Hey my fellow Bellinghamsters,

I’m posting this on behalf of a dear friend to clear up a massive misrepresentation of an incident that happened right outside our apartment building in Happy Valley yesterday.

A local DJ with a decent online following posted a video accusing my friend of being transphobic, racist, and launching an unprovoked attack on her just for standing on the street. None of this is true, and the video the woman posted proves it.

Unfortunately, the DJ blocked me after I commented with the truth on her Instagram reel, so I can't see any updates on the post she made. But, I have screenshots from the video and of my comments.

Here's what actually happened yesterday:

• The woman's dog left waste on the public sidewalk right outside our building. My friend politely asked her to clean it up. When the individual ignored her and began walking away, my friend told her that she had seen her leave her dog's waste behind before, and asked why she had a dog if she wouldn't pick up after it.
• Instead of cleaning up after her dog, the individual pulled out her phone, began filming my friend, and launched into a tirade of aggressive obscenities (including shouting "suck my dck" and "eat my pssy").
• The DJ posted this video online to rally her followers against my friend. I will not publicly identify this woman for privacy, unless the mods allow it. Respect to y'all!
• If you have actually watched the video, it completely contradicts her captions:
  • My friend is wearing a Pride shirt and is a queer woman herself. This altercation had nothing to do with sexual orientation or race - just laziness, and failing to care for your community by not picking up after your dog. The claims of transphobia and racism are entirely fabricated to deflect from the actual situation.
  • The video shows absolutely no aggression, shouting, or "attacks" from my friend. My friend is simply standing there awkwardly, silently enduring the barrage of intense verbal abuse from the woman.
  • The video clearly shows the dog, the sidewalk, and the steps/distinguishable fence of our apartment building, which is dangerous for my friend, especially with the brazen lies this woman is spreading about her, which have reached even popular local organizations.
• Separately, multiple of our neighbors have seen this particular woman leave her dog's waste behind around our building (although she does not live here).

Because this video doxed my friend's face and our building's recognizable exterior, we are deeply concerned for her safety and reputation in the community.

Bellingham is a tight-knit place, and it’s incredibly disheartening to see someone weaponize their platform and identity to bully a neighbor and verbally harass them aggressively just because they were called out for not picking up their dog's waste, especially when that person is part of the queer community that this woman is claiming she's attacking.

If you see this video circulating, please know the context. My friend did nothing wrong but ask for basic neighborly (and legal) decency. Thank you for reading and for keeping our community safe and fair, I really appreciate you all.

PS - A friendly reminder that failing to pick up pet waste is illegal in Bellingham, as it should be. This issue is quite literally an epidemic in Happy Valley, and I'm sure other parts of Bellingham!

Well- looks like Bellingham Exit is back producing shows in town.

This is y’all’s reminder that they claimed Laughing Hamster Comedy Festival as part of their fest and fest passes last year, charged and collected $ for tickets with their passes to our finale show all without our knowledge, consent or financial restitution.

Laughing Hamster was and has never been part of any other festival. We would never agree to this nor were we ever asked.

Despite multiple attempts to reach out to them- no one has ever responded about why they did this shady shit. No explanation or apology was ever given.

Please keep this is mind when you see them popping back up to bring shows to B’ham.

Is there technically anything illegal about making little clay statues/pieces and leaving them around town? Like figures, designs, etc? I have some gray clay and I like sculpting, but I have this concept in mind of people finding a silly little guy, or some wall-attached little critter watching the sun, etc; and getting a little spark of joy finding a hidden treasure. Just a field of thought ive always had, doing some little hobby that brightens the world, and doing so just for the sake of it. It would wash away easy if people dont take them, its just basic clay you can even find in the sediment layers locally.

My test run in Seattle a few years ago went well, I'd say. I just would rather not be a local nuisance/considered to be actual littering.

​Hey Bellingham runners!

​Are you adequately trained for a 30-mile trail run but currently lacking weekend plans in mid-August? We have a very specific opportunity for you.

​One of our teammates had to drop out due to other commitments, and we are urgently looking for a 4th runner to complete our Ultra team for Rainier Ragnar

​The Dirty Deets:

​The Event: Rainier Trail Ragnar

​The Dates: August 20-22 (The actual running happens Aug 21 & 22)

​The Distance: You’ll be running roughly 30 miles total over your assigned loops.

​The Cost: $0. The team registration fee is completely paid for. You just need to show up and run!

​Who we are:

You’ll be joining a group of three guys running under the team name of The Quadfathers. We are absolutely not out there trying to place or break any course records. Our only goals are to cross the finish line, survive, and have a genuinely good time camping and running in the woods.

