Community Food Co-op workers vote to unionize, Mount Baker’s Legendary Banked Slalom canceled, Washington State Patrol issues MIPA alert for Ferndale teen who may have traveled to Seattle, Inmate admits igniting Whatcom County Jail fire with video tablet and paperclip, WA pays $9.9 million to woman who got terminal cancer in prison, Bill toughening animal abuse punishments passes Washington House, Colleges won’t get FAFSA data until March, delaying aid offers for students. BNSF Railway responsible for Tunnel 5 fire, damage, lawsuit alleges
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Independent, nonprofit community radio.
KMRE brings you local news for Monday, February 5th. Good afternoon, I’m ______.
STORY: Community Food Co-op workers vote to unionize
The Bellingham Community Food Co-op workers are unionizing.
In a secret ballot taken last Wednesday and Thursday, 90% of the Co-op employees from both locations voted in favor of joining the Bellingham Teamsters Union. According to an announcement released before the vote, wage and scheduling issues as well as increased employee retention and respect in the workplace were the main motivations behind the push to unionize.
The election will be certified by the National Labor Relations Board within the next seven to 10 days.
STORY: Mount Baker’s Legendary Banked Slalom canceled
The Mount Baker Legendary Banked Slalom snowboard race has been canceled this year due to unfavorable weather conditions.
Ski area CEO, Gwyn Howat (GWYN HOW-ut), made the announcement via video release last week.
GWYN HOWAT AUDIO
The Slalom has been rescheduled for next February 7th, 8th and 9th.
STORY: Washington State Patrol issues MIPA alert for Ferndale teen who may have traveled to Seattle
A Missing Indigenous Person Alert was issued on Friday for a 14-year-old girl from Lummi Nation.
Ariel Feliciano (AIR-ree-ull fuh-liss-ee-AHN-o) was reportedly last seen near 5th Avenue and Pine Street in Seattle on Thursday night. Feliciano is 5 feet, 3 inches tall, weighs 125 pounds, has brown hair and brown eyes and was last seen wearing gray sweatpants, a black hoodie sweatshirt, white shoes and a black backpack with roses on it.
The alert was activated by the Washington State Patrol on behalf of the Lummi Nation Police Department.
STORY: Inmate admits igniting Whatcom County Jail fire with video tablet and paperclip
An inmate at the Whatcom County Jail started a fire with a tablet and a paperclip last Thursday.
An alarm went off at the Sheriff’s Office at 2:30 p.m. in relation to a fire in one of the restrictive housing units. Deputies opened the door to find 20-year-old Benjamin Morgan in a cell full of smoke. Morgan, as well as other inmates, had to be relocated to a different area of the jail. The fire, which did not spread, was quickly extinguished by the Bellingham Fire Department.
Morgan stated he started the fire by removing the back of the tablet, then shorting the exposed battery with the paperclip. Probable cause exists to charge Morgan with first-degree arson and third-degree malicious mischief.
One deputy was taken to St. Joseph Medical Center for smoke inhalation. No other injuries were reported.
STORY: WA pays $9.9 million to woman who got terminal cancer in prison
Washington State has paid 9.9 million dollars to former-inmate Paula Gardener, who developed terminal cancer while in prison.
According to recent reporting from The Seattle Times, Gardener did not receive medical care for over two years despite showing signs of Cervical Cancer. Gardener was released shortly after her diagnosis, but discovered that her condition had spread to her lymph nodes – making the disease incurable.
Gardener’s lawsuit was filed in 2022, a settlement was reached on the first day of civil trial in December, and she was paid out in January.
According to the Washington State Office of Risk Management, the almost 10 million dollar settlement was more than the total spent by the Department of Corrections on lawsuits over the past six years.
Gardener is now receiving palliative care in Tacoma.
STORY: Bill toughening animal abuse punishments passes Washington House
Legislation aimed at strengthening animal cruelty laws have passed the Washington House of Representatives.
Animal cruelty in the first degree, currently a Class C felony, may involve intentionally causing pain, physical injury, or death to an animal, as well as engaging in sex acts with an animal. House Bill 1961 proposes a “seriousness level III offense” for all forms of cruelty, making the law more consistent.
Backers of the new bill say the current lack of categorization has led to sentencing disparities. Sponsored by multiple legislators, the bill passed 95-1 and now moves to the Washington Senate, where a companion bill is already in committee.
STORY: Colleges won’t get FAFSA data until March, delaying aid offers for students
The Department of Education has announced that schools will not get FAFSA data until March, delaying financial aid delivery.
This year’s rollout of FAFSA came with a new revision of the financial aid formula, causing extra calculations for the Department of Education. The new formula means that 1.3 million people will get larger Pell Grants, at the expense of a delayed rollout.
The delay means that financial aid officers at schools have less time to work with students, and that students may not know their aid offer until very late into Spring. Justin Draeger, president of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, a group that represents aid officers, said in a statement that the quote, “continued delays threaten to harm the very students and families that federal student aid is intended to help,” unquote. Without financial aid decisions to inform them, students relying on the aid may not be able to make a decision on whether or not to go to school.
According to the department, more than 3.1 million people have already filled out the FAFSA.
WX: Rain
Today will be cloudy with a slight chance of rain. Temperatures will reach a high of 54 degrees, before dropping to 38 tonight. Fog will roll in tomorrow morning, before turning partly sunny during the day.
OUTRO:
Today’s newscast was produced by volunteers AnThu Nguyen (ANNE-two new-WIN), Carlos Braga, Connor O’Boyle, and Tristan Trudell. 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. If you would like to help keep local news accessible, check out our new Patreon page at patreon.com/kmrenews or go to kmre.org and click on the banner. I’m ________________, and thanks for listening.
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STORY: BNSF Railway responsible for Tunnel 5 fire, damage, lawsuit alleges
A new lawsuit filed against BNSF Railway alleges that they are responsible for a fire that burned over 500 acres in the Columbia River Gorge last year.
The lawsuit, filed in Skamania (skuh-MAY-nee-uh) County court, alleges that the Tunnel 5 fire started as a result of sparks, hot debris, particles, emissions and other materials from a passing BNSF Railway train that ignited nearby vegetation. It alleges that the railway company knew the risks of operating a debris prone 46-year-old locomotive amid high fire danger. The lawsuit cites a Department of Natural Resources report that identified brake debris and carbon emission particles found from that same train as being the cause of the fire.
The fire burned for over a week, burning nearly 550 acres and destroying 10 homes.
