Pepper spray assault leads to arrest in Bellingham, Bellingham man charged with multiple counts of possession of child pornography, Whatcom County approves sale of timber on 89 acres of land, Whatcom EMS to offer free emergency response training, Let’s Go Washington fined $20K for alleged campaign finance violations, Free and cheap
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KMRE brings you local news for Friday, October 11th. Good afternoon, I’m _David Korb_____.
STORY: Pepper spray assault leads to arrest in Bellingham
A woman was arrested last Friday after she allegedly pepper-sprayed another driver in a parking lot on McLeod Road before hitting him with her car.
48-year-old Nyiesha (NIE-ee-sha) Walker told the victim, who was backing into a parking spot, that she was in a hurry and needed to leave quickly. According to Walker, she gave the other driver one warning before pepper-spraying him in the face. When the victim exited his car and tried to get Walker’s license plate information, she allegedly hit him with her car about two to three times. The man showed injuries from the pepper-spraying, but allegedly received no injuries from being struck by Walker’s car.
Walker drove away from the scene and was later arrested by Sheriff deputies on suspicion of second-degree assault and resisting arrest. She was released from the Whatcom County Jail on Monday after posting $20,000 bond.
STORY: Bellingham man charged with multiple counts of possession of child pornography
A man was arrested yesterday by Bellingham Police on multiple counts of possession of child pornography.
Bellingham Police were contacted in late September by a woman who reported finding child porn on the man’s phone. According to an affidavit filed in County Superior Court, the man mentioned having child porn on his phone during a recent encounter with the woman. She was later able to access files on the phone and found the images and videos, after which she called 911. Investigators served a search warrant on the phone and located multiple videos depicting child porn.
38-year-old Christopher McCullough was arrested and booked into the Whatcom County Jail on four counts of first-degree possession of depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct. He is being held without bail.
STORY: Whatcom County approves sale of timber on 89 acres of land
The Washington Board of Natural Resources has approved the sale of timber on 89 acres of Whatcom County forestland.
The Little Lilly auction, named after four stands of trees on the Van Zandt Dike plateau, is set to start on November 20th, with the minimum bid value set at over a million-and-a-half dollars. According to recent reporting by Cascadia Daily News, at that price, nearly $300,000 would go to the Mount Baker School District; however, since timber sale bids have averaged 37% over the minimum so far this fiscal year, Little Lilly will likely bring in more.
The sale has been opposed by conservation groups, which have asked the county government to delay individual sales and focus on a holistic forest management plan. According to these groups, logging would impact water filtration, flood regulation, summer water supply, and climate resilience. However, Chris Hankey, the manager for the DNR’s Baker District, stated that the department has strict management practices in place to protect streams and wildlife habitat.
STORY: Whatcom EMS to offer free emergency response training
Whatcom EMS is offering a free two-hour class to teach people how to respond quickly in an emergency.
The class, which will be held on October 22nd at the Whatcom County Public Works building, will cover the use of Narcan and hands-only CPR. No prior experience is required. Those interested in the class are asked to register ahead of time online.
STORY: Let’s Go Washington fined $20K for alleged campaign finance violations
Let’s Go Washington, a political action committee founded by millionaire Brian Heywood, was fined $20,000 by the state Public Disclosure Commission for reporting failures.
The case stems from their successful signature-gathering for six initiatives, three of which will be on the November ballot, including proposals to repeal the capital gains tax and cap-and-trade system. The commission found that the group violated campaign finance law by not obtaining information on payments made to sub-vendors, which are subcontractors used by petition-gathering companies. Additionally, Let’s Go delayed providing 9,000 pages of financial records, only submitting them after they received a subpoena.
The political action committee argued it was unaware of any sub-vendors, but the commission cited evidence suggesting they didn’t try hard enough to get this information.
Half of the $20,000 fine was suspended on the condition that Let’s Go Washington pays $10,000 within 30 days and confirms whether sub-vendors were used by their contractors.
STORY: Free and cheap
Here are some spooky fun and affordable activities to enjoy this weekend:
This Saturday, Ferndale is celebrating their second annual free Zombie-themed fun run! You can still sign up to volunteer as a zombie or a survivor by visiting city-of-ferndale.org by the end of today. If you prefer running, be sure to arrive at pioneer pavilion at 9 a.m. and sign up before the free event begins at 10.
If you need a break from running or simply prefer dancing, look no further than the 15th annual Lynden Music Festival, which continues tonight through Sunday. Headined by The Four Freshmen, the event features an eclectic group of musicians from around the world – performing anything from jazz to 80s and 90s pop. To get tickets, visit lyndenmusicfestival.com.
If you can’t get enough music, and also love art – be sure to stop by Bellingham’s own music festival, Bellingham Exit. The event is designed by local artists and musicians to create a fantastical atmosphere out of the city’s beloved venues. It is featured in The Mount Baker Theater, The Shakedown, The Blue Room, and The Wild Buffalo. There are also free pop-up concerts at ritual records, Mallards ice cream, and several local breweries! To get the schedule, visit bellinghamexit.com.
STORY: WX The birds are shining, the sun is chirping
And now weather:
Today is expected to kick off a largely warm and sunny weekend, with daytime highs hanging around the mid-low 60s. Expect sporadic cloud cover throughout most of the day, clearing up in the evening. Nighttime lows are forecast at around 50 degrees. This pattern is expected to continue right up until some light rain on Sunday night.
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, Brodey O’Brien, 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 your donations. Check out our Patreon page or visit kmre.org and click on the banner. I’m _David Korb_______________… thanks for listening.
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