BELLINGHAM, Wash. — The Cascadia Newspaper Company, LLC (CNC), which has published Cascadia Weekly for 15 years, announced this week a new news publication is in the works and is expected to begin publishing in early January 2022.
CNC is owned by 4th-generation Whatcom County resident and Trillium Corporation partner, David Syre. In the announcement published on the Cascadia Weekly website, Syre is quoted as saying, “Launching a full-scale, Bellingham-based news organization — the only daily newspaper in town that is locally owned — will help secure Bellingham’s unique identity.”
“Across the country, we have been seeing a surge of community journalism at a time of renewed interest in local government,” Syre said. “Community journalism—the kind that reports on the lives of our people while also serving as an important check on local government—is sorely needed here. I have a fondness for Bellingham and Whatcom County, and it has been my goal to return locally owned and independently operated daily journalism to the people here.”Cascadia Newspaper Company, LLC announcement (August 5, 2021)
The yet-to-be-named publication is expected to be updated daily online and distributed in print weekly.
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Click for more informationThe new publication will leverage the talents of Ron Judd, a Western Washington University (WWU) graduate who has been writing for the Seattle Times newspaper since 1988 according to the announcement. He has also taught journalism and history at WWU.
The announcement mentions that while the, “Cascadia Weekly has served a specific and valuable role in Whatcom County for more than 15 years — sharing advice and entertainment news across the region. The new publication will continue to cover arts and entertainment, music, dining and other popular Cascadia Weekly features.” A spokesperson for CNC confirmed to Whatcom News the Cascadia Weekly would cease publishing once the new publication launched.
In the 1980s, Syre was instrumental in turning a tree nursery property into what is now the Bellis Fair Mall and converting an abandoned cannery property into the Semiahmoo golf course and hotel. He also made significant real estate donations to Whatcom Community College. But the years following were fraught with less successful outcomes after Syre and Trillium Corporation became entangled in the collapse of a mortgage and securities company and eventually ended up in bankruptcy court.
Syre has since been pursuing artistic endeavors as a self-taught artist creating large-scale acrylic paintings, drawings and sculptures according to his website. He has had his art featured in galleries around the world since 2018 according to his website.