”  the plaintiffs and MJ Management each sought unsuccessfully to have the opposing party cover their attorneys’ fees a sum that totaled more than $1.6 million and did not include the costs incurred by owner 18 Paradise the intervenors or the City of Lynden.  While the case had stuttered to a close in fall 2024 the plaintiffs didn’t feel any sense of resolution or justice There was no plan for returning the maintenance fees to property owners there was no clear path to establishing an HOA and various residents and condominium associations were still maintaining common open spaces at their own expense.  So they decided to appeal it to the Washington Supreme Court and brought all the previously-dismissed parties including MJ Management’s individual owners and the city “We the homeowners have absolutely zero voice we have to try and contact the owner or the owner’s agent and that has not been fruitful at all it led to this mess,” class member Lynn Button said after the appeal was filed “My best case scenario is the owner of the golf course the City of Lynden and the homeowners come together and figure out the best scenario.”  are less interested in forming an official governing HOA — they’d rather see someone local buy and reopen the golf course.  their ideal candidate was Lynden business owner Duane Scholten and his son The 153-acre golf course and pro shop were listed for sale for $3 million in 2021 and Scholten made a full-price offer but the sale was tied to the resolution of the lawsuit and never went through.  Scott Real Estate has been fielding inquiries from other parties interested in buying Homestead Farms Golf Course After the judge ruled on the case in October 2024 he was approached by a group of buyers who were prepared to restore and reopen the course by spring 2025 They knew the state of the course and its history and had spoken with the city and community members The buyers and seller agreed to a price over the first weekend of November and were nearing completion of the deal but Starr knew the 30-day clock was still ticking on an appeal on the last day and in the final hours that an appeal could be filed the buyers couldn’t go forward with the quick close they had negotiated.  “The buyers are still here,” Starr said in January maybe the course will be up and running by spring If it drags out for another year or two years …” He didn’t finish the thought.  The appeal almost didn’t make it into the system in time — while the plaintiffs had filed within 30 days of the final ruling, an unprecedented statewide court system outage caused the file to be transmitted to the state Supreme Court after the deadline the Supreme Court had not yet set a date for when it will decide whether the appeal will be retained or transferred to the Court of Appeals which is the more conventional venue for an appeal.  Intervenor Dowling said she doesn’t plan to continue fighting through the appeal The effort has been expensive and time-consuming.  “This has been my life for five years,” she said “I’m ready to hand it off to the next person who’s willing to represent the homeowners.”  in ways the lawyers don’t understand.  “Their battleground is our home,” Dowling said “We come home to a deteriorating golf course and people won’t talk to us who used to be our friends Plaintiff Lyons doesn’t agree with that assessment.  ‘It’s torn our community apart and people don’t talk to each other.’ Well “I think people actually were very happy when we got the court to roll the fee back to $36 a month so we could all breathe a sigh of relief and just figure things out without being concerned about that $93.” The Lynden School Board has formally opposed five bills being considered in the state Legislature arguing they would undermine parental rights and local control the school board said “these bills collectively threaten the foundational principles of public education by imposing unfunded mandates and undermining the voices of families and communities,” naming Senate Bills 5180 Senate Bill 5181, which amends the Parents Rights Initiative passed last session would bring it into alignment with existing law The school board is contesting the removal of notification requirements on medical services and treatment and the inclusion of an emergency clause that prevents voters from challenging the bill through a referendum.  Another bill, which has not progressed out of committee would require certain amendments to school districts’ gender-inclusive schools’ policies and procedures including prohibiting requirements for employees to disclose information related to a student’s sexual orientation or gender without their consent The school board said this bill would “hamper efforts to amend to include parental rights.”  A bill being considered in the Senate Ways & Means Committee would establish a process to investigate noncompliance with state education laws on civil rights The school board described this bill as establishing a “punitive and administratively burdensome complaint process” in its resolution SB 5123 is also being considered in the Ways & Means committee and would add protected classes to nondiscrimination provisions that apply to Washington public schools: ethnicity The board’s resolution states that this bill could limit local flexibility and cause unneeded controversy when the district already “recognizes the worth and value in every student.”  Finally, House Bill 1296 would implement a range of changes intended to promote a “safe and supportive public education system” — consolidating actions from some of the other bills into one.  School board member Tonya Hickman said Thursday that since the COVID-19 pandemic the Lynden community has had a strong response to “controversial policies” coming down from the Legislature She emphasized the school board is nonpartisan but that “Washington state makes it really hard to be a nonpartisan board.”  Board President Jim Verburg said even the “most progressive districts” are going to have parents that pull their kids out over these kinds of policies and I’ll continue to fight so that our educators and our administrators and [paraeducators] can do the job they’re here to do “We are not a social factory for these kinds of policies … and we want to honor all of our students and make our schools welcome for every student and every parent.”  A public hearing for both bills is scheduled in the Senate Ways & Means Committee at 4 p.m YAKIMA — Lynden Christian boys clinched a spot in the 1A state championship game with a 56-49 victory over Royal in the semifinals late Friday night The third-seeded Lyncs will face top-seeded Annie Wright at 5 p.m “It’s pretty special,” coach Tim Zylstra said “They worked their tails off and deserve to be in those games We talked about the details and executing down the stretch and they did that tonight.” Gallery: 1A/2A state hoops Day 3 It was a physical and fast-paced battle between similar teams Royal had the first punch as both teams traded blows The Knights took a 15-14 lead after the first quarter but Lynden Christian responded with the support of Dawson Hintz Hintz finished the first half making nine shots for 24 of the Lyncs’ 30 points “He had a really good game offensively and even defensively  Lynden Christian’s defense also stepped up as they piled up three blocks and three steals to take a 30-20 lead at halftime Royal opened the third quarter with four 3-pointers to go on a 14-2 run and retake the lead at 34-32 Royal’s lead jumped up to five before Gunner Dykstra hit a 3-pointer and Gannon Dykstra followed up with a layup to tie the game at 39-39 Royal finished the third quarter with a 3-pointer to gp up 42-39 the Lyncs took an early lead and fended off the Knights the rest of the way “It’s a tough hill to climb,” Zylstra said “That team is built for winning championships but we have the opportunity.” Defending state champion Lynden girls basketball had no trouble reaching their second straight title game with a 62-44 drubbing of Prosser in a 2A state quarterfinal match Friday “We are happy to move on,” Lynden coach Rob Adams said “The postseason is about survive and advance — and we advanced.”  