Police activity, helicopter near Bellis Fair for arrest, String of downtown Bellingham burglaries continues with theft of Louis Vuitton bags, Update on the pipe leak in the WWU Fairhaven Complex, Update on the oil spill in Skagit, PSE’s Warm Winter campaign provides meals, clothing, holiday joy to Wash. residents, WNS – WA kelp, eelgrass recovery plan tackles big losses in marine habitat, Military testing reveals hundreds of drinking water wells contaminated with PFAS in WA, Geminids meteor shower to happen over a cloudy WA, Abortions jump 23% in WA as visiting patients reverse decade-long decline
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Independent, nonprofit community radio.
KMRE brings you local news for Webnesday, December 13th. Good afternoon, I’m ______.
STORY: Police activity, helicopter near Bellis Fair for arrest
Yesterday, the Bellingham Police Department apprehended an individual while a helicopter hovered above the area near Meridian and Baker Street.
About 4pm yesterday, Bellingham police posted on social media, warning the public to stay away from the area near The MorningGlory Inn as officers were aiding the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office.
One person was taken into custody on charges of eluding police, assault, and weapons charges.
STORY: String of downtown Bellingham burglaries continues with theft of Louis Vuitton bags
$12,000 to $15,000 dollars in Louis Vuitton (vee-TAWN) handbags were stolen from the Neeter House of Luxury last Friday.
Two suspects broke in by smashing the glass with a baseball bat, and left a crowbar behind.
According to recent reporting from the Bellingham Herald, this is the third Bellingham Business to be robbed in just over a month, including The Comics place in October and Penny Lane Antique Mall on Nov. 17th.
The Bellingham police department has yet to state if they are connected, but warn that the thieves may be selling the bags online.
STORY: Update on the pipe leak in the WWU Fairhaven Complex
The source of the pipe leak in the Fairhaven Complex at Western Washington University has been found.
According to Amanda Cambre (KAM-bray), the director of facilities at Western, a hole in a sewage pipe under stack three of the Fairhaven dorms is believed to be the major source of the leak.
Western Facilities says repairing the hole is their top priority. Other pipes have also been found to be degraded, and Facilities says it plans to line them with a seal that would last 50 years.
STORY: Update on the oil spill in Skagit
Clean-up continues around the gasoline spill in Skagit County that resulted in the release of more than 25,000 gallons of fuel.
Despite the spill being one of the largest in the state since the year 2000, there were no signs of the fuel reaching the Skagit River, and no injuries to wildlife were observed. Caused by a failure in the Olympic Pipeline operated by British Petroleum, the system carries gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel from northwestern Washington to Oregon.
The spill is among several recent incidents of significant size nationally, raising concerns about pipeline safety.
STORY: PSE’s Warm Winter campaign provides meals, clothing, holiday joy to Wash. residents
Puget Sound Energy has donated $200 thousand to non-profits across Washington as part of their first-ever Warm Winter campaign.
The donated money will be used to support those in need by providing warm meals, winter clothing, and toys or other holiday cheer items. Twelve non-profits in Whatcom will receive funding, including DVSAS, Lydia Place, and Northwest Youth Services, among others. PSE says funding for the donation comes from PSE itself and not from customer rates.
STORY: WNS – WA kelp, eelgrass recovery plan tackles big losses in marine habitat
The Washington Department of Natural Resources has a new plan to help revitalize kelp and eelgrass on Washington’s coast. Reporter Suzanne Potter has more.
KELP AUDIO
STORY: Military testing reveals hundreds of drinking water wells contaminated with PFAS in WA
Test results published by the U.S. military reveal that hundreds of drinking water wells near military bases and other facilities in Washington have been contaminated by PFAS.
According to the Seattle Times, the military confirmed that the “forever chemicals” were released at 10 military installments in the state, most of them located near the Salish Sea. Simultaneously, the Department of Defense detected PFAS in 866 private drinking water wells, which is nearly half of all the state’s wells tested by the military in the past two years. Out of those wells, over 500 were found to have concentrations of chemicals above the levels proposed by the EPA to protect people’s health. However, over 400 of those wells fall below levels that prompt the military to take action, such as providing clean drinking water.
Studies by the EPA show that PFAS are known to disrupt the immune system in the human body, as well as increasing the risk of various types of cancers. Pentagon spokesperson Jeff Jurgensen said the military is evaluating the risk to human health and the environment in the areas near the facilities as part of a cleanup process, as well as preparing to implement the EPA’s final drinking water standard in the next few months.
STORY: Geminids meteor shower to happen over a cloudy WA
An annual meteor shower, considered by NASA to be one of the best, is set to peak this week.
The Geminid meteor shower will last until December 24, providing opportunities to view “shooting stars” through next week. Unfortunately, we may miss out, as cloudy skies and light rain are forecast for Western Washington.
During the peak, around 120 meteors are expected per hour.
WX: Sunny
Today will be mostly cloudy with a high of about 49 degrees and a low around 39. There will be light winds this afternoon, with rain coming late tonight and persisting into tomorrow morning.
OUTRO:
Today’s newscast was produced by volunteers AnThu Nguyen (ANNE-two new-WIN), Carlos Braga, Connor O’Boyle, Alex Michael, and Tristan Trudell. 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. If you would like to help keep local news accessible, check out our new Patreon page at patreon.com/kmrenews or go to kmre.org and click on the banner. I’m ________________ and thanks for listening.
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STORY: Don’t eat pre-cut cantaloupe if the source is unknown, CDC says, as deadly salmonella outbreak grows
And finally, if you’re in the mood for something more active, volunteer work parties are happening every Saturday until December 16th throughout Bellingham’s parks. Volunteers are needed from 9AM-12pm– you can find out which parks are being worked on by visiting volunteerbellingham.org.
STORY: Abortions jump 23% in WA as visiting patients reverse decade-long decline
The number of abortions in Washington increased by 23% in 2022, reaching the highest level in a decade.
New data released by the Washington State Department of Health shows 20,000 abortions were performed, nearly 3,800 more than the previous year, reversing a long-term decline. The Department of Health attributes the rise to the U.S. Supreme Court overturning the constitutional right to abortion.
Nonresidents seeking abortions in Washington hit a modern peak, accounting for 7% of all abortions, with a 46% increase from the previous year. The trend of out-of-state individuals seeking abortion care in Washington has been ongoing since 2017. Despite the overall increase, the majority of procedures were concentrated in specific counties, notably in the Puget Sound region.
The data suggests that even in states without severe abortion restrictions, individuals may cross borders for care, emphasizing the importance of factors beyond legal regulations.
FREE FRIDAY
Lighted bikes and all-ages fun: The weather outside might seem frightful, but a bunch of lighted bikes, music, hot cocoa and general merriment will be delightful!! Save the date for the 3rd annual Lighted Bike Parade, December 9, 4:30-6:30 p.m. This all-ages event starts in Downtown Bellingham (at Depot Market Square – 1100 Railroad Ave) and Fairhaven (at Hillcrest Church – 1400 Larrabee Ave) and converges at Boulevard Park for live music and other entertainment. Free and open to all. Costumes are encouraged, holiday cheer is required! Co-hosted with WTA, Downtown Bellingham Partnership, Fairhaven Association, Whatcom Smart Tips and Western Washington University.
