Ferndale man arrested in connection with Bellingham mugging last month, RFA Public Hearing Oct 14, WWU releases datamap detailing Whatcom’s decline in Canadian visitation and shopping over last several years, Governor names new justice to Skagit Superior Court in court’s first expansion in twenty years, Flood Preparedness Open House (run 10/9 or 10/12), Crypto company ordered to shut down (run 10/12), WA UTC issues apology following hate speech at PSE rate increase hearing, Head of state DCYF questioned over allegations of racial bias in agency, Orca Recovery Day happens Saturday (Oct 17), BFA public meeting, Bellingham Swimmer, 60, Breaks Pacific Northwest Masters Record at National Championships, Bellingham to hold public hearing over proposed regional fire authority (run 10/9 or 10/12), Bellingham to hold public hearing over proposed regional fire authority (run 10/9 or 10/12), Public invited to Port of Bellingham open house (Oct 29), Health department cider pressing safety (weak story – break glass only in emergency)
Independent, nonprofit community radio. KMRE brings you local news for Monday, October, 12. Good afternoon, I’m ______.
STORY: Ferndale man arrested in connection with Bellingham mugging last month
A man faces charges after a strong‑arm robbery.
Bellingham Police say the victim was walking on East Bakerview Road on September 9th when a man confronted him, claimed to have a knife, and forced him into a wooded area across the street. Officers say the suspect threatened to kill the victim if he didn’t hand over his wallet, then took it and told him not to call 911. The victim ran out of the woods and called police immediately.
Officers found a woman nearby with the cart described by the victim, but the suspect wasn’t located that day.
An officer spotted the suspect on Meridian on October 8th. He was arrested without incident and booked into the Whatcom County Jail.
STORY: RFA Public Hearing Oct 14
A public hearing on Bellingham’s proposed Regional Fire Authority is set for Wednesday.
City leaders and Whatcom County Fire District 8 commissioners are considering forming a Regional Fire Authority to provide fire and EMS services within their shared service areas. The Bellingham Regional Fire Authority Planning Committee will outline its proposed structure and funding plan, which has been in development since April. Any final decision — including the tax rate — would go to voters.
The hearing will also take public comment on a possible Fire Benefit Charge, a fee based on the cost of providing fire protection to buildings on a property.
The meeting will be held in City Hall’s Council Chambers at 6pm. Residents can speak in person by signing up outside the chambers between 5:30 and 6pm. There is no virtual option. Written comments can be submitted by email to fire@cob.org or by mail to City Hall.
STORY: WWU releases datamap detailing Whatcom’s decline in Canadian visitation and shopping over last several years
Whatcom County has lost an estimated 64-million-dollar in Canadian spending between the last two years.
According to a new analysis by Western Washington University’s Border Policy Research Institute about 510-thousand Canadians visited Whatcom County primarily to shop in 2025, down from 1.8 million in 2019 — a drop of roughly 71 percent. Researchers say the decline accelerated in 2025 amid tensions over tariffs and U.S.-Canada relations.
The impact varies across the county. In Bellingham, inflation-adjusted retail sales fell about one percent between 2019 and 2024, with clothing sales down 22 percent and general merchandise down 12 percent. Blaine and Sumas also saw declines in local fuel-tax revenue, which helps pay for transportation projects.
Researchers say fewer Canadian shoppers mean less sales-tax revenue for county services, including emergency medical services, criminal justice, the new jail and behavioral health treatment center, and affordable housing.
The study also finds that Canadian visitors are increasingly crossing the border for recreation and family visits rather than shopping. Researchers say the changing travel patterns add pressure to local businesses and will be important to monitor as cross-border relations continue to evolve.
STORY: Governor names new justice to Skagit Superior Court in court’s first expansion in twenty years
Skagit County Superior Court is adding a new judge to the bench.
Governor Bob Ferguson has appointed Haley Wolcott Sebens to fill the new position created earlier this year — the first expansion of the court in two decades.
Sebens is a longtime Skagit County litigator with more than 16 years of experience. She currently serves as a Superior Court Commissioner, handling calendars in family law, child welfare, guardianship, probate, and juvenile matters. She previously spent over a decade in the Prosecutor’s Office, specializing in felony cases involving women and children, and has tried more than 80 jury trials.
Sebens will take the bench on January 1st.
STORY: Flood Preparedness Open House (run 10/9 or 10/12)
It’s Water Week in Whatcom County.
Officials are inviting residents to a Flood Preparedness Open House on Wednesday from 5 to 7 p.m. at Nooksack Valley Middle School. The event includes a short presentation from Public Works and local leaders on this year’s flood outlook, current mitigation projects, and how flood‑management decisions are made.
The open house brings together county flood experts, emergency responders, and community partners and offer practical preparedness tools and information.
STORY: Crypto company ordered to shut down (run 10/12)
A Seattle cryptocurrency company has been ordered to shut down by the end of this year and pay a two-and-a-half-million-dollar fine.
The Washington Department of Financial Institutions says the order against Coinme resolves a multi-state lawsuit launched last year. The lawsuit alleged the company failed to meet state financial requirements, including accounting standards and safeguards against money laundering.
The impact will be felt locally. According to Coinme’s website, the company operates 17 cryptocurrency kiosks in Whatcom County and 10 in Skagit (SKA-jit) County.
Coinme must also remove its kiosks from six other states: Ohio, Georgia, Alaska, Arkansas, North Carolina and Illinois.
STORY: WA UTC issues apology following hate speech at PSE rate increase hearing
The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission has apologized after a public hearing on rate increases was repeatedly disrupted by racist and offensive remarks.
The virtual hearing was held last Wednesday to gather public comments on PSE rates. The commission says it failed to adequately moderate the meeting, apologizing to people who were subjected to hate speech, those who were discouraged from speaking, and hundreds of participants who took time to provide comments.
