Bellingham cracking down on campers and RVs parked around the city, Pair nabbed after robbery at Lynden convenience store, Hanger fire causes $25-35k in damage, Electric bus assembly facility ribbon cutting with Gov Inslee, Pair nabbed after robbery at Lynden at convenience store, WA struggles to hand out federal cash to find and replace lead pipes, FWC denied petitions for black bear hunts again, Original Washington Constitution to be displayed in Olympia
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KMRE brings you local news for Tuesday, September 12th. Good afternoon, I’m ______.
STORY: Bellingham cracking down on campers and RVs parked around the city
In an effort to move houseless people living in campers and RVs out of high-activity areas, the City of Bellingham has started placing more 72 hour limited parking signs around town.
Encampments in Bellingham have drawn criticism from the public, as crime, drug use and litter are seen at many of the camp sites around town. According to the City of Bellingham, a recent call for proposals from organizations willing to oversee a safe parking location received no responses. The deadline for proposals was last month.
Meanwhile, rental rates in Bellingham have continued to skyrocket in the last year, and the amount of houseless people in Whatcom County is at an all-time high.
STORY: Pair nabbed after robbery at Lynden convenience store
Two 18-year-old men, Alexis Molina and Pavel Barbin, were arrested late Sunday following a robbery at the Northwood Market in Lynden.
They forced their way behind the counter and stole 32 hundred dollars worth of vape products. The robbery was captured on video, and the suspects were identified and arrested during a traffic stop by law enforcement officers. The pair has been booked on charges of second-degree theft and second-degree robbery and are being held without bail.
STORY: Hangar fire causes $25-35k in damage
A privately-owned airplane hangar near Bellingham International Airport caught fire on Saturday.
The Bellingham Fire Department was alerted at 1:43pm on Saturday, by a report of smoke coming out of a hangar. When fire crews arrived, the hangar had light black smoke coming out of two sides. The crews entered the building and located the fire near the middle of the building.
According to fire captain Dustin Michaelis, the suspected cause of the fire was a charging lithium-ion battery. No one was injured, and an airplane inside the hangar was unburned. Michaelis estimates the fire caused 25 to 35 thousand dollars in damage.
STORY: Electric bus assembly facility ribbon cutting with Gov Inslee
Governor Jay Inslee will attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Vicinity Motor Corporation’s 100,000-square-foot electric bus assembly plant in Ferndale today.
According to the announcement by the British-Columbia-based VMC, the facility will address their order backlog, and improve access to Canadian port, rail and truck shipping and receiving facilities between Ferndale and Vancouver. The Ferndale facility cost $22 million dollars, and by assembling electric vehicles at the Ferndale location, VMC will meet federal regulations that require federally funded infrastructure investments to support products made in the United States by American workers.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony will be visible to motorists on I-5 traveling south of the Main Street interchange in Ferndale as well as those passing on LaBounty Drive, and will be followed by remarks from company CEO Will Trainer, Governor Inslee and others.
STORY: WA struggles to hand out federal cash to find and replace lead pipes
Washington State has only allocated 85,000 of a possible $63 million from the federal government to find and replace lead pipes.
The money comes from Biden’s 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Job Act, which provides a total of $15 billion to states to replace the lead pipes. The push to locate lead pipes across the US comes from an October 2024 deadline from the EPA. Just four cities in Washington have applied for the loans, with only Centralia actually accepting the offer. The three other water systems, the North Perry Avenue Water District, Ilwaco (uhl-WAH-co), and Cashmere, received offers and turned them down. Reasons for rejecting the offers include: parts of the loans not qualifying for forgiveness, full inspections being expensive, or needing more time to figure out how to actually survey for lead in pipes.
While Whatcom may not face the same issues as cities like Centralia or Flint, Michigan, there’ve been challenges in the past. According to surveys done by the Washington Department of Health in 2018, there’ve been lead levels found in schools in Whatcom that were over the EPA limit. The schools have addressed the issues and are following all recommendations to limit exposure to lead, but these surveys show that contamination is possible even with non-lead pipes.
The state will open another opportunity for community water systems to apply for lead inventory and replacement loans Oct. 2 through Nov. 30.
STORY: FWC denied petitions for black bear hunts again
The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission denied two petitions to open a spring black bear hunting season next year after pausing the hunts in 2022.
In the past, hunters have taken black bear, elk and other game from a few locations around Mount Baker.
The hunts have been described by animal advocacy groups as cruel and potentially orphaning bear cubs. However, supporters say the hunts protect elk and deer numbers, ensure people’s safety, and teach people how to make ethical choices. The ongoing discussions have resulted in multiple petitions asking to reinstate spring bear season, many by the same petitioner. Wildlife Commissioner Melanie Rowland said the commission won’t authorize a hunt until there is a new, proven management reason to do so.
STORY: Original Washington Constitution to be displayed in Olympia
Finally, Secretary of State Steve Hobbs will host a public showing of the original Constitution of Washington this Thursday in the Legislative Building in Olympia.
The event will take place between 1-4pm in honor of the U.S. Constitution Week and visitors to the Office of the Secretary of State will be able to view the original 1889 document in a secure display case.
The original Constitution of Washington was drafted and approved in the summer of 1889 by elected delegates to the Constitutional Convention in the State Capitol building in Olympia,
WX: Rainy Day, Cloudy Night
It’s cooler and gray today, with showers likely during the afternoon. Temperatures will remain in the lower-to-mid-60s. Temperatures are expected to drop to the mid-50s tonight in the city. Expect some clouds tomorrow with a high of almost 70.
OUTRO:
Today’s newscast was produced by volunteers AnThu Nguyen (ANNE-two new-WIN), 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 your donations. I’m ________________ thanks for listening.
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