Today’s school closures and delays; prep games canceled, Bellingham’s Lighthouse Mission nearing capacity, Demand for office space continues to trend upwards in Bellingham, vacancies decline, AG’s office warns federal employees of misleading worker buyout offer, State lawmakers weighing bill capping number of people who can be sent to state psychiatric hospitals, Ridership on Amtrak’s Cascades route increases
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KMRE brings you local news for Tuesday, February 4th. Good afternoon, I’m ______.
STORY: Today’s school closures and delays; prep games canceled
The snow and ice continue to have a major effect across Whatcom and Skagit counties.
In Whatcom County, the school districts from Ferndale, Blaine, Lynden, Meridian, Nooksack Valley, and Mount Baker remained closed today; both Lummi Nation School and Early Learning were also closed. Bellingham Public Schools operated on a two-hour delay and used snow bus routes for the morning and afternoon.
Meanwhile, in Skagit County, the Burlington-Edison, Sedro-Woolley, Concrete, Conway, and La Conner school districts all had delayed starts. Anacortes operated on time, but with quote-unquote “adverse weather routes.”
Several high schools sports games scheduled for tonight were cancelled, including Lynden boys and girls’ basketball at Anacortes, Lynden Christian boys and girls’ basketball at Lakewood, and Meridian boys and girls’ basketball at Sedro-Woolley.
Western Washington University began classes at 10 a.m. again today; all classes scheduled before 10 a.m. were cancelled. Whatcom Community College and Bellingham Technical College also delayed opening until 10 a.m.; online classes at WCC ran as scheduled. Skagit Valley College delayed opening until 9:30 a.m. due to hazardous road conditions; however Northwest Indian College was closed for the day.
WTA buses are running today with detours and potential delays due to road conditions. Route 50 is detouring on Ferndale Road and missing Mackenzie Road, while Route 72X is missing several stops along Deming Road and the Santa Fe Trail. According to a Facebook post by WTA, no zone or flex service is being provided today.
A cold weather advisory remains in effect until 10 a.m. tomorrow for western Whatcom County. Wind chills as low as 5 to 15 degrees are expected, as well as slick and icy roads. Whatcom’s severe weather shelter at Forest Street in Bellingham will remain open through Thursday.
STORY: Bellingham’s Lighthouse Mission nearing capacity
In other weather-related news, Bellingham’s Lighthouse Mission Ministries shelter is nearly full with more cold temperatures forecasted.
The newly-remodeled facility on F Street has 234 regular beds, 60 emergency beds, and can add up to 20 more in severe conditions. However, behavioral health dorms remain closed due to staff shortages, which means the facility isn’t able to meet its 300-bed capacity. Residents stay on-site during the day, but new daytime-only guests cannot be accommodated.
Financially, the shelter still owes nearly $2 million on its new facility, with hopes of additional funding from the sale of the Willows Inn – a property on Lummi Island that was donated to the Mission in 2022.
STORY: Demand for office space continues to trend upwards in Bellingham, vacancies decline
Demand for office space in Bellingham increased in late 2024, reversing a previous decline.
A new report on commercial real estate from Pacific Continental Realty co-owner Ryan Martin shows major office buildings, including the Bellingham Herald and Bellingham National Bank buildings, are attracting new tenants.
In contrast, retail space saw higher vacancies and lower demand, with downtown retail vacancies reaching nearly 10%. According to the report, potential Canadian business relocations due to tariffs may further tighten the market.
STORY: AG’s office warns federal employees of misleading worker buyout offer
Washington Attorney General Nick Brown is warning federal employees about a potentially misleading buyout offer from the Office of Personnel Management.
The offer, sent via email, promises pay and benefits through September 2025 for those who resign by Thursday, but also warns that jobs are not guaranteed if employees stay. Brown urges employees to consult their unions, and called the offer a quote-unquote “shameless attack” on federal workers.
Major federal employee unions have also cautioned members, and reiterated the promised benefits may not be guaranteed.
STORY: State lawmakers weighing bill capping number of people who can be sent to state psychiatric hospitals
A Washington state representative introduced a bill to improve mental health treatment for criminal defendants.
State law requires short-term mental health treatment for defendants found incompetent to stand trial. Once stabilized, they return to jail and later to court. This process, called competency restoration, has become the primary way people with severe mental illness receive care, leading to long wait times and lawsuits against the state.
Representative Darya Farivar of Seattle proposed House Bill 1218, which would cap the number of competency restoration patients each county can send to state hospitals. It would also encourage investment in community mental health services. Counties that exceed their cap would face fines; the money from the fines would then fund diversion programs like housing assistance.
Supporters argue that competency restoration only provides temporary stabilization, and that resources should go toward long-term treatment and housing. Opponents worry the cap could deny people necessary care, and financially burden local governments.
With demand for competency restoration rising, and new state hospital beds unlikely to meet future needs, lawmakers are grappling with how to balance legal obligations, patient care, and systemic reform.
STORY: Ridership on Amtrak’s Cascades route increases
Ridership on Amtrak’s service through Bellingham has increased.
Amtrak says 940,000 passengers traveled the Cascades route between Vancouver, B.C., and Portland in 2024, a more than 40% increase from the previous year. This follows the addition of two more roundtrip trains between Seattle and Portland in late 2023, along with a new policy allowing children 18 and under to ride the Cascades route for free.
In total, Amtrak saw a nearly 15% increase in passengers nationally between 2023 and 2024.
WX: A large fluffy blanket
And now for your Whatcom County weather,
Chances of intermittent snow showers continue today, primarily in the evening, though it’s not expected to stick. The bulk of the day looks to be partly sunny, with highs in the low-to-mid 30s, though brisk winds will make it feel colder. Evening temperatures may dip as low as the high teens.
Tomorrow is expected to bring further blustery snow showers, with a chance of rain sprinkled in, just to make driving extra-spicy.
OUTRO:
Today’s newscast was produced by volunteers Carlos Braga (BRA-guh), Connor O’Boyle, Kyler Cantrell, Theron (THAIR-in) Danielson, Paloma Ortiz, Stevie Sjogren (SHOW-gren), and Miguel Garduño (MEE-gel gar-DOO-ño). 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 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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