Finley Parcher led top-seeded Lynden to an opening 10-2 run in the first six minutes of the game with five points herself The Lions ended the quarter with a 3-pointer from Lexi Hermanutz to make it 15-8.  Hermanutz opened the second quarter with a steal and assist to Parcher Her presence on defense was apparent as Prosser’s six made baskets all came from the 3-point line Lynden held a 36-21 lead at halftime.   Prosser opened the half with a 5-0 run to cut the lead to 10 Lynden responded to take a 47-31 lead after three quarters led by eight points from Degitu Bowler.  our bench has played outstanding,” Adams said “We have dubbed them ‘The Electric Company’ because they bring the juice when we need it.”  Lynden broke Prosser’s full court defensive pressure and cruised to another victory “Our goal every season is to play on the last day of Yakima,” Adams said get some food and be where your feet are at.” Mills finished with 18 points and Parcher had 17 Lynden Christian took the lead with 8.9 seconds left then King’s Kaleo Anderson drilled a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from 23 feet deep and the Lyncs lost 45-44 in the 1A state semifinals Friday 5 Annie Wright for third/fifth place at 11:15 a.m ‘players win games but coaches lose games,’” LC coach Brady Bomber said “We affirmed to them that we are super proud of how they played and the togetherness they showed.” The Lyncs nearly pulled off the win Friday Ella Fritts received an inbounds and dished it to Tyra Dykstra who drilled a 3-pointer with 8.9 seconds left to give LC a 44-42 lead But Anderson proved her worth as one of the top-ranked juniors in the state causing a frenzy in the SunDome and disbelief to LC players and fans “(There are) a lot of things I would have liked to have done differently,” Bomber said “We wanted to make everything difficult for (Anderson) and put bodies in front of her and contest shots Ella and Danya (Dykstra) made shots difficult so you’ve got to tip your hat off to a really good player.” Anderson finished with 20 points while Lynden Christian’s Allison Shumate and Fritts had 10 points each Lynden Christian started the game with a 9-2 lead The Lyncs saw their lead slip away when Anderson scored four points and Molly Kyler banked a 3-point shot to make it 9-9 with four minutes left in the first quarter.  The Lyncs held a 14-13 lead after the first quarter led by six points from Danya Dykstra and four from Shumate.  For the first five minutes of the second quarter neither team scored until Shumate was fouled and connected on a free throw Tyra Dykstra hit a 3-pointer to start the scoring run by both squads Tyra Dykstra ended the second quarter by making a free throw to give the Lyncs a 21-17 lead King’s took their first lead at 24-21 when Anderson made a basket The Knights continued a 12-1 run that was finally ended by a 3-pointer from Jocelyn Eshuis. The two teams traded buckets in the fourth until the buzzer-beater Lynden Christian will now get a chance to finish as high as third Meridian boys basketball clinched their first state trophy since placing second in 2010 after blowing past Seton Catholic 68-48 in the consolation semifinals Friday 7 Trojans will play for fourth/sixth place against the winner of No we believed we were one of the top four teams and we have a chance to win that fourth-place trophy tomorrow I feel like we are right where we belong.” Meridian’s offense clicked early with five points from Pierce Brzozowski and a 3-pointer from Jaeger Fyfe Seton Catholic quickly answered but the Trojans led 10-7 after the first four minutes and 14-12 at the end of one quarter The Trojans started the second quarter with a hot start taking a 19-12 lead in the first couple of minutes but it didn’t slow down the Trojans offense at all Meridian extended its lead to 30-19 with eight points from Brzozowski and James Hadahl each Fyfe returned and Meridian kept the momentum You would have to cut off his leg to not get him back in that game.” Meridian went into halftime with a 36-23 lead after Matthew Blankenburg made an unbalanced 3-point shot from the left corner with the buzzer going off The Trojans finished the first half shooting 56% “You watch a lot of these games and teams that rely on one-to-two kids are going to be hurting,” Stacy said We knew going in that this needed to be a team effort Talon Jenkins took over by making baskets from all over the court to take a 53-35 lead Meridian finished the fourth quarter by breaking Seton Catholic’s press defense and dreams of chasing a medal at state Jenkins stepped up in the last few minutes and finished the game with 21 points After getting stunned by Prosser in the 2A state quarterfinals Thursday Lynden boys basketball was unable to recover Friday morning in a 41-38 elimination loss to Columbia River at the Yakima Valley SunDome and will now leave the SunDome trophy-less for the first time since 2015 “We slayed the king,” Columbia River coach Mark Ganter said senior Brant Heppner led the charge in the first quarter with 13 points to give the Lions a 15-6 advantage after the first eight minutes “Brant’s one of the all-time Lynden players,” Lynden coach Brian Roper said “He took a very young team and his leadership was on display all year What you don’t see is in the practice and locker room Heppner continued to lead the pack with the first four points in the second quarter He finished with 25 points and 13 rebounds Rapids began to change momentum after a steal and layup cut Lynden’s lead to 21-8 with five minutes left 11 Columbia River got it down to single digits as time expired to give Lynden a 25-16 lead at halftime.  Lynden struggled in the third quarter as they failed to make a basket in the entire eight minutes as all five points came from free throws Columbia River took the momentum and tied the game at 30-30 Columbia River took the 31-30 lead after Ari Richardson made one of two technical free throws Heppner scored the first basket in the second half with a jump shot to take a 32-31 lead with five minutes left Both teams traded the lead throughout the final two minutes as tensions began to rise every second Richardson was fouled and sent to the free throw line with a 37-36 Rapids’ lead “(Ari) is used to it and loves it,” Ganter said “He is a gym rat so this stuff doesn’t bother him.” Jack Stapleton made a layup with 8.6 seconds left to make it 39-38 Richardson stepped up to the line again with 5.5 seconds left and made both free throws.  it makes this moment more difficult for the players and coaches.” Thanks for visiting The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Washington Capitals and AHL's Hershey Bears announced today that the club has signed forward Lynden Breen to an ECHL contract for the remainder of the 2024-25 season.  has spent the last five years playing college hockey for the University of Maine Black Bears Breen captained the Black Bears for the last two seasons and served as an alternate captain the year before.  the Black Bears have qualified for the 16-team NCAA national tournament for each of the last two seasons Maine won their first Hockey East championship since 2004 and he is a complete player," said Stingrays Head Coach Jared Nightingale "I think it's really important to add depth throughout the lineup and Lynden has a lot of different traits that make him attractive and he seems to take pride in the defensive game and hunting pucks Breen has also signed an American League contract with the Hershey Bears that will begin in the 2025-26 season South Carolina is back in action next Saturday night as they return to home ice for their final home game of the regular season against the Orlando Solar Bears for Fan Appreciation Night, presented by Amped Electric The puck drop for that game is set for 6:05 pm and the first 1,000 fans in the building will receive a Jason Fitzsimmons bobblehead Sign up for our email newsletter to be the first to know about news and upcoming games YAKIMA — Lynden girls basketball proved to be Ellensburg’s kryptonite once again defeating the Bulldogs for the second straight year in the 2A state championship game It is Lynden’s fifth state title in school history — all under head coach Rob Adams who returned to the team last year after a three-year absence the Lions snapped the Bulldogs’ 75-game win streak it was all about Lynden and its quest for back-to-back championships it’s awesome,” Lynden sophomore Finley Parcher said “Everyone on this team has worked tremendously hard.” Gallery: 1A/2A state hoops Day 4 The Lions’ offense struggled early with several missed open shots But Lynden’s size and strength allowed them to dominate early Finley Parcher piled up five points and a couple of rebounds.  