Bellingham Public Schools joins national lawsuit, Bellingham cancels purchase of Roosevelt building for day shelter, August 19 Service Outage Planned for Lummi Island Ferry, Lynden health director to join Whatcom Community College Board of Trustees, Whatcom County 2026 Overdose Awareness Day, Whatcom County 2026 Overdose Awareness Day, Mount Vernon temporarily bans data centers, Central WA data center scuppered (bump for time if needed), Washington sues to protect personal information of millions of drivers, Amazon agrees to $2.25 Million Settlement (bump for time if needed), FREE & CHEAP, Recreational crabbing to open in Marine Area 7 North (San Juan Islands) beginning Aug. 15 [just focus on area 7, WA Job Growth Slow (prepare yourself- this requires analysis!), F&C Aug 21 Children’s Craft Fair at the Bellis Fair Mall, Friday, August 21, 5:00 – 7:00 pm
Independent, nonprofit community radio.
KMRE brings you local news for Friday, August 14th. Good afternoon, I’m _David Korb_____.
STORY: Bellingham Public Schools joins national lawsuit
Bellingham Public Schools has joined a lawsuit accusing several social media sites of promoting addictive behavior among teens.
The case, filed in federal court in 2022, argues that these platforms are designed to maximize screen time which can lead to emotional and physical harm in adolescents. According to the Bellingham Herald, the district filed its own complaint on August 4th, naming the parent companies of Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok.
District spokesperson Dana Smith said the law firm pursuing the complaint recently asked new plaintiffs to join, and the district opted in.
Bellingham is the only district in Whatcom County currently joined in the complaint.
STORY: Bellingham cancels purchase of Roosevelt building for day shelter
Bellingham’s plan for a new homeless day center has hit a major setback.
City officials say the operator chosen to run the center backed out of contract negotiations on July 15th, leaving the project without anyone to manage it. With the 90-day window on the purchase agreement about to expire — and no time to find a replacement — the City is terminating its deal to purchase the building at 2020 Pacific Street.
The City says it’s still committed to opening a year-round day center to provide safe indoor space and basic-needs support for people who are homeless. Officials say they will keep pursuing every option to get the project off the ground.
STORY: August 19 Service Outage Planned for Lummi Island Ferry
The Whatcom Chief will be offline for several hours next Wednesday for terminal maintenance.
Public Works says the ferry will be out of service from 10:10 a.m. to 3 pm on August 19 while crews inspect facilities at both Lummi Island and Gooseberry Point.
The last morning run from Gooseberry Point is at 9:50am, and the last run from Lummi Island is at 10:00am.
The county carries out these inspections about every two months. The schedule is weather-dependent, and any changes will be posted on the ferry’s webpage.
STORY: Lynden health director to join Whatcom Community College Board of Trustees
Whatcom Community College is welcoming a new trustee.
Governor Bob Ferguson has appointed Lynden health-care leader Tonja Myers to the college’s Board of Trustees. Myers brings more than 30 years of experience in elder care, workforce development, and organizational leadership. She leads Christian Health Care Center in Lynden, where she’s focused on strengthening the region’s health-care workforce.
Myers has also spent more than 15 years on the Northwest Workforce Council Board, including time as chair.
As a trustee, she’ll help guide strategy, oversee policy, and support programs that meet regional workforce needs.
STORY: Whatcom County 2026 Overdose Awareness Day
Whatcom County is marking International Overdose Awareness Day with three events this month.
Organizers say the series is meant to honor people lost to overdose and connect the community with prevention and recovery resources.
The first event is the Voices of Recovery panel and open mic tomorrow from 5:30 to 7 pm at First Baptist Church and Recovery Café.
On Friday, August 28th, the annual Overdose Awareness Resource Fair runs from noon to 4pm on the Bellingham City Hall lawn, with Naloxone training and information on Good Samaritan laws.
The series ends on Monday, August 31st, with a community memorial at Maritime Heritage Park from 6:30 to 8 pm, including a candle display and memorial wall. Community members can add a loved one by emailing recoverycafebellingham@gmail.com.
STORY: Mount Vernon temporarily bans data centers
Mount Vernon has adopted a six-month moratorium on new data centers; even though no data centers have yet been proposed there.
There was one dissenting vote when the City Council approved the measure on Wednesday.
The moratorium lets the city pause future permit applications while planners draft more specific code language.
Officials say concerns include electricity and water demand, the city’s ability to support large facilities, stormwater and sewer planning, and the fact that Mount Vernon sits in the Skagit River 100-year floodplain.
