Bellingham services and businesses to be closed for New Year’s, Bellingham police investigating potential hit and run after cyclist injured on Northwest, Construction set to begin on Bellingham’s second railroad “quiet zone”, Swinomish youth lead clean energy efforts, 19-year-old wins seat on Mt. Vernon school board, Bellingham Public Library launches Winter Reading Challenge for adults, Polar Bear Plunges for 2026, USPS changes postmark rules
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KMRE brings you local news for Wednesday, December, 31. Good afternoon, I’m ______.
STORY: Bellingham services and businesses to be closed for New Year’s
Tomorrow is New Year’s Day— a federal and county holiday— so here’s a quick list of businesses that will be closed.
All U.S. Postal Service offices in Whatcom County will be closed, and no mail or package delivery will occur. The Washington State Department of Licensing offices will not be open, and neither will Whatcom County courts and most Bellingham city and Whatcom County services.
Banks across Whatcom County will be closed, although ATMs and online banking will still operate. FedEx and UPS will also suspend regular operations. Costco and Trader Joe’s will be closed, but most grocery stores, restaurants and retailers in Whatcom County generally remain open—but may have reduced or modified hours. Shoppers are advised to check directly with local stores before heading out.
Bellingham Public Library branches will also be closed for the holiday, and the Bellingham Food Bank will not operate.
The City of Bellingham notes that emergency services remain available; dial 911 for emergencies— even on holidays.
One final note– the KMRE News team will also be taking tomorrow off to enjoy the holiday.
STORY: Bellingham police investigating potential hit and run after cyclist injured on Northwest
Bellingham Police are investigating a possible hit-and-run that involved a cyclist.
Officers say a man on a bicycle was struck by a car Friday evening while crossing Northwest Avenue near the Little Caesars parking lot around 6:40 p.m. Police say the driver briefly stopped, then fled northbound. The cyclist was taken to St. Joseph Medical Center for treatment. Police note the bike did not have required lights, and no citations were issued. Because the cyclist was the only witness, investigators say it’s not yet confirmed whether the hit-and-run occurred.
Anyone with information is asked to call Bellingham Police or submit a tip at cob.org backslash tips.
STORY: Construction set to begin on Bellingham’s second railroad “quiet zone”
Work is moving forward on a second railroad quiet zone in Bellingham.
Construction is expected to begin at the Pine Street crossing near the south end of Cornwall Avenue, part of the city’s planned waterfront district quiet zone. Quiet zones are designed to reduce train noise while maintaining safety, and come as Amtrak and BNSF continue to run multiple daily trains through the city. Once completed, locomotive engineers won’t be required to sound their horns at that crossing.
City officials say quiet zones require costly safety upgrades, and include new gates, signals and roadway changes. The Pine Street project carries a price tag of about $3.4 million, funded by federal grants and local transportation, real estate excise tax, and Greenways dollars.
Bellingham’s waterfront quiet zone includes six downtown crossings. After Pine Street, only the Central Street and Cornwall Avenue crossings remain, and will wait for future funding.
STORY: Swinomish youth lead clean energy efforts
A clean energy transformation in Skagit County is being led by Swinomish youth.
The Swinomish Indian Tribal Community says its move toward solar power and energy storage began with a simple question from young people: Why don’t we have solar? Tribal leaders then launched a series of clean energy projects focused on resilience, affordability, and environmental stewardship.
According to a recent release from the Department of Commerce, the tribe has invested more than $6.4 million through a partnership with the Washington State Department of Commerce. Solar panels and battery-backed microgrids have been installed at the Swinomish Youth Center as well as at various housing units. The tribe says the technology has cut energy bills, provided backup power during outages, and improved emergency preparedness.
STORY: 19-year-old wins seat on Mt. Vernon school board
A recent Mount Vernon High School graduate is now making history on the Mount Vernon School Board.
