Fraser Valley outflow expected to deliver cold temps and high winds across Whatcom County, Winter shelters open, MLK Day Community Events, Covid in Whatcom, Brant geese hunts continue in Clallam, Pacific, Whatcom counties; limited three-day hunt in Skagit County, Burlington waste disposal company penalized $25,000 for improperly managing dangerous waste, Pipeline spill update – both lanes reopened, cleanup suspended due to weather
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KMRE brings you local news for Tuesday, January 11th. Good afternoon, I’m ______.
STORY: Fraser Valley outflow expected to deliver cold temps and high winds across Whatcom County, Winter shelters open
Northeasterly winds from the Fraser Valley are anticipated to cause a sudden temperature drop today.
Fraser River outflow winds reaching up to 50mph, are expected tonight, bringing a chance of light snow and temperatures below freezing. Wind chill values may drop below 0°.
In Whatcom County, three severe weather shelters will be open this evening– the Bellingham Overnight Severe Weather Shelter on State Street, Lighthouse Mission Base Camp on Cornwall Avenue, Road2Home Civic Field Winter Shelter, and the Ferndale Severe Weather Shelter on Washington Street in Ferndale. More information on opening times is available at whatcomcounty.us.
There are wind and wind chill advisories, with lowland snow accumulations of 0 to 2 inches anticipated through Saturday in Whatcom County with continuing low temperatures.
STORY: MLK Day Community Events
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is this Monday, January 15th, and many community events will be held throughout the weekend.
On Saturday, January 13th, the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association is joining the City of Bellingham to host a Volunteer Work Party in honor of MLK Day of Service. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and is located at the Squalicum Creek Re-route site, at the corner of Birchwood Avenue and Squalicum Parkway. Volunteers will plant native trees and shrubs. All ages are welcome, but those under 14 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. If you are interested, please register in advance by visiting cob-dot-org.
On Monday, January 15th, there’s an MLK community event at Sehome High School, from 10 a.m. to noon. The event will begin with a free breakfast, followed by presentations honoring MLK’s legacy of service and activism. Volunteers are invited to participate in service projects after the event, both at Sehome High School and throughout the community. For a full schedule, and to register for events, go to wwu.edu-slash-mlk.
STORY: Covid in Whatcom
As cases of Covid and other respiratory illnesses increase in Whatcom County, health experts are again recommending that people take precautions. KMRE reporter Tristan Trudell has more.
WHATCOM COVID AUDIO
STORY: Brant geese hunts continue in Clallam, Pacific, Whatcom counties; limited three-day hunt in Skagit County
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has announced open season hunt dates for brant geese.
Stable winter brant counts have led to scheduled hunting opportunities in Clallam and Whatcom counties on January 20th, 24th, and 27th, and in Pacific County on various dates in January. After the brant population surveys conducted in Skagit County revealed a count of more than 3,000 birds, a limited three-day hunting period was announced. It will open during the Youth, Veteran, and Active Military waterfowl hunting opportunity on February 3rd.
Hunters need a valid migratory bird authorization, a harvest report card, and are reminded to be aware of local regulations and boundaries in Whatcom County.
STORY: Burlington waste disposal company penalized $25,000 for improperly managing dangerous waste
The Department of Ecology says a Burlington waste disposal company was penalized $25,000 for repeated violations.
Burlington Environmental, a subsidiary of Clean Earth Services (owned by Harsco Corporation), was found to be in violation of dangerous waste regulations. Ecology inspectors found that the company improperly stored pharmaceuticals, pesticides, aerosols and flammable materials on site for several months, and failed to train its employees on managing that waste.
Burlington Environmental has 30 days to pay the penalty or appeal the fine to the state Pollution Control Hearings Board.
STORY: Pipeline spill update – both lanes reopened, cleanup suspended due to weather
The pipeline gasoline spill in Conway will have its cleanup and air monitoring paused due to inclement weather starting on Friday, and should resume operations on Tuesday.
According to the Department of Ecology, while field operations are suspended, boom maintenance will continue through this period and critical personnel will monitor the area 24/7. To date, air quality reads show that the area is not dangerous to public health.
State Route 534 also reopened to two-way traffic on Monday. Temporary closures may occur as flaggers help trucks navigate through the response area. A temporary shuttle service is also available to reduce congestion.
As of January 10th, approximately 8,300 gallons of gasoline have been recovered from the leak. The Unified Command estimates the entire spill to be around 21,200 gallons.
WX: Snow, Wind Advisories
There is both a Wind and Wind Chill Advisory in place today, from 4 pm to 7 am. Overnight temperatures will drop to a low of 7 degrees. Winds are expected to have gusts as high as 36 mph tonight, causing wind chills to dip as low as 20 degrees below zero. The cold winds can cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes.
Tomorrow will be even colder and similarly windy, but you can expect a little bit of sunshine. Bundle up and stay warm!
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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KMRE Newsletter: January 2024
