Bham lifts recreational fire ban, Stimpson Family Nature Reserve to get dedicated parking area, Ferndale Police, passerby pull occupant from vehicle fire, Concern over shelter preparedness with winter approaching, Washington’s pandemic dashboard upgraded to include flu and RSV, Price of illicit fentanyl in WA drops to as low as 50 cents a pill, WA Supreme Court strikes down restrictions on Sheriffs’ use of tear gas
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STORY: Bham lifts recreational fire ban
Bellingham has lifted its ban on recreational fires as of Monday.
To classify as a recreational fire, the fuel must be firewood or charcoal only, no larger than 3 feet wide or 2 feet high and far enough away from structures. Garbage and yard debris burning is still banned in all of Whatcom County. For more information about what is and isn’t allowed, check with the Fire Marshal.
STORY: Stimpson Family Nature Reserve to get dedicated parking area
A parking lot at the Stimpson Family Nature Reserve was closed earlier today as part of the preparations for a paving project for the park’s gravel parking area.
Today’s closure allowed for groundwater infiltration testing for the project which was originally scheduled for this summer, but delayed until 2024. According to an email to the Bellingham Herald from Parks and Recreation Director Bennett Knox earlier this year, the parking lot paving was delayed due to the cost of construction being over budget. The project will help create well-defined parking spaces, allow better stormwater runoff control, and potentially add a few spaces to the approximately 15 spots.
The cost of the project will be $92,000. It will be funded through real estate excise taxes.
STORY: Ferndale Police, passerby pull occupant from vehicle fire
Ferndale Police and other first responders were able to rescue a driver from a vehicle fire yesterday.
An officer came upon a vehicle that appeared to have collided with a light pole. With help from a passerby, the officer pulled a male from the vehicle while flames and heavy smoke were visible from the engine compartment. Personnel from Whatcom County Fire District 7 also responded to the fire and treated the man at the scene before transporting him to St. Joseph Medical Center for further treatment.
The incident is currently under investigation.
STORY: Concern over shelter preparedness with winter approaching
Lighthouse Mission officials say they are concerned about space at the Mission’s Base Camp homeless shelter as winter approaches.
The shelter, located downtown, has been operating at or near their 200-person capacity for most of 2023. With temperatures getting colder, the mission would normally begin operating emergency overflow shelters. However, due to lack of volunteers, no overflow shelters will be available this winter. According to Whatcom County’s Annual Report on Homelessness, this year has set a record for people experiencing homelessness with a 27% increase from 2022.
The Lighthouse Mission recently received $750,000 from the county to build a new shelter to replace the Base Camp location. The new location will provide additional specialized services, but also increase capacity to 300 and double the amount of meals provided to over 1000 a day. Base Camp will close in July, and the Mission hopes to open the new location by Winter of next year. Funding for the project is currently at 21 out of 25 million dollars.
STORY: Washington’s pandemic dashboard upgraded to include flu and RSV
Washington has updated its online Covid dashboard to now include information on influenza and RSV cases.
The new dashboard went live on Monday, showing data on viral activity, hospitalizations, ER visits and deaths from each virus. It will be updated weekly through April of next year, covering the peak season for all three viruses. The dashboard is available for access on the Department of Health website.
As of now, cases of all three viruses are low, but health officials–like Dr. Greg Thompson of Whatcom County–are worried about a viral surge overwhelming hospitals and doctors’ offices, like last year. To prevent a so-called “tripledemic” from straining the healthcare system, vaccines for the flu are recommended for people six months and older, and the RSV vaccine is recommended for infants and people older than 60. An updated Covid vaccine will be available in certain areas as soon as this week.
STORY: Price of illicit fentanyl in WA drops to as low as 50 cents a pill
The price of illicit fentanyl in Washington keeps dropping, now costing anywhere between 50 cents to $5 a pill.
According to Seattle Police Department spokesperson, Detective Judinna J. Gulpan, the price of fentanyl in Seattle can go as low as 40 cents a pill in wholesale bulk purchases. The cost has dropped considerably over the past few years due to fentanyl’s increasing presence in the market.
Fentanyl is currently the cause of most opioid overdose deaths in Washington, with 90% of fatal opioid overdoses and 65% of all overdose deaths in the state having fentanyl involvement. Opioid deaths in Whatcom County have more than doubled from 44 in 2021 to 90 in 2022.
STORY: WA Supreme Court strikes down restrictions on sheriffs’ use of tear gas
Last Thursday, the Washington Supreme Court invalidated some of the State Legislature’s restrictions on the use of tear gas for riot control.
In a 5 to 4 decision, the ruling overturned part of a 2021 law that requires police to get approval from the highest elected official in the jurisdiction when they plan to use tear gas. The ruling holds that the section of the law is unconstitutional when applied to sheriffs in non-charter counties, which accounts for 32 out of 39 counties in Washington.
The court decision will not affect other sections of the law, which require officers to exhaust all alternatives to tear gas, announce that tear gas will be used and allow sufficient time and space for people to disperse before deployment.
WX: Sunny/clear weather expected
Today will be a mostly sunny day in Bellingham, with a high near 68*, and an overnight low of 49 with mostly clear skies expected throughout the night. Daytime temperatures for tomorrow are expected to climb into the low 70s. Cloudy weather isn’t expected until Friday night.
OUTRO:
Today’s newscast was produced by volunteers AnThu Nguyen (ANNE-two new-WIN), Susan Lindsey, 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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