Bellingham man sentenced to 12 years in prison for attempted enticement of a minor, Two Blaine School Board members resign, Whatcom County traffic stop leads to high-speed chase, crash and drug-related arrest, E-bikes get official OK on Galbraith Mountain in Bellingham, Washington tribes look to Iceland for help getting teens off drugs, Tax Help for Seniors, Washington lawmakers advance bill making it a felony to threaten election workers Low wages, high costs: WA prisoners say they’re being exploited, according to report
______________________________
Independent, nonprofit community radio.
KMRE brings you local news for Tuesday, February 27. Good afternoon, I’m ______.
STORY: Bellingham man sentenced to 12 years in prison for attempted enticement of a minor
A Bellingham man has been sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for possession of child pornography and attempted enticement of a minor.
The verdict was handed down on Friday at the U.S. District Court in Seattle. Besides jail time, 28-year-old Clayton Harker was also sentenced to 15 years of supervised release, as well as needing to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.
Harker pleaded guilty to the child pornography and enticement charges back in October. He was originally arrested in December of 2022, after going to a hotel with the intent to film his sexual assault of an eight-year-old girl. As it turned out, Harker had unknowingly contacted an undercover Homeland Security officer. Harker was arrested before he even entered the hotel.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Hampton originally asked that Harker receive a sentence of 30 years in prison, stating he had quote “cut a swath of destruction across the lives of vulnerable minors whose only mistake was to cross paths with a predator” unquote.
STORY: Two Blaine School Board members resign
Two members of the Blaine School board, Don Leu (LEW) and Ryan Ford, have resigned, citing health and family reasons, respectively.
Recenting reporting by the Cascadia Daily says Leu expressed confidence in the remaining board members and urged the board to focus on student needs. Ford attended a recent meeting to express gratitude but said he felt unable to fulfill his duties adequately.
Interviews for replacements are scheduled on March 15 and new members must be seated within 90 days. Cliff Freeman, the new School Board President, says the resignations coincide with district financial challenges as well as the departure of Blaine School District CFO Amber Porter– reportedly due to conflicts over finances with board member Erika Creydt (CRATE).
According to the Daily, Freeman says he sees the departures as opportunities for new perspectives and remains optimistic about the board’s future.
STORY: Whatcom County traffic stop leads to high-speed chase, crash and drug-related arrest
An Everett man was arrested after attempting to flee officers in a high speed car chase.
A vehicle without a license plate was stopped around midnight on North Chuckanut Drive Sunday, under suspicion of a DUI. During the stop, officers noticed drug paraphernalia in the car. The driver, 38 year-old Angel Leffingwell, subsequently drove from the scene.
Afterwards, the car swerved away from a deployed spike strip, onto the sidewalk, crashing into a light and power pole. The two occupants of the vehicle fled on foot and were subsequently arrested. Officers found a bag of methamphetamine and two blue pills suspected to be fentanyl in the car. The passenger was taken to St. Joseph’s hospital and has not been charged.
Leffingwell was arrested for vehicular assault, eluding police, possession of an uncontrolled substance, no valid driver’s license, and driving while intoxicated. He is currently in custody at Whatcom County jail.
STORY: E-bikes get official OK on Galbraith Mountain in Bellingham
The Bellingham City Council voted Monday to allow e-bikes on Galbraith Mountain, as well as expand the trail system there.
Power-assisted bikes were originally prohibited when the mountain opened to cyclists in 2018, but over time e-bikes have become more commonplace. Riders have even started using them on the trails in an unofficial capacity. The rule change specifies that Class 1 e-bikes, the slowest classification of power-assisted bikes, will now be allowed. Class 1 e-bikes are capped at 20 mph with pedal-assist only, and lack the throttle found on dirt motorbikes. Dirt bikes and faster e-bikes are still prohibited.
The Council also approved adding 20 miles of trail to the mountain. According to Whatcom Mountain Bike Coalition Executive Director Eric Brown, the increase from 65 to 85 miles came after managers at Galbraith Tree Farm decided the current level of recreational use wasn’t impacting the company’s logging business.
