Lynden man arrested on account of suspected burglary, Bellingham chooses contractor to construct tiny home village amenities, Whatcom County no longer accepting plastic food containers for recycling, Bellingham Community Meal’s future uncertain as guests and volunteers both decline in number, Burlington-Edison School District to close one elementary and open one middle school amid budget shortfall, New state law increases penalties for negligent driving that causes serious injury or death, New state law increases penalties for negligent driving that causes serious injury or death, Judges in WA and OR block Kroger-Albertsons merger, Crime victim advocates in WA protest in face of funding “cliff”
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KMRE brings you local news for Wednesday, December 11th. Good afternoon, I’m ______.
In yesterday’s newscast, we reported that the Whatcom County Medical Examiner’s Office said 43-year-old Kristine Gregory had died at the scene of a Ferndale apartment fire last Thursday. In reality, that statement was made by Ferndale Police and Whatcom County Fire District 7. We apologize for the error.
STORY: Lynden man arrested on account of suspected burglary
A Lynden man was arrested this Monday on suspicion of burglary.
According to Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Deb Slater, deputies responded to the report of a burglary at a home near Lynden around noon. The victim was reportedly renting the house, and had arrived to try and do some housecleaning last week when they saw a man inside who had broken windows, damaged the walls, scrawled graffiti and left burn marks on the carpet.
The 48-year-old suspect was found by deputies inside the house and arrested on suspicion of residential burglary, arson and malicious mischief. He was also found to have two outstanding warrants for criminal trespassing.
STORY: Bellingham chooses contractor to construct tiny home village amenities
The Bellingham City Council has chosen the contractor who will build the new tiny home village on Northwest Avenue.
Summit Construction will build utilities for the new North Haven Village, while nonprofit ‘HomesNOW! Not Later’ will provide the homes. The city purchased the land for a permanent location next to the North Coast Credit Union building earlier this year.
The project is estimated to cost $60,000 per home, including land and construction. HomesNOW! currently oversees two other villages in Bellingham— Unity Village and Swift Haven— both of which recently renewed their leases. It will also manage the new village when it’s completed.
Construction is expected to begin in January and take a few months, depending on weather and approval processes.
STORY: Whatcom County no longer accepting plastic food containers for recycling
Whatcom County’s largest garbage and recycling collection operation, the Sanitary Service Company, announced late last month that they will no longer accept plastic “to-go” containers in their recycling stream.
According to a recent social media post, SSC says consumers should put those containers in the trash instead.
Although the City of Bellingham’s single-use plastic ordinance went into effect in 2022 —which banned single-use plastics from restaurants, grocery stores and hotels— the city’s sanitation and solid waste manager told the City Council that about 50% of businesses in Bellingham are not yet in compliance with the ordinance.
According to a recycling update from Sanitary Service, to-go containers– including the clamshell type– contain several different types of plastic which can vary from container to container. This makes them harder to be accepted by secondary processors, who have a limit on how much varied plastics they can accept. Additionally, these types of containers often end up getting flattened on the conveyor belt and mistaken as paper by the automatic sorting system.
The City of Bellingham’s contract with SSC was modified in 2023 to switch Bellingham residents from using a three-bin recycling system to just one. Additionally, early next year, all single-family homes in Bellingham will be given an organic waste collection tote, in addition to their garbage and recycling services.
STORY: Bellingham Community Meal’s future uncertain as guests and volunteers both decline in number
The future of the Bellingham Community Meal program is uncertain due to declining participation, volunteer shortages, and logistical challenges.
The Cascadia Daily News reports that the program, which has provided a free monthly meal for over 40 years at Assumption Church, has suffered from declining attendance and volunteer support. According to the report, the pandemic further strained operations, and now the meal must comply with church and county policies, including having sufficient volunteers, a stable board, and hired security.
The church has given the program until April to meet the requirements or risk closure. Board President Dan Welickovitch (wul-LICK-uh-vich), who manages nearly every aspect of the program, has worked to streamline operations but faces challenges with sustainability.
According to CDN, Welickovitch is exploring options, and a decision will depend on whether the program can address its financial, operational, and policy challenges.
STORY: Burlington-Edison School District to close one elementary and open one middle school amid budget shortfall
The Burlington-Edison School District has announced it will close one elementary school and transition to a K-through-5 and 6-through-8 school system next school year.
Financial challenges and a decline in enrollment means West View School will transition to an Early Learning Campus, while Allen, Bay View, and Edison elementary schools will shift to K-through-5 schools. Lastly, Lucille Umbarger (UM-barj-er) Elementary will become a middle school. The district says it hopes the changes will save around $3 million as the district faces a $15 million state funding shortfall.
Although a survey showed mixed community preferences—most parents at Edison supported the K-8 model, while 65% of staff preferred the middle school option—the board prioritized the plan that offered greater financial savings. Superintendent Chris Pearson noted that inflation, collective bargaining, and reduced federal funding will likely increase expenses, necessitating quote “drastic changes” to prevent further budget deficits.
The district says it will provide updates on school placement and new boundaries in early 2025 and assist families with the transition through school tours and support programs.
STORY: New state law increases penalties for negligent driving that causes serious injury or death
Starting January 1st, Washington state will impose stricter fines and penalties for negligent driving that causes serious injury or death.
Negligent drivers—defined as those acting without reasonable care and endangering others—will face fines up to $5,000, a 90-day license suspension, and potentially up to a year in prison if their actions result in a fatality. The law aims to address a significant rise in accidents involving vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists, and wheelchair users, over the past decade.
WX: Ryain Seacrest
And now for your Whatcom County weather:
Increasing clouds are expected to bring some scattered showers this afternoon, with high temperatures in the upper 40s. Chances of rain are expected to increase slightly as the evening wears on, with lows projected in the high 30s.
Expect the rain to continue throughout tomorrow, and potentially into Friday and beyond as well.
OUTRO:
Today’s newscast was produced by volunteers Carlos Braga (BRA-guh), Connor O’Boyle, Kyler Cantrell, Theron (THAIR-in) Danielson, Riley Weeks, Brodey O’Brien, Paloma Ortiz, Anna Hedrick and Miguel Garduño (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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STORY: Judges in WA and OR block Kroger-Albertsons merger
STORY: Crime victim advocates in WA protest in face of funding “cliff”
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