Bellamy Pailthorp
Environment ReporterBellamy Pailthorp covers the environment beat from the Seattle offices of KNKX Public Radio News, where she has worked since 1999. She also has a deep interest in indigenous affairs and the Salish Sea. She holds a Masters in journalism from New York's Columbia University, where she completed the Knight-Bagehot fellowship in business reporting in 2006 mid-career during her stint on KNKX’s Business and Labor Beat from 2000-2012.
From 1989-98 she lived in Berlin, Germany freelancing for NPR and working as a bi-lingual producer for Deutsche Welle TV after receiving a Fulbright scholarship in 1989 for a project on theater studies and communist history. She holds a Bachelors’ degree in German language and literature from Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT. (Yes, she is fluent in German.)
She strives to tell memorable stories about how we will power our future while maintaining healthy cultures and livable cities. Character-driven
Outside work, she practices yoga, walks half marathons with friends, backpacks with her husband and extended family, reads and watches fiction with nieces, enjoys tasting new foods and admiring all kinds of animals -- especially her two house cats, who often remind her she should spend more time sitting on the couch with them.
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The international shipping industry remains exempt from climate accords such as the Paris Agreement. A new campaign is pushing retailers and shippers to do what it takes to achieve zero-emissions shipping by 2030. -
The Nooksack River registered some of its highest flood levels ever in the recent flooding that authorities now say caused as much as $50 million in damages. But that doesn’t fully account for the impact on salmon runs and habitat restoration work managed by area tribes.
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King County has named an interim sheriff as the department moves from an elected position to an appointed one. County Executive Dow Constantine announced Tuesday that Patti Cole-Tindall will start Jan. 1. She will be the first person of color to serve as King County sheriff.
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The floodwaters on the Nooksack River reached record heights this week. Hundreds of homes in communities north of Bellingham were swamped. Violinist Swil Kanim’s RV was one of them. He’s a member of the Lummi Tribe and he spoke with KNKX, as the floodwaters receded around his neighborhood in Ferndale.
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Gov. Jay Inslee says he was stunned to see how much water hit communities in Whatcom County and how fast it came in. He said that he will seek federal aid to help affected communities, and he warned of “a permanent state of attack by the forces of climate change.”
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It’s been nearly two months since a federal administrative law judge issued his recommendation on the Makah Tribe’s request to revive its whale hunt, and comments on his recommendation closed over the weekend. Now the decision is in the hands of a single official at NOAA headquarters in Maryland.
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Recycling rates in King County are some of the highest in the nation. The statewide ban on single-use plastic bags that took effect Oct. 1 is also improving efforts to reduce waste and recover valuable resources. But officials here say there’s still a lot of room for improvement.
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Washington Congresswoman Kim Schrier met Wednesday with more than two dozen veterans at a community center in Auburn, where she honored those who served in Vietnam. It was an emotional day for many on hand.
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Another big first in local politics is shaping up. 21-year-old college student Joshua Binda has widened his lead over longtime politician and nonprofit leader Lisa Utter in their race for Lynnwood City Council, Position 3.
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The first round of results are in for the Nov. 2 election. We have updates on mayoral races in Seattle and Tacoma, the Seattle city attorney contest, Seattle City Council and King County Council races and more.
