By December, CDN staffers were in a daze, wondering how 2025 had moved so quickly. We estimate we’ve published at least 2,500 stories this year, ranging from deadly serious topics like recent historic flooding, immigration and upheavals within Whatcom County, to decidedly lighter fare, such as a forever home for a cow and a bee escape.
While we look forward to 2026, let’s raise a glass to the stories of 2025 that were memorable, for better or worse.
I spy with my little eye on Interstate 5
Blink and you’ll miss it: Driving northbound on Interstate 5 just south of the Fairhaven exit, there’s a giant rock. The rock, which has been graffitied since the 1970s by multiple school groups, friends, families and more, is likely to be destroyed in 2026. The reason: Washington State Department of Transportation crews will be building a fish passage. The Rock is in the way.
The department didn’t say as of December if large chunks of the to-be-demolished rock will be moved to a secondary location, or if residents will be able to snag a piece of history.
Northbound interstate commuters will also recognize the giant sloth that hangs out up in a tree. The transportation department removed a 70-pound stuffed sloth in March, stating it was a public safety concern.
Weeks later though, Slothy 2.0 appeared in the trees. Crews removed it. Then Slothy 3.0 came along, zip-tied and with two solar-powered lights to boot.
During the sloth battle (Battle of the Sloths? Slothagedon?), Bellingham residents were firmly on the side of the stuffed animal. Multiple iterations have popped up, as an unofficial mascot, across town.
For now, the sloth stays, with the transportation department admitting defeat.
A cat show slaying
Whatcom County prosecutors charged a Kent man in July with manslaughter after the man’s boss died of injuries sustained at a cat show in Ferndale.
Lester Payton, 57, is accused of bumping his boss, Anthony Sperry, with a work van, causing Sperry to fall, breaking his femur and hip in the process. Sperry died a week later at his Kent home. The King County Medical Examiner found Sperry died of complications from his injury.
Payton pleaded not guilty to the charge in August. He’s expected back in court Dec. 31.
The year of the bees, the mules and the cow
There should be a livestock section of CDN, considering how much we write about animals. So let’s take these one at a time.
In January, CDN contributor Elliott Almond wrote about the threats to the North Cascades National Park pack mule program faced due to the federal government’s proposed cuts to the stock program. The stock animals in the program annually transport about 25,000 pounds of material, equipment, fuel, supplies and trail crews across some of the most challenging terrain in the country.
Mule wrangler Heather Koon-Swason retired in December 2024 and her position wasn’t immediately filled, leaving the program in limbo. In response, the wider community stepped up to fund the program through donations. One southern Washington woman donated more than $100,000 to the program in the wake of CDN’s reporting.
Then in May, Lynden made national news after a commercial vehicle rolled over. The cargo: millions of bees. Beekeepers across the region mobilized to save the bees and get them back into boxes. The spill opened a lot of eyes: Bees are trucked into Whatcom County to pollinate the thousands of pounds of fruit crops. Reporter Isaac Stone Simonelli and photographer Andy Bronson were stung in the line of duty.
Finally, Mabel the brown cow, who captured hearts in 2024, found her forever barn in August. As a 3-month-old bovine, Mabel escaped her trailer while on her way to auction. She made a home for herself in the green space around Barkley Village, becoming a mini-celebrity on social media. In October 2024, after 60 days on the lam, crews with the Whatcom Humane Society captured her. She lived at the humane society farm for a year before her forever home was found in August. Mabel is now a resident of San Juan Island, residing at an animal sanctuary in Friday Harbor.
A man against the lilies
Sudden Valley resident Bryan Burke is on a mission: rid Lake Louise of invasive water lilies. As of December, Burke estimates he and his ragtag crew of volunteers with homemade water lily removing weapons have removed tens of tons of the plant.
The invasion has choked out local ducks, and poses risks to the water and the spillway into Austin Creek.
Reporter Julia Tellman explains Whatcom County isn’t responsible for the removal of the lilies since Lake Louise is private property. So Burke and his crew do the bulk of the work with help from the Sudden Valley Community Association.
Boundary Bay closes for good
After 30 years, Boundary Bay Brewery owners Janet Lightner and Ed Bennett decided it was time to retire. The couple tried to purchase the iconic restaurant’s building in 2024 but were unable to.
This September, Boundary Bay hosted one last block party before closing. Lightner said at the time, it was “so crazy just how many heartstrings are connected to this place.”
Former employees met their spouses while working at Boundary Bay. Other employees launched businesses that still exist today. For some, it was where they were proposed to or had one last drink with a loved one.
The brewery will live on through some of its most popular brews. Black Raven Brewing will continue brewing Scotch Ale, Cedar Dust IPA and NW Original IPA, as well as select seasonal beers.
Annie Todd is CDN’s criminal justice/enterprise reporter; reach her at [email protected]; 360-922-3090 ext. 130.
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