Police arrest one after report of armed Bellingham street robbery involving four assailants, Two Whatcom crashes close I-5 within 30 minutes of each other, Two Whatcom crashes close I-5 within 30 minutes of each other, Arrest made in Slater Road DUI vehicular assault case after waiting a year for laboratory results, Two clean energy projects coming to Whatcom County, Hilary Franz asks WA Legislature to restore wildfire prevention funding, NWS – Farmworkers Tribunal provides ‘critical’ platform in Olympia, COVID on the rise
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STORY: Police arrest one after report of armed Bellingham street robbery involving four assailants
Bellingham police have arrested a suspect accused of robbing someone at gunpoint.
Cole McCallum, 18, was part of a group of four young men suspected to be a part of a robbery. The incident happened around 8 pm on Sunday in the 1300 block of Commercial Street.
Officers later located McCallum, whose bag was searched. Inside, officers found a pellet handgun, a knife belonging to the robbery victim, and the victim’s medication. He claimed the bag was not his.
McCallum was arrested for first-degree robbery and is in custody at Whatcom County Jail. No other arrests have been made.
STORY: Two Whatcom crashes close I-5 within 30 minutes of each other
I-5 was closed down in Whatcom due to crashes in two different locations yesterday, both within 15 minutes of each other.
The first crash happened around 11:30 am near the Samish Way overpass, involving a semi truck, trailer, and passenger car. Both lanes were blocked by the vehicles and traffic had to get past on the left shoulder. The driver of the car was taken to PeaceHealth St Joseph from the scene.
The second incident occurred about 15 minutes later, near the Peace Portal Drive interchange in Blaine. According to WSDOT (WASH-dot), a rollover crash had blocked both lanes, with lanes clearing up shortly after noon.
STORY: Arrest made in Slater Road DUI vehicular assault case after waiting a year for laboratory results
A Ferndale woman was arrested last month after a year of waiting on toxicology results.
Valarie Marie Evans, 54, was arrested on charges of felony vehicular assault while under the influence with substantial bodily harm. The crash occurred on December 11th, 2022 on Slater Road. The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office found Evans standing outside her vehicle claiming to have struck a deer. Deputies soon heard someone yelling for help nearby, and found a second vehicle down a steep embankment. The injured driver told deputies that he was struck head-on by a vehicle in his lane. Evans said she did not remember the collision, and was not booked while the Sheriff’s Office awaited blood analysis results. Test results came back showing she had a blood alcohol level of 0.21. She was arrested the same day.
Evans is currently out on bail.
STORY: Two clean energy projects coming to Whatcom County
Two clean energy projects are making their way to Whatcom county, which should lower energy bills for qualifying customers.
On Monday, U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the department’s plan to spend over 157 million dollars on over 600 projects in the U.S., with seven in Washington. The plan is a part of the White House’s campaign to increase jobs, wages, and clean energy in order to combat inflation and climate change. The funding will go through the Rural Energy for America Program, or REAP, which provides grants and loans for clean energy projects.
Two Whatcom companies, Lil’ Scoop Bobcat inc., and Springtime Farm LLC, will both receive over 20,000 dollars from REAP funding to install a series of solar panels. The USDA says that this should save an estimated 3,500 dollars a year with the energy it generates.
Grants for REAP can be applied for at rd.usda.gov.
STORY: Hilary Franz asks WA Legislature to restore wildfire prevention funding
Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz is urging state lawmakers to restore cuts made to the agency’s wildfire preparedness and response programs.
Last year, lawmakers approved a $36 million reduction in funding through 2025. Without restoration, Franz says, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) may have to cut community assistance programs, reduce prescribed burns or thinning, and potentially lay off staff. According to Franz, DNR relies on federal grants in the absence of state funding for wildfire prevention efforts. The funding cut, if not reversed, could impact fire districts, forest health programs, and underserved communities. The agency argues that the funding was cut due to money from the previous budget earmarked for contracts not yet spent.
The governor has proposed increasing funding to more than $108 million dollars, with some lawmakers advocating for full restoration. Commissioner Franz attributes the relatively mild fire season in 2023 to the agency’s ability to detect and respond quickly, along with new investments in forest health treatments, and has urged lawmakers not to abandon efforts to support wildfire prevention and response.
STORY: NWS – Farmworkers Tribunal provides ‘critical’ platform in Olympia
Washington state farmworkers are converging on Olympia this week to call for better working conditions. Reporter Eric Tegethoff (TEG-it-off) has more.
FARMWORKERS AUDIO
STORY: COVID on the rise
Wastewater testing suggests a new wave of COVID-19 infections is on its way, with up to one-third of Americans expected to contract the disease by late February.
According to the Center for Disease Control, the JN.1 variant is fueling the new wave. Wastewater analysis indicates a peak in late December with 1.9 million daily infections– the highest since the omicron wave of 2021.
Experts emphasize the importance of precautions, especially for older individuals, and highlight the risk of long COVID. However, with pandemic fatigue up, and hospitalizations down, many are inclined to shrug off the disease. But COVID-19 continues to take thousands of lives a month, especially among vulnerable populations. Inconsistent testing and analysis methods also make it challenging to gauge local trends. While some universities and states have implemented wastewater testing programs, interest in this approach has declined overall.
The U.S. government is providing Americans with the opportunity to order an additional round of four free COVID-19 tests through COVIDtests.gov. This is the first winter where insurers are no longer obligated to cover the costs of at-home tests, which now average $11 out of pocket.
WX: Rain
The rain will continue today with a high of 48 degrees and light winds. Tonight should reach a low of 40 and winds with gusts as high as 23 mph. Expect more rain all week and comparable winds 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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