Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office joins multi-agency effort to
rescue man trapped in Nooksack Slough, Public Works Board approves grant for landfill cleanup project in Bellingham, Judge orders WWU to pay legal fees in whistleblower retaliation case, Federal government blocks repair of Skagit tidegate, citing probable environmental damages, WA to address accessibility issues in state parks
Independent, nonprofit community radio.
KMRE brings you local news for Wednesday, September 12th. Good
afternoon, I’m __.
STORY: Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office joins multi-agency effort to
rescue man trapped in Nooksack Slough
A man was rescued from the Nooksack Slough (SLOO) on Monday after
being stuck in a marsh for over 30 hours.
The multi-agency rescue effort included the Lummi Nation Police, both
Bellingham Fire and Police Departments, as well as the U.S. Coast Guard.
A drone deployed by Bellingham Police had a loudspeaker which called
out to the missing man, who was able to reply. This helped search teams
pinpoint his location.
A Coast Guard helicopter airlifted the man from the marsh and flew him to
EMTs at the Bellingham Airport, and was then transported to St Joseph
Medical Center for further evaluation.
STORY: Maple Falls man sentenced after pleading guilty to
hit-and-run
A Maple Falls man was sentenced to 15 months in prison after pleading
guilty to a felony hit-and-run charge.
59-year-old Darren Hicks was involved in a hit-and-run incident in 2021,
when he struck a good Samaritan assisting a driver with a disabled vehicle
on Kendall Road and left the scene. The impact was so severe that it
reportedly left paint from the car on the victim’s pants and caved in Hicks’s
car’s windshield. The victim, a 21-year-old from Ferndale, reportedly
suffered serious injuries.
Hicks was arrested and booked into jail last November, before posting
bond for his release less than a month later. That bond was forfeited on
June 30th after Hicks failed to appear in court, and he was returned to
custody. This is not Hicks’s first run-in with the law, as he has prior felony
convictions of third-degree assault and possession of methamphetamines,
along with 24 gross misdemeanor convictions.
STORY: Public Works Board approves grant for landfill cleanup
project in Bellingham
The Washington State Public Works Board has approved over $175 million
in funding for essential infrastructure projects across 29 counties.
The funding includes $169 million for construction and $6.3 million for
pre-construction–– which covers public water, sewer, stormwater, roads,
streets, bridges, and other infrastructure projects in 51 communities.
Bellingham will be receiving over $7 million to clean and cap a former
contaminated municipal solid waste landfill bordering Bellingham Bay. The
money will also help the Cornwall Avenue Landfill Cleanup Project restore
habitat at the site.
STORY: Judge orders WWU to pay legal fees in whistleblower
retaliation case
Western Washington University will have to pay over $650,000 in legal
fees to a whistleblower after a jury found the university guilty of retaliation
against her.
Antonia Allen, who was once employed by WWU as the director of the
Internal Auditor’s office, launched an investigation into quote “ghost
courses” offered by the Woodring College of Education. The courses
would allow students to qualify for full financial aid without attending class.
Allen was fired by WWU in late 2019 after she refused to remove the term
“financial fraud” from her report to the Department of Education.
Allen had previously won a lawsuit against Western in 2020, and received
approximately $3 million in both back pay and damages for emotional
harm.
STORY: Federal government blocks repair of Skagit tidegate, citing
probable environmental damages
The federal government has blocked repairs to a second tidegate in Skagit
County, citing probable environmental damages.
According to a recent announcement, the Army Corps of Engineers
informed the National Marine Fisheries Service that repairing the
century-old tidegate could negatively affect Puget Sound salmon and killer
whales. Skagit County’s drainage districts manage infrastructure like dikes
and tidegates to protect farmland from flooding, but Marine Fisheries and
the Corps believe that maintaining these structures harms essential
salmon habitats.
Skagit County Dike, Drainage and Irrigation District 12 sued Marine
Fisheries, arguing that the impact of the repairs is overstated. According to
other local officials, the future of Skagit Delta agriculture depends on the
maintenance of tidegates. The nearby District 19 has proposed repairing
leaking pipes to prevent tidegate collapse, however concerns remain over
the effects on estuary habitats.
Marine Fisheries will now review the proposal.
STORY: WA students’ test scores show improvement in math, but
steady decline in English
A new report from Washington’s Superintendent’s Office shows something
of a mixed bag for student progress since the pandemic.
Data shows that students in grades 3-thru-8 as well as grade 10 are
making promising progress in math, with comprehension levels rising
across most grades since 2021. This growth follows a significant drop in
math scores during the pandemic. However, English language arts scores
have slightly declined across nearly all grade levels.
State Superintendent Chris Reykdal (RIKE-doll) noted that the trend aligns
with national patterns and says he plans to focus on improving early
literacy. Reykdal added that his 2025 budget proposal includes funding for
an AI reading tool to help students practice reading aloud while receiving
personalized feedback.
STORY: WA to address accessibility issues in state parks
One complaint from two people staying at an accessible campsite at
Paradise Point has led Washington to address accessibility issues in all of
its state parks.
Back in May, James Evans and Deb Hodge were surprised at how far the
bathroom was located from their ADA-approved campsite. The uneven
surfaces on the trail also caused the disabled Evans to fall and need
medical attention.
Hodge filed a complaint arguing that the campsite violated the ADA. The
comment triggered an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice,
which revealed that other state parks also failed to meet ADA
requirements.
The subsequent deal struck with the DOJ requires the state Parks and
Recreation Commission to come up with a formal process to maintain
current accessible facilities and construct new ones. The deal also
established that fixes should start as soon as October 1st of next year.
WX: O save us, ye blessed overcast
And now for your Whatcom County weather:
Some morning clouds and showers today, which are expected to gradually
clear as the day wears on. Expect highs in the mid-60s, calm
west-northwest winds, and nighttime lows in the lower 50s.
Tomorrow should be warmer and sunnier for a brief spell, before Friday and
the weekend takes us back to clouds and rain.
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, Anna Vickers, Theron (THAIR-in)
Danielson, Paloma Ortiz, Anna Hedrick, and Miguel Garduño (MEE-gel
gar-DOO-ño). Tune in to local news on KMRE weekdays at 3, 4 and 5 p.m.
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on the banner. I’m ____, and thank you for listening.