The council must hold a public hearing within 60 days, and the moratorium can be extended in additional six-month increments.
STORY: Central WA data center scuppered (bump for time if needed)
A proposed natural gas power plant for supplying electricity to a Central Washington data center has been canceled.
Texas-based VoltaGrid had proposed installing 14 gas generators in Quincy to serve the nearby Vantage data center campus, but withdrew its air quality permit application after environmental groups submitted more than 500 public comments opposing the project. Grant County Public Utility District officials confirmed the project will not move forward, saying the on-site power generation is no longer needed.
The proposal had drawn criticism over its emissions and its connection to the growing energy demands of tech billionaires.
STORY: Washington sues to protect personal information of millions of drivers
Washington is suing the federal government to block what it calls an illegal attempt to seize sensitive driver data.
Attorney General Nick Brown joined a coalition of state attorneys general in filing two lawsuits on Thursday. The suits challenge the Trump administration’s demand that states turn over personal records for 17 million commercial drivers, including Social Security numbers and licensing history. Federal officials have threatened to cut more than $10 million in funding to the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators if states refuse.
The lawsuits say federal agencies are violating privacy laws by trying to build a secret database with no limits on how the information could be used or shared.
Attorneys general from 22 jurisdictions joined the challenge.
STORY: Amazon agrees to $2.25 Million Settlement (bump for time if needed)
Amazon is facing federal action for allegedly failing to give identity-theft victims access to the records they requested.
A federal court approved an order requiring Amazon to pay $2.25M and change how it handles requests from people whose identities had been stolen. The Justice Department says Amazon violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act by refusing to provide victims with records of fraudulent transactions — or by failing to provide them within 30 days.
The order also requires Amazon to give those records free of charge once a victim’s identity and claim are verified, and to post instructions online explaining how victims can request them.
Justice officials say victims should not face barriers when trying to clear their names.
FREE & CHEAP
It’s Friday – if you’re looking for something free or cheap to do this weekend, here’s a bit of what’s going on around the county.
This weekend is a chance to check out the noisy waters mural festival before they pack up for the year. Though entry is free, there are some events that are a little expensive, if there are any tickets left.
Saturday at 6 pm is when the Fairhaven Outdoor Cinema gets started. This week’s showing is Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away. Tickets are $8 by card or $7 with cash.
WX: Updated (thanks Kai!)
And now weather…
Today looks to be a repeat of yesterday, with highs around 80 in Bellingham and Lynden. Blaine is a bit cooler with highs in the low 70’s. Expect sunshine today with some clouds in the evening.
This weekend heralds the end of the sunny streak with mostly cloudy skies. Though temperatures should still be warm.
OUTRO:
Today’s newscast was produced by volunteers Carlos Braga, Connor O’Boyle, Kyler Cantrell, Glen Hirshberg, Kathi O’Shea, Kai Blais-Schmolke, Jenny Lam, Nate Landi, Natalie Jones, Noelle Reger, and Sean Lynch. Tune in to local news on KMRE weekdays at 3, 4 and 5 pm For news tips and feedback, send us an email at news@kmre.org or call 360-398-6150. KMRE is a nonprofit community radio s tation, powered by your donations. To help support our work, check out our Patreon, or Substack, or visit kmre.org and click on the banner. I’m _David Korb________… thanks for listening!
##
STORY:Recreational crabbing to open in Marine Area 7 North (San Juan Islands) beginning Aug. 15 [just focus on area 7] (note- this is dated for broadcast AFTER 8/15)
Good news for crabbers — the northern San Juan Islands are now open for crabbing.
Marine Area 7 North opened for crabbing on Saturday, with the season running Thursdays through Mondays through Sept. 28. The state Department of Fish and Wildlife says the later start is because Dungeness in Area 7 North molt later, and test fisheries showed enough crab had reached the required hardshell condition to begin the season.
Marine Area 7 South is already open under the same Thursday-through-Monday schedule.
The agency reminds crabbers to review gear rules, carry the required license and catch record card, and make sure pots are properly weighted to avoid lost gear.
STORY: WA Job Growth Slow (prepare yourself- this requires analysis!)
F&C Aug 21
Children’s Craft Fair at the Bellis Fair Mall
Friday, August 21, 5:00 – 7:00 pm
Inside Bellis Fair Mall
Enjoy a wide array of handmade crafts and baked goods created by children ages 13 and younger. All items are priced $5 or less; cash only sales. Fun for all ages to shop for unique treasures and support local youth.
Leave a Reply