The Bellingham Herald from Bellingham, Washington • A1

VOLUME 131, No. 297 STAY CONNECTED BELLINGHAMHERALD.COM FACEBOOK.COM/BELLINGHAMHERALD TWITTER.COM/BHAMHERALD NEWS ALL DAY. YOUR WAY THURSDAY OCTOBER 24 2019 $1.50 TAKE 5 Nightmare on Railroad Halloween event starts Friday 1T SPORTS Washington defense putting speed back in Speed 5A Classified 8A Comics 4A Crossword 6A 3A Obituaries 7A Sports 5A 2A Weather 4A CUSTOMER SERVICE To advertise or subscribe, 360-676-2600 or bhamherald.com/customer-service Mostly cloudy See 4A 1904 Main Street, Ferndale (360) 384-3388 SamuelsFurniture.com ENTER TO WIN A STRESSL RECLINE OTTOMA Valued at $3100 EVERYTHING IS ON TH ANNIVERSARY FINAL DAYS! OLYMPIA As Washington state and the rest of the nation confront an outbreak of vaping-related lung illnesses, attention is being fo- cused on who is in charge of regulating the safety of e-ciga- rettes and other vaping prod- ucts. The answer is hardly anyone. are few federal or state regulations for these prod- according to the state Department of Health.

The state Liquor and Canna- bis Board regulates the produc- tion and sale of cannabis, in- cluding vapes that contain THC, but its authority over retailers of non-cannabis vape products is limited to issuing licenses and checking whether stores sell vapes to minors. The Department of Health also has a limited regulatory role, but it has power in the wake of a crisis if officials deter- mine that a vapor product may be harmful to human health. able to identify some substance that is causing the lung injury, the Secretary of Health would have the authority to pull those products off the said Dr. Kathy Lofy, the state health officer and chief science officer. The U.S.

Food and Drug Ad- ministration is in charge of reg- ulating e-cigarettes and other vaping devices, but The New York Times reported recently that the agency has not vetted the vast majority of vaping products or flavored liquids for safety. In the final year of the Obama administration, federal officials rejected a proposal to ban fla- vored vaping products after heavy lobbying by the tobacco industry. President FDA commissioner in 2017 extended the deadline by four years for vaping companies to prove that the public health benefits of their products out- weighed the risks. A judge has overturned that decision, order- Vaping industry largely unregulated by feds, state BY JAMES DREW SEE VAPING, 7A NATION WORLD REPUBLICANS CAUSE DELAY Two dozen House Republicans cause a brief disruption to Democrat-led impeachment investigation. 3A WHATCOM NORTHWEST SEARCH FOR SAILOR RESUMES Whatcom County Office continued a search on land for a missing 53-year-old Bellingham sailor.

2A WHATCOM NORTHWEST DOCTOR GIVES UP LICENSE Oncologist disciplined by Washington State Department of Health gives up license in California. 2A lingham. remaining chal- lenger is Daniel Miller, a Friday Harbor Republican. Before the primary, the Republican parties of San Juan, Skagit and Whatcom counties wrote that they have never endorsed Miller for any public office. In a July 22 press release, they stated Miller has been thoroughly vetted; he does not meet the criteria of the Republican Lovelett led the Aug.

6 pri- mary with of the vote. Miller had The position pays $48,731 annually. General ballots were mailed Oct. 16. Ballots need a stamp but must be postmarked by Election Day.

Ballot drop State Sen. Liz Lovelett, an Anacortes Democrat, will be defending her 40th Legislative District seat against Daniel Miller in a confirmation vote required because she was appointed to the post in Febru- ary. She replaced Kevin Ranker who resigned in January amid sexual harassment allegations. Ranker was elected in 2016, so the 40th District state Sen- ate seat is open again in 2020, and whoever wins will again face election next year. The 40th District includes San Juan County and parts of Skagit County and south Bel- boxes open Oct.

16 and close at 8 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 5. These are the candidates for the 40th District state Senate seat: LIZ LOVELETT Lovelett, 39, is the 40th Dis- state senator. She is run- ning as a Democrat.

Bio: She is a mother of two young children and a fifth- generation resident of the area. She graduated with honors from Anacortes High and Skagit Valley College and is attending Western Washington Universi- ty. Before her appointment to the Senate in February, she served five years on the Ana- cortes City Council. She is a former owner of The Business in Anacortes a combination record and bookstore, cafe and music and art venue. She has served as a board member of the Anacortes Farmers Market, was on the Skagit Marine Re- sources Committee, the Pop- ulation Health Trust of Skagit, and was twice president of the Whitney PTA.

In the state Senate, she serves on the Transportation and Lo- cal Government committees. Neighborhood: Anacortes. Funds raised: $111,186 by Oct. 22, according to the Wash- ington Public Disclosure Com- mission. Funds spent: $79,542 by Oct.

22. Largest contributors: Ama- Liz Lovelett, Daniel Miller vie for state Senate 40th District seat SEE 40TH DISTRICT, 7A CITY OF ANACORTES Courtesy to The Bellingham Herald Liz Lovelett holds the 40th district seat in the Washington state Senate. She was appointed to the post in February. DANIEL MILLER Courtesy to The Bellingham Herald Daniel Miller was raised in Friday Harbor and has a degree in public policy and environmental studies from Evergreen State. BY WARREN STERLING AND ROBERTMITTENDORF.