Shooting leaves one hospitalized, Top leaders leave Sheriff’s office, New laws start Jan 1, Century Link fined over illegal disconnections, Kaiser Permanente reintroduces mask mandate, Free or cheap
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Independent, nonprofit community radio.
KMRE brings you local news for Friday, December 29th. Good afternoon, I’m _David Korb_____.
STORY: Shooting leaves one hospitalized, Rollover crash kills two people in Bellingham
One person was hospitalized and another arrested yesterday after a shooting on Meridian street.
Reports of gunfire lead the police to the scene – but when they arrived, both vehicles had fled. One of the wounded victims was taken to St. Joseph Medical Center.
The suspected shooter, Jesus Geovanny Monreal-Bohorquez (HAY- soos gee-o-VAWN-ee mon-ray-ALL buh-HORE-kez), was booked by police shortly after they found him near the hospital with a wounded leg. He was charged with suspicion of first-degree attempted murder and illegal possession of a firearm.
The investigation is ongoing.
STORY: Rollover crash kills two people in Bellingham
Two people were killed in a rollover crash at around 8 p.m. last night on Squalicum way.
Police closed down the area in order to investigate. Two people were found in their vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene. The road was reopened at around midnight.
The investigation is ongoing.
STORY: Top leaders leave Sheriff’s office
Several top leaders in the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) are retiring simultaneously.
The departures coincide with promotions and appointments within the office. A release from the Sheriff’s office noted that the retirees include Sheriff Bill Elfo, who served five terms and chose not to seek re-election; Undersheriff Doug Chadwick, who lost the election for sheriff; Chief Deputy Steve Gatterman; Corrections Bureau Chief Wendy Jones; Office Administrator Dawn Pierce; and Department of Emergency Management Deputy Director John Gargett (gar-JET).
Caleb Erickson, Roman Singh, Matt Charroin, Chris Packard, Lamont Bos, and Holly Woll-Salked will take on new roles, some beginning as soon as next week.
STORY: New laws start Jan 1
There are a number of new laws that take effect next week. New rules regarding the state minimum wage, gun control, and cannabis use will go into effect on New Year’s Day. Here are some highlights:
Washington will raise its minimum wage to $16.28 per hour, making it the highest rate in the nation. It will be even higher in Seattle at $18.69, and $19.06 in the city of Seatac. In the Bellingham November election, initiative No. 2023-01 passed, which means the city will also have a dollar higher minimum wage at $17.28– but that is scheduled to start on May 4th.
House Bill 1143 will extend the waiting period for firearms, restricting licensed dealers from giving customers their weapons until 10 days after their background check was requested.
Senate Bill 5123 will prohibit employers from discriminating against employee cannabis use outside of work hours. It will also restrict the enforcement of drug tests without a suspicion of use while at work. This bill does not apply to safety-sensitive professions, such as emergency responders, bus drivers, or airline workers.
STORY: Century Link fined over illegal disconnections
Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced yesterday that the telecommunications company Lumen (formerly Century Link) will pay a total of $825,000 to almost 1,100 Washington State customers it illegally disconnected during the pandemic. Lumen was found to have violated Washington’s emergency health and safety moratorium when it disconnected customers.
The company will pay these customers over $700 for each illegal disconnect they experienced from March 23, 2020 to September 30, 2021. Current Lumen customers will receive the money as a credit on their account, while former customers will receive a check.
Additionally, Lumen must also refund all reconnection and late fees charged to over 35,000 customers during the pandemic.
STORY: Kaiser Permanente reintroduces mask mandate
Kaiser Permanente has implemented a new mask mandate for employees working in-person with patients in Washington state health care facilities.
The requirement goes into effect today and applies to all staff and care team members in patient care and public spaces. Patients are strongly encouraged, but not obligated, to wear masks.
The decision to reinstate masking is attributed to the rise in respiratory illnesses like RSV rather than COVID-19. As of December 16th, RSV accounted for 0.8% of hospitalizations statewide.
STORY: Air pollution increasing mortality
A report from the Washington Department of Ecology reveals that some communities in the state, particularly in the greater Seattle area and south-Central Washington, face higher death rates due to air pollution.
Released by Ecology with help from the Washington Clean Air Commission, the study identifies 16 areas where vulnerable populations experience increased health risks related to various forms of pollution. Mandated by the Climate Commitment Act, this report is the first to examine air pollutants, health impacts, and greenhouse gas emissions in these communities.
Between 2016 and 2020, data show that residents in these communities had lifespans almost two and a half years shorter than those living in the rest of the state, with older adults being twice as likely to die from illnesses associated with inhaling pollutant particles.
Wildfires, particularly in 2020-2022, were identified as the worst contributors to air pollution.
STORY: Free or cheap
It’s the last Friday of the last month of 2023– and here are some options for free or inexpensive things to do this weekend.
Tonight– Learn how to Country Line Dance at Boots Bar and Lounge on Barkley Blvd. No dancing experience required, and no cover. The lesson starts at 8:15, with social dancing after.
Sam Halbert and Friends will be playing tonight at the Thirsty Badger in Lynden. No cover.
On Saturday, the Bellingham Makerspace is offering an open Craft Time, from 2-5pm at the Makerspace in Bellis Fair Mall. No charge.
And at 5pm on Saturday, the Northwest Yarns and Mercantile Book Club will be discussing Terry Pratchett’s Christmas fable, The Hogfather. Bring your knitting and join the fun.
WX: Cloudy, with some rain
Your Whatcom County weather today will be cloudy. Overnight, we’ll likely see rain showers roll through after midnight, with a low of 48. Tomorrow– there’s a 56% chance of rain, but that should break up Saturday night leading to partial clearing on Sunday.
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 your 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.
Thank you for supporting KMRE News in 2023. The News Team is off on Monday. I’m ___David Korb_____________… have a Happy New Year!
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