Woman rescued after being trapped in crashed car for three days off Chuckanut Drive, Lummi Nation sues Whatcom County after several construction projects allegedly cut through ancestral burial grounds, Advocacy group pushes back against proposed parking expansion along Bellingham waterfront, City of Bellingham approves ordinance that would penalize care facilities calling 911 for non-emergency services, Bellingham schools win news‑literacy fellowship, Local community college co-op preschools flounder amid cessation of federal funding, Skagit County finalizes and passes agritourism code, Portal Container Village opens Friday, State pushes for inspections at Tacoma ICE facility
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KMRE brings you local news for Wednesday, April, 29. Good afternoon, I’m ______.
STORY: Woman rescued after being trapped in crashed car for three days off Chuckanut Drive
A woman is recovering after spending three days trapped in her car following a crash off Chuckanut Drive in Skagit County.
The Washington State Patrol says she called 911 Saturday morning, reporting she had driven off Highway 11. Troopers used GPS to locate the vehicle about 40 feet down an embankment near milepost 11.
The woman told authorities the crash happened Wednesday, and she had been stuck inside the car until regaining consciousness and calling for help.
Fire crews rescued her and transported her to the hospital. Her identity and condition have not been released.
STORY: Lummi Nation sues Whatcom County after several construction projects allegedly cut through ancestral burial grounds
The Lummi Nation has filed a federal lawsuit alleging construction projects in Point Roberts disturbed ancestral burial grounds.
Mentioned in the lawsuit are Whatcom County, Whidbey Telecom, and two federal agencies. The complaint says federally funded work, including telecom trenching in 2023 and 2024, cut through known archaeological sites without required consultation or environmental review.
Lummi Nation leaders say the projects caused significant cultural and spiritual harm, and that warnings to halt or modify construction were ignored.
The lawsuit seeks to stop further disturbance, require a full damage assessment, and secure the recovery and reburial of remains, along with monetary damages.
Whatcom County says it is reviewing the case and does not comment on pending litigation. Whidbey Telecom has not responded.
STORY: Advocacy group pushes back against proposed parking expansion along Bellingham waterfront
A local advocacy group is pushing back against plans to add more parking at Bellingham’s waterfront.
Walk and Roll Bellingham sent a letter to the Port of Bellingham raising concerns about 109 new parking stalls planned along Granary Avenue, calling the project “old-school thinking.”
The group argues the additional parking conflicts with the Port’s own climate and waterfront plans, and could increase traffic while making the area less friendly for walking, biking, and transit.
Port officials say the lot is a temporary solution to support access and future development, and that efforts to improve pedestrian connections in the area are ongoing.
STORY: City of Bellingham approves ordinance that would penalize care facilities calling 911 for non-emergency services
The Bellingham City Council has unanimously approved a new fee aimed at reducing non-emergency 911 calls from care facilities.
Under the measure, licensed facilities could be charged $1,000 for calling firefighters to help lift or move a resident who is not sick or injured.
Fire officials say the goal is to keep emergency crews available for true emergencies and push facilities to maintain enough staff to handle routine care.
Captain Steve Larsen says the department doesn’t want public resources filling gaps in private‑sector staffing, and that residents shouldn’t be left waiting when facilities have 24‑hour staff on site. He says many of the calls they’re getting aren’t medical at all — they’re basic mobility issues.
[clip Steve_Larsen-short.wav : 15 out: department gets called]
He added that these kinds of non‑medical calls pull crews away from true emergencies.
The fee does not apply to private homes, and city leaders say similar policies are already in place in other Washington cities.
STORY: Bellingham schools win news‑literacy fellowship
Bellingham schools are stepping up their news‑literacy game.
The district has been accepted into a three‑year fellowship with the News Literacy Project, a national nonprofit that helps students learn how to find credible information. The program includes a $30,000 grant and customized support to bring news‑literacy lessons into classrooms across the district.
