THE GRISTLE P.04 + ELECTION SELECTIONS P.06 + FRUITS OF FALL P.19 c a s c a d i a PICKFORD CALENDAR INSIDE REPORTING FROM THE HEART OF CASCADIA BLACKLIVESMATTER WHATCOM*SKAGIT*SURROUNDING AREAS 09-30-2020 • ISSUE: 40 • V.15 READ & SHARE Tales from the trail P.10 GRANT'S SLANT Power to the people —P.06 SAVE OUR STAGES The time is now —P.12 DOCTOBERSEEK OUT THE VIRTUAL MUSEUM MEANDER TRUTH P.14 Anatomy of a Collection P.11 BELLINGHAM IRISH FESTIVAL Cayley vs. Cayley P.12 SPRING FLING Shelter in place with FishBoy P.09 THISWEEK 19 Contact Cascadia Weekly: FOOD 360.647.8200 mail TOC LETTERS STAFF Advertising 15 Sales Manager: Stephanie Young ext 1 B-BOARD sales@ cascadiaweekly.com 14 Editorial FILM Proving that there’s no excuse not to actively take part Editor & Publisher: in the upcoming election, NASA astronaut Kate Rubins Tim Johnson announced late last week that she planned to cast her next ext 3 12 vote from space. Rubins is a resident of Texas, a state that editor@ allows astronauts to vote from more than 200 miles above cascadiaweekly.com MUSIC Earth using a secure electronic ballot. “I think it’s really Arts & Entertainment important for everybody to vote,” Rubins told the Associ- Editor: Amy Kepferle ated Press. “If we can do it from space, then I believe folks 11 ext 2 can do it from the ground, too. It’s critical to participate calendar@ ART in our democracy.” cascadiaweekly.com Music Editor: Carey Ross music@ STAGE cascadiaweekly.com Intern: Views & News Wren Healy 02: Mailbag Production GET OUT 04: Gristle and Views Art Director: Jesse Kinsman 06: Election selections jesse@ 10 08: Last week’s news kinsmancreative.com Design: WORDS 09: 52 Women Bill Kamphausen bill@ 6 Arts & Life kamphausendesign.com 10: Read & Share Advertising Design: VOTE FOR WOMEN’S RIGHTS outlaw this safe medical procedure. Roman Komarov Make no mistake, the current power play in Freedom for Washington’s women will be cur- 11: Anatomy of a Collection roman@ CURRENTS cascadiaweekly.com Washington, D.C., to rush through a conserva- tailed if we continue to elect politicians like Van 12: A virtual Irish Festival Send all advertising materials to 4 tive Supreme Court justice has nothing to do Werven to the legislature, an anti-woman, anti- 14: Doctober [email protected] with the ethics of abortion, and everything to ERA candidate. VIEWS do with retaining power and controlling wom- No government should force a woman to give Distribution en. The religious and reproductive freedom of birth, or be gravely harmed because a safe Rear End 2 2 Distribution Manager: women is being actively undermined in D.C. and procedure is illegal. Nor should any woman be 15: Free Will, Advice Goddess Erik Burge here in Washington state by extremist conser- forced to abide by the strictures of someone MAIL MAIL distribution@ 16: Crossword cascadiaweekly.com vative politicians like Luanne Van Werven. else’s religion. 17: Sudoku, Comix Whatcom: Erik Burge, The Supreme Court decision allowing employers The will of the majority of Americans is clear, 18: Biz Briefs Stephanie Simms to deny health insurance to cover birth control abortion and birth control should be legal and 09.30.20 Skagit: Linda Brown, for women points to the truth. The right-wing accessible. And yet a minority of religious ex- 19: The fruits of fall Barb Murdoch attack on Planned Parenthood, an organization tremists are trying to force their beliefs on all .15 dedicated to providing affordable health care of us. 40 Letters # SEND LETTERS TO LETTERS@ and contraception to low-income patients to This is a critical election on the national front CASCADIAWEEKLY.COM prevent abortion, further illuminates the Repub- as well as here at home. Please make your vot- lican anti-woman agenda. ing decision based on accurate information and THE GRISTLE P.04 + ELECTION SELECTIONS P.06 + FRUITS OF FALL P.19 c a s c a d i a PICKFORD CALENDAR INSIDE REPORTING FROM Despite a concession that Planned Parenthood vote early. ©2020 CASCADIA WEEKLY (ISSN 1931-3292) is published each Wednesday by THE HEART OF CASCADIA BLACKLIVESMATTER WHATCOM*SKAGIT*SURROUNDING AREAS Cascadia Newspaper Company LLC. Direct all correspondence to: Cascadia 09-30-2020 • ISSUE: 40 • V.15 not use government funds for abortion, the ex- Stand up for Washington’s women and vote Van READ & SHARE Weekly PO Box 2833 Bellingham WA 98227-2833 | Phone/Fax: 360.647.8200 Tales from the trail P.10 [email protected] tremists pushed further so that low income wom- Werven out! Our freedom depends on it. Though Cascadia Weekly is distributed free, please take just one copy. Cascadia GRANT'S SLANT Power to the people Weekly may be distributed only by authorized distributors. Any person removing —P.06 —Mira Kamada, Bellingham CASCADIA WEEKLY en would not have access to birth control