Man receives decade-long prison sentence for role in 2023 Bellingham drive-by shooting, Whatcom County unemployment drops, Bellingham Public Works begins replacing traffic signs in accordance with new reduced speed limits, Blaine School District places $62 million bond on ballot for February special election, I-5 closure scheduled, I-5 closure scheduled, Meta settlement, Active court order in Mass. still blocking mail-in voting executive order, Bellingham therapy dog listed as semifinalist for American Human Society Hero Awards, Whatcom County Open House (run no later than 9/28)
Independent, nonprofit community radio.
KMRE brings you local news for Wednesday, August, 26. Good afternoon, I’m ______.
STORY: Man receives decade-long prison sentence for role in 2023 Bellingham drive-by shooting
A Ferndale man has been sentenced for his role in a 2023 drive‑by shooting.
Prosecutors say 29‑year‑old Jesus Monreal Bojorquez fired seven rounds at a man in the parking lot of the Bellingham Walmart in December 2023, hitting him twice. The victim survived.
Deputies stopped the Jeep minutes later and reported seeing his passenger, 28‑year‑old Jordan Velthuizen, throw a ghost gun out the window. Both were arrested later in December. Velthuizen pleaded guilty in February and was sentenced to three years.
Monreal Bojorquez pleaded guilty to assault and drive‑by shooting and received the maximum penalty of 10 years, plus community custody.
STORY: Whatcom County unemployment drops
July brought good news on jobs for both Whatcom and Skagit counties.
Whatcom County’s unemployment rate fell half a percentage point in July, landing at 3.6 percent. The decline came as the labor force shrank and employment dipped by 155.
Skagit County saw a different pattern. Its labor force grew slightly, and employers added 362 jobs between June and July. That pushed unemployment down, lowering Skagit’s jobless rate six‑tenths of a percentage point to 3.8 percent.
Both counties remained well below Washington’s July unemployment rate of 4.9 percent. Both have now logged four straight months of declining unemployment.
STORY: Bellingham Public Works begins replacing traffic signs in accordance with new reduced speed limits
Drivers in Bellingham will start seeing new 20‑mile‑an‑hour speed‑limit signs as the city lowers speeds on residential streets.
The change is meant to cut down on serious crashes and make streets safer for people walking, biking and driving.
Public Works says the updates follow a review of collision patterns and pedestrian activity and are part of a broader effort to make neighborhood streets more predictable.
The new limit applies to non‑arterial residential streets where speeds aren’t posted, and throughout the downtown business district, where signals are already timed for 20 mph.
Signs will go up as the limits take effect. Police will begin with education and warnings, with enforcement expected at the start of the school year.
Additional speed‑limit changes on some arterial streets are planned for 2027 and 2028 after engineering reviews. Public Works Director Joel Pfundt says slower speeds give drivers more time to react and reduce the risk of severe injuries.
STORY: Blaine School District places $62 million bond on ballot for February special election
Blaine School District has placed a bond measure on the February special election ballot to replace Blaine Middle School and upgrade the Pipeline Athletic Complex.
The proposal totals 62‑point‑4 million dollars and was approved by the school board Monday, setting a special election for February ninth, 2027. It would fund construction of a new middle school with redesigned learning spaces and improvements focused on student safety and security.
Bond money would also upgrade the Pipeline Athletic Complex with new turf baseball and softball fields, improved lighting and electrical systems, drainage and septic work, restrooms and walking paths.
If approved, the bonds could mature over up to 20 years and be repaid through annual excess property‑tax levies. The resolution also allows the district to seek state financing assistance and participate in Washington’s School District Credit Enhancement Program.
Voters will decide Proposition One on February ninth, 2027.
STORY: I-5 closure scheduled
A lane closure is planned on northbound Interstate 5 in Bellingham this weekend.
Washington State Department of Transportation crews are scheduled to replace concrete roadway panels. The right lane will be closed from Samish Way to north of Iowa Street from 6 to 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 29, and Sunday, Aug. 30.
Drivers should expect possible delays, use caution and slow down when approaching the work zone.
Real-time traffic information is available through WSDOT’s travel map and mobile app.
STORY: Blaine SD joins social media lawsuit
Blaine School District has joined a nationwide lawsuit accusing major social‑media companies of harming students’ mental health.
The district filed a complaint in federal court, saying platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat are intentionally designed to be addictive and have contributed to rising anxiety, depression and behavioral issues among students.
The lawsuit argues districts have been forced to spend more on counseling, intervention and safety programs as a result. Blaine’s filing is part of the same consolidated action joined by Bellingham Public Schools.
The case continues in federal court as school districts seek damages and stronger protections for young users.
