Carjacking near border leads to a chase through county, Dangerous intersection in Whatcom County converted to a four-way stop, Ferndale Fire Dept starts food drive, Concerns grow around WA classrooms, Guaranteed free college tuition for students receiving SNAP in 2026, Free or cheap, Comp plan survey set to launch, Police arrest woman for cutting Barkley Xmas lights, Is it illegal to leave your car running when you’re not in it?
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KMRE brings you local news for Friday, December 13th. Good afternoon, I’m _David Korb_____.
STORY: Carjacking near border leads to a chase through county
Yesterday at 1:15pm a carjacking near the Canadian border escalated into a high-speed chase down Interstate 5.
The incident began when Canadian authorities pursued a stolen pickup truck near the Peace Arch border crossing. The suspect drove through the border at high speed and ignored commands from U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officers.
Border Patrol helicopters and marked units pursued the vehicle to Bellingham, where Washington State Patrol troopers took over. Attempts to use stop sticks failed until Skagit County units successfully deployed them near the Bow Hill Rest Area. Law enforcement stopped the car through a PIT maneuver then arrested the suspect just after 2pm.
The truck, originally from British Columbia, contained the machete used to commandeer the vehicle. One lane of I-5 was temporarily closed during the incident and reopened by 2:45 p.m. Multiple agencies, including CBP and the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office, assisted in the operation.
STORY: Dangerous intersection in Whatcom County converted to a four-way stop
A rural Whatcom County intersection has been converted to a four-way stop with flashing LED lights.
Public Works officials hope that turning the intersection of South Pass and Goodwin roads into a four-way stop will prevent a repeat of the Halloween crash that killed 11-year-old Yaretzi Davila-Estrada of Sumas. She was killed by an alleged drunken driver reportedly going over 100 mph.
Public Works officials had already been studying traffic at the intersection due to an increasing number of collisions. According to Public Works spokeswoman Mandy Feutz (FYOOTS), there were 28 crashes at the intersection in the past two decades. Feutz added that, while the Halloween crash was the only fatality at the intersection, there have been two other traffic deaths near the intersection in the past decade.
According to a statement released by Public Works yesterday, the new traffic pattern is now in effect, and warning signs have been placed to alert drivers to the redesigned intersection.
STORY: Ferndale Fire Dept starts food drive
Santa and his team will be collecting non-perishable food items throughout the weekend— with a little help from the Ferndale Fire Department.
Human, pet food, and monetary donations for both the Ferndale Food Bank and Whatcom Humane Society will be collected throughout Ferndale neighborhoods starting at 6 p.m. tonight and at 4 p.m. tomorrow and Sunday. Routes for the Santa Food Drive and a Santa Tracker are available on the Whatcom Seven Firefighters Facebook page.
Residents are encouraged to gather donations and watch for Santa and his helpers.
STORY: Concerns grow around WA classrooms
Educational staff in Washington state want lawmakers to invest more in wages and staffing during its upcoming legislative session. They are expressing concern over increasing behavioral incidents in classrooms. Eric Tegedoff has more.
CLASSROOM AUDIO
STORY: Guaranteed free college tuition for students receiving SNAP in 2026
Beginning January 2026, Washington state will offer free tuition at public colleges and universities to students who receive SNAP benefits.
The initiative, created by a law signed last spring, aims to reduce barriers to financial aid and address declining enrollment numbers. Students will be informed of their eligibility as early as 10th grade. While students are still encouraged to apply for aid, the program simplifies access to state scholarships, ensuring tuition-free education at community colleges, regional universities, and major institutions like the University of Washington and Washington State University.
STORY: Free or cheap
It’s Friday – if you’re looking for something free or cheap to do this weekend, here’s a bit of what’s going on around the county.
Two plays are being staged in a couple of theaters in Bellingham. The first is the Idiom Theater’s production of A Christmas Carol, where three actors – plus a volunteer from the audience – bring Scrooge and his ghostly visitors to life. Performances will run on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. through December 21st. Tickets starting at $12 can be purchased at the Idiom Theater’s website.
Meanwhile, the Bellingham Theatre Guild offers an alternative to holiday performances with their production of The Liar, adapted from a 1644 play by Pierre Corneille (cor-NAY). It centers around Dorante (doh-RANT) – a young man who is unable to tell the truth – and his move to Paris, where he falls for a woman named Clarice and meets a manservant who is unable to lie. The final three performances will run at 7:30 p.m. both today and tomorrow, and at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets starting at $8 can be purchased at the Theatre Guild’s website.
Finally, the Mount Baker Theatre will host the Bellingham Symphony Orchestra’s ninth annual Holiday Magic! concert at 3 p.m. on Sunday. The orchestra, alongside vocalists Richard Hodges and Ibidunni Ojikutu (ee-BEE-doo-knee oh-JEE-koo-too), will perform Christmas classics as well as singalongs. Tickets starting at $15 can be purchased at MBT’s website.
WX: I’m not Kyle, I have no creative weather title. 🙁
And now weather:
Expect showers to continue throughout the afternoon, with a high of 47 degrees. Overnight lows will be around 43*, with scattered showers and cloudiness overnight. Expect cloudy, windy, and rainy weather throughout the weekend, with overnight temperatures around 38*. However, there is a chance of sun breaking through on Sunday afternoon.
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 your 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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STORY: Comp plan survey set to launch
The Whatcom County Planning Commission seeks public input on its 2025 Comprehensive Plan.
The 20-year framework outlines goals and policies for land use, zoning, development, public services, and environmental protection. The plan update, required under the Growth Management Act, aims to reflect community priorities. To help find out what those are, a public survey will run from December 17th to January 28th, which will allow residents to share their perspectives. Residents are encouraged to participate and help shape the county’s future.
STORY: Police arrest woman for cutting Barkley Xmas lights
A 54-year-old Bellingham woman was arrested after cutting holiday lights on the trees in Barkley Village twice.
Security footage confirmed the first incident occurred on November 1st, and the second on Sunday. Police located the woman after a taxi driver reported her for breaking their cab’s rear window. She was arrested on suspicion of second- and third-degree malicious mischief and booked into Whatcom County Jail on Dec. 11 before being released. Formal charges have not yet been filed.
STORY: Is it illegal to leave your car running when you’re not in it?
As we move into the colder season, warming up your car in the morning may be tempting but, in most cases, it’s illegal to leave a car unattended while running.
Remote start systems are not yet exempt under Washington law, unlike in other states. While private property exceptions may exist depending on local codes, law enforcement also advises against leaving vehicles running unattended due to theft risks. In 2023, Washington recorded 53,187 motor vehicle thefts, with most occurring at residences and ranks fourth nationwide for vehicle thefts— following California, Texas, and Florida.
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