The Bellingham Herald

• Local GOP opposes creating sanctuary for AWOL soldiers in Bellingham
  As City Council members prepare to host a community meeting on the idea of a 'sanctuary city' for AWOL soldiers, local Republicans have issued opposition not only to that idea but the meeting itself. Members of the G.I. Sanctuary City Movement, a group started by Western Washington University students, convinced the council to unanimously approve hosting a meeting on the issue at 7 p.m. Monday, June 8, at the Municipal Court building, 2014 C St.
  

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• Summer vacation begins this week for some students
  For thousands of students across Whatcom County, the recent warm weather is a reminder that summer vacation is just around the corner. Starting Thursday, June 4, schools will begin releasing students for months of vacation. Many of the public school districts had to delay the last day of school due to snow in December and widespread flooding in January.

Edmonds Beacon

• Edmonds Art Festival gives scholarships to art students
  The Edmonds Arts Festival Foundation awarded more than $23,000 in post-secondary visual arts scholarships to 28 students for the 2009-2010 school year.
  The EAFF is a non-profit organization dedicated to enriching the community through art and art education.  It annually offers scholarships to graduating seniors living within the boundaries of the Edmonds School District interested in visual arts, students in the Visual Arts program at Edmonds Community College, and those renewing their scholarships.  
  Carolyn Votaw, who graduated from Meadowdale High School last year and is a student at Western Washington University, received the visual arts scholarship for the second time this year.
  Votaw declared her Art major her first year at Western.  This year, she declared a second major in Art History.
  “It’s been really neat to be able to incorporate art history into my artwork and just see where art has come from and how it’s evolved into what it’s become today,” she said.