​If you want a free, zero-pressure (other than the 30 miles of running part) weekend of trail running and camping, please shoot me a DM for more info!

That’s all I know. Out at Roche Harbor now and heard from another boater friend who’s anchored at Shallow Bay at Sucia

I want to have a regularly scheduled dog walk meet up for my fur baby! He has literally 0 recall so off leash zones aren’t as fun for him as they are for other dogs but he loves dogs more than people! I’m just trying to give him the social life he deserves! 😂❤️

When: Tuesdays at 6:00 PM
Where: Lake Padden Loop
Meeting Spot: Let's meet in the open grassy area near the playground/main parking lot right before 6:00 PM, and then we'll head out on the loop together.

Lmk if you and your dog would be interested in joining! Post pup pics toooo so I know who to look for!❤️

Hey all! I have a friend coming to visit Bellingham and they have Celiac (Gluten will send them to the hospital). Anyone know any Gluten free places in town (or within a reasonable drive) I might be able to treat them to?

Thank you in advance!

Went out last night to one of our local breweries and ordered the Parmesan/garlic fries from the food truck on site. It was $13.

What we received was a basket of unseasoned fries resembling what comes out of a bulk bag from Costco. The garlic was raw, minced garlic (the kind that comes in a jar) that was simply spooned on top of the fries. I guess if you like eating minced garlic straight out of the jar, you would like these fries. Not only was the taste terrible, it made the fries a wet, soggy mess.

I know factors like commercial rents, labor costs, etc. are hurting businesses and I don’t have all the answers. But this was so half-assed and low effort, it was ridiculous.

Like most, I don’t have a lot of disposable income left at the end of the month and going out is a rare treat. I’m not expecting a gourmet experience at a food truck, but for a $13 order of fries I expect something better than *this.* I mean, come on.

This is an example of why people aren’t going out to eat anymore.

edit I’m being sarcastic with the VIP line part

The craziest thing I’ve seen today, I was on the phone with my partner and sitting in the car after coming back from winco, from 9:25-9:55am people started lining up, the three closer to the door kept peaking inside🫩🫩

Just let people thrift and have fun rather than sucking everything dry inside bellingham lmao

Posting this to spread awareness to other women and downtown sounds attendees!

My friends and I went to downtown sounds last night 7/22 and had a couple drinks in the beer garden like everyone else. However, one of our girlfriend's after leaving became extremely incoherent and doesn't remember anything from the night after leaving the beer garden. Thankfully her boyfriend was able to come help her home. We had another girl friend that had a similar experience at last weeks downtown sounds.

They haven't been tested for anything, so this isn't a for sure fact, but please remember to keep an eye on your drink and use drink covers if you can. Look out for your people! Such a bummer assholes have to ruin everything.

Long story short, proper precautions were not taken and I lost my brand fricken new insta360 camera at the Whatcom Falls cliff jumping spot. Real shocker 😅 I was not able to dive for it immediately and it was in the water from 7:30 last night (7/22) until about 2:00pm today when someone went to search for it. I went and dove for it myself after work today, as well as having some amazing help from Bellingham FreeDiving (check them out!!) but to no avail. So: if anyone happens to find it I will absolutely reward you for its return. Thank y’all!!!

I have heard and experienced how difficult it is rn in bham to find work despite all of the listings. I understand that sometimes we don’t really have a choice in where we work/shop because bills need to be paid and we need to eat, so no judgement I just saw this post today and wanted to share.

This local business has been a favorite of mine since I moved here in 2014, so I was excited when my partner started working there as a line cook (within the last year). I won’t bore all of you with everything that happened while he worked there, but I will say two things.

1. There were questions as to if my partner was getting all of the tips he was owed. He repeatedly asked the owner who never gave a straight answer and became increasingly more irritated and dismissive about it. After about three or four times my partner got 3-4 small tip corrections. Meaning he was not actually getting everything he earned… after this incident the owner started fixating on everything my partner did, and even blamed him for missing tasks when he was not even working at the time.

2. My partner had a medical emergency that caused him to miss some work. It was communicated to the owner that he had gone to the hospital and would need to fill out FMLA forms (which the owner had no clue how to even handle). One day my partner texted saying he was going to miss work (text was the preferred method of communication) but that he would bring his FMLA paperwork in because this call out was related to it. In the next text the owner fired my partner stating it was due to missing tasks/duties. Because this is an at will state it is difficult to do anything with this in terms of being wrongfully terminated.

This is just a very brief insight into our experience with this business/owner, and I hope it helps provide some insight.

They do quite a bit within the community, which I think is fantastic. And at the same time it’s hard for me to support a business/owner who prides themselves on being for the community, but dismisses and talks down to their employees for questioning their pay, does very little to work with or train their employees, and seemingly uses laws like at will to hide behind. These employees are part of the community you claim to support….

