The Bellingham Herald

• Rowing: Coon, Theodorson earn CRCA honors
  Two members of the Western Washington University women's rowing team, Audrey Coon and Kristy Theodorson, have been named to the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association/NCAA Division II Pocock All-America team.
  Coon is the No. 7 seat and Theodorson the coxswain of the Vikings' varsity eight, which ranks No. 2 nationally in the USRowing/CRCA/NCAA II Coaches Poll and will compete at the national championships this weekend at Cherry Hill, N.J.
  

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• Whatcom County home prices drop, but not as much as U.S. average
  A new federal report confirms home prices dropped in the first three months of the year in Whatcom County, but the drop wasn't as dramatic as many other parts of the state.
  Because of the way the index is structured for metro areas, it may be underestimating the amount of price depreciation in this market, said Julia Hansen, an economics professor at Western Washington University. One potential problem, she said, is Bellingham's numbers are based on both purchases and refinancing transactions. She noted the national purchase-only transaction drop was much more significant than the all-transaction index.

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• Nobel laureate to give economic presentation at Western Washington University
  Nobel laureate Vernon L. Smith will come to Western Washington University's campus to discuss a precursor to the economic crisis in a presentation titled "The Housing Bubble that Engulfed the Economy, 1997-2006: Parallels with the 1920s."
  The presentation is free and open to the public, and will take place at 10 a.m. on Friday, June 5, in Fraser Hall 3.

The Seattle Times

• Proceeds from concert to send WWU student to Deaflympics in Taiwan
  Turn it Down at the Kirkland Teen Union Building is a charming benefit for ears. Bands made up of young people will provide music (Daphne Loves Derby, Bad Timing, and 4th Avenue), the Evergreen Speech & Hearing Clinic will give everyone free earplugs (custom-molded earplugs will be purchasable with no retail mark-up), and proceeds go in part to fly local athlete and Western Washington University student Tom Guidon to Taipei, Taiwan, where he will hopefully win a gold medal for the USA in the Deaflympics. (scroll down)

• Anacortes mourns former reporter’s death
  At a time before government access television, Nancy Walbeck’s dedicated, passionate and in-depth reporting kept Fidalgo Island residents informed about city government, and during her 16-year career she elevated the profile of the arts in the community, say sources and co-workers who mourn the former Anacortes American reporter, who died at her Anacortes home of natural causes recently.
  She covered community news, government and, most passionately, arts. Her efforts won more than 40 awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association. For several years she also taught at Western’s Journalism Department as an adjunct faculty member.
  Walbeck was born in 1942 in Vancouver, British Columbia. As a single working mother of four, she attended Western Washington University where she received scholarships and served as editor of Western Front. She earned a bachelor of arts degree in journalism and political science and a master’s degree in political science. She became a U.S. citizen in 1986.

Everett Herald

• Future Viking aims for third state golf title
  In the beginning, geography led Craig Crawford to the doorstep of history.
  While growing up on Camano Island, Crawford was a baseball fan who dreamed of one day playing in the big leagues. But when his parents moved into a house that bordered on Camaloch Golf Course, his destiny was written for him.
  Now Crawford dreams of playing on the PGA Tour, and that goal might be a little more realistic than one might think. Crawford has already won two Washington state Class 1B/2B golf titles, and the Highland Christian senior hopes to add an historic third this week. ...
  Crawford hasn't shot higher than 76 in any of his past three state-tournament appearances, so don't expect the Western Washington University-bound senior to get nervous this week. And as far as pressure goes, Crawford doesn't expect that to cripple his game either.