One dead after reported gunfight in Mount Vernon, Silver Alert issued for Bellingham man, Department of Health takes Bellingham woman to court for practicing veterinary medicine without license, I-5 commuters to be rerouted onto detour as fish passage construction continues, North Cascades Highway reopens ahead of schedule, Fire claims workshop building at Custer dairy, owners report no injuries or delay in production, Wildfire season starts already, Local power outages reported, State DFI seeks damages and revocation of license for crypto ATM company, WA labor union leaders anticipate difficult pay raise negotiations following governor’s gloomy budget forecast, Road work in Lynden, Cantwell sponsored bill directs research into rising lung cancer rates among women, Election center tours scheduled, WA joins multi-state lawsuit against federal government’s addition of contract terms targeting DEI
Independent, nonprofit community radio.
KMRE brings you local news for Monday, June, 15. Good afternoon, I’m ______.
STORY: One dead after reported gunfight in Mount Vernon
A Mount Vernon shooting has left one man dead.
Police say officers responded around 5:30 Thursday evening to reports of multiple gunshots on South 2nd Street. Investigators believe an argument between two groups escalated and several rounds were fired.
KOMO News reports a 23‑year‑old man was hit and died at the scene despite lifesaving efforts by police and fire crews.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Mount Vernon Police.
STORY: Silver Alert issued for Bellingham man
A Silver Alert has been issued for a missing Bellingham man.
Police are asking for help locating 79-year-old Daniel Weatherby, who disappeared Tuesday morning from the 2300 block of Williams Street. Weatherby is 6-foot-1, about 150 pounds, mostly bald with blue eyes, and is believed to be on foot wearing jeans and a flannel shirt.
Anyone who sees him is urged to call 9-1-1 immediately.
STORY: Department of Health takes Bellingham woman to court for practicing veterinary medicine without license
A Bellingham woman has been charged with practicing veterinary medicine without a license.
Elyse Rybka was charged by the state Health Department last month with practicing as a veterinarian without a Washington license. She worked at Bellingham Veterinary, having allegedly prescribed medication to patients and performed surgeries from June 2023 to April 2025.
A class-action lawsuit, brought against Rybka in April of 2025, alleged she played a role in the death of a cat she had treated. The suit also accused Bellingam Veterinary of professional negligence and a violation of the Consumer Protection Act. The lawsuit seeks damages for the plaintiff and any other patrons of Bellingham Veterinary who paid for Rybka’s services.
According to The Bellingham Herald, Rybka admitted she did not have a license, but denied that she mistreated any patients. As of May 28th, Bellingham Veterinary has requested the lawsuit be dismissed.
The case is ongoing.
STORY: I-5 commuters to be rerouted onto detour as fish passage construction continues
Travelers on southbound I-5 can expect traffic backups starting at 8pm tonight.
WSDOT (WASH-dot) says Chuckanut Creek will be diverted for more culvert replacement, which will cause traffic to be diverted onto a two-lane bypass road. The bypass road will be used between midnight and 5 a.m. until September.
According to WSDOT (WASH-dot), construction crews will excavate the roadbed, remove the old culvert, install a new fish-passable structure, and rebuild the road around it. 17 structures will be removed to improve fish migration in Whatcom and Skagit counties.
Northbound I-5 will also be temporarily diverted to a two-lane bypass road at an unannounced date.
The project is slated to finish up in late 2028.
STORY: North Cascades Highway reopens ahead of schedule
The Mount Baker Highway to Artist Point is now open for the season.
WSDOT (wash-DOT) crews spent the past few weeks clearing up to 20 feet of snow from the final 2.7 miles of State Route 542 and the Artist Point parking lot.
Many trails at the top are still under deep snow, and most directional signs remain covered. Vault toilets and garbage cans are available, but visitors should expect limited cell service and pack extra supplies.
It’s still unclear when the U.S. Forest Service will open the Heather Meadows Visitor Center. A recreation pass is required, and travelers may see maintenance and Forest Service crews working along the road.
STORY: Unusually low tides today and tomorrow
Whatcom County officials warn that unusually low tides could disrupt ferry service.
Today and tomorrow, extremely low tides at near minus four feet may force the cancellation of several sailings on the Whatcom Chief between Lummi Island and Gooseberry Point.
Riders are encouraged to check schedules and allow extra travel time as conditions may change on short notice.
STORY: Fire claims workshop building at Custer dairy, owners report no injuries or delay in production
A fire burned down a goat barn at Grace Harbor Farms in Custer.
According to officials, on Friday afternoon neighbors called the owner of the creamery after seeing flames emerge from the barn. Firefighters from North Whatcom Fire & Rescue, and the Bellingham Fire department were dispatched to the site.
In a Facebook post, owners said that workers at the farm evacuated the goats, and no animals or staff were injured in the blaze. The fire was extinguished but the building was not salvageable.
STORY: Wildfire season starts already
As temperatures rise and conditions dry out even further, officials caution the public that fire season is no joke.
The latest warning comes as state firefighting resources have been mobilized to battle two wildfires near the Tri-Cities. The OIE Fire sparked yesterday afternoon and quickly grew to an estimated 500 acres, threatening homes, crops, power infrastructure, and a nearby dam. Level 2 and Level 3 evacuation orders remain in place.
