Bellingham man sentenced in connection with drug ring, Washington man sentenced for role in Jan 6th insurrection, New seafood subprocessor eyes Port of Bellingham, New solar powered EV chargers installed, Local store set to close, Coast Salish longhouse set to move forward, Free tax filing tools available
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Independent, nonprofit community radio.
KMRE brings you local news for Thursday, April 4th. Good afternoon, I’m ______.
STORY: Bellingham man sentenced in connection with drug ring
Another Bellingham man has been sentenced in connection with a Whatcom County drug trafficking operation.
Adam Wisniewski, (wiz-NEW-ski) aged 42, will spend the next 8 years in prison – says Washington Attorney Tessa Gorman. According to court records, investigators found Wisniewski met with the leader of the drug ring in 2022, and later found a thousand fentanyl pills in his possession.
Wisniewski is the last of 5 members of the drug ring to be sentenced.
STORY: Washington man sentenced for role in Jan 6th insurrection
A Kitsap County man who helped orchestrate a mob’s attack on police officers at the Capitol Building on Jan. 6th, has been sentenced to 7 years behind bars.
U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth said videos showed Taylor Johnatakis using a megaphone to shout step-by-step directions to the mob gathered at the US Capitol. A jury convicted him of seven felony charges including obstruction of the Jan. 6th joint session of Congress, assault, and civil disorder.
STORY: New seafood subprocessor eyes Port of Bellingham
Port of Bellingham officials are seeking to sub-lease a soon-to-be vacant site on the waterfront.
The Hilton Avenue site is currently occupied by Bornstein Seafoods, who announced last week they’ll be closing their Bellingham headquarters by the end of June. Bornstein says they will move their Pacific Northwest operations to Astoria, Oregon.
However, recent reporting by the Bellingham Herald indicates that Bornstein plans to quote “sub-lease their building to another food processing company consistent with the approved uses for the property” unquote. The closure will result in the dismissal of 72 local workers, some of which will apparently work at the Astoria facility.
STORY: New solar powered EV chargers installed
Four new solar-powered electric vehicle chargers have been installed at Squalicum Creek Park, Civic Field, Lake Padden Park, and Cordata Park.
The stand-alone units provide EV charging even on cloudy days. Funding for the project comes from a grant by the Washington State Department of Commerce and Bellingham’s Transportation Fund. According to a recent announcement by the City, a total of 20 additional charging stations are planned this year. Standard charging rates will apply.
STORY: Local store set to close
Current and Furbish – a furniture and art store in the Village District of Fairhaven – is set to close.
Cameron Vail and Scott Ward founded Current and Furbish in 2013 in Seattle, and moved the business into the historic Fairhaven Pharmacy building in 2016. Vail said they are closing shop to prepare for his retirement.
Current and Furbish will close on May 31st.
STORY: Coast Salish longhouse set to move forward
A public hearing on the 75-year lease for the proposed Coast Salish-style longhouse in Bellingham will take place on Monday.
Bellingham City Council is considering a long-term lease for land in the Sehome Hill Arboretum for a new longhouse called the House of Healing. According to information from Western Washington University, the new building will be used for tribal activities, education, and ceremonies.
The location, a 2-acre meadow near the university campus, is currently undergoing infrastructure improvements. The area is important to the community, and discussions with the Sehome Hill Board of Governors have been significant. The proposed lease agreement is set at $1 annually for 75 years, and funding is coming from the city of Bellingham, as well as various donors, state, and federal sources.
An invitation-only “ground-turning and blessing” ceremony is scheduled for April 11th.
STORY: Free tax filing tools available
The Internal Revenue Service has introduced a free tax filing tool in 12 states, including Washington. A new report estimates the tool will save people an average of $160 to file their taxes by 2029. Reporter Eric Tegethoff has more.
TAX AUDIO
WX: Rain
Your Whatcom County weather – it will be mostly cloudy today, with a high of 54 and overnight lows of around 37 degrees. The sun is expected to come back tomorrow.
OUTRO:
Today’s newscast was produced by volunteers AnThu Nguyen (ANNE-two new-WIN), Carlos Braga, Connor O’Boyle, Jayne Kuhlman and Tristan Trudell. 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. If you would like to help keep local news accessible, check out our new Patreon page at patreon.com/kmrenews or go to kmre.org and click on the banner. I’m ________________, and thanks for listening.
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