MIP alert put out for woman last seen in Bellingham, Suspect in custody after ramming Lummi Police vehicle, Man arrested after firing gun near Ferndale cemetery in road rage incident, Bellingham health officials seeking to divert non-emergency patients from overburdened ER, Community input sought for Meridian Middle School bond, Free and Cheap, Audit shows Dept of Commerce improperly gave grants to applicants
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KMRE brings you local news for Friday, February 21st. Good afternoon, I’m _David Korb_____.
STORY: MIP alert put out for woman last seen in Bellingham
Authorities have issued a Missing Indigenous Person Alert for the Lummi Nation.
Bessalyn James is 62, about 5’2”, and black-haired. She was last seen on January 21st in Bellingham, wearing black pants, a puffy, black jacket, white sneakers, and a stocking cap. She was last reported to be on foot, traveling in an unknown direction. People with information are asked to call 911.
STORY: Suspect in custody after ramming Lummi Police vehicle
A high-speed chase involving a pickup truck snarled traffic in a residential area near Thornton Street and Malloy Avenue in Ferndale yesterday.
The incident began around 7:45 a.m., when Lummi Nation Police spotted a dark pickup truck leaving a vacant house in the Sandy Point Heights neighborhood. The truck rammed the patrol vehicle, then fled north on Lake Terrell Road toward Slater, which prompted the pursuit.
The chase, involving multiple law enforcement agencies, covered various west county roads, sometimes at speeds reaching 100 mph. Sheriff’s Office personnel deployed a spike strip, destroying the truck’s tires. The suspect eventually abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot.
Lummi Nation Police later booked 39-year-old Calvin Ralph James, Jr. into Whatcom County Jail around 9:30 a.m. He now faces multiple charges in Lummi Tribal Court, including attempting to elude police and reckless driving.
STORY: Man arrested after firing gun near Ferndale cemetery in road rage incident
A Puyallup man was arrested in connection to a drive-by shooting at Ferndale’s Woodlawn Cemetery on Tuesday.
Deputies responded to a report of a driver brandishing a firearm around 10:15 p.m. near the intersection of Northwest Drive and West Axton Road. A witness who called 911 reported that they had seen the driver fire the gun out of their window toward Woodlawn Cemetery. Based on the description, the suspect and his car were located and stopped 15 minutes later.
According to Deb Slater, the public information officer for the County Sheriff’s Office, a passenger in the suspect’s car confirmed the driver had been involved in a road rage incident. Pistols and ammunition were found in the vehicle, and a shell casing found near Paradise Road matched the gun. The suspect was taken into custody without incident; he was booked into Whatcom County Jail at 11:45 p.m.
STORY: Bellingham health officials seeking to divert non-emergency patients from overburdened ER
The County Department of Health and Human Services says the surge in cases of respiratory viruses like RSV and the flu are overwhelming staff at St. Joseph’s.
Dr. James Scribner, the hospital’s Emergency Department medical director, says patients with non-life-threatening conditions may face long wait times as staff prioritize more critical cases. Dr. Scribner said that if your symptoms aren’t life-threatening, a visit to your doctor or an urgent-care clinic might be a better option.
By utilizing urgent care and primary care services for non-emergency medical needs, the community can help reduce the strain on hospital resources and ensure critical care remains available for those in serious need. For those experiencing non-emergency symptoms, several urgent care clinics are available in Whatcom County.
STORY: Community input sought for Meridian Middle School bond
The Whatcom County Auditor’s Office says it needs community members to write statements for the local voters’ pamphlet in opposition to the Meridian School District’s proposed $71 million bond measure.
The bond, which would fund a new Meridian Middle School, will be on the ballot for the special election on April 22nd. Washington state law requires that an “against” statement be included in the voters’ pamphlet, but since the school district did not appoint a committee to write one, the auditor’s office must do so.
This bond is a revised version of a similar measure that failed in last year’s general election, when it received just over 53% approval — a majority that came up short of the 60% required for passage.
Community members interested in serving on the “against” committee must apply by next Wednesday at noon. More information is available at the Whatcom County Auditor’s website.
STORY: Free and Cheap
It’s Friday – if you’re looking for something free or cheap to do this weekend, here’s a bit of what’s going on around the county.
Through March 7th, the Idiom Theater on Cornwall Avenue will stage performances of Eugène Ionescu’s (yuah-NESK-ew) Exit the King. The play’s protagonist, King Bérenger (BAIR-un-shay), refuses to step away from his throne despite his advanced age and the crumbling of his kingdom. As the Idiom themselves put it, the King’s court bears witness to his unraveling, while the King himself “struggles to reconcile his crumbling authority with his own mortality”. All performances start at 7:30 p.m., and tickets starting at $12 can be purchased at the Idiom’s website.
As it turns out, theatergoers have plenty of options; the Unsubdued Theatre Collective is staging a production of The Time of Cherries at WinkWink Boutique’s event space on Commercial Street through March 1st. The Time of Cherries is an historical drama set in 1871, when the Parisian working class seized power and established their own government. The play follows four characters during the two months of the Paris Commune’s existence. Just like Exit the King, performances start at 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased for $16.50 at the Unsubdued Theatre’s website.
Finally, the Lincoln Theatre in Mount Vernon will host a screening of the New York Dog Film Festival this Sunday at 7 p.m. According to the Lincoln, the festival will feature a series of short films that celebrate the love between dogs, humans, and animal welfare groups which bring them together. Tickets starting at $8.50 can be purchased at the Lincoln’s website; 10% of ticket sales will be donated to Saving Pets One at a Time (or SPOT), a nonprofit that focuses on finding forever homes for pets in Skagit County.
WX: Drizzle of olive oil in. Beautiful. Get that nice and tepid. Gorgeous.
And now weather:
A drizzly day ahead, with highs in the low 50s. Winds will pick up slightly tonight, with lows in the mid-40s.
Substantial rainfall this weekend, especially on Saturday.
OUTRO:
Today’s newscast was produced by volunteers Carlos Braga (BRA-guh), Connor O’Boyle, Kyler Cantrell, Theron (THAIR-in) Danielson, Paloma Ortiz, and Stevie Sjogren (SHOW-gren). Our news director is Staci Baird. 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. Check out our Patreon page or visit kmre.org and click on the banner. I’m _David Korb________… thanks for listening.
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STORY: Audit shows Dept of Commerce improperly gave grants to applicants
A recent audit revealed that the state Department of Commerce failed to properly distribute grants to qualified applicants under the Behavioral Health Community Capacity Grant program.
The State Auditor’s Office released the report in November as part of its effort to examine programs at high risk of fraud, loss, or abuse. The audit reviewed spending from July 2022 to June 2023 and found that none of the sampled grant recipients met all legislative criteria. Additionally, only a portion of the allocated funds was used in the 2023 fiscal year, with some money spent on unapproved items such as food, snacks, and a phone case.
Commerce Secretary Joe Nguyen (new-WIN), who was not in office at the time of the report, acknowledged the findings, and stated that while most of the department’s programs comply with regulations, there is “always room for improvement.”
The Department of Commerce has pledged to address the audit’s concerns and improve compliance in future grant distributions.
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