Serial burglar arrested by Bellingham Police, October 11 Service Outage Planned for Lummi Island Ferry, Man arrested for attempted murder after shots fired at Whatcom County Residents, Builder for new WA ferries to be chosen in summer 2024, Costco accused of sharing user’s health data with Meta
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STORY: Serial burglar arrested by Bellingham Police
34-year-old Joseph Sanders of Bellingham has been arrested by the Bellingham Police Department for a series of burglaries dating back to June.
According to police reports, video surveillance footage revealed the thief had a distinctive hairline which led to the suspect’s identification.
Sanders is accused of stealing over eighteen thousand dollars worth of bikes, a twelve thousand dollar motorcycle, and may be connected to additional burglaries. He is currently in custody in Whatcom County Jail with bail set at $75,000
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STORY: October 11 Service Outage Planned for Lummi Island Ferry
The ferry between Lummi Island and Gooseberry Point will be out of service for part of tomorrow.
Inspection and maintenance of both the mainland and island ferry terminal facilities for the Whatcom Chief will occur between 10:10 am and 3:00 pm. The last morning run from Gooseberry Point will be at 9:50 am and at 10 on the Lummi Island side. Going forward, similar inspections and maintenance will be scheduled approximately every two months, depending on the weather. Changes will be posted at WhatcomCounty.us/Ferry.
STORY: Man arrested for attempted murder after shots fired at Whatcom County residents
A Maple Falls man was arrested on Friday after he allegedly fired several shots at people and their house.
At around 4:30 pm, residents near Maple Falls saw 37-year-old Matthew Bentley slashing the tires on one of their vehicles. When confronted, Bentley fired several shots at them, missing but hitting the house. After fleeing on foot, he was tracked down and arrested. After his arrest, Bentley was found to be a convicted felon.
Bentley is currently held at Whatcom County Jail for second-degree attempted murder, felon in possession of a firearm, and second-degree malicious mischief.
STORY: Juvenile ‘strike’ can count toward life sentence, Washington Supreme Court rules
The Washington state Supreme Court has ruled that a “three strikes” criminal offender can be sentenced to life imprisonment without parole, even if one of the qualifying felony offenses was committed as a juvenile.
Michael Scott Reynolds Jr., whose first strike occurred when he was 17 years old for attempting to rob a gas station with a BB gun, argued that using his juvenile crime conviction as a predicate for a later mandatory life sentence as an adult, violated constitutional protections against cruel or unusual punishment.
The majority opinion, written by Justice Sheryl Gordon McCloud, stated that there is no national consensus on the appropriateness of life sentences without parole. They justified Reynolds’ sentence by emphasizing the need to protect society from persistent offenders who continue to commit serious crimes as adults.
In dissent, Justices G. Helen Whitener, Mary Yu, and Raquel Montoya-Lewis suggested that Reynolds’ juvenile strike should be analyzed differently from an adult strike.
STORY: Builder for new WA ferries to be chosen in summer 2024
Choosing a contractor for Washington’s new class of hybrid-electric ferries may have to wait until the summer of 2024.
The target delivery date is 2027, but the process is taking longer than expected because out-of-state builders may now bid on contracts. The state had budgeted $1.3 billion to build five new hybrid-electric boats, convert three to hybrid-electric and begin electrifying the terminals. The Legislature originally attempted negotiations with Vigor, the state’s primary partner in ferry construction since the late 1990s, but it fell apart in 2022. During negotiations, Vigor said its price for one boat would be over $400 million, far higher than the roughly $200 million state estimates.
The new electric ferries are part of Governor Inslee’s promised “green revolution”, hoping to eliminate the significant diesel emissions produced by the vessels. In addition to the new e-ferries, the existing ferries need maintenance and upgrades, with just 9 of the 21 in good shape according to the state. Thirteen are due for retirement by 2040, three of them within the next several years. Emergency repairs have become common, such as when the ferry Walla Walla lost a blade on one of its propellers this summer. This happened just months after the ferry lost power due to fuel contamination.
Washington State Ferries expects to begin answering contractors’ questions this fall before opening the bidding process in the spring.
STORY: Costco accused of sharing users’ health data with Meta
A lawsuit filed against Costco alleges that the company shared users’ private communications and health information with Meta without their consent.
The lawsuit claims that Costco used Meta Pixel, a tracking code, on its website’s health care section, allowing Facebook’s parent company, Meta, access to users’ personal and health data. The suit seeks class-action status and argues that Costco failed to disclose the data-sharing, despite representing its website as secure.
Costco has not yet commented on the pending litigation.
WX: Possible Storms
Expect rain on and off today, with a high of 59 degrees and winds from the SE at 10 to 20 mph. Tomorrow, expect more rain, with showers into the evening and clearing through the night. Right now, Thursday looks mainly sunny.
OUTRO:
Today’s newscast was produced by volunteers AnThu Nguyen (ANNE-two new-WIN) 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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Run tomorrow after ruling–
The Washington State Supreme Court is set to hear a significant case involving the rights of people sheltering in their vehicles.
A growing number of homeless individuals in Washington are living in their vehicles, but they face challenges due to local laws, including bans on vehicle habitation, restrictive parking rules, and towing. These laws often force people to leave their communities, even if they have lived there for a long time.
Jack Potter, a longtime resident of Lacey, was forced to live in his travel trailer due to housing market pressures. Lacey passed a law prohibiting vehicles used as shelter from parking in town for more than four hours, essentially forcing Potter and others out of their community.
Tomorrow, Potter’s case will be heard by the Washington Supreme Court.
