Whatcom County releases tool for tracking respiratory viruses, Design contest announced for new Downtown Sounds logo, Olympic Pipeline Update: 7,388/25,000 gallons of gasoline recovered, 275 cubic yards removed, State finalizes deal for 20,000 acres of logging lands in southwest Washington, Black bear damage permits will be available Washington commercial timber owners, WNS – AFT grants to WA help communities find local education solutions, Winter Solstice Tonight
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Independent, nonprofit community radio.
KMRE brings you local news for Friday, December 21st. Good afternoon, I’m __David Korb____.
STORY: Whatcom County releases tool for tracking respiratory viruses
A new Respiratory Virus Dashboard has been launched, providing Whatcom County data on COVID-19, influenza, and respiratory syncytial (sin-SEE-shull) virus (also known as RSV).
In a recent release County officials announced the dashboard will be updated weekly on Wednesdays, and aims to offer local and regional data to healthcare facilities, high-risk community members, and the general public. Data come from Whatcom County and the North Sound Region, and officials are hoping the information will help people make informed decisions regarding event attendance, wearing masks, and hand hygiene.
The new dashboard replaces the COVID-19 Data page, which will retire at the end of January.
STORY: Design contest announced for new Downtown Sounds logo
The Downtown Bellingham Partnership has announced a logo design contest to mark the 20th anniversary of the Downtown Sounds summer music festival.
Local artists are being asked to submit portfolios of their work, for a chance to design the logo. Submissions are being accepted through January 10th. The contest winner will be decided on January 17th and will receive $800.
For more information, or to submit your design, visit downtownbellingham.com.
STORY: Olympic Pipeline Update: 7,388/25,000 gallons of gasoline recovered, 275 cubic yards removed
Numbers are in for the gasoline leak at the Olympic Pipeline near Conway.
The Department of Ecology says approximately 25,000 gallons were released in the spill. As of Tuesday, over 7,000 gallons of gasoline have been recovered. That number will be updated when the oil/water mixture has sufficient time to settle and be measured.
First responders have also removed approximately 275 cubic yards of soil near the source of the spill, which will be transported to a hazardous waste facility in Oregon for treatment and disposal.
Emergency response and surveys of impacted areas are in progress, with remediation efforts due to begin after completion of the emergency response.
STORY: State finalizes deal for 20,000 acres of logging lands in southwest Washington
Washington’s Department of Natural Resources and a national non-profit have completed a $121 million purchase of 20,000 acres of logging land.
The acquisition, named Deep River Woods, is in the southwest corner of the state and is the largest land purchase in over a decade. The nonprofit, The Conservation Fund, contributed $66 million to cover part of the cost, allowing the state to secure the land. The agreement grants Washington the option to buy the non-profit out of the arrangement if additional state funds become available. The purchase aims to support rural communities dependent on the timber industry and is tied to a land conservation plan proposing the transfer of 2,000 acres to conservation status.
The move has received mixed reactions, with industry groups criticizing the shift away from working lands, while environmental groups view it as a positive step toward managing state lands for multiple benefits. Washington has been experiencing a decline in forested land due to development, and the acquisition represents an effort to preserve and manage forest resources.
STORY: Black bear damage permits will be available Washington commercial timber owners
On Friday, the Department of Fish and Wildlife approved a new black bear hunt permit for timber owners.
The permits are available only for commercial timber owners that can prove that black bears are damaging their trees. The bears strip bark from trees looking for food, often at smaller timber farms. To get a permit, property owners will have to turn in pictures and GPS data of the damage. The previous method of acquiring a permit had owners asking the Fish and Wildlife Director directly. Last year, 60 permits were issued and 6 bears were killed — with the new system, department staff don’t expect that number to increase.
According to commissioners, while bear hunts may not be perfect, it may be the best option for now. The program will be monitored and reviewed at the end of next year.
STORY: WNS – AFT grants to WA help communities find local education solutions
The American Federation of Teachers is partnering with organizations around the country to promote community solutions to the issues educators are facing. Eric Tegethoff (TEG-it-off) has more.
TEACHER AUDIO
STORY: Winter Solstice Tonight
The winter solstice arrives tonight at 7:27 p.m. and marks the shortest day and longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
During the solstice, the noon sun is directly over the Tropic of Capricorn, and results in the sun’s lowest and shortest path across the southern sky in the Northern Hemisphere, leading to the longest midday shadow of the year.
WX: Rainy
Today will likely be rainy with a high of about 51 degrees and a low around 43. Light winds during the day will turn to gusts of up to 20 mph after midnight. Tomorrow will also be rainy, with high winds persisting into the afternoon.
OUTRO:
Today’s newscast was produced by volunteers AnThu Nguyen (ANNE-two new-WIN), Carlos Braga, Connor O’Boyle, and Tristan Trudell. 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. If you would like to help keep local news accessible, check out our new Patreon page at patreon.com/kmrenews or go to kmre.org and click on the banner. I’m ___David Korb_____________… thanks for listening.
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