2 Ellensburg responded by allowing top-seeded Lynden to continue to shoot open 3-pointers and limit opportunities in the paint Lynden shot 21.4% from behind the arc in the first half “The irony is we have had a certain offense sitting in our pocket since Christmas to get ready for the triangle and two defense,” Adams said “We had a couple teams this season during blowouts try that against us but we were not going to run it because it might come at a time.” The time finally came when Lexi Hermanutz and Kiki York nailed a pair of 3-pointers “It feels nice that we were able to accomplish something we have been chasing since the beginning of the year,” York said Payton Mills banked a 14-foot jump shot to end the quarter with a 15-10 lead Lynden took a double digit lead when Reese Nyhoff nailed a 3-point shot with about a minute left who remained on the court during the break Lynden’s defense led to its transition offense scoring easy baskets Parcher was able to break through Ellensburg’s press and make a couple more layups The Lions held a 41-29 lead after the third quarter Mills scored the first points for either team in the fourth quarter after three minutes of scoreless action Since neither team was able to score willingly in the fourth quarter Lynden was able to cruise to the lone state title in Yakima Lynden finished the season with a perfect 28-0 record and only graduates two seniors: York and Melanie Anderson The Lynden Christian boys had one of the toughest tasks to win a state title this season Although the Lyncs fought until the final buzzer they couldn’t overcome the Gators’ powerful lineup losing 59-46 and placing second in the 1A state tournament “I knew they were good,” LC coach Tim Zylstra said “We almost had to play perfect and you can’t ask 15 or 16-year-old kids to play perfect all the time We played our tails off and the first half Although Annie Wright’s boys program has only been around for five seasons losing to them in the state semifinals last season “We were never aiming for second in the first place it was a David and Goliath story,” LC senior Gannon Dykstra said It was a slow-paced game where both teams struggled to find uncontested shots in the first quarter The Lyncs held a 4-3 lead halfway through the first quarter but Annie Wright’s defensive pressure started to break the Lyncs down Annie Wright went on an 8-0 run until Dawson Hintz assisted Kaden Veldman for an open layup “It’s hard to get into their stuff.”  The Gators finished the first quarter with a 13-9 lead after Gannon Dykstra made three free throws in the final seconds Gunnar Dykstra opened the second quarter with a 25-foot 3-pointer to narrow the lead Luke VanKooten answered with a 3-pointer to make it 19-17 Annie Wright held a 29-22 lead at halftime Annie Wright kicked it into another gear in the third quarter with a combination of its size and athleticism to take a double-digit lead The Gators finished the third quarter with a 43-29 lead Gunnar Dykstra sparked the Lyncs within the first couple of minutes in the fourth quarter with a pair of 3-pointers “I was so proud of the (younger guys),” Ganon Dykstra said “We started three sophomores the entire year and we had a young team I am proud of them playing their role.”  But Annie Wright went into cruise control and captured the school’s first boys basketball state title in their five-year history Lynden Christian girls captured the program’s 20th straight state trophy with a 50-36 win over Annie Wright to claim third place at the 1A state tournament Saturday It is the Lyncs’ ninth third-place trophy and 40th team trophy in school history “It never gets any easier,” coach Brady Bomber said “We are blessed to have a program built over many years and have many players and coaches establish this program We are thankful to be a part of the next chapter.” Lynden Christian’s season began with unfortunate news as star senior Grace Hintz was going to be out for the entire season with a torn ACL The Lyncs dealt with bumps and bruises throughout the season but kept the success rolling until the final day in Yakima “Every group has their own story and this group has a unique one,” Bomber said “I am really proud of our girls and the way they committed to competing for each other and the unselfish way they approached the game 5 Annie Wright opened up the third/fifth place game with an even battle The Lyncs took a 10-8 lead after the first eight minutes Lynden Christian’s shooting took control of the game Tyra Dykstra had a hot hand in the first half Allison Shumate also dominated the paint with eight points in the first two quarters and finished with a team-high 14 points The Lyncs had a 29-15 lead at halftime.  Lynden Christian took a 47-29 lead with Ella Fritts scoring seven of her 11 points during that span With a couple of minutes left in the fourth quarter and the game secured the seniors walked off the court for the final time and were greeted with hugs “This senior class embraced the values we want to represent,” Bomber said They were willing to sacrifice for the greater good of the team We are going to miss them on the basketball court but miss them more as people.” Lynden Christian finished the season with a 22-4 record Meridian boys basketball secured a fourth-place trophy in the 1A boys state tournament after defeating Chelan 59-48; their best finish since placing second in 2010 — and the program’s first win on a Saturday in Yakima in school history “It means the world,” coach Shane Stacy said You care for each other and it is special.” The process of Meridian’s chase for a trophy began when now-seniors Jaeger Fyfe and Talon Jenkins began playing together in fifth grade The two of them knew by the time they graduated they would bring back some hardware with them “You look at the trophy and the thoughts coming to your mind are all those hours in the gym late at night or early in the morning,” Jenkins said “All the times you get yelled at or yelled at by your teammates Jenkins and Fyfe finished their career responsible for 49 of Meridian’s 59 points against Chelan “Talon sent me a quote a month ago,” Stacy said “‘The work that is done in the dark will always come to the light.’ The time Jaeger and Talon put in draining four 3-pointers and a layup to give Meridian a 19-4 lead Meridian finished the final couple of minutes with their bench providing high intensity defense and keeping a 19-9 lead after the first quarter Fyfe kept the momentum rolling in the second quarter with another eight points But Chelan’s fast-paced offense kept the Mountain Goats within striking distance Jenkins scored nine points in the first five minutes of the third quarter to give Meridian an 11-4 run The Trojans held a 49-33 lead after the third quarter Canyon James and Brock Haugen played their final minutes while James Hedahl finished his senior campaign fouling out in the third quarter All five seniors played a pivotal role in Meridian’s trophy “Their willingness to be coached and whatever they said Meridian finished the season with a 20-10 record and is already looking forward to creating a winning culture but I think we were some seeds being planted for other guys who can take it and run with it,” Jenkins said Pressman Don Park adjusts settings on the Lynden Tribune and Print Company’s retiring newsprint press “There will be nothing like this anymore,” he said after completing one of his final printing jobs “Everything is more automatic and digital.” (Kimberly Cauvel / Salish Current © 2025) Shut-down of last press of its kind in Whatcom County reflects evolution in newspaper printing realities; The Lynden Tribune newspaper continues publication The ring of an alarm signals the start of a process largely unchanged in the Lynden Tribune press room over the past half-century Wheels begin to churn spooled paper through a maze of rollers spitting out stacks of the familiar form of a four-fold newsprint publication at the end of the line This symphony of newsprint production —  and the accompanying smell of newly-minted ink — played for the final time this week in Whatcom County.  “It’s the end of an era,” Lynden Tribune and Print Company General Manager Len VanderStelt said.  The Lynden publishing company has for many years run this last press of its kind in Whatcom County The next closest press with newsprinting capabilities is housed at the Skagit Publishing Company office that prints the Skagit Valley Herald and a cacophony of other publications distributed throughout the region.  While the Lynden publisher has printed its own weekly Tribune and Ferndale Record the monthly Sudden Valley News and outside publications until this week other local publications including the Bellingham Herald and Cascadia Daily News were already being printed on the Skagit press and delivered north on their daily and weekly rotations The Skagit press — or print houses even more far flung — will now absorb the publications that the Lynden press will no longer manage.  Up to four staff at the Lynden Tribune and Print Company are directly impacted by the change.  “That’s the hardest part,” VanderStelt said.  the conductor of the now disbanded symphony He has been working here since before he graduated from Lynden High School in 1998.  I didn’t have gray hair when I started here,” Park said.  Most of that intervening time he served as the press operator scaling stairs and manually adjusting knobs and levers to correct page alignment and color transfer as stories and ads filled fresh pages.  a former longtime press operator turned general manager said the intricacies of that dance are in large part driving the extinction of these types of printing machines It requires a lot more work and produces a lot more waste to finesse the details of a page than newer more automated presses like the one at Skagit Publishing Company in Mount Vernon.  It is equipped with technology that can assess and correct alignment and color content requiring fewer human interventions at the machine and enabling most of the work to be pre-set using computer programming.  VanderStelt said that automation and the larger scale of that machine enable the Skagit press to work faster as well with the ability to crank out 30,000 pages per hour compared to Lynden’s capacity for 10,000 per hour.  “I started as a web press operator here (at the Lynden Tribune) in 1977,” VanderStelt said while the press he’s known for 48 years whirred during the final printing of a monthly publication “It is amazing how the newspaper world has changed.”  As newspapers have increasingly struggled to staff newsrooms in an ever-evolving digital age the trajectory for aging press rooms has also been clear.  “We’d be lying if we said we hadn’t seen the writing on the wall in some ways,” Lynden Tribune and Print Company prepress manager Chad Williams said of the impending shutdown of the local printing press.  His job at the Lynden Tribune and Print Company is safe for now with a steady stream of products still printed on the smaller But he has moved from publisher to publisher throughout his career as news-printing conditions changed including when the Bellingham Herald pulled the plug on its printing press and he turned to Skagit Publishing Company for work.  “We’ve all seen the newspaper industry go like this,” Cutter said with a downsloping motion of his hand.  Printing presses are going offline as costs outpace revenues and publications that continue to be printed are traveling farther distances to reach doorsteps and newsstands.  Lynden Tribune and Print Company President and Publisher Michael D Lewis delivered news that that fate had come for the local press in a letter to producers of outside publications on Jan While the 24-day window during which the press remained online may seem short the development wasn’t all that surprising to colleagues in the news business.  Lewis said in the letter that he was shutting down the press his family business owned and operated for 54 years “with deep sadness … It was a very difficult decision to make but the current economic situation just does not warrant the continued operation of the press,” he wrote.  but have included massive rolls of newsprint paper shipped from the Spokane area It’s generally more difficult for local businesses to keep afloat than chain newspapers with outside resources has grown its position as a regional stronghold for print products since it was acquired in 2017 by Adams Publishing Group a 19-state business that leverages regional hubs has been locally owned and operated by the Lewis family since 1914.  As community newspapers struggle independently or are consolidated through organizations like Adams Publishing Group and printed publications rely on fewer presses like found at Skagit Publishing Company the availability of paper-and-ink news for readers continues to shrink.  It’s rare now to find a daily newspaper that hasn’t eliminated print days shrank from seven print delivery days per week to six in 2019 and then down to just two delivery days as of 2023 Even the in-house Skagit Valley Herald reduced its print schedule from seven days per week to six in 2020 And Cascadia Daily News adopted this model of print less opting for a once-weekly print schedule despite its name.  The Daily Herald serving the Everett area in Snohomish County is also it turns out local news is taking longer roads to get delivered.  “It’s a whole different world,” VanderStelt said Did you find this story useful? If so, share it with a friend, a family member or colleagueand ask them to subscribe to Salish Current (it’s free) for more stories like this Help keep the local news flowing — support nonpartisan, fact-based, no-paywall local journalismwith a donation to the Salish Current — news for people Kimberly Cauvel is a journalist and communications professional living in beautiful northwest Washington A STRONG COMMUNITY NEEDS A STRONG LOCAL PRESS.Help us revive local journalism Archer has been appointed to a second term as the Joseph Silbert Dean of Engineering Interim Provost John Siliciano ’75 announced Oct The Cornell Board of Trustees’ Executive Committee voted Oct “Lynden is an inspiring leader and collaborator who has led Cornell Engineering with distinction,” Siliciano said “The college continues to be at the forefront of research from material science to climate and energy systems the college is better positioned to generate the engineering solutions for the most pressing challenges our planet faces.” Cornell Engineering is home to 228 tenured and tenure-track faculty members and 3,441 undergraduate and 2,583 graduate students Twenty-five percent of Cornell Tech’s faculty hold joint appointments in the schools of Electrical and Computer Engineering Operations Research and Information Engineering Archer directed the Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from 2010 to 2016 and the Cornell Energy Systems Institute from 2017 to 2020.  