Magnitude 4.0 earthquake detected west of San Juan Island, Man arrested following attempt to scam $17,000 out of Lynden resident, Judge orders owner of Bellingham property to immediately begin abatement of homeless encampment, On and off-ramps at Slater Road to be closed for two weeks, Mount Baker Highway east of Glacier to begin daily closures for winter preparations, State agencies partner to award millions to Puget Sound restoration projects, State Supreme Court holds hearing on public defender caseload reduction, More on capital gains initiative, New orca calf born to L-pod
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KMRE brings you local news for Thursday, September 26th. Good afternoon, I’m ______.
STORY: Magnitude 4.0 earthquake detected west of San Juan Island
Seismologists report a magnitude 4.0 earthquake was detected earlier this morning west of San Juan Island.
The epicenter was located 11 miles northeast of Victoria. The depth was estimated to be nearly 32 miles. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the earthquake was reportedly felt by some in western Whatcom County.
STORY: Man arrested following attempt to scam $17,000 out of Lynden resident
Lynden police arrested a man suspected of attempting to scam a local resident out of $17,000.
41-year-old Zhijia Ma (dee-DJA MA) allegedly told the victim they had received an overpayment and needed to return the money. The victim was instructed to prepare the cash, and Ma would collect it in person. However, the victim’s family recognized the scam and contacted police. Ma was arrested last Friday when he arrived to collect the money. Police believe Ma was working with at least one other person who communicated with the victim by phone. The investigation is ongoing, and authorities suspect there are more victims.
Ma, who has traveled extensively across the Northwest, is facing charges of attempted first-degree theft and felony conspiracy. He was released from the Whatcom County Jail on Tuesday, after posting a $30,000 bail.
STORY: Judge orders owner of Bellingham property to immediately begin abatement of homeless encampment
A Whatcom County judge has deemed the encampment on the property near Walmart a ‘nuisance’ and has ordered landowner Li-Ching Fang (LEE JING FONG) to clear it immediately.
The City of Bellingham filed a lawsuit against Fang in February due to her failure to address the growing encampment, which has caused safety concerns for nearby residents. Fang attempted measures to remove trespassers, but they were ineffective.
Despite Fang’s efforts, the judge ruled that it was ultimately her responsibility to clean up the property. The city estimates the cleanup could cost up to $6 million, including waste removal and wetland repairs. The city plans to involve its Homeless Outreach Team to assist those living in the encampment, but lacks sufficient housing or jail space for them.
The cleanup must start immediately, and Fang is responsible for all associated costs.
STORY: On and off-ramps at Slater Road to be closed for two weeks
WSDOT (WASH-dot) has announced that the southbound I-5 on and off-ramps at Slater Road in Ferndale will be closed for two weeks starting today.
A new two-lane roundabout is under construction at Slater Road. As such, crews are working to realign the southbound off-ramp to Slater Road to support it. More dirt is currently needed to build up the ramp embankments.
Signed detours will be in place to guide drivers around the closures.
Once the southbound ramp closures end, single-lane closures on Slater Road on weeknights from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. will continue until construction of the new roundabout finishes early next year.
STORY: Mount Baker Highway east of Glacier to begin daily closures for winter preparations
Mount Baker Highway will close for seasonal maintenance and winter preparations starting this Monday.
WSDOT crews will close the highway from mileposts 39–54 from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, starting on Monday and ending next Thursday.
The road to Artist Point closes for the season in the late fall or early winter. Timing of the closure is dependent on the season’s first significant snowfall. In a news release, WSDOT (WASH-dot) announced that crews will work to clear catch basins and ditches, remove hazardous or dead trees, make guardrail repairs and sweep shoulders before the snow arrives.
According to the news release, people who travel beyond the closure points during closure hours are allowed to do so at their own risk. Travelers must be beyond milepost 54 before 7 a.m. each day and will not be allowed back through until after 4 p.m.
STORY: State agencies partner to award millions to Puget Sound restoration projects
State agencies in Washington are partnering to award money to projects intending to restore and preserve the Puget Sound.
About $8.5 million are being put by the Habitat Strategic Initiative Lead into projects to advance Puget Sound habitat recovery.
According to an investment list announced by the State Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Department of Natural Resources, Friends of the San Juans will receive nearly $500,000 to expand capacity for reducing shoreline armoring impacts in northern Puget Sound, while the Lummi Nation is receiving nearly $500,000 as well to do restoration work on the Nooksack Watershed. The Skagit Watershed Council is also due to receive money — $226,000 for building reliable habitat restoration in the Whidbey Basin.
In total, 21 proposals were listed.
STORY: State Supreme Court holds hearing on public defender caseload reduction
At a public hearing yesterday, Washington State Supreme Court justices heard diverse opinions on a proposed policy to cap caseloads for public defenders.
The Washington State Bar Association has recommended reducing the current maximums to 47 felony or 120 misdemeanor cases annually, a 70% cut. Public defenders supported the cap, citing the need for work-life balance and adequate time for complex cases, while prosecutors and local officials warned it could financially overwhelm counties.
According to officials, the cap could triple the public defender office’s budget to $25 million in Whatcom County. There are also concerns about finding enough lawyers and funding. State funding for public defense has stagnated while costs have risen sharply. Some smaller counties, like Cowlitz, fear the caps could damage their public defense systems, while others see the reform as necessary for justice.
The justices will hold another hearing in November and decide on the proposal later this winter.
STORY: More on capital gains initiative
Initiative 2109 on Washington’s ballot in November would repeal the state’s capital gains tax, which supports schools, early learning and childcare. In 2023, the tax brought in $786 million. Eric Tegethoff has more on that story.
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WX: Rainy ‘n gray
And now for your Whatcom County weather:
We’re looking at another overcast day today, with more rain beginning around late afternoon. Daytime highs are expected to stay in the mid-low 60s, with calm southwestern winds. Nightfall will see those gusts pick up significantly, as well as drop temperatures down to the low 50s.
Tomorrow we can expect to see the sun return, after a brief spell of rain in the morning.
OUTRO:
Today’s newscast was produced by volunteers Carlos Braga (BRA-guh), Connor O’Boyle, Jayne Kuhlman (COOL-mun), Tristan Trudell, Kyler Cantrell, 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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STORY: New orca calf born to L-pod
Scientists are working to keep a newly-born orca calf, her mom and other killer whales well fed.
The orca calf was spotted off the coast of San Juan Island on September 15th. Reports then indicated that the calf looked healthy, but still had just a 50-50 chance of survival.
Salmon are the whales’ favorite food. The Sammamish River is one part of the ecosystem responsible for delivering salmon to the Salish Sea, which makes what happens in the river important to the survival of the calf.
The work done by groups like Whale Scout, a whale-watching organization that restores salmon habitats along the Sammamish River, is essential to improving survival rates. Whitney Neugebauer (NOY-geh-bauer), a scientist and the founder of Whale Scout, says her organization’s work seeks to help increase those odds.