The Highway 730 Fire near Wallula (wah-LOO-luh) in Walla Walla County started late Saturday night after a high-speed chase and a fiery car crash sparked a fire that quickly grew to over 3600 acres. Local officials say the flames now threaten homes and critical infrastructure. Level 1 and Level 3 evacuation orders are in place as crews work to contain the fast-moving grass and brush fire.
State officials say the fires are a reminder that dry conditions may allow small fires to spread rapidly. Local residents are urged to use caution with outdoor burning and equipment that creates sparks as wildfire season ramps up across Washington.
STORY: Local power outages reported
Thousands of Puget Sound Energy customers in Bellingham were left without power Saturday morning.
According to PSE, an outage began shortly before 8:45 a.m. At its peak, more than 4,200 homes and businesses were affected. Crews restored service to most customers by 9:45 a.m. The cause remains under investigation.
The outage comes just days after a snake triggered a separate power disruption at Western Washington University by crawling into major electrical equipment on campus. The snake did not survive the encounter.
STORY: State DFI seeks damages and revocation of license for crypto ATM company
State regulators say a Bitcoin ATM company gouged customers and helped scammers target Washington seniors.
The Department of Financial Institutions is moving to revoke the license of Bitcoin Depot Operating LLC, saying the company marked up Bitcoin prices by up to 42 percent and ignored anti‑money‑laundering rules.
DFI says scammers often sent older victims to the kiosks, and Bitcoin Depot failed to verify identities, flag suspicious activity, or disclose required fees in over 30,000 transactions.
The agency wants to ban the company and its manager from the industry, as well as levy $1.5 million in fines.
STORY: WA labor union leaders anticipate difficult pay raise negotiations following governor’s gloomy budget forecast
Washington state workers are heading into hard wage talks as the state’s budget sours.
Governor Bob Ferguson has warned that “significant” cuts may be needed in the next two‑year budget, and unions representing about 50,000 state employees say that sets up a difficult bargaining year.
The Washington State Standard reports workers are already strained by staffing shortages, heavy workloads, and retention problems. Unions say those pressures will not ease just because money is tight.
Negotiations are underway now, with wages and benefits next on the table. The state’s first offer is expected after the June 26th revenue forecast.
WX: Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow
And now for the weather:
No reprieve from the heat today, as we look ahead to another round of intense sunshine and highs in the mid-80s. Expect the skies to stay clear and cloudless throughout the evening — the wind should help cool things down a bit, to lows around 60 degrees.
Be prepared for more sun and swelter, but the heat advisory will end tonight, with relief on the way tomorrow. More sun is expected, but it will bring highs in the mid-70s and lows in the mid-50s.
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), Kai Blais-Schmolke (KAI BLAZE-SHMOLE-kee), Bella Farris, and Jenny Lam. 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, or Substack, or visit kmre.org and click on the banner. I’m _________… thanks for listening!
##
STORY: Road work in Lynden
A new roundabout project is set to begin June 18 at the SR 546 and Benson Road intersection in Lynden.
Part of ongoing efforts to improve safety along the East Badger Road corridor. The Washington State Department of Transportation says most of the construction will take place during a full closure of the intersection from June 21 through June 27, when crews will remove the existing roadway and build the new compact roundabout. Drivers will be detoured using nearby highways and local roads, while access to nearby businesses and clinics will be maintained.
WSDOT says the project is expected to wrap up in mid-July, weather permitting, and is designed to improve traffic flow and reduce crashes along a corridor used by roughly 11,000 vehicles a day.
STORY: Cantwell sponsored bill directs research into rising lung cancer rates among women
The U.S. Senate has unanimously passed a new bill aimed at improving research and prevention of lung cancer in women.
Co-sponsored by Washington Senator Maria Cantwell,the Women and Lung Cancer Research and Preventive Services Act directs health officials to conduct a comprehensive review of why lung cancer rates among women have risen sharply in recent decades— even as overall rates among men have declined. The measure now moves to the House for consideration.
STORY: Election center tours scheduled
Next month, Whatcom County residents can get a behind-the-scenes look at how local elections are run.
The Auditor’s Office will host public tours of the county Election Center July 28th through the 30th. The tour gives visitors a chance to see how ballots are processed, learn about election security measures, and ask questions about voting procedures.
According to the Auditor’s office, the tour takes less than an hour and advance reservations are encouraged through the Whatcom County Elections Division.
STORY: WA joins multi-state lawsuit against federal government’s addition of contract terms targeting DEI
Washington Attorney General Nick Brown has sued the federal administration over new contract requirements tied to diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.
The lawsuit challenges a March executive order that directs federal agencies to prohibit what it calls “racially discriminatory DEI activities” in federally funded contracts. Brown says the new rules are vague, confusing, and could jeopardize billions of dollars in federal contracts, including agreements with Washington state agencies.
The coalition argues federal agencies failed to follow required public notice and comment procedures and have asked a federal court to block enforcement of the new contract terms.
Leave a Reply