Bellingham pipeline safety oversight group awarded $1 million federal grant, Bellingham and state gas prices on the decline, Whatcom food banks request $2 million in additional funding, Medicare slashes costs for ten key drugs, estimated to affect over 140,000 Washington enrollees, Free and cheap
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KMRE brings you local news for Friday, August 16th. Good afternoon,
I’m ______.
STORY: Bellingham pipeline safety oversight group awarded $1 million federal grant
A Bellingham nonprofit that monitors pipeline safety nationwide was awarded a $1 million federal grant this week.
Representative Rick Larsen announced the award to the Pipeline Safety Trust last Thursday, stating that the funding is an investment in the trust’s work to, quote “educate and engage Northwest Washington and communities nationwide about pipeline safety” unquote. The grant is part of a $41 million program administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The Pipeline Safety Trust started with $4 million dollars levied in fines in the wake of the Olympic pipeline explosion in 1999, which killed three people, burned a mile-and-a-half along Whatcom Creek, and caused over $58 million in property damage.
STORY: Bellingham and state gas prices on the decline
Gas prices in Whatcom County and Washington have decreased again this month.
As of August 14th, the average price of a gallon of gas in the U.S. is $3.44, down 8 cents from last month. In Washington, the average price is $4.22— a 5-cent drop from July and significantly lower than last August’s $5.02. Whatcom County‘s average gas price is $4.06, a 4-cent decrease from last month.
According to GasBuddy. the cheapest gas in Whatcom County as of Wednesday was $3.59 a gallon at Meridian Super Mart in Bellingham.
STORY: Whatcom food banks request $2 million in additional funding
The Whatcom County Food Bank Network’s two-million-dollar request for emergency funding is still under consideration by the County.
With previous funding drying up quickly, the food banks say they are approaching a dire situation. Need has exponentially grown in the past few years, with 9,000 households relying on local food banks. To find out how the funds would help, KMRE News sat down with two Whatcom County Food Bank directors to better understand the issue. Bellingham Food Bank Director Mike Cohen explained why current resources aren’t enough to meet the growing need.
PLAY GROWING NEED AUDIO
Tune in today after the 5pm News to hear the complete interview.
STORY: Medicare slashes costs for ten key drugs, estimated to affect over 140,000 Washington enrollees
A provision in the Inflation Reduction Act has enabled Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices for the first time– a move that is expected to significantly reduce costs for 10 key drugs.
This change is expected to save seniors a billion-and-a-half dollars next year, and affect over 144,000 Medicare enrollees in Washington, who collectively spent nearly $68 million on those medications. The price cuts will range from 38 to 79%, and include drugs used to treat conditions like diabetes, heart failure, and cancer.
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell highlighted the significance of this move, noting that the federal government is now able to negotiate directly with pharmaceutical companies. She also emphasized the ongoing nature of the process, with 15 more drugs selected for negotiation in February.
Cantwell is also advocating for the Pharmacy Benefit Manager Transparency Act, which aims to increase transparency and hold pharmacy benefit managers accountable for practices that drive up drug costs. The overall impact of these measures is expected to save Medicare $6 billion in 2024 and reduce the federal deficit by $237 billion over the next decade.
STORY: Free and cheap
Here are some free and cheap activities to enjoy this weekend:
Bellingham Public Library Children’s Craft Fair is this evening. The fair runs from 5-7pm and showcases 50 booths of crafts all handmade by kids. All items sold at the booths will be priced $5 or less. Cash sales only.
Later tonight, the Pickford Film Center’s rooftop cinema series will show the film The World’s End with food vendors and entertainment starting at 7pm. The rooftop cinema is always free, and the movie begins at dusk.
Ferndale’s Summer of Fun continues this weekend with Music in the Park featuring Lemon Creek. The show begins at 6pm tonight in Pioneer Park and is entirely free.
Fairhaven’s Outdoor Cinema is showing the movie Pitch Perfect tomorrow night with a performance by The Brie Mueller Band (BREE MEW-ler). Entertainment begins 90 minutes before sunset on the Village Green. Tickets are $7.
WX: Partly sunny
And now for your Whatcom County weather:
Today will see cloudy skies in the morning giving way to sunshine as the day wears on, with a high right around 70. The clouds will re-emerge come nighttime, along with a low in the mid-50s. Tomorrow and Sunday will see high chances of precipitation, with chances of thunderstorms from Saturday night through Sunday.
OUTRO:
Today’s newscast was produced by volunteers Carlos Braga (BRA-guh), Connor O’Boyle, Jayne Kuhlman (COOL-mun), Carlee Schram (CAR-lee SHRAM), Tristan Trudell, Kyler Cantrell, Anna Vickers, and Theron (THAIR-in) Danielson, Paloma Ortiz, Anna Hedrick, and Miguel Garduno (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 listener donations. Check out our Patreon page or go to kmre.org and click on the banner. I’m ________________, and thank you for listening.
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