The Bellingham Herald from Bellingham, Washington • A2

DANIEL BENNETT Age: 35. Family: Wife, Amy. Education: Lynden High School; Pacific Lutheran University, bachelor of arts in legal studies. Employment: Worked in the berry fields and later in a cannery. Put himself through college by working at Target.

Interned with the Washington State Attorney Office during college and after graduation was employed there. Worked with other state agencies since and currently works for the city of Bellingham. Experience: Volunteer experience with various nonprofits. RENA GUERIN Age: 65. Family: Widowed, two adult children, one grand- child.

Education: Bachelor of arts in education; gradu- ate work. Employment: Taught in public schools and private preschool; operated dairy farm with husband; medical office; church treasurer. Experience: Five years on Nooksack City Council. E-mail: WHATCOM TheBellinghamHerald.com/localnews Contact: Debbie Townsend, 715-2280, debbie.townsend@bellinghamherald.com A2 Friday October 23, 2009 HE WALKS THE LINE Fine autumn day falls into place PETER JENSEN THE BELLINGHAM HERALD Bellingham and Western Washington University po- lice have arrested two stu- dents on suspicion of rob- bing another student in the Sehome Arboretum on Oct. 15.

Derreck C. Opheim, 19, was arrested in his dorm room in the Ridgeway Com- plex on Wednesday, Oct. 21, and was booked into the Whatcom County Jail on suspicion of first-degree robbery and trafficking stolen property. University police arrested Sean J. Heien, also 19, out- side his dorm room Thurs- day afternoon and booked him into jail.

Police say Opheim and Heien approached a student on a trail behind the Edens Hall dormitory Oct. 15, threatened the student with a gun and a knife, and took his backpack and iPod before fleeing. Opheim made his first appearance in Whatcom County Superior Court on Thursday, and Commission- er Edwin Simmers set his bail at $100,000. parents addressed Simmers at the hearing, and said their son had recently undergone treatment for oxycodone abuse. think this is a drug his mother, Tammy, said.

Heien is scheduled to make his first appearance in Superior Court on Friday. Police were able to con- nect Opheim and Heien to the robbery because they sent text messages solicit- ing buyers for the iPod that night, said Randy Stegmeier, chief of the University Police Department. A campus-wide e-mail sent the day of the robbery notified students that an iPod had been stolen. The next day, Bellingham police received an anony- mous tip from someone who knew who purchased the iPod. Police interviewed the person who paid $70 for the iPod, which had the robbery first name etched on its cover, Stegmeier said.

That person said he knew the sellers from living in Edens Hall with them last year, but only identified them by their first names, according to a police report Senior Deputy Prosecutor Anna Giglotti read at the hearing. The buyer said the sellers had lived on the first and third floors of Edens. Uni- versity police searched last dorm records and were able to get the sus- full names. Police obtained search warrants for the dorm rooms, searched both and arrested Opheim. They found clothing and the knife Luke Burritt, 25, attempts to squat to his knees while at Boulevard Park on Tuesday, Oct.

20. was a beautiful day. Felt like enjoy- ing he said. Andy Bronson The Bellingham Herald Land Trust marks 25th anniversary ISABELLE DILLS THE BELLINGHAM HERALD BELLINGHAM The Whatcom Land Trust will celebrate its 25th anniver- sary Thursday, Oct. 29, at Depot Market Square during the Cheers to Stewardship Brew Ha Ha.

The event will feature Hearty Harvest beer from Boundary Bay Brewery, pretzels from Bavarian Bakery and brats courtesy of Pacific Survey and Engineer- ing and The event also will include music from the End of the Road String Band and an improv per- formance by Second Story Players. The celebration takes place from 6 to 11 p.m. at the depot, corner of Railroad Avenue and Maple Street. Tickets are $12 at the door and include a beverage of choice in a commemorative 25th anniversary glass. Reservations can be made by calling the Whatcom Land Trust at 650-9470 or by visit- ing whatcomlandtrust.org.

