Bellingham schools get ready for new school year, Memorial walk scheduled for Sunday, Update to 2020 for Climate Resilience, All Whatcom beaches closed to shellfish harvesting, WSDA compost reimbursement, Ecology water banking grants, Free and Cheap
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Independent, nonprofit community radio.
KMRE brings you local news for Friday, August 4th. Good afternoon, I’m ______.
STORY: Bellingham schools get ready for new school year
School starts in just a few weeks, and parents throughout Whatcom County have been left wondering how recent budget cuts will affect local schools. KMRE reporter Emma Toscani sat down with Bellingham School District Superintendent Greg Baker to find out more.
BAKER AUDIO
STORY: Memorial walk scheduled for Sunday
A walk in Bellingham on Sunday acknowledges the death of a farmworker in the community six years ago. It also marks the 78th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing. Reporter Eric Tegethoff has more on the story.
WALK AUDIO
STORY: Update to 2020 Plan for Climate Resilience
The Department of Natural Resources has released an update on its 2020 Plan for Climate Resilience. The report discusses progress made on the plan and outlines future goals that have changed since the plan was first made.
Since the plan was published, there have been many unexpected challenges facing its implementation. Covid-19, rapidly rising temperatures, and more frequent wildfires have all contributed to slowing the progress of the plan. The update sets forty new metrics in fourteen program areas as goals to track the progress of the original plan. These metrics include leasing 500 Megawatts or 5,000 acres of new solar power by 2025, keeping 95% of DNR wildfires to below 10 acres annually, and conducting climate risk assessments for 100% of DNR lease agricultural properties by 2030. The majority of the metrics have been labeled as ‘in progress’ with only a few being marked as ‘affected by Covid-19’.
The department plans to provide updates to the overall progress of the plan as it continues to be implemented.
STORY: All Whatcom beaches closed to shellfish harvesting
Due to increased levels of the Diarrhetic Shellfish Poisoning biotoxin, or DSP, the Washington State Department of Health has decided to close all beaches in Whatcom County north of Sandy Point to shellfish harvesting, including Point Roberts. Beaches located south of Sandy Point have been closed since May.
The DOH advises people to check their website for information on current conditions as biotoxin levels change rapidly. They also assure that shellfish sold in restaurants and stores is tested before distribution and is safe to eat.
STORY: WSDA compost reimbursement
The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) is launching the Compost Reimbursement Program that will pay Washington farmers for purchasing and spreading compost on their land. Approximately $1 million will be distributed annually to farmers participating in the program to encourage on-farm compost use. The program also studies the benefits of compost application on soil quality. Farms participating in the program are required to collect and submit soil samples for several years from fields where compost was applied.
STORY: Ecology water banking grants
The Washington Department of Ecology released over 11 million dollars for the second round of Water Banking Pilot Grants on Tuesday.
The grants are intended to help rural communities in headwater basins throughout the state preserve water supplies for local use.These grants fund the purchase of existing water rights to create local water ‘banks’ using Ecology’s Trust Water Right Program. One-third of each water right bought with this funding must be dedicated to instream use to support in-stream flows and salmon.
STORY: FREE AND CHEAP
Looking for free and cheap things to do this weekend?
In honor of the anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act, Washington’s three national parks will offer free admission today only. Closer to home, the Bellingham Farmers Market is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Saturday at 1100 Railroad Ave. Bellingham Kids Fest runs on Saturday from 11 to 3 at Civic Stadium. Admission is free and there are fun activities for all ages, including mini golf, bounce houses, an obstacle course and vendors. The 3rd annual Fairhaven Funky Bizarre Bazaar is back on Saturday Aug. 5 with live music and “creative re-creators, up-cyclers, collectors of the funky and unusual, musicians, writers, and artists.” It will run from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Fairhaven Village Green. The Fairhaven Outdoor Movie Cinema will be playing “A League of Their Own” on Aug. 5 at Fairhaven Village Green. Tickets are seven dollars.
WX: Sunshine
The weather in Bellingham today will be sunny, with overnight lows in the low-to-mid 60s and with a high near 79*. Skies are expected to get cloudy as nighttime falls, with south-south-west winds becoming calmer in the evening. Although the skies are expected to get cloudier this weekend in the city, the weather is expected to get warmer, with a high of nearly 80* on Saturday afternoon. The rest of the county won’t fare much differently, with partly cloudy skies expected and highs in the mid-70s-to-low-80s during the weekend.
OUTRO:
Today’s newscast was produced by volunteers AnThu Nguyen (ANNE-two new-WIN), Myles Weber, Emma Toscani and Carlos Braga. 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 listener donations. I’m ________________ and thanks for listening.
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