Whatcom County L.E.A.D. program slated to increase staff after $420,000 grant, Community leaders announce formation of new PAC, PeaceHealth St. Joseph Center recognized by American Heart Association for quality of heart care, New WA state agency to replace law enforcement in investigation of police killings, Nearly 156,000 acres burn in Washington wildfires, Free and cheap
Independent, nonprofit community radio.
KMRE brings you local news for Friday, August 2nd. Good afternoon, I’m _David Korb_____.
STORY: Whatcom County L.E.A.D. program slated to increase staff after $420,000 grant
Whatcom County’s Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (or LEAD) program will receive a $420,000 grant this fall from the Washington State Health Care Authority.
Created in 2020, Whatcom County Health and Community Services has used the LEAD program to work with people who have low-level offenses–– including those that stem from mental and behavioral health challenges, substance use, homelessness, and extreme poverty. According to LEAD supervisor Thomas McAuliffe, the group’s goal is to connect individuals to services that will improve public safety and foster long-term recovery.
The grant will allow the program to reduce staff caseload and wait lists for participants by hiring two additional intensive case managers. Interviews will be conducted in early fall and the new intensive case managers are scheduled to begin work in October of this year.
STORY: Community leaders announce formation of new PAC
Yesterday, community leaders, physicians, educators, and business owners announced the formation of a new Political Action Committee to advocate for rejection of the Repeal Children’s Initiative effort.
The PAC, called Protect Whatcom Kids!, includes a diverse group of people such as Senator Sharon Shewmake, Representative Alex Ramel, Kirsten Barron, Patti Imhof, Dr. Lisa Kaepernick, Dr. Ken Gass, City Councilmember Jace Cotton, and others. In the announcement released yesterday, the group emphasized the importance of the Healthy Children’s Fund, which supports food, basic needs, childcare, and housing for children. They say the initiative aims to ensure children’s readiness for kindergarten and long-term success and that the Repeal Initiative, I-2024-01, has several legal irregularities that require judicial review.
The PAC says they believe the Healthy Children’s Fund is critical for our economic stability and the well-being of children.
STORY: PeaceHealth St. Joseph Center recognized by American Heart Association for quality of heart care
PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center was one of 3,000 hospitals recognized by the American Heart Association in a press release last Monday.
St. Joseph’s was recognized for its “efforts to improve outcomes for Americans with heart disease and stroke”. Heart disease and stroke are the number one and number five most common causes of death in the US.
STORY: Nearly 156,000 acres burn in Washington wildfires
Wildfires are currently scorching nearly 156,000 acres in Washington state, according to a report by the National Interagency Fire Center (or NIFC).
Of the 94 active wildfires nationwide, eight are currently burning in Washington. Fuels and fire behavior advisories are in place due to the ongoing wildfire crisis along with evacuation orders for many communities. NIFC’s report reminds us to remain vigilant and listen to the guidance of local authorities.
In total, over 29,000 firefighters and support personnel have been summoned to combat wildfires across the United States.
STORY: New WA state agency to replace law enforcement in investigation of police killings
Starting in December, police killings in 12 Western Washington counties will be investigated by a new agency, instead of local police.
The Office of Independent Investigations (or OII) is a first in the U.S., and was established by the state legislature in 2021 to eliminate conflicts of interest inherent in police investigating themselves. According to a recent announcement by the state, the first of six planned offices will open in December and will take over from regional teams previously responsible for such investigations.
The new agency plans to employ 18 to 35 trained investigators and support personnel in each region, with the first region starting with 22 investigators. Initially, the agency will only investigate cases involving deaths but will expand to all instances of deadly force.
The state says the agency’s formation is part of a broad set of law enforcement reforms in Washington, focused on transparency, accountability, and reducing deadly police interactions.
Free and cheap:
Here’s some free and cheap stuff to do this weekend:
Celebrate Downtown Bellingham’s First Fridays tonight by enjoying local artists, signature dishes, and much more at select businesses. Programming begins at 6pm. A full list of participating businesses can be found on the Downtown Bellingham Partnership website.
WECU and the City of Lynden Parks Department are hosting a movie night at Bender Fields tonight. The movie, Wonka, will begin at dusk. Admission is free.
Maple Falls’ Bigfoot Festival kicks off at 9am tomorrow at the corner of Silver Lake Road and Mt. Baker Highway. Festivities include an arts and crafts fair, live music, as well as food and beer vendors. Admission is free.
The Fairhaven Outdoor Cinema is showing The Super Mario Bros. Movie, with a performance by Triple Play, at the Village Green tomorrow. Entertainment begins 90 min prior to sunset. Tickets are $7.
WX: Sun
And now weather:
Expect partly sunny skies for most of the day, with highs in the low 80s, mild southwesterly winds gusting up to 15 mph, and nighttime lows around 60 degrees. This weather pattern is forecast to persist through the weekend, but without the clouds.
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, Ikumi Mashiko (ih-KOO-me muh-SHE-ko), Anna Vickers, and Theron (THAIR-in) Danielson. 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 your listener donations. Check out our Patreon page or visit kmre.org and click on the banner. I’m David Korb________________… thanks for listening.
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