District leaders say the fellowship aligns with the Bellingham Promise, which calls for graduates who can think critically and navigate technology and information. They say the program gives educators tools to teach lasting skills in an era of online falsehoods.
Bellingham is the first district in Washington chosen for the fellowship, joining 44 districts in 16 states. Project leaders say news literacy is increasingly essential as students face AI‑generated content, deepfakes, and algorithm‑driven misinformation.
STORY: Local community college co-op preschools flounder amid cessation of federal funding
Whatcom Community College is shutting down its long‑running parenting education program at the end of June.
Cascadia Daily News reports the closure comes a year earlier than planned after a new state funding model made the program ineligible for support. The classes aren’t credentialed, so enrollments no longer count toward state funding.
College spokesperson Marni Saling Mayer says the decision reflects budget pressures and state requirements, not a lack of value in the program.
The sudden change leaves four cooperative preschools scrambling to operate without WCC’s backing. They now must secure insurance, renegotiate space, and take on administrative work previously handled by college staff.
Parent leaders say they’re confident the schools will stay open next year, but the accelerated timeline has created significant anxiety for families.
STORY: Skagit County finalizes and passes agritourism code
Skagit County has signed off on sweeping new rules for agritourism.
Commissioners voted unanimously yesterday to adopt the code, which lays out when and how farm‑based tourism is allowed on agricultural land. The rules say agritourism must be “secondary and related” to farming, set new permitting requirements, and add a minimum income threshold for farms seeking approval.
The update follows years of tension between traditional farmers who want to protect farmland and smaller growers who say agritourism revenue helps them stay afloat.
County staff say they’ll return later this year with proposed changes that could allow one‑time events like the Skagit Valley Festival of Family Farms.
The ordinance also lifts a moratorium on new permits for weddings and other events on farmland.
STORY: Portal Container Village opens Friday
The Portal Container Village opens for the season this Friday on Bellingham’s waterfront.
The Port says the site will again host major summer events, including Shoestring Circus, Northwest Tune‑Up, and the Noisy Waters Mural Festival.
This year brings new additions: Chuckanut Bay Distillery is opening a satellite location with a rooftop deck, a new parking lot is underway, and a Rivian fast‑charging site with eight stations is now available.
The season kicks off May 8 with a free “Party on the Pier” next to the Granary Building, featuring DJ Selector Joel Ricci and food from Mercato delle Bontà.
Port Interim Executive Director Tiffany DeSimone says the opening celebrates local creativity, maritime heritage, and a welcoming waterfront.
STORY: State pushes for inspections at Tacoma ICE facility
Washington’s governor and attorney general are demanding access to the Tacoma ICE facility.
They’ve filed a lawsuit against GEO Group, the private operator of the Northwest ICE Processing Center, saying the company has blocked state health inspectors 10 times, even after a federal appeals court affirmed Washington’s authority to conduct unannounced inspections.
The state wants to investigate more than 3,500 complaints about conditions inside the facility, including reports of contaminated food, unsanitary conditions, limited bathroom access, and medical needs going unmet. Some detainees have also reported abuse.
Since 2024, two people have died while detained at the Tacoma facility, and six more have attempted suicide.
WX: Shein, Zwei, Drei
And now for the weather:
It’s back to picturesque, sunny skies here in Whatcom today, with forecasts calling for clear, blue skies and temperatures in the mid-upper 60s. Any cloud cover we do get looks like it won’t roll in until later this evening, wherein we’ll also see temperatures fall to lows in the mid-40s.
Tomorrow looks like it’ll kick off a string of temperatures rising fairly precipitously here in Whatcom. Be safe, drink some water, and enjoy the sunshine that comes standard with any and all blast furnaces.
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), Kieran (KEAR-un) Dang, 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!
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UPCOMING FREE/CHEAP:
Residents of Whatcom County can safely and responsibly dispose of old or leftover household paint at a Free Paint Collection & Recycling Event. The event will take place on Saturday, May 2, in Lynden. https://www.whatcomcounty.us//CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=5453
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