Roundabout open at Wiser Lake HANNAH BOSTWICK THE BELLINGHAM HERALD The roundabout at the intersection of Wiser Lake Road and Guide Meridian opened to traffic Wednesday afternoon, Oct. 21. The roundabout is in a tem- porary one-lane configuration while crews finish curbing the center island. Crews hope to have the roundabout open in its final two-lane configura- tion within the next few weeks, said Dustin Terpening, Department of Transporta- tion spokesman. Access to and from West Wiser Lake Road, which has been closed since early Sep- tember, has been reopened, Terpening said.

This is the third in a series of four roundabouts sched- uled to open on Guide Merid- ian. The fourth will open at the River Road intersection later this year, Terpening said. Two officials in mishap with bike SAM TAYLOR THE BELLINGHAM HERALD Whatcom County Execu- tive Pete Kremen and state Sen. Kevin Ranker, D-San Juan Island, were in a car that was hit by a bicycle Thursday, Oct. 22, Bellingham Police Department officials said.

The two public officials were leaving lunch at the Hotel Bellwether, according to a Senate spokesman. Kre- men was preparing to make a right turn onto Roeder Avenue from Bellwether Way when a bicyclist hit the vehicle, according to police spokesman Mark Young. Nobody was hurt and no alcohol was involved, Young said. The accident was so minor, Young added, that the department normally would- report it and would only ensure that information was exchanged. Kremen asked that a report be taken, how- ever, Young said.

and Ranker) were very forthcoming with reporting it right Young said. The bike sustained minor damage. HANNAH BOSTWICK THE BELLINGHAM HERALD BELLINGHAM Some well-known artists in the comic book world, including one working on the storyline of marriage to Veronica, will be on hand for Bellingham ComiCon this weekend. The convention will fea- ture James Taylor, inker and publisher of Rorschach En- tertainment; Brandon Jerwa, writer for Galacti- and and Randy Ember- lin, artist and inker for and more, said Eric Bur- ris, convention organizer. Also attending will be Western Washington Univer- sity alumnus Bob Smith, who is returning to Belling- ham for the convention after working as an artist and inker for Archie Comics on the East Coast for the past 15 years, Burris said.

Smith is inking the highly anticipated Gets storyline, which follows the engagement and marriage of girl-crazy Archie Andrews to the rich and glamorous Veronica Lodge, Burris said. Although the guests will not hold panel discussions, they will be available to fans throughout the day for conversation, questions and autographs, Burris said. Roughly 20 exhibitors will be at the event selling comics, science-fiction toys and other comic book mem- orabilia, Burris said. The Bellingham ComiCon is from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Satur- day, Oct. 24, at the Hampton Fox Hall, 3985 Bennett Drive. Admission is $5. Chil- dren 7 and younger get in free. For more information, visit bellinghamcomicon.com.

Reach Hannah Bostwick at hannah.bostwick@bellingham herald.com or call 756-2883. ISABELLE DILLS THE BELLINGHAM HERALD NOOKSACK Rena Guerin, who holds the Nook- sack City Council, Position 1 spot, is running for re-elec- tion against Daniel Bennett on the Nov. 3 ballot. Follow- ing are questions for and answers from the candi- dates: Question: Nooksack endures frequent flooding, and toxic sediment has been found in the area of Swift Creek. If elected, how would you help solve this problem? Bennett: The slough in the creek area is filled with debris, and it needs to be cleaned out, Bennett said.

