Terminal Building being taken apart, plans to be demolished, Man in custody after shots fired in downtown Bellingham, Bellingham board selects “Northern Lights Park” name for future park, city still to decide, Two Whatcom County areas among 2,000 acres of land in conservation proposal, Head of Washington State Ferries Patty Rubstello to step down, Debate intensifies over conservation of PNW’s old-growth forests, HUD reports record-high homeless count in 2023 for U.S., WA
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KMRE brings you local news for Wednesday, December 20th. Good afternoon, I’m ______.
STORY: Terminal Building being taken apart, plans to be demolished
The historic Terminal Building in Fairhaven is being dismantled brick-by-brick to aid in the search for potential victims.
Building co-owner Jim Hestad (heh-STOD) says the building’s structural integrity is deemed compromised beyond repair and contractors are now working to remove the rubble after a late-night fire gutted the building last week.
Cafe owner, Nathaniel V. Breaux (BRO), is still missing, and the search for victims has been limited due to the unstable structure. The goal of the demolition is to make the site safe for investigators. According to a City of Bellingham release, the 135-year-old building was the oldest surviving continuously occupied commercial building in Fairhaven. Now that the building is set for a full demolition, discussions on preserving its bricks for historic reasons are taking place.
The Bellingham Fire Department is maintaining a presence during the search, and anyone with information on Breaux (BRO) is urged to contact the police.
STORY: Man in custody after shots fired in downtown Bellingham
A man was arrested on Saturday night after allegedly firing gun shots during a fight.
The man is 24-year-old Ty Brote, who was also found to be in possession of a bag of controlled substances. Bellingham Police spokesperson Megan Peters said officers responded to the report of a fight on Magnolia Street. An investigation found that Brote took another person’s handgun during the incident and fired it in the direction of other people. The gun owner reported it stolen after the fight.
Brote remains at Whatcom County Jail on a bail of $20,000.
STORY: Bellingham board selects “Northern Lights Park” name for future park, city still to decide
A potential name has been chosen for a new public park under development in Bellingham’s Cordata neighborhood.
The City Parks and Recreation Advisory Board selected Northern Lights Park as the name for the new park, which is located west of Northwest Drive next to Costco. This comes after a review of 150 name suggestions from the public, which included names such as Tokitae (toh-KEE-tay) Memorial Park, Kirkland Signature Recreational Area, and the Park of Subdued Excitement.
The City Council is due to consider the board’s recommendation and finalize a name at its upcoming meeting on January 29th.
STORY: Two Whatcom County areas among 2,000 acres of land in conservation proposal
Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz announced plans to conserve 2,000 acres of state forestland in Washington through the Climate Commitment Act.
The targeted areas are located in Clallam (CLEH-lum), Jefferson, King, Snohomish, and Whatcom counties, and according to Franz, aim to protect fish and wildlife habitat, as well as natural and cultural values. Two areas in Whatcom County are proposed for conservation— approximately 575 acres southeast of Lake Whatcom, and around 75 acres south of the Middle Fork Nooksack River.
Both areas are considered structurally complex forestland, and stewardship will prioritize forest health, wildlife habitat, wildfire and climate resilience, and carbon sequestration. Franz says the initiative attempts to address the decline in Washington’s forested land and will support habitat conservation, climate resilience, and local economies.
The proposed lands are primarily held in support of the Common School Trust. The management of Trust land funds K-12 school construction statewide and local services in Whatcom County. The proposal awaits concurrence from county leadership and approval from the Board of Natural Resources.
STORY: Head of Washington State Ferries Patty Rubstello to step down
Patty Rubstello, head of Washington State Ferries, is resigning after three years on the job and over three decades at the Washington State Department of Transportation.
Rubstello cited personal reasons for leaving, mentioning the loss of her father and impending grandmotherhood. Under her management, WSF received a $1.3 billion boost for new ferries, but staffing remains an issue. Rubstello will stay on until early 2024, and assist in the selection of her successor.
STORY: Debate intensifies over conservation of PNW’s old-growth forests
The Biden administration announced increased protections for old-growth forests, including a ban on old-growth logging starting in 2025.
The administration announced that they completed an initial inventory of old-growth forests in the U.S. They will draft and gather feedback on proposed rules, and provide extra funds to help reach conservation goals.
The Pacific Northwest already has an ongoing plan to overhaul old-growth protections, setting aside more than a million acres of forest, protecting them from logging. While the majority of Whatcom County’s old-growth trees were harvested between about 1890 and 1945, patches of old growth trees still exist in the Canyon Lake Community Forest and elsewhere on Mt Baker. Old-growth trees are important, absorbing more carbon than younger trees, and providing increased biodiversity.
The Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management will continue to work on the forest assessments, and plan to release an environmental impact statement in June.
STORY: HUD reports record-high homeless count in 2023 for U.S., WA
The rate of homelessness is increasing more than ever before, according to data released Friday by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The 2023 Annual Homeless Assessment Report shows that more than 653,000 people were experiencing homelessness in the U.S. — marking a 12% increase from 2022. It’s the highest homeless population ever recorded since the federal government first began collecting this information in 2007.
Washington’s count was also at an all-time high, growing at an unprecedented rate — about 11%. The data shows marked disparities in homelessness, with people of color experiencing homelessness at a disproportionate rate. Whatcom County recorded 1,059 homeless people
This year, the highest in county history.
Officials say that more affordable housing, increased efforts to provide shelter, and higher social service provider wages are all needed to help combat this crisis.
WX: Rainy
Today will be mostly sunny with a high of about 52 degrees and a low around 42. Tomorrow will be partly foggy and mostly cloudy, with calm winds blowing throughout today and tomorrow.
OUTRO:
Today’s newscast was produced by volunteers AnThu Nguyen (ANNE-two new-WIN), Carlos Braga, Connor O’Boyle, 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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