According to Brown, the new trails will be multi-use: suitable for biking, hiking, dog walking, and more.
STORY: Washington tribes look to Iceland for help getting teens off drugs
Washington Tribal Leaders are looking to Iceland to combat the current rise of teen opioid use.
According to a study published in 2021, the Icelandic Prevention Model has decreased alcohol use among Icelandic teens by 42 percent in 20 years.
Based on the overseas approach, Washington and tribal nations have dubbed their effort the ‘Washington Tribal Prevention System’. It will be run by the Washington State Health Care Authority, along with the S’Klallam (S’KLA-Lum), Lummi, Tulalip (Tuh-LAY-luhp), Swinomish, and Colville tribes, as well as Planet Youth, a non-profit.
According to the journal Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy, the model focuses on putting responsibility on the community and parents before placing it on the children themselves. Rather than telling teens to ‘just say no’, the prevention system encourages environments that lack substance abuse altogether.
In Washington, American Indian and Alaska Natives have the highest death rate due to overdose, far outpacing other ethnicities, according to the Department of Health.
The Washington Tribal Prevention System began its ten year pilot program on February 14th.
STORY: Tax Help for Seniors
As tax season continues, the IRS is notifying seniors that they have some free tax filing options.
If you would like in-person help with your taxes, there are two programs available. The Tax Counseling for the Elderly program helps taxpayers aged 60 and older. And the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program which helps those making less than $60 thousand dollars a year, people with disabilities, and those with limited English. To find a site near you, visit IRS.gov.
Or if you’d prefer to file online, you can use the IRS Free File tool at IRS.gov/FreeFile.
Tax returns or extension requests are due by April 15.
STORY: Washington lawmakers advance bill making it a felony to threaten election workers
The Washington state Senate overwhelmingly passed a bill to make election worker harassment a felony.
The measure aims to protect workers after a series of incidents involving suspicious powder sent to election offices, and amid increasing threats partly-fueled by false claims of election fraud. The proposed bill would increase penalties for harassment and provide confidentiality programs for targeted workers.
The bill focuses on election workers, though some Republicans sought broader protections, and follows previous efforts to address online harassment of election workers.
Similar legislation is under consideration in 23 states.
WX: Snow
Your Whatcom County weather today– expect clouds all day, with snow and rain coming after 5pm. Today’s high is around 44 degrees, which will drop to a low of 37 tonight. Winds will also pick up later today, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Rain is predicted for tomorrow.
OUTRO:
Today’s newscast was produced by volunteers AnThu Nguyen (ANNE-two new-WIN), Carlos Braga, Connor O’Boyle, Jayne Kuhlman 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.
##
STORY: Low wages, high costs: WA prisoners say they’re being exploited, according to report
A new report characterizes Washington’s incarceration system as akin to modern-day slavery.
The report by advocacy group Columbia Legal Services (CLS), based on surveys and interviews with prisoners, details a system that compels individuals in prison to work for as little as $1 per hour, and at the same time face exorbitant costs to maintain their health and connections to the outside world.
Most incarcerated individuals in Washington prisons hold jobs, with a significant portion involved in correctional industries like food service or furniture construction, which can pay higher wages. However, according to CLS respondents, many are coerced to take those positions as those incarcerated often struggle to afford necessities like food and hygiene products due to inflated prices in prison commissaries. Advocates say the inability to save money while in prison contributes to higher rates of recidivism.
The Department of Corrections disputes some aspects of the report, pointing out that the 13th Amendment’s exception for criminal punishments allows for such labor practices, and highlighting the fact that some prison jobs pay up to $2.85 an hour.
The report calls for legislative action to address these systemic issues and support measures to improve the successful reintegration into society of former-prisoners upon release. Despite recommendations for policy changes, such as higher wages and reduced costs, the state has not addressed these concerns in the current legislative session.