Nineteen-year-old Sammy Solano Rivera was sworn-in earlier this month after he won nearly 60 percent of the vote, and unseated an eight-year incumbent. He’s the youngest school board member in district history but Solano says he had two main reasons to run.
SOLANO RIVERA AUDIO 1
Now that he is a School Board Director, Solano-Rivera says his priorities are clear.
SOLANO RIVERA AUDIO 2
As the first Latino member of the Mt. Vernon school board, Sammy says he is also focused on increasing representation.
SOLANO RIVERA AUDIO 3
Now a student at Skagit Valley College, Solano Rivera says he wants to bring stronger student voices into board decisions and improve representation in a district where more than half of students are Latino.
SOLANO RIVERA AUDIO 4
School Board Director Sammy Solano Rivera starts his new position on January 7th.
STORY: Bellingham Public Library launches Winter Reading Challenge for adults
If more reading is on your resolution list for the New Year, Bellingham Public Library has a Winter Reading Challenge that might be a perfect incentive.
The challenge runs from January through March. If you’d like to participate, pick up a Winter Reading Challenge Activity Card now at any Bellingham Public Library. Print copies of the challenge are also available at all Bellingham Public Library branches.
STORY: Polar Bear Plunges for 2026
If you’d rather kick off the new year with a shock to the system, why not check out a Polar Bear Plunge?
Across the region, crowds are gearing up to trade comfort and warmth for icy water, cheering spectators and, of course, bragging rights. The annual plunges draw swimmers of all ages, many in costumes, all willing to brave frigid conditions for fun, tradition and local causes.
Organizers remind participants to check event times, dress warmly afterward and take safety precautions before diving in.
The Birch Bay Polar Bear Plunge happens at noon tomorrow at Birch Bay Beach Park in Blaine. This year, organizers are attempting to break the Guinness world record for largest Polar Bear Dip. The current record was achieved in Sola, Norway with a group of 3,134 participants on December 13th of this year.
If you’d like something a bit more sedate, there’s the Padden Polar Dip in Bellingham. There’s a run/walk that starts at 11am, and the plunge starts at noon at Lake Padden.
STORY: USPS changes postmark rules
The date stamped on mailed items may no longer reflect when they were first dropped off or accepted at a post office.
In a change that took effect on Christmas Eve, the United States Postal Service adopted new rules that include changing a postmark so that it now shows the date a piece of mail is processed by an automated sorting facility and not the date it was mailed. Due to regional processing operations, that can occur sometimes days after mailing.
USPS says the revision codifies how mail is handled under its current operations, but experts warn the shift could affect time-sensitive mail — including mail-in ballots, tax returns and legal documents that rely on postmarks to meet official deadlines.
Under the new guidance, a mail piece dropped off on a deadline day might not show that date on its postmark if it isn’t processed immediately at a sorting facility. That could lead to ballots being disqualified, tax filings deemed late, or payments and legal filings facing penalties even when mailed before a deadline.
USPS says certificates of mailing and other proof-of-mailing options are available for an additional fee, and advises customers to mail important items early, or visit a post office counter and request a manual postmark.
WX: IDIOT! CRETIN! NIMBUSILE!
And now for the weather,
We close out the year with a chilly, mostly clear day. Daytime highs are set to reach into the mid-upper 40s, with tonight’s lows falling around mid 30s but wind chill will bring it down to below freezing.
As always, but tonight in particular, stay safe out there, drink responsibly, and we can all roll comfortably into the new year……which will kick off partially cloudy and progress into full grey skys because weather has no calendar or sense of drama.
OUTRO:
Today’s newscast was produced by volunteers Carlos Braga (BRAH-guh), Connor O’Boyle, Kyler Cantrell, Glen Hirshberg (HERSH-berg), Kathi O’Shea (o-SHAY), Austin Wright, and Kai Blais-Schmolke (KAI BLAZE-SHMOLE-kee). 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 what we do, check out our Patreon, Substack, or visit kmre.org and click on the banner. I’m _________, and thanks for listening!
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