The Bellingham Herald from Bellingham, Washington • A1

TheBellinghamHerald.com Sunday, March 8, 2009 $1.50 Business Celebrations Classifieds Comics Horoscope Lottery Movie times Obituaries Opinion Whatcom INDEXNEWS TIPS WEATHER HIGH 40 LOW 24 Full report inside on A7. Send news and event information to ham herald.com Customer Service: 676-2660 Mostly cloudy with rain and snow likely. DAYLIGHT-SAVING TIME BEGAN TODAY Have you set the clock ahead one hour? Bold accessories punch up spring styles Whatcom Life, E1 SIMPLY FABULOUS First of four traffic-control devices to open next month at Ten Mile Road JARED PABEN THE BELLINGHAM HERALD ithin a month, the first of four large a along Guide Mer- idian will open to traffic. Construction of the one at Ten Mile Road will begin Monday, March 9. It will be the first of many planned highway roundabouts in Whatcom County.

Transportation officials say round- abouts are more efficient and safer than stoplight intersections. But some drivers still have their doubts. get their answer in mid- April, when the Ten Mile Road round- about opens, followed a week later by one at Wiser Lake Road. of planning and talking about these and finally said Dustin Terpening, spokesman for the state Department of Transporta- tion, which has spent about four years working on the Guide round- about project. Spokane-based contractor Max J.

Kuney Co. will build roundabouts at Ten Mile, Pole, Wiser Lake and River roads. The $54 million contract See ROUNDABOUTS, A4 MORE COVERAGE INSIDE TODAY The state and local cities have plans for many more roundabouts in Whatcom County, A4 Schedule of road closures, A4 Western men defeat rival Central Washington Sports, C1 VIKINGS WIN GNAC TITLE ALAN ZIBEL, CHRISTOPHER LEONARD AND TIM PARADIS ASSOCIATED PRESS When will this wretched economy bottom out? The recession is in its 15th month, making it longer than all but two downturns since World War II. Everything seems to be getting worse: The Dow is in free fall, jobs are vanishing every day, and one in eight American home- owners is in foreclosure or behind on payments. But the economy always recovers.

It runs in cycles, and economists are watching an array of statistics, some of them buried deep beneath the headlines, to spot the turning point. The Associated Press examined three markets housing, jobs and stocks and asked experts where things stand and how to know when hit bot- tom. None of them expect it to come anytime soon. JOBS HOW BAD IS IT? The U.S. unemployment rate hit 8.1 percent in February, a 25-year peak.

The nation has lost 4.4 million jobs since the reces- sion began in late 2007. The job cuts began early last year, as the housing and construction industries slow- ed. The autumn collapse of the financial industry bat- tered white-collar workers. Layoffs followed, across in- dustries and income levels. HOW MUCH WORSE COULD IT GET? The dark- est days for the job market are almost certainly ahead.

With spending weak and Experts offer insights on jobs, housing, stocks Recession: How low will U.S. economy go? JARED PABEN THE BELLINGHAM HERALD BELLINGHAM The city administration is seeking yet another extension of the tem- porary construction ban in the Lake Whatcom water- shed, after the mayor said last year be reluctant to allow another one. Planners are asking the City Council to approve a four-month extension to the ban been in place since last May. The ban, which affects only the portion of the watershed, was first put in place to give the city time to create and approve new rules aimed at ensuring new development harm the water quality. Lake Whatcom is the drinking water source for Bellingham residents.

The draft rules include everything from ensuring native vegetation is preserved and limiting yard sizes, to reducing time during the summer when construction can occur. The rules must still undergo Planning Commis- sion review and City Council review and approval. Pike said another exten- sion is needed to give the city Mayor says more time needed on watershed rules City planners seek extension of building ban ATTEND THE MEETINGS WHAT: The City Council will consider approving a four-month extension of the ban on construction in the portion of Lake Whatcom water- shed. WHEN: 1 p.m. Monday, March 9 (committee dis- cussion), 7 p.m.

(full council consideration). WHERE: City Council chambers, City Hall, 210 Lottie St. WHAT: The Planning Commission will hold a hearing to consider the new rules that planners drafted during the ban. The rules aim to ensure new development does- harm the water quality. WHEN: 7 p.m.

Thursday, March 12. WHERE: City Council chambers. See BUILDING BAN, A5 ID ER ID IA TEN MILE ROAD E. POLE ROAD WISER LAKE ROAD RIV ER ROA Mile 0 New roundabout Wiser Lake The Bellingham Herald See ECONOMY, A5 LEARN ABOUT ROUNDABOUTS YOUTUBE: Watch a series of five videos from the state Depart- ment of Transportation covering everything from the benefits of roundabouts to how to navigate them. Go to youtube.com and type in in the search bar.

The first five results are the videos. WEB PAGE: The department has a Web page on roundabouts: www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects ROUNDABOUTS VS. TRAFFIC CIRCLES: For details on roundabouts and the differences between them and older traffic circles, go to www.k-state.edu/roundabouts/. 12 9 10 11 2 3 1 48 Work beginning on Guide roundabouts Roundabouts will be built at Ten Mile Road, East Pole Road, Wiser Lake Road and River Road. Grade engineer Kolby Doerge of KLB Construction shoots a grade during the building of a new roundabout at Ten Mile Road on the Guide Meridian Thursday March 5.

The project will install four large roundabouts along the highway. Andy Bronson The Bellingham Herald ONLINE bellinghamherald.dining Dining columnist John Stark reviews a different Whatcom County restaurant each month and a poll rates each of them. SEARCH for restaurants by cuisine when you click on our link..