Man convicted of attempting to smuggle drugs into Canada via Salish Sea on a Jet Ski, South Whatcom Fire Authority seeking additional compensation for responding to calls outside jurisdiction, South Whatcom Fire Authority seeking additional compensation for responding to calls outside jurisdiction, Poorer school districts see positive financial outlook after year of state oversight, Two invasive shark species making their way into Puget Sound, Wildlife officials considering culling wolf populations after cattle deaths
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KMRE brings you local news for Thursday, August 1st. Good afternoon, I’m ______.
STORY: Man convicted of attempting to smuggle drugs into Canada via Salish Sea on a Jet Ski
An elderly man has been convicted after trying to smuggle drugs into Canada by jet ski.
According to a press release by the U.S. Attorney’s Office Western District of Washington, it all started when a family found a partially submerged duffel bag on a Port Angeles beach in April of 2021. The bag contained over 50 pounds of meth, as well as two pounds of fentanyl powder. A few days later, another person found seven duffel bags under a bridge by the beach. The bags contained almost 350 pounds of meth, which had an estimated wholesale value of $1.5 million in Canada.
According to the FBI, the duffel bags were traced to a purchase on 67-year-old John Sherwood’s debit card. Sherwood brought the drugs up the Olympic Peninsula from southern California, and then attempted to cross the Strait of Juan de Fuca on a jet ski as well as an inflatable raft to bring the drugs to Vancouver Island.
Last Friday, Sherwood was convicted of three federal charges––including conspiracy to distribute controlled substances–– in the U.S. District Court in Seattle. He is scheduled to be sentenced on October 29th.
STORY: South Whatcom Fire Authority seeking additional compensation for responding to calls outside jurisdiction
The South Whatcom Fire Authority wants to increase charges for covering calls outside of its jurisdiction.
The South Whatcom Fire Authority (SWFA) covers Chuckanut, Lake Samish, Yew Street, Geneva and Sudden Valley, however, they are often called to help those who get hurt mountain biking, hiking, or rock climbing, in the Chuckanuts, on Galbraith, and on Lookout Mountain. These popular recreation areas fall outside the local district’s official jurisdiction, and emergency response in those areas often requires more manpower and time than house calls.
Historically, the closest fire district available will respond to an emergency but when the call comes from outside their service area, the district receives minimal or no tax revenue to support their response.
According to recent reporting by the Cascadia Daily News, South Whatcom responded to 39 incidents in recreational areas outside of its jurisdiction, spending over 60 hours total in 2023. According to SWFA Fire Chief Mitch Nolze there is growing concern about the diversion of resources away from residents and businesses due to the increase in recreational calls, and the financial impact it has on the fire district.
Nolze also said he met with the City of Bellingham, Whatcom County, and the Whatcom Mountain Bike Coalition to begin the conversation on how to put a plan in place that ensures emergency response continues to extra-jurisdictional areas if South Whatcom is unable to. He said quote “We’re not going to just not help someone, especially in a critical situation, but we want to make sure we’re fairly negotiating with the city and county” unquote.
STORY: Poorer school districts see positive financial outlook after year of state oversight
Despite widespread budgetary challenges in Washington school districts, the Mount Baker and La Conner School Districts are showing signs of improvement.
According to district records, both faced significant deficits, with Mount Baker projecting a $1.2 million shortfall and La Conner expecting to be $300,000 in the red. Mount Baker and La Conner are among five school districts in Washington who have an agreement with the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction to regularly file budget reports and restore financial reserves to certain levels by a prescribed date. This contract is often referred to as ‘binding conditions’.
La Conner aims to exit binding conditions by the end of the fiscal year, projecting a $600,333 general fund balance as required by the state. In contrast, Mount Baker will remain under state oversight for an additional year to build up its general fund. However, Mount Baker plans to break even this year, with a projected $1.2 million dollar positive ending balance by the end of the 2025-26 school year. To help make that goal, the district eliminated over 23 full-time positions, with more than half due to attrition.
According to LaConner’s Interim School Superintendent David Cram, mismanagement contributed to the district’s financial struggles, and staff reductions as well as administrative cuts were made to realign the budget with enrollment.
Enrollment decline is a key issue for both districts, with Mount Baker’s student population expected to drop again next year, which continues a steady decline since the early 2000s. La Conner’s enrollment has also decreased, by about 130 students since 2020.
Mount Baker and La Conner are among five districts in Washington under binding conditions, alongside Marysville, Prescott, and Tukwila School Districts.
STORY: Two invasive shark species making their way into Puget Sound
Two new shark species have been found in the Puget Sound.
According to scientists from Oregon State University, the critically endangered soupfin shark and the broadnose sevengill shark can normally be found off the Washington coast, but how they wound up in the Puget Sound is a mystery.
According to Jessica Schulte, one of the scientists with OSU, the story started several years ago, when a man in South Puget Sound posted a photograph of himself holding a shark that appeared to be a sixgill, but was actually a broadnose sevengill shark. This led to a group composed of research teams, officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to work together to find the truth.
Over the last two years, the group caught nine sevengills and one soupfin shark in the Puget Sound. The endangered soupfin shark had also never been documented in the area before. One possible reason for the shark’s migration could be rising marine temperatures, said Ethan Personius, a scientist with OSU. According to Personius, soupfin sharks often feed on anchovies, and the anchovy population in the Salish Sea spiked after the 2014 and 2015 marine heat wave known as “The Blob”, which may have drawn the sharks into new territory.
STORY: Wildlife officials considering culling wolf populations after cattle deaths
Wildlife officials in Washington say they will consider a wolf cull in northeast Washington after attacks on livestock in Stevens County.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife reported that wolves from the Leadpoint and Dominion packs killed cattle in both territories. Officials say they will also consider measures such as range-riding, guard dogs, and the removal of livestock carcasses to prevent further incidents. The latest WDFW estimate shows Washington has at least 260 wolves across 42 packs, with the Leadpoint pack having at least seven wolves and the Dominion pack at least four. If authorized, this would be the first lethal removal of wolves in response to livestock conflicts in 2024, following the last removal in August 2023 in Asotin County (uh-SEW-tin).
A recommendation on whether to kill one or more wolves is expected soon.
WX: Sun
And now for your Whatcom County weather:
Temperatures are on the rise again today, with a high in the low 80s that is expected to stick around for the remainder of the week. Expect mild west-northwestern winds, a nighttime low in the low 60s, and very little to change about that forecast for a few days.
OUTRO:
Today’s newscast was produced by volunteers Carlos Braga (BRA-guh), Connor O’Boyle, Jayne Kuhlman (COOL-mun), Carlee Schram (CAR-lee SHRAM), Tristan Trudell, Kyler Cantrell, Ikumi Mashiko (ih-KOO-me muh-SHE-ko), Anna Vickers, and Theron (THAIR-in) Danielson. 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 thank you for listening.
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