Former Whatcom County Jail inmate files medical malpractice suit after leg amputation, Old Bellingham recycling plant to be redeveloped into housing unit, Construction begins on Bellingham’s Woburn storage facility, Whatcom Opportunity Council secures nearly $4 million in grants for multiple homelessness services, U.N. representative calls for Nooksack tribe to cease evictions of disenrolled residents, Repeal of daylight saving among WA articles of legislation drafted for 2025, Gov. Inslee imposes indefinite state agency spending freeze, Court upholds decision against Meta, Free and cheap
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KMRE brings you local news for Wednesday, December 5th. Good afternoon, I’m ______.
STORY: Former Whatcom County Jail inmate files medical malpractice suit after leg amputation
A former Whatcom County Jail inmate has filed a civil suit in the County Superior Court after his leg was amputated during his time in jail.
The complaint alleges that the inmate, arrested in late September of 2021, repeatedly requested medical attention for lesions and a rash on his leg for about two months, but was not examined or referred to a physician. In early December of 2021, after reporting extreme pain and swelling in his left thigh, he was examined and sent to a hospital, where his leg was amputated two days later.
The lawsuit accuses Whatcom County, the Northwest Regional Council (NWRC), and two nurses of breaching their duty of care by delaying necessary medical treatment. It also claims the County and the Regional Council allowed unqualified staff to practice medicine beyond their training.
The defendants have not yet responded to the complaint.
STORY: Old Bellingham recycling plant to be redeveloped into housing unit
Plans are advancing for a roughly $12 million redevelopment project in Bellingham’s Old Town that would transform a former scrap yard into a six-story, mixed-use development.
The project is the work of Capron LLC & Old Town Village LLC. According to the plans, the project will be located at Astor and Holly Streets near Maritime Heritage Park, and will feature 84 middle-income housing units accommodating up to 130 residents, along with 1,600 square feet of commercial space on the ground floor. Amenities include 34 parking spaces, 56 bike parking spaces, private plazas, and rooftop decks.
Washington’s Department of Ecology has approved the project with conditions that include ground-floor restrictions for residential units and proper soil contamination mitigation. Bellingham faces a housing deficit, with a state mandate that requires nearly 35,000 new units in Whatcom County by 2044, 60% of which must be affordable. Currently, 466 residential units are under construction in Bellingham, with more in the planning stages.
While the Old Town project does not include affordable housing, developers say it will address the city’s critical shortage of middle-income housing.
Construction is expected to begin next spring, with occupancy anticipated by summer 2026.
STORY: Construction begins on Bellingham’s Woburn storage facility In more construction news, work is underway on a new storage facility at the former Parks & Recreation Operations site near Bayview Cemetery.
The roughly $7 million project, awarded to Faber Construction, will provide secure indoor and outdoor storage for seasonal equipment and bulk materials shared by the Parks and Public Works departments. It will also expand the Parks department’s nursery program. The project, funded by the city’s street and transportation funds as well as real estate excise taxes, also includes new sidewalks, enhanced crossing ramps, and a flashing pedestrian crossing on Woburn Street.
The City says the project will incorporate public art on walls facing busy streets through Bellingham’s ‘1% for the Arts’ program. Construction is expected to be completed by March.
STORY: Whatcom Opportunity Council secures nearly $4 million in grants for multiple homelessness services
The Whatcom County Council approved approximately $4 million in contracts with the Opportunity Council to support homelessness services.
Last night’s decision at the Whatcom County Council meeting included about $650,000 for 22 North, a low-barrier housing facility in downtown Bellingham. The approval follows public scrutiny after council member Ben Elenbaas proposed defunding the facility. The council rejected Elenbaas’s resolution in July, but incorporated new contract amendments to enhance
oversight, tenant safety, and reporting. The new rules include mandatory welfare checks for unaccounted tenants and on-site monitoring to address issues proactively.
Despite the changes, Elenbaas said he remains skeptical about the Opportunity Council’s leadership and accountability. Greg Winter, executive director of the Opportunity Council, expressed willingness to address concerns and highlighted ongoing efforts to improve services at 22 North, which include integrating behavioral health and addiction recovery support.