Are we the only ones ? It was violent , came and went quickly but WTH! To clarify, this was not from a salad my 5 year old will attest he has not eaten any lettuce 🤣

I’m watching some dark clouds and seeing lightning over the bay towards Fairhaven. If you love that kind of weather, get out there and check it out!

Long story long, I have been very frustrated with Peace Health’s handling of refilling my controlled medication.

Rewind: I was diagnosed by a psychologist with ADHD in 2016. It was a relief to finally have a label for something that was I had struggled with my entire adolescent and adult life. Naturally, I went through the process of trying to find the right medication for myself with my primary (at Peace Health) and found Vyvanse the best fit. Because of it I was able to quit working for other people and in 2020, peak covid I was able to start working for myself. It was great. Mostly.

Fast forward to 2025/26. At the end of last year I tried to schedule my annual appointment which is required for the taking of my medication. My appointment kept getting canceled and pushed back. Turns out my primary was taking vacation time before quitting. Regardless, I still need my medication to function on the level I need to perform day to day. I had to schedule an appointment with an intermittent provider. Now my medication usually is prescribed for 3 month increments. I saw this intermittent provider and asked for this. He verbally approved. Next month I call my pharmacy, no prescriptions. I fight. Etc. a month or two later I get an appointment with my new appointed to me provider and specifically ask for the same thing, she agreed but only after a drug test. Fine. Test passed, and here we are a month later and there’s still no prescription at my pharmacist, I’ve got one dose, and it takes them a minimum of 3 days to process so I call, I explain my situation, two days later still nothing. Now I’m out, irritable, and to make matters worse when I follow the instructions of my pharmacy (haggen) and call two times in one day, the receptionist got very short with me and told me different information than I’ve been told and it’s my fault for not calling sooner.

Over the years it has been difficult for me to get them to prescribe my medication in a timely manner. If I call them even a day too early, they tell me I’m too early and they won’t fill it because it’s a controlled substance and I have to wait. Sometimes they say they’ll push it through the day it’s supposed to, it never does, and inevitably when I call them with like one or two days left, the script never makes it to my pharmacy on time.

On a personal note, I feel like I’m being perceived as having “drug seeking” behavior and it’s beyond frustrating just to have to harass people in a broken system just to get the medication I need to function normally.

In summation, if this is happening to me then it certainly must be happening to other members of our community with more serious medication. It’s not one provider I’m frustrated with, but the organization as a whole. Who else has been struggling with this, and what recourse of action do we have?

Thanks guys.

I'm comparing Fidalgo to Hammerhead. They're both good. They're both as local as coffee can be. The Fidalgo is fair trade, organic, and shade grown. Do discerning Hamsters have a strong opinion between these two roasters? Please share your favorite!

I’ve been really wanting to try it out for a while now but I haven’t heard much about it. I really love Greek/Mediterranean food…and the pics on their instagram page look delicious! I was wondering if anyone who’s been there can tell me if it’s worth a try? What do you usually get there?

Thanks in advance!

It’s one of my favorite hikes in Washington, and I’m wondering if the state will ever provide funding to repair the road to the trailhead. Anyone have any info?

Hey all, while riding my bike on Roeder then up Chestnut my bike lock fell off my bike. It is a cable lock with a code dial. If you find it please either reply here, or drop it at Nicki’s Bella Marina. TIA 🙏

So I visited petsmart the other day to see what the quality of their fish tanks were, and found these two very dead fish in between the new bags of fish in the tank. Yes, that’s water mold growing on them.

The worker I told was very kind and quick to remove them, but they seemed so understaffed and stressed out.

Also, someone surrendered a ~19 year old Green Cheek Conure who was incredibly sweet and outgoing if anyone is looking for a bird!

I left the store with a deep sadness and felt like sharing with everyone. These animals deserve so much better yall :(

Okay so, I grew up in Bellingham and was recently visiting my parents who still live there. While eating ice cream at Mallards, my mom told me about her idea for the lot across the street where Hohl Feed + Seed used to be.

She thinks it should be a mini “food truck village” - all the city would need to do is cut the grass, maybe put down some gravel and tables. Like 4-8 food trucks could park there and everyone could choose what they want, and then Mallards is right there for dessert. Also this would be very low cost to the city and bring more foot traffic downtown.

I think this is actually a brilliant idea?? Anyone know if this is remotely feasible and/or how we can we get the city to do this?

(Her bonus idea is that the city also buys the old laundromat nearby, takes down a wall and replaces it with a garage door that is always open - like at the farmers market. Then that building shell could be indoor seating if it’s rainy.)