Annie Todd

Today @cascadiadaily.com launched a way for the public to tell us when they witness an immigration-related detainment. Help us tell the stories of our immigrant neighbors.

Our reporting and our Slack as well cities' communication posts made creating the timeline so much easier than I anticipated.

Was on CBC Vancouver Early Edition this morning to talk about the recent flooding in Washington and all the work the @cascadiadaily.com has been doing. You can read our (free!) coverage on our website www.cascadiadaily.com

Mount Vernon Cemetery staff prepare to cover Skagit River Russell’s grave after exhuming his remains. (Santiago Ochoa/Cascadia Daily News)

Unidentified remains — later given the moniker Skagit River Russell — were found floating outside of Mount Vernon in 1991. No one knew who he was or where he came from.

Nearly 34 years later, the state is trying to identify him with the help of forensic anthropologist, Dr. Andrew Seidel.

Officials: National Guard shooting suspect lived in Bellingham, drove across country for attack | Cascadia Daily News Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal entered the U.S. in 2021

Officials say the suspect in custody for the shooting of two West Virginia National Guard members on Wednesday, Nov. 26, had been living in Bellingham.

ICE arrests two men near courthouses in Bellingham, apparently violating state law | Cascadia Daily News Washington law prohibits immigration-related arrests within 1 mile of a court facility

Two men were detained by immigration agents within days of each other in Bellingham. Except this time, agents followed the men into their court hearings prior to their arrests.

Catch up on what we watched during Doctober @pickfordfilmcenter.bsky.social

Update: Carly James apparent winner of Port of Bellingham commission; expansion passes | Cascadia Daily News Business owner Carly James has small lead over incumbent Ken Bell as of Thursday

We @cascadiadaily.com are calling the Port of Bellingham commission race for newcomer Carly James. She'll be the second woman to sit on the commission during its century-plus of existence. Also, expanding the commission is going to happen too!

Poets, songwriters tell tales of lives lived and lost at sea for Bellingham's SeaFeast | Cascadia Daily News Six regional fishers share their experiences at annual Fish Tales and Ales event

There's a lot that goes into a fish stick, from the hands, nets and pots that catch the halibut, salmon and crab. Not to mention the months spent away from family on seas that can turn friendly to dangerous within moments. Fisher poets spoke about their experiences last night.

I’d like to apologize to my neighbors for the yelling during the last five minutes to the Bills game 🦬

Frequent helicopter flights over Bellingham belong to Homeland Security | Cascadia Daily News Tracing the skies of Whatcom County for one month using open-source data

What are the white helicopters circling over Bellingham WA? CDN's @annietodd.bsky.social has some receipts.

Frequent helicopter flights over Bellingham belong to Homeland Security | Cascadia Daily News Tracing the skies of Whatcom County for one month using open-source data

You can read more about how I tracked these flights and DHS's history of using helicopters for border enforcement in my story out today: www.cascadiadaily.com/2025/sep/03/...

Security experts agree there needs to be some kind of transparency when DHS, or law enforcement in general, fly helicopters over populated areas. “There’s no reason they can’t provide transparency to people near the border about what exactly they’re doing," one expert told me.

DHS flew at least 13 helicopter missions in and around Whatcom County during July, according to my analysis. At least five of these appeared to be a border patrol-type flight with helicopters tracing the coast and border. Two of these flights went over neighborhoods.

So I looked into it using open-source flight tracking from ADS-B Exchange. Turns out, the helicopter was registered to the Department of Homeland Security. In a statement to me, DHS said it was conducting a flyover for a baseball game. But there was no prior notification to citizens.

Back in mid-July, @cascadiadaily.com got emails and voicemails about low flying helicopters over neighborhoods. Even my editor's house got buzzed.

D&D is so fun. One moment your friend is entertaining the whole town with their busking like a fantasy version of Bob Dylan. The next moment you’re facing down an undead entity that’s a cross between the Bog Man and Nosferatu

In Bellingham Community Court, justice meets empathy in quest to better lives | Cascadia Daily News Participants can get their case dismissed if they successfully complete the program

I spent an hour last week at Community Court, which the City of Bellingham hails as a problem-solving court. Rather than handing out jail sentences, participants get a case plan that can see their misdemeanor charge dismissed at the end of the program.

The Madden Sisters Don’t Want to Be Institutionalized

Then from @nytimes.com comes the long read about two sisters living in California who depend on in-home health aides. But cuts to Medicaid could fundamentally change how they get their care. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/18/m...

Meet the crew who saps the sprawl of toxic wood in the Salish Sea | Cascadia Daily News A reporter joins Samish DNR for a day in its quest to remove creosote-coated wood

It's a good day for some good reads. @cascadiadaily.com science fellow just finished up her stint with us. Her tour of creosote logs takes you up close to their removal from our beaches.
www.cascadiadaily.com/2025/aug/19/...

The Whatcom County Executive makes more than the Washington state governor folks. Read more in @simonelli.bsky.social story

One man’s war against Lake Louise’s water lily infestation | Cascadia Daily News The battle to remove 50 tons of invasive plants from Sudden Valley's picturesque lake

Sometimes you get to do a story that’s just plain fun. Doesn’t hurt that @finnwendt.com brought absolutely banger visuals

Whatcom primary election: Heavy spending, fresh faces vying for port | Cascadia Daily News Voters have choices in Whatcom County Council, Port of Bellingham, City Council

It's that time of year again when I get to dust off my political analysis hat. This year's primary races in Whatcom County see two county council seats up for grabs and the future of the Port of Bellingham on the line.

Portland mother, 4 children detained at Ferndale Customs and Border Protection station for days | Cascadia Daily News It took nearly two weeks for the woman's attorney to find the family

@annietodd.bsky.social with @cascadiadaily.com continues to document the detention of people within our community by federal agents:

www.cascadiadaily.com/2025/jul/11/...

@peacehealth.bsky.social made a last minute decision to shut the media out of a discussion with @repricklarsen.bsky.social about local impacts of cuts to Medicaid and Medicare tied the megabill signed into law by President Trump on July 4.

Fairhaven rescue dog helps save life of elderly man Thursday during trail walk | Cascadia Daily News Roach, a six-year-old pit bull mix, spotted shoes in the mud and brush

This week was filled with animal stories. Started with a fried squirrel, ended with a pit bull mix that saved the life of an elderly gentleman. Roach, who's not your average Lassie, got extra steak for dinner.

Puget Sound Energy outage: Oops, it was actually a squirrel | Cascadia Daily News PSE apologized Wednesday for communicating wrong information about a weekend outage

A first for me: I was given the wrong information by an entity for a story about a power outage. We had a little fun with the official cause: "the squirrel, it found its way to the Great Oak Tree in the sky."

I’m at #IRE25 and am already starry-eyed over multiple spreadsheets. So yeah, you could say I’m a ✨investigative journalist✨

If anyone else is here, I’d love to connect. Send me a DM or a reply!

Resurrected fundraiser involves a giant painted log and a 40-mile float down the Skagit River | Cascadia Daily News After a 34-year hiatus, gambling game of yore is back in Sedro-Woolley

Took a break a few weeks ago to write about a log game

Update: Judge temporarily blocks shutdown of Job Corps; uncertainty at Sedro-Woolley center remains | Cascadia Daily News 150 students have already left center

UPDATE: Judge temporarily blocks shutdown of Job Corps; uncertainty at Sedro-Woolley center remains. 150 students have already left the center.