The council also approved funding for other programs that support the homeless, including $1 million for housing case management and over $2.3 million for the Whatcom Homeless Service Center. The final votes reflect divided opinions— council members Elenbaas, Tyler Byrd, and
Mark Stremler consistently opposed the contracts and cited concerns about the Opportunity Council’s effectiveness. Byrd, however, did support the case management funding after seeing positive program data.
Further evaluation of permanent supportive housing programs is expected next year to refine the County’s approach to homelessness and related challenges in the community.
STORY: U.N. representative calls for Nooksack tribe to cease evictions of disenrolled residents
A United Nations representative has called for the Nooksack Tribe to stop the eviction of disenrolled Indigenous families.
In a social media post last Friday, Special Rapporteur (rah-poor-TER) Balakrishnan Rajagopal (buh-luh-KRISH-nun ruh-juh-GO-paul) referred to the situation as dire, and called for the Nooksack Tribe to quote “stop the forced eviction scheduled today of 3 families, and find a more humane solution” unquote. Rajagopal urged both federal and state governments to quote “prevent this eviction and, if it still takes place, to ensure immediate access to emergency housing” unquote.
This comes after the court system ruled in favor of the Nooksack Tribe continuing the evictions of families they say have not provided adequate proof of their lineage – a requirement for families to live in tribal housing. In order to avoid facing removal by Tribal law enforcement, these families opted to leave their homes voluntarily last week.
WX: Foggy Nelson, attorney at law
And now for your Whatcom County weather:
We’re expecting partly sunny weather for much of the remainder of today, following this morning’s dense fog warning. Daytime highs are projected to be in the mid-upper 40s, with the evening bringing increasing cloud cover and lows in the mid-upper 30s.
The rain and wind are expected to make a return tomorrow, with gusts projected to reach up to 29 mph.
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: Repeal of daylight saving among WA articles of legislation drafted for 2025
Washington lawmakers have begun preparing legislation for next year’s session, with pre-filing of bills starting on Monday.
The legislative session starts on January 13th and will last for 105 days, during which lawmakers will work to advance their proposals. Pre-filing allows legislators to highlight their ideas early, though committee chairs ultimately decide which bills move forward.
One notable pre-filed bill is Senate Bill 5001, which aims to end daylight saving time. Sponsored by Senators Jeff Wilson and Manka Dhingra (mun-KAH deen-GRA), the bipartisan bill proposes Washington adopt permanent Pacific Standard Time, which would not require federal
approval. Lawmakers have tried to address the clock-switching issue for years, with limited success.
While proponents argue for ending the inconvenience of daylight saving, opponents point out the challenges— including coordination with neighboring states to maintain regional time consistency. Additionally, experts remain divided on the health and safety implications of permanent standard time versus daylight saving time.
STORY: Gov. Inslee imposes indefinite state agency spending freeze Governor Inslee has implemented a spending freeze for state government agencies to help address that projected $12 billion deficit over the next four years.
The freeze applies to nonessential hiring, service contracts, equipment purchases and travel, though there is an exemption for spending on critical services and hiring for essential roles.
The deficit stems from rising costs, increased demand for public services, and lower-than-expected tax revenue. Inslee urged all agencies to adopt similar cost-saving measures, emphasizing the need for immediate savings without compromising public safety or essential health and welfare services.
The directive, issued last month, will remain in effect indefinitely. STORY: Court upholds decision against Meta
The Washington Court of Appeals upheld a $24.6 million penalty against Meta, Facebook’s parent company, for intentionally violating Washington’s campaign finance laws 822 times.
The court also tripled Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s legal fees to $10.5 million, citing Meta’s intentional misconduct. These penalties stem from Meta’s failure to comply with state requirements for transparency in campaign advertising, such as disclosing ad costs, sponsors, and targeting details.
Meta had argued that the law was unconstitutional and sought reduced penalties, but the court rejected these claims. The case dates back to 2020, when Ferguson sued Meta for ignoring a 2018 consent decree requiring transparency. This decision reinforces Washington’s stringent campaign finance laws, with penalties directed to the state’s Public Disclosure Transparency Account.
Free and cheap
If approved, the phrase would join a host of other official state symbols, like the state folk song (“Roll On, Columbia, Roll On”), dance (square dance) and dinosaur (Suciasaurus rex).
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