Trial gets underway for man accused of shooting two Whatcom County deputiesm Bellingham City Council formally opposes Albertsons-Kroger merger, Bellingham receives state grant for solar energy project, Whatcom County proactive burn ban lifted Saturday, regional restrictions still in place, Police start monitoring local trails, Bear Creek mitigation bank nearly complete, Bellingham receives state grant for solar energy project, Pac-12 expands membership, Health Insurance Rates rise
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KMRE brings you local news for Tuesday, September 17th. Good afternoon, I’m ______.
STORY: Trial gets underway for man accused of shooting two Whatcom County deputies
The trial of a Maple Falls man accused of shooting two County Sheriff’s deputies is underway.
63-year-old Joel Young is facing two charges of attempted murder in connection to the shooting of two deputies in 2022. Court documents state that the two deputies were responding to a neighborhood dispute involving Young when he shot both of them in the head. Both deputies, now retired from the force, survived the incident and were awarded Medals of Honor from the state Attorney General’s Office.
Young has pleaded not guilty to the attempted murder charges. He’s currently being held at Whatcom County Jail on a $5 million bail.
STORY: Bellingham City Council formally opposes Albertsons-Kroger merger
Last night, the Bellingham City Council formally opposed the proposed merger between grocery giants Albertsons and Kroger.
The council cited potential factors such as price increases, decreased food access, and the dismissal of unionized workers as reasons for their stance. The council’s opposition coincides with the start of a Washington state antitrust lawsuit against the merger.
The proposed merger would combine nearly 5,000 stores nationwide, including brands like Haggen, Safeway, Fred Meyer, and QFC. Kroger and Albertsons argue the merger is necessary to compete with larger companies like Walmart and Amazon. In response to antitrust concerns, the companies proposed selling several stores, including all four Haggen locations in Bellingham.
However, the City Council, led by member Jace Cotton, raised concerns about negative impacts similar to those experienced after the Safeway-Albertsons merger in 2015, such as Haggen’s bankruptcy and the closing of the Albertsons in the Birchwood neighborhood.
The resolution was unanimously approved and sent to the FTC, the state attorney general, and the CEOs of Kroger and Albertsons. Other cities in Washington, like Kenmore, have taken similar action.
STORY: Bellingham receives state grant for solar energy project
The City of Bellingham was awarded a $165,000 grant to evaluate several locations for large-scale solar initiatives, an assessment meant to examine the potential for future low-income community solar development projects.
This is one of 46 grants funded by the Washington Climate Commitment Act. According to the state Department of Commerce, the grants will boost clean energy innovation and support the planning, design and construction of clean energy projects throughout the state.
A total of $37 million dollars will be awarded through two clean energy programs to further the goals of Washington’s 2021 State Energy Strategy.
STORY: Whatcom County proactive burn ban lifted Saturday, regional restrictions still in place
The County Fire Marshal’s Office announced that the Stage 1 Burn Ban on open burning in unincorporated areas of Whatcom will be lifted starting at 8 a.m. this Saturday.
Verbal burn permits can be obtained via the Outdoor Burning Information Line, while written permits for larger fires are available at the Planning & Development Services Office at Northwest and Smith Roads.
Stage 1 Burn Bans remain in effect in Point Roberts, Lummi Island, Sandy Point, and several cities and urban growth areas, including Bellingham, Ferndale, and Lynden.
STORY: Police start monitoring local trails
A man was arrested in Bellingham earlier this month for riding a homemade motorbike on pedestrian and bike trails.
Motorized vehicles are banned on local trails for safety reasons, as they can exceed the 15-mile-an-hour speed limit. The man, arrested on September 6th, also faces charges for driving with a suspended license, evading police, and violating a protection order. Park Operations Manager Steve Janiszewski (jan-uh-SHEV-ski) emphasized the importance of trail rules for the protection of pedestrians and cyclists.
Bellingham Police reminds all trail users that rule violators may be given civil citations.
STORY: Bear Creek mitigation bank nearly complete
The City of Bellingham is on the verge of opening its first wetland mitigation bank.
A mitigation bank is a piece of land where developers can buy quote-unquote “credits” if their projects impact wetlands, streams or riparian areas. The city has been working with other agencies on establishing its bank since 2016. Last July, a big step was taken towards the establishment of the bank when the Whatcom County Council approved a project permit for the city and voted to grant the city a million dollars in economic development investment funding.
The site, located at Bear Creek, consists of four parcels totaling almost 100 acres. The bank does not yet have an anticipated opening date, but the goal is to have credits available for sale by next year.
STORY: Pac-12 expands membership
The Pac-12 Conference, which faced potential collapse after losing eight schools in 2023, has announced it’s now expanding.
Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, and San Diego State will be joining the league in 2026. The move secures the futures of the two remaining Pac-12 schools–– Washington State and Oregon State––while significantly impacting the Mountain West Conference. The expansion comes after Pac-12 leaders, under new commissioner Teresa Gould, strategically positioned the conference for growth.
The Pac-12 now needs to add at least two more schools by 2026 to comply with NCAA rules, secure a new media rights deal, and explore new revenue streams.
STORY: Health insurance rates rise
Health insurance rates in Washington’s state marketplace will increase next year.
The Office of the Insurance Commissioner approved an average rate hike of 10.7% for 2025. This move will affect nearly 300,000 patients who use the state’s online health insurance market.
Regence BlueShield customers face the largest increase at nearly 23%, and Molina Healthcare the smallest at nearly 6%. Insurance companies say the increases are necessary to cover rising health service costs.
Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler acknowledged the impact of the rate hike amid other rising expenses and emphasized the need to address underlying health care costs. Emily Brice, the co-executive director of Northwest Health Law Advocates, criticized the continual premium increases, and noted the recent pattern of rising rates followed by calls for solutions to address the problem.
The commissioner’s office says it has proposed several policy ideas to manage rising costs, such as subsidizing high-cost enrollees and setting inflation-based limits on care costs.
The open enrollment period for 2025 coverage runs from November 1st through January 15th.
WX: Rain, man
And now for your Whatcom County weather:
Predominantly cloudy weather expected today, with highs in the mid-low 60s, and recurrent showers across the afternoon and evening. Nightfall is
expected to see the rain continue, with temperatures falling into the mid-50s.
Expect the sun to return tomorrow after some A.M. clouds, with temperatures much the same as today’s.
OUTRO:
Today’s newscast was produced by volunteers Carlos Braga (BRA-guh), Connor O’Boyle, Jayne Kuhlman (COOL-mun), 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. 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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