If elected, he would work to get grants to help fund the clean-up process and make sure that new construction contribute to the flooding problem. Prevent- ing future flooding in Nook- sack should be a joint effort among the state, county and city. need to work together to make this a bet- ter Bennett said. Guerin: The Sumas River, which borders Nooksack, is filling up with sediment from the Swift Creek slide. When the water level rises and the river overflows, silt from Swift Creek deposits onto the land and into the drainage systems.

ing the viability of Sumas River is crucial to Nook- stormwater drainage and will take a joint effort of city, county, state and feder- al Guerin said. If elected, she would put pres- sure on County Council members to take responsi- bility for monitoring the silt deposits, to investigate the possibility of dredging the Sumas River and to find a way to properly dispose of the silt. Do you believe the rest of Whatcom County knows What the candidates think, in their own words, on key issues in their races. Read the responses to a questionnaire. Stories on other races in the Nov.

3 gen- eral election. State and national election headlines. KIRA MILLAGE COX THE BELLINGHAM HERALD BELLINGHAM West- ern Washington University will be open to everyone this weekend with a variety of events for the annual Fall Family Open House. The weekend will kick off Friday afternoon, Oct. 23, with the College of Business and Economics luncheon and Teaching Scholarship Day.

The majority of events are on Saturday, with options including art exhibits, lec- tures, a play and sporting events. Following is a selection of free activities, unless otherwise noted. To see the full schedule, go to www.nssfo.wwu.edu/fall familyopenhouse. FRIDAY Sounds of Cells exhibition at the Western Gallery, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Mistakes Made- line 7:30 p.m. on the Performing Arts Center main stage, $12 for adults, $9 for students and WWU faculty, staff and seniors. Because of language and nudity, this show is for mature audiences. Arthur Hicks Piano Scholarship Recital, 8 p.m. in the Performing Arts Cen- ter Concert Hall.

SATURDAY Opening reception with Provost Catherine Riordan, 10 a.m. in the Aca- demic Instructional Center. Did We Learn from the Ancient One? A Twisted Tale of Cultural by anthropolo- gy professor Daniel Boxberger, Science Lecture 110, 11 a.m. Service and Long-term by soci- ology professor Jay Teach- man, Science Lecture 120, 11 a.m. Asian Men be American Action Heroes? Breaking the Racial Barrier in Action by profes- sor Midori Takagi, Science Lecture 130, 11 a.m.

Departmental open houses, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Includes chemistry, engi- neering technology, geology and behavioral neuroscience departments, Huxley Col- lege of the Environment, international programs and exchanges, Viking Union Outdoor Center, Wilson Library, Woodring College of Education. the Forest for (More Than) the by environmental studies pro- fessor Grace Wang, Science Lecture 110, noon. Foot in Nature, One Foot in a Crazy World: How the Study of Nature Can Lessen Our Environ- mental Impact and Improve Our Quality of by Fairhaven College profes- sor John Bower, Science Hall 120, noon.

How Valuable Are by Effie Eisses from the Acad- emic Advising and Career Development Services office, Science Lecture 130, noon. basketball game, Carver Gym, 3 p.m. Filipino Heritage Din- ner, Viking Union Multipur- pose Room. Tickets $10 for students, $15 for general admission. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.

soccer vs. Montana State University- Billings, 7 p.m., Orca Field at Whatcom Community College. Mistakes Made- line 7:30 and 10:30 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center. Prices and other information listed under Friday heading.

SUNDAY Mistakes Made- line 2 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center. Prices and other informa- tion listed under Friday heading. Reach Kira Millage Cox at kira.cox@bellinghamherald or call 715-2266. Visit her School Days blog at The BellinghamHerald.com/blogs.

WWU students accused in holdup Pair face charges in armed robbery on Sehome Hill See ROBBERY, A4 ABOUT THE POSITION Whoever wins the race will become one of five members on the Nooksack City Council, which sets the budget, creates policies and votes on ordinances and resolutions affecting the more than 1,100 residents. The position pays $150 a month. ELECTION ONLINE: Go to bellinghamherald.com/elections for: See ELECTION, A4 Five-year Nooksack councilwoman faces challenger WWU hosts family weekend events Inked issue with wedding to Veronica artist at local ComiCon.