Wednesday,
Bellingham City Council unanimously approves code change expanding options for establishing affordable housing, One person hospitalized following house fire south of Everson, Ragfinery seeking donations to aid re-establishment of community classroom, Lynden man arrested on suspicion of involvement in online scam, Skagit, Cascade river fisheries change, PSE files three-year rate plan request that would increase residential prices by over 30% by 2028, Health insurance rates climb, fewer insurers available, Community Conversations District 2 (run at end of Sept), Free Paint Recycling Event Set for Bellingham October 3, Cherry Point Refinery Maintenance Could Lead to Visible Flaring
Independent, nonprofit community radio. KMRE brings you local news for Wednesday, September, 16. Good afternoon, I’m ______.
STORY: Bellingham City Council unanimously approves code change expanding options for establishing affordable housing
The Bellingham City Council has unanimously approved a new incentive designed to make it easier to build affordable housing.
The Low-Income Housing Development Incentive exempts some city-funded projects from most zoning and land-use regulations.
The exemption applies to projects made up entirely of permanently affordable units for households earning less than 80-percent of the area median income.
Councilmember Michael Lilliquist supported the ordinance, but raised concerns that requiring projects to be 100-percent affordable could discourage mixed-income housing.
The city’s Planning Commission recommended the code changes back in July, saying removing zoning requirements could make affordable housing projects easier for developers to build.
STORY: Bellingham mayor names longtime staffer to new Urban Transformation Strategist position
In more city news, Mayor Kim Lund has created a new economic development position.
Longtime city staffer Darby Galligan is now Bellingham’s Urban Transformation Strategist. The Mayor says the job is designed to help businesses, developers, and creative organizations navigate city processes — as well as finding funding.
The new position is part of Lund’s economic opportunity initiative. Galligan, a Western Washington University graduate, has worked for the city’s Planning and Community Development Department for years.
The city says the position builds on other economic development efforts, including a seven-year B&O tax break for new downtown businesses and the recently-launched Business Resources Hub.
STORY: One person hospitalized following house fire south of Everson
One person was injured Tuesday in a house fire south of Everson.
Whatcom Fire District 1 says crews were called to a home near Goshen (GO-shun) and Mission roads around 12 p.m. Fire officials say work was being done on the home when the fire began.
Everyone was out by the time firefighters arrived. One person was taken to St. Joseph Medical Center with a burn injury.
STORY: Ragfinery seeking donations to aid re-establishment of community classroom
Ragfinery wants to reopen its Community Classroom and workshop.
The organization lost its building and entire inventory in a fire last year. Now, Ragfinery says it’s ready to bring back workshops, open studio time, and community resource sharing.
A fundraising campaign will pay for fixtures and supplies needed to reopen the classroom and offer programs focused on mending, upcycling, and reducing textile waste.
More information is available at ragfinery-dot-com.
STORY: Lynden man arrested on suspicion of involvement in online scam
Lynden police have arrested a 30-year-old man accused of helping defraud a local resident out of about 60-thousand dollars.
Police say the victim was targeted in an online scam, and was told to withdraw large amounts of cash and hand it over to someone posing as a federal agent. The victim also purchased gift cards and provided scammers with the card numbers.
Police set up a sting operation Monday afternoon when the suspect believed he was returning to collect more cash.
The man now faces first-degree theft and felony criminal conspiracy charges. He remains in the Whatcom County Jail without bail.
STORY: Skagit, Cascade river fisheries change
Fishery managers have shut down major stretches of the Skagit and Cascade rivers.
The state is postponing fall openings in the upper river and closing all fishing from Gilligan Creek to the Dalles (DALLS) Bridge. Anglers can still keep two coho from the mouth to Gilligan Creek, but all other salmon must be released.
Additionally, bait is banned, and single‑point barbless hooks are required. Everything upstream is closed.
Managers say low flows and high Chinook encounters during the August coho opener forced the change to protect a large wild coho return expected in October.
STORY: PSE files three-year rate plan request that would increase residential prices by over 30% by 2028
Puget Sound Energy has asked state regulators to approve a three-year rate plan that would increase electric and natural gas bills…again.
Back in January, PSE raised electrical and gas rates by 12% and 7% respectively. With the new proposed increases, PSE says a typical residential customer will pay an additional 28 dollars a month for electricity next year. That will be followed by additional increases of about 7 dollars in 2028, and another nearly 16 dollars in 2029.
