Man sought by police after exiting Bellingham hospital arrested and detained, Woman accused of vandalizing Whatcom County Courthouse pleads not guilty, Petition urges Whatcom severe weather shelter to increase operating temperature threshold, Budgetary concerns place pause on Whatcom County nonprofit fruit production program, Budgetary concerns place pause on Whatcom County nonprofit fruit production program, Federal judge rejects Boeing plea deal
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KMRE brings you local news for Monday, December 9th. Good afternoon, I’m Theron Danielson.
STORY: Man sought by police after exiting Bellingham hospital arrested and detained
In a follow-up to a story from last month, 50-year-old Jason Allen John was arrested again by Bellingham Police for violating a no-contact order.
John was apprehended by BPD on November 11th following a high-speed pursuit that ended with him crashing a stolen car into a patrol vehicle. He was found unconscious and taken to St. Joseph Hospital for treatment, but walked away before being formally booked.
On November 26th, Everett Police arrested John on suspicion of two gross misdemeanors and felony possession of a stolen vehicle. The felony charge was later dismissed, and gross misdemeanor charges were not filed.
John’s latest arrest, which took place last Wednesday, means John now faces multiple felony charges across four active cases, including unlawful imprisonment, multiple counts of violating protection orders, possession of a stolen vehicle, and eluding police.
As of today, John was unable to post a $250,000 bond and remains in custody at the Whatcom County Jail.
STORY: Woman accused of vandalizing Whatcom County Courthouse pleads not guilty
The alleged Whatcom County Courthouse vandal pleaded not guilty to a variety of charges in a hearing Thursday morning.
29-year-old Victoria Rose Coe of Bellingham was arrested in connection with the break-in and vandalism on November 19th that caused over $10,000 in damage to the courthouse. Coe was indicted on charges of second-degree burglary, first-degree malicious mischief, third-degree theft and resisting arrest.
Judge Thomas Verge of the Skagit County Superior Court heard the case via Zoom in a Whatcom County courtroom. Coe’s lawyer, public defender Kurt Parrish, said the incident occurred during a quote-unquote “drug-induced psychosis” and that Coe was committed to sobriety. Verge set bail at $5,000 with a $500 cash alternative and ordered trial for January 21st.
Coe remains at the Whatcom County Jail as of today, where she is being held without bail.
STORY: Whatcom declares emergency situation following last month’s bomb cyclone
Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu (saht-POW see-DO) issued an emergency proclamation last Friday in response to the “bomb cyclone” windstorm that struck Sudden Valley last month.
The decision, recommended by Sheriff Donnell (duh-NELL) Tanksley, aims to enhance the county’s eligibility for state and federal disaster assistance.
The storm caused significant damage in Sudden Valley, with 23 homes struck by falling trees and at least four residents displaced, though no injuries were reported. The Division of Emergency Management is still assessing the full extent of the damage.
Statewide, the storm had a severe impact, particularly in King County, where over 600,000 residents lost power. Two people in Bellevue and Lynnwood were killed by fallen trees.
STORY: Petition urges Whatcom severe weather shelter to increase operating temperature threshold
A petition to raise the temperature threshold for Whatcom County’s Overnight Severe Winter Shelters has garnered over 300 signatures since it was first posted last week.
Currently, Bellingham’s Severe Weather Shelter is open only when overnight temperatures are expected to drop to 32 degrees or below. The petition urges county officials to increase the threshold to 40 degrees, including windchill.
But upping the threshold is no easy task. Local shelters rely on volunteers to operate, and there are no paid staff running the shelter. In their last presentation to the County Council, Whatcom’s Health and Community Services projected that operating costs for the current temperature threshold would cost between $500-and-700,000 between November and March. Furthermore, an analysis conducted by WCHCS revealed that if the threshold was raised by just three degrees, opening the shelter would cost Whatcom County an additional $200-to-300,000 over the winter.
Currently, there is no dedicated budget for Bellingham’s severe weather shelter, and costs are pulled from other housing services.
STORY: Budgetary concerns place pause on Whatcom County nonprofit fruit production program
Sustainable Connections will pause its fruit production program at Cloud Mountain Farm Center next year due to rising costs and fundraising challenges.
The decision was announced in November, with the organization saying that restructuring will allow the nonprofit to focus on other impactful programs while enabling Cloud Mountain Farm to find other potential partners.
Cloud Mountain, an educational farm center in Everson, merged with Sustainable Connections in 2019 and operates orchards, vineyards (VIN-yerds), and a nursery. The farm produces over 150 fruit varieties and supplies local farmers’ markets, grocers, restaurants, and food access programs. According to the announcement, staff will maintain the orchards next year as the nonprofit transitions.
Sustainable Connections says it plans to continue the agriculture-based workshops held at the farm, including fruit tree care and vineyard management, and open Cloud Mountain’s nursery on February 1st. The impact of the fruit program’s pause on community partners remains uncertain.
STORY: Federal judge rejects Boeing plea deal
A federal judge has rejected a plea agreement that would have allowed Boeing to plead guilty and pay a fine for misleading regulators about the 737 Max crashes in 2018 and 2019.
The rejected deal, negotiated after Boeing violated a 2021 agreement protecting it from prosecution, would have resolved accusations that the company defrauded regulators about pilot-training requirements for the 737 Max.
Relatives of crash victims have long advocated for a public trial, tougher financial penalties, and accountability for former Boeing executives. Prosecutors, however, stated they lacked evidence linking Boeing’s deception directly to the crashes.
In his ruling, Judge O’Connor raised concerns over a provision in the agreement requiring diversity considerations in selecting an independent monitor, in keeping with the Justice Department’s policy enacted in 2018.
Appointed by President George W. Bush, O’Connor questioned Justice Department and Boeing lawyers in October about how DEI would factor into the selection process. Department lawyers emphasized that the process would be merit-based and open to all qualified candidates, with Boeing retaining the right to veto one of six government-selected nominees.
Boeing and the Justice Department now have 30 days to renegotiate the plea deal or proceed to court.
WX: Inconsunstent
And now for your Whatcom County weather:
Expect sporadic periods of sunshine and cloud cover for the remainder of today, with daytime highs in the upper 40s. The clouds are projected to win out as the evening wears on, which should bring nighttime lows down to around 30 degrees.
The forecast for tomorrow looks just about identical, with continued cool temperatures and scattered sunshine.
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 Theron Danielson, and thank you for listening.
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