Blaine police arrest three on allegations of prostitution, sexual assault, Rollover crash closes I-5 lanes south of Bellingham, WWU and pro-Palestine encampment reach agreement, Bellingham City Council hits pause on Silver Beach rezoning, Kona Bicycles co-founders buy company back from private equity firm, Tullwood Apartments requests to join lawsuit against “Walmart encampment” owner, Amtrak Cascades offers free train rides for qualifying youth
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KMRE brings you local news for Thursday, May 30th. Good afternoon, I’m ______.
STORY: Blaine police arrest three on allegations of prostitution, sexual assault
Three arrests have been made at a Blaine massage parlor, after a warrant was granted due to allegations of prostitution and sexual assault.
Law enforcement arrived at the shopping center on H Street in Blaine yesterday and arrested two men – Todd Berge, age 57 of Blaine, and Ankhjargal Jargalsaikhan (ANKH-jar-gal jar-gal-SAAH-han), age 38 of Corona, California. The two men were charged with patronizing a prostitute. A woman, Jie Deng (JEE-uh DUNG), age 39 of Renton, was also arrested and charged with 2nd-degree rape. All three were booked into Whatcom County Jail, but the two men were later released.
The Blaine Police Department says the investigation is ongoing.
STORY: Rollover crash closes I-5 lanes south of Bellingham
A single vehicle rollover crash closed the northbound lanes of I-5 yesterday.
First responders were dispatched to I-5 between North Lake Samish Way and Nulle (NOO-lee) Road at around 9:40 am, due to a report of a single-vehicle rollover crash. Visible flames were reported coming from the vehicle, and both lanes were closed until around 11 am.
According to Washington State Patrol, the person involved in the crash was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. No charges or citations resulted from the accident.
STORY: WWU and pro-Palestine encampment reach agreement
Western Washington University President announced yesterday that pro-Palestine demonstrators camped on Western’s Old Main Lawn have finally reached an agreement with college administration.
The student protesters set up tents in front of the Old Main building over two weeks ago, threatening to stay until the college agreed to divest in weapons manufacturers supporting Israel. Yesterday, in a letter to the campus community, University president Sabah Randhawa (sa-BAH ranh-DAHH-wahh) stated that students agreed to pack up their tents by 5 pm today.
On their Instagram page, the protesters declared the demonstration a success, stating that they reached a quote “historic agreement” following 10 hours of negotiations.
Western says they will release a statement regarding the agreement tomorrow.
STORY: Bellingham City Council hits pause on Silver Beach rezoning
Bellingham City Council members approved stricter stormwater regulations in the Lake Whatcom watershed this month, but opted not to lower housing density in Silver Beach — at least for now.
Lake Whatcom is the drinking water source for the City of Bellingham. It’s also on Washington’s list of most-polluted water bodies because of its high levels of phosphorus and dissolved oxygen. A development moratorium on multi-family homes along the lake within Bellingham city limits has been in place since July 2022– giving planning officials time to create new regulations to better protect the watershed. However, the moratorium is set to expire in July unless the council votes again to extend it.
On May 20th, the council held a public hearing to make a final decision on both the updated stormwater regulations and rezoning. After listening to more than an hour of public testimony, council members approved the stricter stormwater rules, but wanted more discussion on the zoning changes before making a final decision.
The council says it will hold a public hearing on Monday to hear feedback on extending the moratorium for an additional six months.
STORY: Kona Bicycles co-founders buy company back from private equity firm
The founders of Kona Bicycles, the oldest and largest bike company in Whatcom County, have announced they will buy the company back from the corporation that has owned them since 2022.
Founded in Vancouver, B.C. in 1988 by Dan Gerhard and Jake Heilbron (HILE-brawn), Kona moved its headquarters to Ferndale over 30 years ago. Economic pressures prompted the duo to sell to private-equity-backed Kent Outdoors in 2022. However, according to recent reporting by Cascadia Daily News, since that time, Kona experienced staff losses and strained relationships with dealers and suppliers. Kent Outdoors closed the Kona store in 2023, and on May 20th, Kent Executive Chairman Lee Belitsky announced the company would be sold back to Gerhard and Heilbron.
In a letter to the industry published on May 20th, both founders say they are ready for the third chapter of Kona and plan to rebuild its reputation and continue supporting local biking initiatives.
STORY: Tullwood Apartments requests to join lawsuit against “Walmart encampment” owner
The owner of Tullwood Apartments is seeking to join the ongoing lawsuit between the City of Bellingham and the owner of the property near Walmart that is now the site of a homeless encampment.
The City of Bellingham is suing Li-Ching Fang (LEE CHING FAHNG) of Taiwan, the owner of the land on which the encampment is located, for nuisance charges including negatively impacting area businesses, property crimes, and environmental impacts to nearby Spring Creek. The apartment owner claims the lawsuit’s slow progress is now harming Tullwood’s residents’ health and safety, and says tenancy has dropped by 6% due to the encampment.
A hearing on Tullwood’s intervention request is set for June 14.
STORY: Amtrak Cascades offers free train rides for qualifying youth
Amtrak Cascades is now offering free fare for youths on trains and buses.
The Washington State Department of Transportation announced on Tuesday that Amtrak Cascades has joined state ferries and transit agencies to provide free fares for people under 18. Funded through the “Move Ahead Washington” transportation package and the state’s Climate Commitment Act, youth can travel on Amtrak Cascades trains and buses within the state free of cost.
Minors who are 16 and younger must travel with an adult to be eligible, and tickets must be acquired in advance on Amtrak’s website.
WX: Sunny
Your Whatcom County weather today – Expect sun all day, with a high of 63 degrees. Tonight will be clear, as temperatures drop to a low of 44. More sunshine should come tomorrow.
OUTRO:
Today’s newscast was produced by volunteers AnThu Nguyen (ANNE-two new-WIN), Carlos Braga, Connor O’Boyle, Jayne Kuhlman, and Kye Salinas (KEY suh-LEE-nus). 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 go to kmre.org and click on the banner. I’m ________________, and thanks for listening.
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