Birds ball good, Data shows opioid overdoses took dramatic dip in Whatcom across 2025, Sumas house fire leaves one dead, Maple Falls woman arrested on suspicion of assaulting neighbor, Skagit County man sentenced to six months after threatening to kill members of Congress, Hwy 20 crash sends Skagit County woman to hospital, Whatcom County receives permission to file motion extending water rights court filing date, Coalition protects $1.4 billion in K-12 funding, WWU alum wins gold medal in Olympics downhill skiing
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KMRE brings you local news for Monday, February, 9. Good afternoon, I’m ______.
STORY: Birds ball good
For the second time in history, the Seattle Seahawks are Super Bowl champions.
The Seahawks defeated the New England Patriots 29-to-13 last night, led by a dominant defensive performance. Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III was named the most valuable player of the game with 135 rushing yards, while kicker Jason Myers set a Super Bowl record by kicking five field goals.
The game marked the culmination of the Seahawks’ rapid turnaround under second-year head coach Mike Macdonald, who rebuilt a defense that ranked 25th in points allowed in 2023 into the league’s top unit this year.
A parade to celebrate the team’s achievement is planned for Wednesday morning in Seattle.
STORY: Data shows opioid overdoses took dramatic dip in Whatcom across 2025
Opioid overdoses dropped significantly in Whatcom County during 2025.
New data posted on the Whatcom Overdose Prevention website indicates that the number of fatal opioid overdoses dropped by 37% in 2025, as compared to 2024. The number of EMS calls for suspected overdoses also declined by 33% during the same period.
Whatcom County’s numbers mirror statewide trends, with the Washington State Department of Health reporting almost 20% fewer fatal opioid overdose deaths in 2025.
The region has poured substantial resources into prevention programs in recent years, including the installation of eight public-access naloxone (na-LOK-sone) dispenser boxes in Whatcom County. Naloxone—often known as Narcan (NAR-kan)—safely reverses the effects of opioid overdoses. The dispenser boxes offer naloxone at no cost. Additionally, Whatcom Overdose Prevention offers free online ordering options.
STORY: Sumas house fire leaves one dead
An unidentified man died in a house fire yesterday on Halverstick Road in Sumas (SOO-mass).
Whatcom County Fire District 14 says crews were called to a home on the 3300 block just after 9 a.m. Smoke and flames were visible on arrival. While extinguishing the fire, firefighters found a deceased man inside the home.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by the county’s Fire Marshal and Sheriff’s offices.
STORY: Maple Falls woman arrested on suspicion of assaulting neighbor
A Maple Falls woman was arrested Thursday evening on suspicion of assaulting a neighbor.
According to reports from the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office, the neighbor told police that the woman—and an unidentified man—broke a window, pulled him out of the house, and then assaulted and maced him. The man suffered from several cuts and stinging eyes.
Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Amy Cloud says the woman admitted to macing her neighbor. She is being held without bail, and prosecutors have yet to formally charge her.
STORY: Skagit County man sentenced to six months after threatening to kill members of Congress
A Skagit County man has been sentenced to six months in prison after threatening to kill members of Congress.
According to First Assistant U.S. District Attorney Charles Neil Floyd, 67-year-old Bradley Whaley (WHALE-ee) threatened to kill two unidentified members of Congress and their staff in several voicemails he left at their D.C. office.
Whaley left his name and phone number in the messages, which led to his arrest in Seattle in March last year. He blamed heavy alcohol abuse for his actions.
STORY: Hwy 20 crash sends Skagit County woman to hospital
A weekend crash sent a Skagit County woman to the hospital.
The Washington State Patrol says two vehicles were speeding on eastbound Highway 20 when one tried to pass the other. The second vehicle went off the road and hit a tree, and both vehicles came to rest blocking the eastbound lanes just east of Concrete.
Troopers say the driver of the second vehicle — a 27‑year‑old Concrete woman — was taken to Skagit Valley Hospital. The other driver, a 32‑year‑old Burlington man, was uninjured.
The State Patrol says drugs and alcohol were not involved, and the cause remains under investigation.
UPDATE: Whatcom County receives permission to file motion extending water rights court filing date
Whatcom County has received permission to try to extend a water rights deadline.
Whatcom County asked the court last month to give people more time to file claims and set the same deadline for all claimants. Court records indicate that the county cited uncertainty and confusion about the different deadlines.
The water rights adjudication case, launched by the Department of Ecology last year, is expected to take over a decade to resolve and affect up to 20,000 water users. The Water Resource Area 1—also known as WRIA1 (WHY-rah ONE)—is bounded by the Canadian border to the north, the Strait of Georgia to the west, the Cascade Crest to the east. It includes all of Whatcom and parts of Skagit. So far, only about 1,600 claims have been filed.
County officials say confusion over deadlines for people who haven’t yet received formal notice justifies giving everyone more time. More than a quarter of water users still must be notified by newspaper publication. On January 16th, Superior Court judge David Freeman ruled that Whatcom County can bring their request forward to the court.
However, in two different orders, also on Jan. 16, Freeman denied two requests to abstain in the water rights dispute. One came from Sumas (SOO-mass) Out—a group of residents who say they should not be included as their water doesn’t come from the Nooksack River— and the other from the Ag Water Board, who say they object because the lawsuit does not include Canadian water.
According to Judge David Freeman’s court order on Jan. 30th, a hearing on the county’s request is set for April 21st.
STORY: Coalition protects $1.4 billion in K-12 funding
A new agreement protects $1.4 billion in Washington school funding.
Attorney General Nick Brown and 18 other states reached the agreement with the U.S. Department of Education after challenging a federal move that tied education dollars to a new interpretation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. The department had ordered states to sign a certification agreeing to that interpretation or risk losing funding — a requirement states said was vague and unlawful.
Brown and the coalition sued last year, and a separate federal case vacated the certification demand. That ruling is now final.
The deal ensures the state will continue receiving federal support for teacher training, English‑language programs, and services for students in foster care or without stable housing.
STORY: WWU alum wins gold medal in Olympics downhill skiing
Former Western Washington University student Breezy Johnson has won an Olympic gold medal in downhill skiing.
Johnson’s medal-winning run came on the second day of the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Italy. It was her first-ever medal, and the first medal won by an American at the Games.
Before and after her Olympic debut in 2018, Johnson attended Western as an English major.
An injury sidelined her from the 2022 Olympics in Beijing, but she held on to win the gold medal yesterday.
WX: Mehteorology
And now for the weather:
That sunshine yesterday was a pleasant surprise, but It’s back to winter business for us here in Whatcom today. The forecast calls for around a tenth of an inch of rain and highs right around 50s. We have about a 50% chance of rain tonight— drizzles should continue throughout the evening. Temperatures fall to lows of around 40 degrees.
Tomorrow, expect the rain to peter out by mid-morning, after which it looks to be back to sunny skies for a couple days. Nighttime temps tomorrow are expected to drop to the mid-30’s.
OUTRO:
Today’s newscast was produced by volunteers Carlos Braga (BRAH-guh), Connor O’Boyle, Kyler Cantrell, Glen Hirshberg (HERSH-berg), Kathi O’Shea (o-SHAY), Austin Wright, Tyler Warne, and Kai Blais-Schmolke (KAI BLAZE-SHMOLE-kee). 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. To help support our work, check out our Patreon, Substack, or visit kmre.org and click on the banner. I’m _________, and thanks for listening!
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