Over the course of his first term as dean, Archer led a comprehensive effort to create a 10-year strategic plan, Cornell Engineering 2030 aimed at positioning the college as a center of excellence in education “I am proudest of the bottom-up design of our 2030 plan and the impact it is already having on our research and education programs thinking about domains where our programs are already world-class and then identifying priority areas where modest investments would position the college for long-term leadership,” Archer said The priorities informed the collegewide plan which focuses on building strength in certain priority research directions – data-driven decisions machine learning and AI; engineering the energy transition; molecular design and manufacturing; precision medicine and human health; quantum information science and technology; and robotics and autonomous systems – domains all at the intersection of multiple engineering fields “Because the alignment between the college- and department-level priorities are built in we’ve been able to make more rapid progress than I expected in hiring faculty modernizing our aging infrastructure and in developing the programs needed to achieve the goals of the 2030 plan,” Archer said The 2030 plan defined priority directions in engineering education the college has increased the use of endowed professorships to recognize its most outstanding teachers With financial support from the McCormick family it has expanded support for course innovations instructor evaluation and for “teaching-the-teacher” programs offered by the McCormick Teaching Excellence Institute It has developed EPICC awards to recognize staff and faculty who embody the college’s core values: excellence It has also developed a cohort of embedded tenure-track faculty whose scholarship is in engineering education research; three of these faculty have already been hired and the goal is to add five more over the next decade In addition, thanks to a substantial gift this summer Cornell Engineering established the Nancy and Bob Selander Center for Engineering Leadership making leadership development a central component of the college’s undergraduate education graduate training and faculty development.  “A key goal of the Selander Center is to develop a ‘Leadership for All’ program that will embed leadership skills training in the curriculum for every Cornell Engineering student beginning with the Class of 2028,” Archer said “Our goal is that in addition to receiving the exceptional technical education we’re known for every member of our 2028 graduating class and beyond will be formally equipped with the tools needed to be effective leaders and team members – because no matter what field they ultimately pursue experience teaches that these tools are required for engineers to truly make a difference but this test is going to augment our students’ ability to excel in the workplace in technical and nontechnical domains.” Additional accomplishments from Archer’s first term include: Archer has maintained a vibrant research program focused on interface science and fluid dynamics in electrochemical energy storage systems He is a fellow of the American Physical Society and a member of the National Academy of Engineering His research has led to the creation of a technology company that is commercializing electrodes and electrolytes for long duration storage of energy in batteries His work has been recognized with numerous awards including the National Science Foundation award for special creativity; the Thompson-Reuters “World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds” recognition in materials science; and the James and Mary Tien Excellence in Teaching Award in chemical engineering with an emphasis in polymer science from the University of Southern California in 1989 and his Ph.D in chemical engineering from Stanford University in 1993 He was a postdoctoral member of the technical staff at AT&T Bell Laboratories before entering academia in 1994 Get Cornell news delivered right to your inbox LYNDEN — The town of Lynden was quiet on the first snowy day of 2025 It wasn’t because everyone was at home staying warm the entire town packed the Lynden and Lynden Christian high school gymnasiums for the annual crosstown matchups between the girls and boys basketball teams Saturday “We are fortunate to have this game once a year,” Lynden girls coach Rob Adams said “I’ve been on the losing and winning end and it doesn’t matter ‘be where your feet are at because it’s rare to play in front of 2,000 people.’ I don’t think it happens anywhere else in the state except once a year in this town.” Lynden won its 19th straight game to remain undefeated on the season as the Lions completed a 65-56 victory over visiting Lynden Christian on Saturday night It’s my favorite game of the year,” said Lynden forward Brant Heppner “Lynden Christian is a great team and will go on a deep run It’s super fun to come here and pull out a win for the community.” The Lions started the game with an 8-0 run in the first five minutes Lynden Christian struggled in a physical game against the larger Lions Gannon Dykstra broke the streak with a layup He finished the first quarter with a 3-point buzzer-beater to cut Lynden’s lead to 18-12 Dykstra finished with a game-high 27 points and Dawson Hintz added 20 points for the Lyncs Gallery: Lynden tops LC to remain unbeaten Lynden extended its lead to 39-23 at halftime as Spencer Adams nailed a couple of 3-pointers and Malachie Koenen had nine points in the quarter “We have some shooters and if you sag off we will make you pay for that,” Heppner said “Other guys stepped up huge and were ready for the moment.” Dykstra and Hiltz were responsible for all of the Lyncs’ points until Kaden Veldman made a layup with two minutes left in the third quarter Heppner and Adams extended Lynden’s lead to 53-40 after three quarters Although Lynden had a large lead throughout the game “The second half we got a little loose,” Heppner said “We sped up a bit and let them back into it we made them work for all 32 minutes.” After a handful of steals and baskets from Hintz and Dykstra the Lyncs were on the verge of tying the game But a few reckless possessions forced the Lyncs to start fouling Lynden Lynden (19-0) will travel to Anacortes at 7:15 p.m Lynden Christian (17-2) will host Lakewood at 7:15 p.m The Lions (19-0) and Lyncs (16-3) entered the game as each of the top teams in the 2A and 1A classifications The defending 2A state champion Lions were too much to handle taking a 60-35 victory at Lynden Christian High “LC presents a unique problem because they spread the floor “We talked to the girls to run them off the line and be prepared to stop the basketball Our girls did a tremendous job eliminating the wide-open 3s.” Lynden Christian took an early 6-5 in the first two minutes Lyncs Ella Fritts scored a couple of layups and assisted Allison Shumate for another layup Lynden’s role players took over shortly after as Kiki York made a couple of free throws a layup and forced Fritts into a couple of turnovers “We were staying on our toes and ready to take (Fritts) away “It also feels good to know that I can be a scorer for my team and make my shots instead of just being a defensive player.” York led the Lions with a team-high 15 points and followed with three rebounds and a pair of assists York gave the Lions a 33-21 lead at halftime after scoring nine points in the second quarter including a turnaround buzzer-beating 3-pointer Lynden also forced a handful of steals and a block to extend the lead Lexie Hermanutz tallied eight steals and two blocks for the Lions Fritts had a hot start with four consecutive points to go with a Schumate layup Lynden finished the game on a 14-2 run in the fourth quarter LC’s Ellie Pierce made the opening basket of the quarter then the Lions followed up by extending their lead until the final whistle “It’s nice because they got us my freshman and sophomore year,” York said Adams praised the performance of Melanie Anderson who didn’t play her junior year but turned out for her final season of high school “She averages about three minutes per game,” Adams said she played about 15 minutes and played lights out defensively Lynden Christian will travel to Lakewood at 7:15 p.m YAKIMA — The second day of the 1A/2A state boys and girls basketball tournaments Thursday including three-time defending state champion Lynden boys getting upset in the 2A state quarterfinals and the defending state champions Lynden girls 3 Lynden Christian boys capped off Thursday night with a dominating 69-44 victory against No The Lyncs could not have asked for a better start in the first quarter taking a 21-5 lead after the first eight minutes Luke VanKooten shined in the first quarter with a pair of 3-pointers near the top of the key King’s crept back into the game with a 12-3 run in the second quarter But Lynden Christian finished strong with Kaden Veldman’s 11 first-half points to give the Lyncs a 34-18 lead at halftime including a handful of baskets from Gunnar Dykstra The Lyncs cruised in the fourth quarter for the win Lynden Christian will play the winner of No The defending 2A state champion Lynden girls had no trouble blowing past No The Lions dominated the first half with a 30-10 lead Lynden was shooting nearly 54% from the field in the first half headlined by Finley Parcher’s 16 points and Payton Mills’ nine The Rapids were only able to take 10 shots the entire first half and connected on three of them.  