either. SAVE OUR STAGES The time is now papers in bulk from our distribution points risks prosecution P.12 — For more than a century conservative women SUBMISSIONS: Cascadia Weekly welcomes freelance submissions. Send material DOCTOBERSEEK OUT THE VIRTUAL to either the News Editor or A&E Editor. Manuscripts will be returned if you MUSEUM 2 MEANDER TRUTH P.14 in leadership positions have held other women Anatomy of a FOCUSED ON LOCAL ISSUES include a stamped, self-addressed envelope. To be considered for calendar list- Collection P.11 BELLINGHAM ings, notice of events must be received in writing no later than noon Wednesday IRISH FESTIVAL Cayley vs. Cayley P.12 down, fighting against women suffrage, the Sharon Shewmake holds a doctorate in and the week prior to publication. Photographs should be clearly labeled and will be SPRING FLING Shelter in place returned if accompanied by stamped, self-addressed envelope. with FishBoy P.09 Equal Rights Amendment, and now a woman’s teaches agricultural and resources economics, so COVER: Photo courtesy right to religious and reproductive freedom. she understands the economy and how to bring of Pahokee, which will show during the With the likely demise of Roe v. Wade, a deci- solutions to Whatcom County. Sharon is commit- Pickford Film Center’s sion that prevented states from forcing women ted to restarting our economy by providing high- virtual Doctober to give birth, 17 states have already decided to speed internet to rural businesses and homes, so they can compete with global businesses in competitive grant funding for clean and work and attend school from home. energy and green jobs and served on the Sharon understands that education is board of Spark Northwest to promote clean important for every Washington student, energy. She understands the finances and so she works tirelessly to help provide op- the management of PUDs as she has been portunities for early childhood education an adviser for the industry. and rural childcare providers. Christine is running for a position on our 19 Sharon’s background in economics in- PUD commission, with the hope to spur in- forms her policy decisions on housing. novation and move us out of our compla- FOOD If we provide more housing options, the cency. She says, “PUDs across the state overall rents will drop. This looks like loos- are innovating to serve their communities 15 ening regulations for folks to build acces- through widespread access to affordable sory dwelling units (ADUs), allowing more high-speed internet, cheaper and cleaner people who are not in a family unit to reside power, and innovative water management.” B-BOARD in one home (this is really beneficial for col- Vote Christine Grant for Whatcom lege students and people in nontraditional County Public Utility District #1 Commis- 14 family units), and encouraging more new sion. Let’s see what can be accomplished housing and apartment developments. for our future. FILM Sharon knows we must protect the envi- —Naomi Murphy, Ferndale 12 ronment as well as provide opportunities for our workers in Whatcom County. That is A COMMITMENT TO JUSTICE why she has worked on a natural gas bill Whatcom County soon will elect two Su- MUSIC to improve natural gas reporting, safety perior Court judges, positions 2 and 4. 11 and transparency. She knows that gas and In position 2, we have an opportunity aluminum produced in Whatcom County is to select a superior candidate, one with ART probably safer and less carbon-intensive proven independence, a commitment to than in other areas and so has worked to equal justice, and broad experience for preserve Cherry Point jobs and ways the Al- the position, James Erb. STAGE coa workers can transfer their skills to other True, I am disappointed that we do not living-wage jobs here in Whatcom County. have a woman candidate or a person of Sharon supports a community that color to choose from for either position. works for everyone, with no one left out, We need our justice system to reflect the WINNING GET OUT so that is why she is committed to afford- diversity of our community. That being able, transparent, accessible health care, said, I will be casting my vote for James IS CLOSER THAN YOU THINK! as well as diversity. Erb in November for Position 2. 10 These and many other reasons are why The broad support for James reflects I am asking you to join me in voting for the diversity of our county. In contrast to Sharon Shewmake. his opponent, his public endorsements in- WORDS —Pam Borso, Custer clude a long list of state and local leaders, attorneys, judges, and the Lummi Nation. 6 BRIDGE THE DIGITAL DIVIDE Ratings as well-qualified by four state- Whatcom County Public Utility District wide minority bar associations and quali- 1 can be so much more than it is presently.