First round of ballot totals released, Kulshan Community Land Trust nabs $2.25M grant for affordable home project, Woman sentenced to prison time after jury found her guilty of vehicular homicide, Cold weather shelters open, Rosario Resort on Orcas Island to be sold; temporary closure ahead, WA proposal would allow biometric ID for alcohol purchases, City of Bellingham moves against owner of land that is site of homeless encampment
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KMRE brings you local news for Wednesday, February 14. Good afternoon, I’m ______.
STORY: First round of ballot totals released
Preliminary results from the Special Election are in, and it looks like school levies across the county will likely pass however, Lynden and Blaine will not get new high schools,
Bellingham Public Schools’ levies are likely to pass, along with those of Meridian, Ferndale, and Mount Baker School Districts. Additionally, Fire Protection District 8 and Blaine-Birch Bay Park and Recreation District No. 2 levies are expected to pass.
However, the school bond measures fell short of the required 60% majority needed to approve, and at this time it appears that the Nooksack Valley School District levy will also fail to pass.
According to the Auditor’s office, voter turnout was just over 30% with approximately 4,400 ballots remaining to be counted. The next ballot drop is scheduled for later today.
STORY: Kulshan Community Land Trust nabs $2.25M grant for affordable home project
Kulshan Community Land Trust has secured a more than $2 million grant to help build an 18-unit affordable homeownership project in the Birchwood neighborhood.
Named LaFrenier (lah-freh-NERE) Court, the development will receive $125,000 per home from the Washington State Department of Commerce’s Housing Trust Fund and is set to begin construction this year. In a recent announcement, Dean Fearing, Executive Director of Kulshan CLT, expressed excitement about the funding which he says will enable 18 local families to achieve homeownership.
Created in 1986, Washington State’s Housing Trust Fund has allocated over $2 billion in capital funding, and helped create or preserve over 58,000 affordable housing units across the state. This year, the Housing Trust Fund has allocated more than $38 million dollars statewide for affordable homeownership, marking its largest-ever investment.
STORY: Woman sentenced to prison time after jury found her guilty of vehicular homicide
A woman who was found guilty last year of vehicular homicide has been sentenced to 18 months in prison.
The charge against Kaitlyn Rose Johnston, aged 29, stemmed from a January 2017 vehicle-pedestrian incident on Old Fairhaven Parkway. Witnesses reported the pedestrian was walking her dog on a leash and activated the crosswalk’s flashing lights before being fatally hit by Johnston’s car. According to police, Johnston was not impaired at the time.
Found guilty by jury in October, Johnston was sentenced on February 6th to 18 months in prison.
STORY: Cold weather shelters open
Emergency cold weather shelters are open this week in Whatcom county as temperatures drop.
The Whatcom County Health and Community Services’ shelter on North State St. will be open through tomorrow. The Bellingham Emergency Shelter will have check in today from 5pm – 9pm and a check out time of 8am tomorrow. Ferndale’s severe weather shelter is open through Thursday night, with check-ins from 5:30 – 8 p.m. and a check out at 8 a.m.
Road2Home and Basecamp are open daily from 7 p.m. to 8 a.m.
According to the National Weather Service in Seattle, strong winds are expected across Western Whatcom County, with a chance of rain and snow through midweek.
STORY: Rosario Resort on Orcas Island to be sold; temporary closure ahead
The historic Rosario Resort and Spa on Orcas Island is under new ownership and will close temporarily for renovations beginning next week.
The resort, previously owned by the Barto family, has been in operation since 1960 and is set to undergo substantial upgrades, starting with renovations to the Moran (muh-RAN) Mansion, which houses various amenities. Renovations will focus on preserving the mansion’s historic features, such as the music room with its Aeolian (ay-O-lee-un) pipe organ and Steinway grand piano. However, the resort grounds will remain open during this period.
Guests with reservations after April 1st can receive refunds until February 22nd, after which the new operator will handle reservations and deposits.
The buyer’s identity remains undisclosed but the new owner is said to be a member of the local community.
STORY: WA proposal would allow biometric ID for alcohol purchases
A new bill would allow grocery stores to use biometric identification to check the age of people buying alcohol.
Senate Bill 6179 passed unanimously on Monday, and would be optional for both businesses and customers. According to the bill’s sponsors, If a business wanted to use a biometric system, they would likely partner with a company that offers the technology. The technology would allow for identification based on a hand print, an eye scan, or a voice recording.
There is currently no law against biometric identification, but officials from the state Liquor and Cannabis Board say clearer guidance surrounding the technology would be useful. Supporters like the Climate Pledge Arena say the technology could be a way to move large groups of people through a line faster, such as at busy sporting events.
Under the Senate’s proposal, data used for age verification cannot be used for any other purpose. Consumers must also be informed of the categories of data that will be collected before they consent to the program.
The bill is now being considered in the House of Representatives.
WX: Sun
Today will be mostly cloudy with a high of 59 degrees and winds around 10 mph. The sun will come out gradually as the day continues, and there will be a chance of rain and snow as temperatures drop to a low of 35. Tomorrow is projected to bring more snow and rain, however, it is unlikely that the snow will stick.
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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STORY: City of Bellingham moves against owner of land that is site of homeless encampment