In the second half, Lynden extended its hot streak by reeling off a blistering 24-3 run The Lions led by as much as 39 points but slowed down in the fourth quarter and secured the win 5 Archbishop Murphy 68-49 in its quarterfinal match 7 Meridian boys couldn’t keep up with a high-powered and top-seeded Annie Wright squad in the 1A quarterfinals It was a slow start for both teams in the first quarter After an opening 3-pointer from Annie Wright neither team could score for the next few minutes The Gators started the game on an 8-0 run until Meridian senior Jaeger Fyfe was fouled and nailed both free throws with three minutes left in the quarter.  Talon Jenkins and Trey Alexander made a combined three free throws to end the first quarter with a 15-5 Gators lead Besides a Jenkins’ jump shot and James Hedahl’s layup the Trojans scored the rest of their first half points from the free throw line Both defenses continued to dominate the third quarter as Annie Wright only scored seven points to take a 40-14 lead Meridian fared a little better in fourth quarter including a couple baskets from the reserves But Annie Wright’s pressure and athleticism were too much to overcome Meridian will play in a loser-out game against No on March 7. Seton Catholic lost 61-59 to No Top-seeded Lynden’s run to a fourth straight title was cut short after losing to No The Lions opened the game with a 20-18 lead after the first quarter Lynden was shooting over 42% from the field and 55% from the 3-point line in the first half Lynden scored only five points in the third quarter and tried to respond in the fourth but could not climb back Prosser scored 19 points in the third quarter led by Koby McClue with 22 points in the game.  Lynden went 0-for-15 from the 3-point line in the second half and 7-of-28 from the field Brant Heppner led with a game-high 28 points and 11 rebounds Lynden will face a loser-out game against Columbia River at 9 a.m The top-seeded Lynden Christian girls advance to the 1A semifinals after defeating No Cashmere struggled to find a rhythm in the first half going 3-for-19 from the field and 0-for-8 from behind the arc the Lyncs went 12-for-28 from the field and held a 29-9 lead at halftime Cashmere opened the third quarter by outscoring the Lyncs 10-6 to slim the lead Lynden Christian held strong to secure the victory Allison Shumate led with 15 points and nine rebounds.  MOUNT VERNON — Lynden girls basketball is headed to state after downing Archbishop Murphy in the 2A District 1 championship game while the Lynden boys will face a loser-out game after a 50-49 upset loss to Lakewood in their district title match Wednesday night The Lynden girls (23-0) secured their ticket to state with a 52-36 over the Wildcats in an early defensive battle “That is a Saturday basketball team there,” Lynden girls coach Rob Adams said “We were playing with the same juice on offense as we were on defense.” The Wildcats 1-3-1 defensive zone provided early issues for the Lions Archbishop Murphy’s Ava Marr made a pair of 3-pointers to give the Wildcats an 8-4 lead Lynden responded shortly after with their size and physicality.  Gallery: Lynden girls win districts, boys upset “They were bound and determined to zone us the entire time,” Adams said “They were diligent to a point where it almost hurt us.” Payton Mills dominated the paint in the first quarter and capped it off with a 3-pointer to give the Lions a 13-11 lead after the first eight minutes Mills finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds Mills continued to dominate in the paint in the second half Finley Parcher also scored five points in the quarter and the Lions’ defense had six blocks in the first half Archbishop Murphy’s Brooke Blachly ended almost a 10-minute scoreless drought for the Wildcats Blachly nailed three 3-pointers to cut the Lions’ lead to 36-22 But Lynden’s Degitu Bowler ended the quarter with an open layup to make it 38-24 Blachly and Marr tried rallying the Wildcats back into contention making it 46-34 with about three minutes remaining a block and a couple of rebounds to secure the win for Lynden Three-time defending state champion Lynden (22-1) saw its perfect season fall five seconds short as Lakewood stunned the Lions 50-49 in the district championship.  “I give a lot of credit to Lakewood,” Lynden boys coach Brian Roper said “We know how tough they are and how hard they played I felt like we had the game under control but they made some big plays when they needed to.” hit the game-winning 3-pointer after wrapping around a screen in the right corner with five seconds to play Cougars’ Quinton Steen made a 3-pointer in the corner with 30 seconds left and Lynden’s Spencer Adams followed up with a contested 3-pointer to make it 49-47 with 16 seconds left Lynden saw themselves in a massive 18-0 deficit within the first few minutes.  Lakewood took an early 9-0 lead after a couple of steals and baskets by Steen and Espe The Cougars keep the full-court pressure rolling through the first quarter not allowing Lynden to score until Spencer Adams made a 3-pointer with 30 seconds left to end the quarter trailing 18-3 “I did not think it was possible for us to play that poorly in the first quarter,” Roper said I was proud of our guys for keeping fighting.” Lynden began to force the Cougars into contested shots allowing them to grab rebounds and break the press The Lions utilized the up-tempo offense to drain four 3-pointers and slim the score to 29-21 at halftime Lynden erased the deficit with a hot start from Brant Heppner to make it a one-possession game Heppner finished with 19 points and seven rebounds After a few failed attempts to tie the game Lynden’s Brody Price made a layup and converted the free throw to tie the game at 31-31 with six minutes left in the third quarter The Lions picked up its first lead of the game when Heppner scored a midrange jumper to make it 35-34 with two minutes left Both teams traded the lead until Heppner made a pair of free throws at the end of the quarter to make it 39-38 Both teams continued to trade the lead until the final buzzer when Heppner’s shot hit the back of the rim.  “We got a one-game season and we have been in this situation before,” Roper said Lynden will face the winner of Archbishop Murphy and Burlington-Edison in a winner-to-state LYNDEN — Lynden Christian boys and girls basketball teams swept the 1A District 1 championship games Saturday Lynden Christian girls earned their berth in the 1A District 1/2 crossover game after defeating Nooksack Valley 59-30 It was a slow start due to some stout defensive work from both teams Ella Fritts began a Lyncs’ scoring run nearly three minutes into the first quarter by making both of her free throws Fritts scored four and Estela Hernandez scored five to give the Lyncs a 9-0 lead Gallery: Lynden Christian basketball sweeps districts Nooksack Valley’s Kate Shintaffer helped the Pioneers slim the lead to 11-7 with two minutes remaining in the first quarter Ellie Pierce scored a layup with under a minute remaining to give LC a 13-7 lead after one Lynden Christian went on a 5-0 run within the first minute The Lyncs kept Nooksack Valley scoreless until Grace De Hoog assisted Chayleigh Davis with about three minutes remaining to make it 23-9 The Lyncs continued to rally behind Tyra Dykstra’s 3-pointer and Ellie Pierce’s layup to take a 28-9 halftime lead Nooksack Valley opened the third quarter with a hot start Payton Bartl nailed a 3-pointer in the corner Lynden Christian still held a 39-17 halfway through the third quarter but Dykstra answered back to end the quarter with a 45-24 lead Nooksack Valley could not handle the Lyncs’ defense Lynden Christian took a 30-point lead with about two minutes left and allowed the reserves to finish the game.  