STORY: Meta settlement
In a related development, Washington will see new youth‑safety protections and funding under a $17‑billion settlement with Meta. Forty‑seven states, including Washington, accused the company of designing Facebook and Instagram in ways that harmed kids’ mental health.
The agreement requires major changes: limits on nighttime use, turning off “like” counts for teens, restricting targeted ads, and stopping features that encourage compulsive scrolling. Meta is also barred from collecting data on children under 13 without parental consent.
Washington will receive a share of the settlement for youth mental‑health and digital‑safety programs.
Meta still faces lawsuits from individuals and school districts — including Blaine and Bellingham, which filed complaints in the same action.
STORY: Active court order in Mass. still blocking mail-in voting executive order
The U.S. Supreme Court has allowed the Trump administration to move forward with parts of its election‑integrity executive order.
The justices granted a stay lifting a multistate injunction, saying the states who sued are unlikely to show they have standing.
The Court stressed the stay isn’t a ruling on the order’s legality and doesn’t require states to change election procedures. It also doesn’t lift the separate Massachusetts injunction that still blocks Postal Service ballot‑handling rules.
The stay lets agencies begin internal work — compiling citizenship lists, prioritizing investigations of officials who issue ballots to ineligible voters, and starting USPS rulemaking on ballot‑tracking barcodes.
Two justices dissented, saying the states face imminent harm.
The case now returns to the First Circuit, where the appeal is already pending.
KICKER: Whatcom Humane Society giving away free books in tribute to Dolly Parton
The Whatcom Humane Society Thrift Shop is paying tribute to Dolly Parton’s lifelong love of reading.
They’re giving out one free book per person through Saturday — a nod to Parton’s Imagination Library, which has mailed more than 300 million books to children worldwide.
The shop has books for all ages and is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 to 5, in the Parkwood Manor Shopping Center on Birchwood Avenue. The tribute runs through Saturday, honoring the reading legacy Parton leaves behind.
WX: Taught me how ta play this dee-cline real good
And now for the weather…
Expect cooler weather to make its way into Whatcom today, with yesterday’s smoky heat dropping down to more reasonable highs in the mid-70s near Bellingham and Ferndale, and in the upper 60s up by Blaine. We should see a bit of cloud cover accumulating over into the evening, leaving us with partially overcast night skies and lows in the upper 50s.
Tomorrow, we’ll see more cloud cover than today and some breezes, with a slight chance of rain in the afternoon to boot.
OUTRO:
Today’s newscast was produced by volunteers Carlos Braga (BRAH-guh), Connor O’Boyle, Kyler Cantrell (can-TRELL), Glen Hirshberg (HERSH-berg), Kathi O’Shea (o-SHAY), Kai Blais-Schmolke (KAI BLAZE-SHMOLE-kee), Jenny Lam, Natalie Jones, Noelle Reger (no-ELL REE-ger), and Sean Lynch. 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: Bellingham therapy dog listed as semifinalist for American Human Society Hero Awards
A Bellingham therapy dog is getting national recognition.
Maverick — a nine‑year‑old Miniature Poodle — is a semifinalist in the therapy‑dog category of the American Humane Hero Dog Awards.
Teachers say he helps students manage stress, anxiety and behavioral challenges, and he’s even written into some students’ educational plans to support focus and emotional regulation.
Maverick also volunteers at a local hospital, where staff say his calm presence brings comfort on difficult days — including one visit where he stayed beside a distressed patient for more than an hour until she settled.
Winners will be announced later this year.
STORY: Additional transparency rights coming to insurance consumers
Washington insurance customers will get new transparency rights next year.
Beginning in March 2027, auto and home insurers must give clearer explanations when they deny claims or raise rates. The change expands Washington’s 2024 transparency rule, which already requires insurers to explain premium increases on request and include a disclaimer in renewal notices.
In November, companies must start providing an email address for those requests. And by January 2029, insurers will have to proactively notify customers when premiums rise 10 percent or more.
The Office of the Insurance Commissioner says the goal is to give consumers clearer information and more power to challenge decisions that raise their costs.
STORY: Whatcom County Open House (run no later than 9/28)
Whatcom County residents will have a chance to learn more about county government during the second annual Whatcom County Open House.
The event is September 30 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the County Courthouse, with staff from county departments and elected offices available to answer questions and explain how county government works.
Topics will include the new jail and behavioral health care facility, the upcoming county budget process and the county court system. Attendees can also test their knowledge with Whatcom County trivia.
County Executive Satpal Sidhu said the event is intended to make local government more accessible and give residents an opportunity to connect directly with county staff and elected officials.
County Council Chair Kaylee Galloway said the open house is also an opportunity for residents to raise concerns and have direct conversations with the people who serve them.
Leave a Reply