The commission says it takes public participation seriously and pledges to improve moderation at future events.
STORY: Head of state DCYF questioned over allegations of racial bias in agency
Allegations of racial bias are swirling around Washington’s Department of Children, Youth and Families.
According to the Washington State Standard, agency Secretary Tana Senn faced pointed questions from the oversight board after two former senior staff members accused the department of mistreating Black women in leadership and sidelining equity work.
One of those aides, the agency’s former equity director, resigned last month and issued a letter describing racist and discriminatory behavior inside the department. She cited incidents including a staff member repeatedly being subjected to a racial slur and another Black woman being denied a promotion without a clear explanation.
Senn told the board that equity remains a core operating principle for the agency and said nothing has changed in that regard. The department oversees child welfare, juvenile detention, and child‑care programs for low‑income families.
WX: Axial tilt is a helluva thing
And now for the weather…
After hitting a low of 30 degrees early this morning, an unseasonably sunny but cool day is in the cards today, with forecasts calling for mostly clear, blue skies, and temperatures in the high 50s. Tonight should give us the inverse of both, with significant cloud cover and lows in the mid-40’s over the evening hours.
We should wake up to a mostly cloudy day tomorrow with highs approaching 60, with rain likely in the late hours of Tuesday.
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 (eye) Blais-Schmolke (KAI BLAZE-SHMOLE-kee), Jenny Lam, Doug Langworthy, 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!
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STORY: Orca Recovery Day happens Saturday (Oct 17)
The ninth annual Orca Recovery Day is coming up Saturday.
The event brings volunteers together to restore salmon habitat across the region.
Locally, the Whatcom Land Trust, Whatcom Conservation District and Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association will host a restoration work party at Lower Kenney Creek near Deming, from 9 a.m. to noon.
Volunteers will plant native trees and shrubs, spread mulch and remove invasive plants. The work helps keep streams cool and clean for salmon, which are the primary food source for the endangered Southern Resident orcas.
The event is free, but registration is required through the Whatcom Land Trust. Tools, water and snacks will be provided.
STORY: BFA public meeting
The Bellingham Regional Fire Authority Planning Committee will hold a public hearing next Wednesday, October 14th, at 6 p.m.
The committee is developing a plan to create a Regional Fire Authority serving the City of Bellingham and Whatcom County Fire District 8. The proposed authority would provide fire protection and emergency medical services, with the plan outlining how it would be structured and funded.
The hearing will also cover a possible Fire Benefit Charge, a fee based on the size, use and fire risk of buildings.
Ultimately, voters would have to approve formation of the Regional Fire Authority and its tax rate.
The public hearing will be held October 14th at 6 p.m. More information is available at Bellingham R-F-A dot org.
STORY: Bellingham Swimmer, 60, Breaks Pacific Northwest Masters Record at National Championships
A Bellingham swimmer is showing that turning 60 doesn’t necessarily mean slowing down.
Brad Jones returned from the 2026 Long Course Masters National Championships in Sacramento with three podium finishes and a new Pacific Northwest Masters record.
Competing against more than 1,500 swimmers, Jones placed second in the 100-meter butterfly and 200-meter individual medley, and third in the 400-meter freestyle.
His 100-meter butterfly time of one minute, five-point-six-nine seconds broke a Pacific Northwest Masters record in the 60-to-64 age group that had stood for 10 years.
Jones trains with the Bellingham Masters group at the Arne Hanna Aquatic Center and coaches swimmers with the Bellingham Bay Swim Team.
He says Masters swimming is a big part of his life — and that getting older gives him another opportunity to see what he can accomplish.
STORY: Bellingham to hold public hearing over proposed regional fire authority (run 10/9 or 10/12)
Bellingham residents will have a chance to weigh in on a proposed new tax to help fund the city’s fire department.
The city will hold a special meeting and public hearing Wednesday, October 14, on plans for a Regional Fire Authority, or RFA.
The proposal could include a fire benefit charge based on the size, use and fire risk of each building. The RFA could also levy a property tax of up to one dollar per thousand dollars of assessed value — meaning a homeowner with a 700-thousand-dollar home could pay up to 700 dollars a year.
Voters would ultimately have to approve both the formation of the RFA and its tax rate, potentially as early as February 2027.
The hearing begins at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the Bellingham City Council Chambers. Written comments can also be emailed to fire at cob dot org.
STORY: Public invited to Port of Bellingham open house (Oct 29)
The Port of Bellingham will hold an open house for the public on Thursday, October 29th.
Community members can talk with Port staff and project leaders about the future of the waterfront, airport, harbors, events and community programs, while sharing their questions and ideas.
The free event will include refreshments and information stations. And, while supplies last, anyone who gets a passport stamped at all the stations can take home a rubber Disco Duck.
The event runs from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Squalicum Boathouse.
STORY: Health department cider pressing safety (weak story – break glass only in emergency)
Cider‑pressing season is here, and health officials are reminding Whatcom County residents to handle unpasteurized cider safely.
Raw cider can carry bacteria like E. coli, which pose higher risks for young children, pregnant people, older adults, and anyone with weakened immunity.
Officials are asking people pressing cider at home – or attending a community pressing event – to clean and sanitize grinders and presses between batches; make sure volunteers wash their hands; and keep anyone who’s been recently sick away from food handling. Only apples picked from the tree should be used, and they should be rinsed well before pressing. Any apples that are bruised or dirty should be tossed.
Finally, officials are urging people to store cider in sanitized jugs; for the safest product, people should also pasteurize it by heating it to 158 degrees. This ensures any harmful bacteria is killed.
Officials say these steps help keep fall cider traditions safe for everyone.
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