Lynden Christian will play a yet-to-be-determined opponent at 1 p.m Nooksack Valley will face Meridian at 6 p.m where the winner heads to a crossover match and the loser is out Meridian had the crowd on their feet after drilling a 3-pointer within the first minute Lynden Christian took the momentum back quickly and won the game the Lyncs went on a 15-0 run until Meridian’s Talon Jenkins made a mid-range shot with about 30 seconds left to end the first quarter with a 15-5 Lyncs lead Gannon Dykstra scored five of his team-high 20 points in the first quarter and Luke VanKooten scored six of his 19 points The two teams got a bit physical through the second quarter as Meridian’s Jaeger Fyfe picked up a flagrant foul and Lynden Christian’s Kaden Veldman followed with a technical foul.   Both teams traded baskets until the Lyncs held a 33-21 halftime lead Meridian opened the third quarter with a hot start as Jenkins and Canyon James each drained long-range shots Besides a counter 3-pointer from VanKooten the Lyncs were silenced early in the third quarter allowing Meridian to slim the lead to 36-29 with four minutes left VanKooten scored 10 points in the third quarter to extend the Lyncs’ lead to 47-37.  Veldman and Dawson Hintz were responsible for six points each Fyfe scored seven of his 12 points in the fourth and Jenkins racked up a few free throws to complete a team-high 13 points.  Lynden Christian will play a yet-to-be-determined opponent at 3 p.m 22 at King’s High School in the District 1/2 crossover game Meridian will face Nooksack Valley at 7:45 p.m 18 at Lynden High for the final spot in the district crossover Lynden School District will ask the City of Lynden and Whatcom County to collect fees from new housing developments to support needed The impact fees could help the district expand capacity at Lynden High School, as well as add more seats at Isom and Bernice Vossbeck Elementary Schools, reducing a pricey bond ask. A bond put to Lynden voters has now failed twice; in August The City of Lynden and the county will still need to approve the fees for them to go into effect in January 2026 assessed on organizations or people constructing new homes provide public institutions extra funding to handle the demands on public facilities driven by new growth These fees can’t fund maintenance projects but can help fund the construction of new buildings or projects that add capacity to existing buildings the elementary school expansions and purchasing portables.  “Impact fees isn’t going to pay for a new school,” Superintendent David VanderYacht said at a Thursday The district is proposing fees of $6,992 per new single-family dwelling unit of three bedrooms or more and $6,992 per a new multi-family dwelling unit of two bedrooms or more Single-family and multi-family dwelling units with fewer than two bedrooms for the former and one bedroom or less for the latter would not be subject to impact fees These fees are discounted from the maximum the district could collect by 25% for single-family units and roughly 50% for multi-family units to avoid undue impacts on development in the area the district estimates these fees could generate between $7 and $8.5 million in the City of Lynden Lynden School District serves nearly 70 square miles across the City of Lynden and parts of unincorporated Whatcom County The district’s current permanent capacity is 2,900 students with the enrollment sitting at 2,975 in October 2023 the district’s numbers have stabilized and are now expected to grow according to the district’s six-year Capital Facilities Plan The district also expects development in Pepin Creek to add a significant number of residential units.  A number of nearby school districts have impact fees City leaders in Lynden will vote Monday night on a plan to remove fluoride from the city’s drinking water system community members have come forward asking for that practice to end Some questioned how safe it is to include the mineral in tap water It gives you mouth problems in the future,” said Joe Blackton Trent Veltkamp of Veltkamp Family Dentistry in Lynden said years of scientific studies don't support such claims when fluoride is regulated responsibly “It's been shown to have quite tremendous benefit as far as protecting teeth from tooth decay.” uses less than half the concentrations of fluoride where harmful effects would occur He said removing fluoride is the wrong call “The biggest effect that it has is on people who don't have a choice in the matter kids who aren't making regular trips to the dentist." Beyond the questions around science are concerns about personal autonomy “It should not be in our water if you don't give consent,” said Steve Ottman who lives just outside Lynden’s city limits At least one Lynden city councilmember agrees Councilmember Gary Vis opted to continue adding fluoride to the city's water supply He said there are so many clashing opinions in his community that he may call for an amendment to put the issue to a citizens' advisory vote “This isn't something that the citizens can vote directly but they can advise us on how they would vote and then we would take it up as a council,” Vis said Lynden is the only city in Whatcom County that currently treats its water with fluoride The mayor cited a lack of evidence that fluoride causes any actual harm when it is in the water supply City leaders have since introduced a new measure The Lynden City Council meeting begins at 7 p.m at the Lynden City Annex on 205 4th Street Three thousand people cram into Jake Maberry Gymnasium for the annual rivalry matchup against Lynden Christian and the creaky bleachers shake — not from the crowd’s excitement but from the thunder of tom drums and the layered trombone chords of Lynden’s pep band Maybe it’s hits from Chappell Roan or Travis Scott but the group laces every moment of downtime with a soundtrack that elevates the event beyond that of just a high school basketball game Lynden High School’s pep band has evolved into one of the top sideline programs in the state The now 80-member group has been handcrafted by director Trevor Galligan who built up the group literally note by note “The kids will come to me with something like This song is awesome,’” Galligan said ‘That’s not a thing yet.’ But then that night I’ll sit down and chunk it out and make it for them.” but quality” band program of about 55 students from former director Steve Herrick Growing the program was one of his top priorities from day one Galligan makes an effort to connect with the Lynden Middle School band including collaborative concerts between the two levels the Lynden band program boasts a handful of other renowned groups and many see a lot of crossover in members (80 of the 140 students enrolled in band classes are also in pep band) the school’s top performance band (think marches ballads and the likes) earned its 30th straight “superior” rating at the San Juan Music Educators Association Large Group Festival in March 2024 and is looking to make it 31 at this year’s competition Galligan has found it vital for directors to pour as much as they can into their programs to make it successful and retain students “I’m OK with that because that’s what I want it to be And I think that’s where all this success in every avenue we have is — if the kids see me all in then I can get them all in,” he said Senior trumpet player Ruby Smith has played in Lynden bands since sixth grade and has enjoyed learning and growing as a musician and student “We work so hard that I feel like some of our stuff is underrated who had “no musical talent” before joining the band her sophomore year said even though band kids can get a bad rap that stereotype has gone out the window at Lynden Creating a strong program is any director’s goal, but Galligan sees how his efforts parlay into a bigger picture — as schools face funding issues arts programs are typically the first to be terminated “I’m trying to create that culture with music that it would be obvious if it wasn’t there,” he said “Let’s keep adding events and getting kids connected … with the band being a part of so many things I’m almost making it hard to cut something like that.” Galligan has built an ever-evolving catalog of more than 60 songs ready to fill any moment in a football or basketball game Pieces range from one of the band’s favorites “Cocoon,” a 2022 high-energy hip-hop piece by 070 Shake to “Narco,” a trumpet-heavy electronic anthem by DJ duo Blasterjaxx and Timmy Trumpet “[The band] is a big part of what we do,” Roper said it’s super positive and our kids feed off of that.” The feeling is mutual for Galligan and the band “There’s nothing like the band playing in a heated championship game when it’s neck and neck then a timeout is called and we add to the noise and energy,” he said With the quality sports programs at Lynden, the band gets to travel for the postseason, perhaps most notably to the Yakima SunDome for those basketball state championships for the opportunity to share the students’ talents beyond the Lynden community Galligan also designed the digital music production and music theory courses at Lynden to make music accessible to students who may be too far behind to learn an instrument to play in the band but still want to be involved While Lynden may be best known for its outstanding history of athletics Roper said it doesn’t have to be sports that connect a high school community just a place where young people can get involved,” he said “And [Galligan] has really fostered that atmosphere where I think kids are not only learning lessons but creating lifelong friendships.” Finn Wendt is a CDN visual journalist; reach him at finnwendt@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext YAKIMA — As the Columbia River boys basketball team ran back to the locker room celebrating its most consequential win of the season the Rapids yelled two words that pretty well summed up the last two weeks “Nobody believed!” Players repeated again and again 1 Lynden 41-38 on Friday morning in the Class 2A state fourth-place semifinals after facing a first-half deficit as large as 15 points after suffering a loss to Selah in the quarterfinals Thursday made certain the Rapids will take home their first state trophy since 2018 Helens League foe Mark Morris in the fourth-place game on Saturday at 8 a.m “We believe because we know how good of a group we are,” said River’s John Reeder “Even though we suffered a bad loss last game we know it’s not (us) playing to our full strengths we can do stuff like what we just did.” River coach Mark Ganter called Friday’s matchup “David versus Goliath,” both in seeding and stature hammered River in the paint with 19 points and 10 rebounds in the first half helping the Lions gain a 25-16 lead at halftime The undersized Rapids recognized they had to crash the boards harder and key in on Heppner They held Lynden to just 13 points in the second half Seniors Ari Richardson and Aaron Hoey hit back-to-back 3-pointers to tie the game at the end of the third quarter before River took its first lead of the game on a Richardson free throw one minute into the fourth “That could’ve been our last game so we just went out there and put it all on the floor,” Hoey said “We stuck with them and it gave us hope We just went out there and kept playing.” the Rapids took control for good when Richardson hit two free throws at the 1:57 mark went 6 for 6 from the line inside the final two minutes Hoey led the Rapids with 15 points and Reeder had a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds After finishing third in the 2A GSHL behind fellow state quarterfinalists R.A 11 seed as motivation entering the 2A state tournament 1 Lynden only its third loss of the season and second in as many days after falling to No “We were focused,” Richardson said River               6            10            14            11—41 LYNDEN, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – A fire at a Darigold facility in Lynden caused over $1 million in damages last week.adButlerLazyLoad("790381136251304640",100,["662102","662102","662102"],"177027"); The Lynden Fire Department says a “significant” fire broke out at a dryer in Darigold’s powdered milk facility in the early morning hours of Wednesday The department says the fire impacted the facility’s processing plant and caused roughly $1.5 million in damages But Darigold tells My Bellingham Now that the facility’s fire suppression system limited the rest of the fire’s impact The company says there was no structural damage to the building or dryer The affected dryer is expected to resume production shortly There are no statistics available for this player Thanks for visiting The Lynden and Sumas port of entry projects passed a key milestone today, with the federal government selecting the configurations of both expansions.  General Services Administration selected the north-south-oriented expansion for the Lynden port expansion (Alternative 3) and the multi-story construction expansion option for Sumas (Alternative 4) The projects aim to reduce traffic at both ports and expand processing areas Both projects will require the federal government to acquire land that land will include farmland commercial facilities In Sumas, the impact will be greater with several businesses along Cherry Street required to sell to the federal government The acquisition will include the American Legion Post 212 building Sumas residents have voiced concerns about the project’s potential impact on Sumas’s tax base with so many businesses on the main street of the town needing to be acquired by the government GSA Public Affairs Officer Christi Chidester Votisek said the federal government expects to begin the real estate acquisition process in the first half of 2026 The GSA presented multiple options for both expansions to the public, and solicited feedback last fall the federal agency will seek contractors by November to design and build the facilities Construction is expected to begin in September 2026 with completion expected by November 2028.  “The land ports of entry in Lynden and Sumas are not only crucial passageways for commercial vehicles but also serve as a bridge between closely-tied American and Canadian communities,” said Sukhee Kang regional administrator for GSA’s Northwest/Arctic Region in a news release “Now that we have completed our environmental review expanded facilities that will make it faster safer and easier for all who enter our country through Whatcom County.” Votisek said no decisions have been made yet about construction plans 15 to add more information about the real estate acquisition process (WCIV) — The South Carolina Stingrays announced Wednesday the signing of forward Lynden Breen for the remainder of the 2024-25 season has spent the past five years playing college hockey with the University of Maine Black Bears He served as captain for the last two seasons and was an alternate captain the year prior the Black Bears qualified for the NCAA national tournament in the past two seasons and clinched their first Hockey East championship since 2004 "We've watched a few of Lynden's games and he is a complete player," said Stingrays Head Coach Jared Nightingale "I think it's really important to add depth throughout the lineup Breen has also secured an American Hockey League contract with the Hershey Bears