Thursday count seals races, Fleetwood, Chadwick concede, Student sues Lynden School District, educators for discrimination, defamation, Student sues Lynden School District, educators for discrimination, defamation, Birch Bay incorporation group seeks community input, North Cascades and other Washington passes temporarily closed, Washington makes its biggest forestland purchase in more than a decade, Swans have returned to Skagit, Snohomish, and Whatcom counties, WDFW re-establishes hotline to report injuries
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STORY: Thursday count seals races, Fleetwood, Chadwick concede
Election 2023 is over and Whatcom County residents have spoken.
In the Bellingham mayoral race, incumbent Seth Fleetwood conceded late Thursday. Nonprofit leader Kim Lund is now set to become the next mayor with 52.9% of the vote. In the Whatcom County Sheriff contest, Donnell “Tank” Tanksley won the race with almost 52% of the vote. Undersheriff Doug Chadwick conceded Friday afternoon. Satpal Sidhu will return as Whatcom County executive, winning over 57% of the vote.
Ben Ellenbaas, Jon Scanlon, and Mark Stremler all won their races for Whatcom county council positions. In Bellingham City Council races the winners are Hannah Stone, Dan Hammill, and Jace Cotton.
The new jail tax passed, and Bellingham residents also approved community initiatives for a higher minimum wage and relocation assistance for rent increases.
Some school board races remain too close to call, with the next ballot count scheduled for November 17 and final certification of all elections on November 28.
STORY: Overnight high winds leave thousands without power across Whatcom County
Storm winds late Friday night left thousands of homes across the county without power.
According to Puget Sound Energy, 230 outages were reported since Friday night with amost 16,000 customers losing power. Winds as high as 67 mph were reported by the National Weather Service, knocking trees and other vegetation onto power lines. Among the largest outages was one affecting more than 2,500 customers in the Puget, Samish, and Happy Valley neighborhoods. Other large outages were recorded in Kendall and Blaine.
PSE worked overnight and throughout Saturday morning to get the power restored.
STORY: Student sues Lynden School District, educators for discrimination, defamation
A former Lynden High School student is suing the school district and two educators for alleged discrimination and defamation.
According to the lawsuit, the school district discriminated and defamed the student when teacher Julie Clift allegedly started a false sexual rumor about her, which impacted the student’s education. It also alleges that Lynden
High School principal, Ian Freeman, failed to take steps to rectify the harm caused by the rumor, as well as failing to follow district policy regarding sexual harassment of its students.
The student’s lawsuit accuses the educators and the district of violating her civil rights, including Title IX violations. The student has requested general, special, and punitive damages. Court documents show that she has also demanded a trial by jury on all issues.
STORY: Birch Bay incorporation group seeks community input
Next week, a community group will be voting on the boundaries of a potentially incorporated City of Birch Bay.
The Birch Bay incorporation group will be meeting to discuss creating what would be the fourth largest city in Whatcom County. As a non-incorporated municipality, Birch Bay does not have its own local government. However, the group feels that its population of around 10,000 should be able to have representation and govern itself.
The organization is advocating for Whatcom County to conduct a feasibility study on Birch Bay incorporation that would answer questions on city operating costs and tax revenue. The study would be an update to one done in 2008 to help determine whether the group wants to move forward. The Whatcom County Executive’s Office has given verbal support to help update the study.
Whatcom County’s land use code states that the county will “actively support incorporation as appropriate” in Birch Bay. If bylaws are passed in the upcoming meeting, the association will have further communication with Whatcom County on the study.
The meeting will take place on Wednesday at 5:30 pm at Christ the King Community Church.
STORY: North Cascades and other Washington passes temporarily closed
Due to the risk of snow slides, both directions of the North Cascades Highway have been closed.
According to the WSDOT(WASH-dot), snow fell in the cascades at a rate of four to six inches an hour Saturday night, causing dangerous conditions.
State Route 20 is closed from the west side of milepost 134 to the east side of milepost 171. The Cayuse (KAI-oos) and Chinook passes are also closed due to icy conditions.
The Department of Transportation will provide an update on Tuesday. For more information on traveling for the holidays, visit WSDOT.wa.gov.
STORY: Washington makes its biggest forestland purchase in more than a decade
The Washington Department of Natural Resources will purchase about 9,000 acres of forestland in southwest Washington to generate revenue from logging.
The transaction, which is the largest state land purchase in more than a decade, was approved by the State Board of Natural Resources last Tuesday. The land, located in Wahkiakum (wuh-Ki-uh-kuhm) County, will cost the state $55 million dollars. Money for the purchase will come from proceeds from previous land transactions and from revenue generated by the state’s auctions of air pollution allowances to businesses. Revenue from the land would benefit the Common School trust, which goes toward K-12 construction across the state.
The property is currently owned by a private landowner. The deal is expected to close in mid-December.
STORY: Swans have returned to Skagit, Snohomish, and Whatcom counties, WDFW re-establishes hotline to report injuries
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has reestablished a hotline to report sick, injured, or dead swans.
The hotline is part of the WDFW’s ongoing effort to assess the impact of lead poisoning on trumpeter and tundra swans, which are returning to Whatcom County and other counties in western Washington. While lead shot has been banned for waterfowl hunting in the state since 1991, swans can still pick up and ingest the lead while foraging in shallow waters and fields where lead pellets are still present.
The department urges people to report swans that have died or need human help. Callers should be prepared to leave a short message,
including their name and phone number and a detailed location and condition of the swans. The hotline will be available statewide until March.
WX: Clear
Today will be mostly clear, with a high near 52° degrees and light winds. Tonight will have a low of around 35. Tomorrow there’s a small chance of showers, with temperatures remaining about the same.
OUTRO:
Today’s newscast was produced by volunteers AnThu Nguyen (ANNE-two new-WIN), Carlos Braga, and Connor O’Boyle. 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 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.