The typical natural gas customer would see an increase of 14 dollars a month in 2027, 4 dollars in 2028, and another nearly 5 dollars in 2029.
PSE filed the request with the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission, which will independently review the proposal before deciding whether to approve the increases.
PSE points to failing infrastructure, grid strain from data centers, renewable energy projects, and inflation as reasons for the repeated increases. The utility says it plans to invest more than 3-point-2 billion dollars in its electric and natural gas systems over the next three years.
The UTC will now determine if the proposed rates are justified, and what customers will ultimately pay.
STORY: Health insurance rates climb, fewer insurers available
Health insurance will also cost more for many Washington residents next year.
The state insurance commissioner has approved an average rate increase of 22-point-2 percent for individual health plans sold through the marketplace in 2027.
In Whatcom County, only three insurers will offer individual plans: Coordinated Care, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Washington, and LifeWise Health Plan of Washington. Regence will not offer individual plans in the county for the second year in a row.
In Skagit County, five insurers will offer plans, including Regence.
Approved rate increases range from 6-point-7 percent for Regence to 25-point-2 percent for Coordinated Care.
Insurance Commissioner Patty Kuderer says the increases reflect rising healthcare costs, including higher prices charged by healthcare providers.
The state also says nearly 50-thousand fewer Washington residents are buying individual marketplace plans following the expiration of enhanced federal premium tax credits.
WX: Summer’s eighth encore song, and the frontman clearly needs some water
And now for the weather…
Expect sun with temperatures in the mid-70s today. The clear skies should continue into the evening, when we’ll see temperatures fall to the low-50s.
Expect more of the same tomorrow.
OUTRO:
Today’s newscast was produced by volunteers Carlos Braga (BRAH-guh), Kyler Cantrell (can-TRELL), Glen Hirshberg (HERSH-berg), Kathi O’Shea (o-SHAY), Kai Blais-Schmolke (KAI BLAZE-SHMOLE-kee), Jenny Lam, Doug Langstrom, and Cheri Cloninger (SHARE-ee CLAWN-in-jer). Tune in to local news on KMRE weekdays at 3, 4 and 5 p.m. For news tips and feedback, send us an email at news@kmre.org or call 360-398-6150. KMRE is a nonprofit community radio station, 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 _________ — thanks for listening!
##
STORY: Community Conversations District 2 (run at end of Sept)
Whatcom County residents will soon have a chance to meet their council members and ask questions.
Three councilmembers — Elizabeth Boyle, Barry Buchanan, and Jon Scanlon — will take part in a community conversation on Thursday, October 1 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Round Table Pizza on East Sunset Drive. It’s part of the council’s Community Conversations series, this time held with the Barkley Neighborhood Association.
The event is free and open to the public, with time for updates and a Q&A.
More information on upcoming Community Conversations events is available on the county’s website.
STORY: Free Paint Recycling Event Set for Bellingham October 3
Whatcom County residents and businesses can get rid of unwanted paint for free at a recycling event in Bellingham.
The Paint Collection and Recycling Event is Saturday, October 3rd, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Barkley Village, on Rimland Drive.
Accepted items include latex and oil-based paints, acrylics, varnishes, shellacs, lacquers and primers. Paint must be in its original container and in containers of five gallons or less. There’s no need to dry out the paint before bringing it in.
Spray paint, marine and automotive paint, paint thinner and other hazardous materials will not be accepted.
People are asked to stay in their vehicles while staff unload the materials. Pre-registration is encouraged.
STORY: Cherry Point Refinery Maintenance Could Lead to Visible Flaring
Residents near the Cherry Point refinery may see flames from the facility over the next few weeks.
Whatcom County Fire District 7 says BP Cherry Point has notified the district that planned maintenance could result in visible flaring.
BP says the work is routine and not an emergency. Flares are used to safely burn off excess gases during refinery operations.
The company says workers are monitoring emissions and taking steps to minimize flaring during the maintenance.
F&C 9/24-26
Friends of the Bellingham Public Library September Book Sale
Friday, September 25, 10:00 am – 6:00 pm, half-price
Saturday, September 26, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm, $5/bag
Lecture Room, Central Library
Visit the Lecture Room at the Central Library for the Friends of the Library September Book Sale and browse from a huge selection of books, DVDs, and more. There will be items for all ages and all proceeds benefit your library. Credit card and cash payments will be accepted. Check it out!
Leave a Reply