Sidhu rejects Whatcom Democrats’ call for resignation over sexual harassment settlement, Southwest announces it is ending operations at Bellingham airport, Planned flood response exercise set for Nooksack near Everson, Feds greenlight return of grizzlies to WA’s North Cascades, Ban on high-capacity magazines will remain after WA Supreme Court Commissioner’s ruling, Free and Cheap
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Independent, nonprofit community radio.
KMRE brings you local news for Friday, April 26th. Good afternoon, I’m _David Korb_____.
STORY: Sidhu rejects Whatcom Democrats’ call for resignation over sexual harassment settlement
County Executive Satpal Sidhu is rejecting demands from the Whatcom Democrats’ Executive Board to resign.
A letter form the Whatcom Dems issued on Wednesday accused Sidhu of covering up sexual assault allegations against John Hutchings, the former Public Works Director. The board says Sidhu’s behavior undermines trust in his ability to prevent sexual harassment in the future. Yesterday, in a prepared statement, Sidhu said the accusations are based on incomplete information and misrepresentation of facts, and he welcomes an inquiry by the County Council to bring clarity and transparency to the situation. Jed Holmes, a spokesman for Sidhu, criticized the group’s statement for factual errors and claimed that Sidhu was not informed of the harassment until October 2022, with Hutchings signing a separation agreement in November.
The issue became public after a Cascade PBS investigative story revealed the county’s handling of Hutchings’ resignation and a subsequent settlement. Sidhu admits to not bringing the issue before the council but states that he worked with human resources and legal teams to ensure policy compliance.
STORY: Southwest announces it is ending operations at Bellingham airport
Southwest Airlines announced Thursday that it will no longer offer services in or out of the Bellingham International Airport.
According to the company, the decision is based on the 2024 first-quarter financial results, which showed a net loss of $231 million dollars. Eighteen local Southwest jobs will be eliminated. The company plans to cut about 2,000 employees throughout its operations.
Port of Bellingham Aviation Director Kip Turner told The Bellingham Herald the airport intends to fill the gap in service with another airline, but won’t disclose which ones, saying only that Bellingham offers a “vibrant market”.
Local operations will cease on August 4, 2024. With Southwest’s planned departure, Allegiant, Alaska Airlines, and San Juan Airlines will remain the only carriers.
STORY: Planned flood response exercise set for Nooksack near Everson
Whatcom Fire District 1 is conducting flood response exercises in Everson tomorrow.
The exercise will run from 10 am to 2 pm on Saturday, and first responders will practice the set-up and use of the Incident Command System, run through water rescue activities, and coordinate the response between different agencies. The flood response exercise will take place at locations around the Nooksack River in Everson, Acme, and Sumas. Residents around Lynden and Nooksack Middle School may notice drone pilots, emergency response boats, and volunteers during the exercise.
Organizers say that traffic impact will occur mid-morning and early afternoon as vehicles arrive and leave the scene.
STORY: Feds greenlight return of grizzlies to WA’s North Cascades
The National Park Service and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service have proposed a plan to reintroduce grizzly bears into the North Cascades.
The effort aims to rebuild a population of 200 bears by relocation from other regions and release in the North Cascades over the course of five to ten years. The bears will be designated as a “nonessential experimental population,” allowing relaxed regulations under the Endangered Species Act for management flexibility.
The plan acknowledges that natural repopulation is unlikely due to habitat fragmentation and comes after years of advocacy, with the Upper Skagit Tribe particularly supportive, due to their cultural significance in the region. Experts say the North Cascades can support up to 578 bears, especially with projected habitat changes due to climate change. Concerns about human-bear conflict, impacts on livestock, and other species have been addressed by the federal agencies, leading to a reintroduction plan that allows for intervention in conflict situations.
There is no set timeline for the reintroduction as yet.
STORY: Ban on high-capacity magazines will remain after WA Supreme Court Commissioner’s ruling
A ban on the sale of high-capacity magazines in Washington will stay in place after a State Supreme Court Commissioner’s ruling Thursday.
The decision by Commissioner Michael Johnston comes after a lower court ruling by Cowlitz County Superior Court Judge Gary Bashor that the ban was unconstitutional. The case stems from a lawsuit between Washington State and Gators Customs Guns, a firearms dealer in Kelso.
Johnston, in a hearing last week, cited issues in Bashor’s decision that he called “highly debatable” and said the judge was “heavily influenced by some very questionable testimony.” In his decision, Johnston wrote that he sympathized with lawful gun owners, but that the potential harm from invalidating the law is far greater than the harm to gun owners by keeping the stay in place.
The emergency stay, which was issued soon after the lawsuit, will now remain in place unless the Supreme Court rules otherwise.
STORY: Free and Cheap
Here’s some cheap stuff to do around the county this weekend:
On Saturday, the Sikh (SICK) temple in Lynden will be celebrating Vaisakhi (vai-SAA-ki), the Sikh harvest festival. The event is open to the entire community and runs from 10 am to 4 pm at the Gurdwara (GURD-dwara) at 176 E Pole.
That same day, the Whatcom Marine Mammal Stranding Network will hold a training to learn how to respond to seal pups and other marine mammals in distress. The event will run from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 27 at the WECU meeting room in Ferndale. A $20 fee is required and all supplies will be provided. To register, visit the calendar page of WMMSN.org.
Also on Saturday, the Bellis Fair Library is holding a bilingual storytime for kids and their caregivers. Stories and songs will be performed in both Spanish and English. The event runs from 11 to 11:45 am.
WX: Rain
Your Whatcom County weather – Today will be cloudy with a 60% chance of rain and a high of 59 degrees. More rain may come later tonight as temperatures drop to a low of 47. Rain is predicted all weekend long, with a possible thunderstorm on Sunday.
OUTRO:
Today’s newscast was produced by volunteers AnThu Nguyen (ANNE-two new-WIN), Carlos Braga, Connor O’Boyle, Jayne Kuhlman, Kye Salinas (KEY suh-LEE-nus) 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. Check out our Patreon page or visit kmre.org and click on the banner. I’m _David Korb_______________… thanks for listening.
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