Whatcom County fires second medical examiner in as many years, Bellingham Fire Dept responds to blaze at homeless encampment, finds ominous warning onsite, Former nursing assistant at PeaceHealth accused of distributing child sexual abuse material, Bellingham Fire Dept responds to blaze at homeless encampment, finds ominous warning onsite, Bellingham expands help for utility customers, Hovander Park in Ferndale set to partially reopen today, State lawmakers debate ability to allocate climate funds to repair WA’s aging bridges, AG requests enforcement of SNAP privacy, Feds will soon garnish wages of thousands of Washingtonians
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KMRE brings you local news for Monday, January, 12. Good afternoon, I’m ______.
STORY: Whatcom County fires second medical examiner in as many years
After one year on the job, Whatcom County has fired Medical Examiner Dr. Aldo Fusaro.
Fusaro was hired following turmoil in the Medical Examiner’s Office and helped transition it from a contracted service to a county-run department. In a letter to staff on Friday, County Executive Satpal Sidhu announced that Fusaro’s employment ended on Friday. He cited performance concerns and said the action was taken after what he called “serious deliberation.”
County officials declined to elaborate, saying they don’t discuss personnel matters publicly.
The county will temporarily contract with Forensic Pathology Services while recruiting a new medical examiner.
STORY: Bellingham Fire Dept responds to blaze at homeless encampment, finds ominous warning onsite
Bellingham police are investigating a large fire at a homeless encampment near the Guide Meridian.
Officers were called to the scene just after nine Thursday night, near the dead end of Tull Road, after a large explosion was reportedly heard from as far as five miles away. According to officials, when they arrived, flames were estimated to be about ten feet high.
While firefighters worked to put out the blaze, police discovered a handwritten sign that warned those who reported illegal activity in the encampment would “pay the consequences”.
Police say the motive behind the message — and whether the threat was carried out — remains unknown.
STORY: Former nursing assistant at PeaceHealth accused of distributing child sexual abuse material
A former nursing assistant at PeaceHealth St. Joseph’s Medical Center has been arrested and accused of sharing sexually explicit images of children.
Rachel Openshaw-Tapia was booked at the Whatcom County Jail last Friday, telling police that she had shared child pornography with an acquaintance.
According to investigators, she also allegedly recorded protected patient information on her personal phone.
Openshaw-Tapia had previously been charged with unprofessional conduct by the Washington State Department of Health in October last year.
She remains at the Whatcom County Jail ahead of her trial set for March 9th.
STORY: Bellingham expands help for utility customers
Utility rates are going up this month, but the City of Bellingham says it has expanded help for customers who need it.
According to a recent announcement, the Customer Assistance Program now covers more households, and offers reduced utility bills for those earning at or below eighty percent of the area median income.
Eligibility details and income guidelines are available at cob dot org.
STORY: Hovander Park in Ferndale set to partially reopen today
Hovander Homestead Park will partially reopen today for the first time in over a month.
Whatcom County Parks and Recreation announced last Friday that the boat launch/parking lot and off-leash dog area are expected to reopen today.
The park has been closed since December 10th due to flooding damage.
STORY: WWU research vessel funded in pair of newly approved federal spending bills
Western Washington University could get a new research vessel.
According to U.S. Representative Rick Larsen’s office, a federal spending package just passed by the House includes just over one million dollars for Western’s Shannon Point Marine Center to support hands-on student learning and marine research in the North Puget Sound.
University officials say the vessel would allow multi-day research trips and expanded partnerships with Tribal nations and state agencies— though additional funding is still needed for the onboard equipment.
The package passed the House with strong bipartisan support and now heads to the U.S. Senate.
STORY: State lawmakers debate ability to allocate climate funds to repair WA’s aging bridges
Lawmakers say aging bridges are one of Washington state’s most urgent transportation challenges.
About ten percent of bridges are now more than eighty years old. During a transportation budget panel Friday, legislators pointed to closures like the century-old Fairfax Bridge in Pierce County as signs of a growing maintenance crisis.
While there’s broad agreement that bridges need major investment, lawmakers are divided on where the money should come from. Some say the state’s Climate Commitment Act should be used for bridge repairs and replacements, while others say that CCA money should only be used to convert state fleets to clean fuels, broaden transit access, and help residents convert to electric vehicles.
While the discussion continues in Olympia, Governor Bob Ferguson recently proposed more than two billion dollars for transportation maintenance be added to the state budget.
Officials warn state bridges are nearing critical failure without new funding.
STORY: AG requests enforcement of SNAP privacy
Washington Attorney General Nick Brown has asked a federal court to enforce an order that blocks the U.S. Department of Agriculture from demanding sensitive personal data from SNAP recipients.
Brown says the USDA is again threatening to cut funding to states that refuse to turn over the information, despite a court injunction that already found the demand likely unlawful.
The data involves millions of low-income families who rely on SNAP, and Brown says federal law protects their information from being used for unrelated purposes.
Washington receives more than one hundred twenty-nine million dollars a year to administer the program, and Brown says any funding disruption could be catastrophic for families who depend on food assistance.
STORY: Feds will soon garnish wages of thousands of Washingtonians
Washington borrowers in default on their student loans could soon see money taken directly out of their paychecks.
Starting in January, the Trump administration announced it will restart wage garnishments that were paused during the pandemic. The action will allow the federal government to withhold up to 15 percent of a borrower’s disposable income.
According to CollegeRaptor dot com, Washington residents owe nearly 29 billion dollars in federal student loans across about 790-thousand borrowers. The state was among those with some of the fastest-growing student loan delinquency rates last year.
Student loan advocates say the best place to start is at StudentAid dot gov and the Washington Student Achievement Council Student Loan Advocate, found on their website.
WX: Crude, and a bit al-warming
And now for the weather,
Warmer rains are on the agenda for today, with highs set to reach into the mid-high 50s. Some moderate AM winds look to mostly peter out by this evening, as well as most of the rainfall. Tonight’s lows are set to hover around 50 degrees.
Temperatures should inch closer to the 60s tomorrow– around 58 or 59. The sun is also expected to make an appearance tomorrow.
OUTRO:
Today’s newscast was produced by volunteers Carlos Braga (BRAH-guh), Connor O’Boyle, Kyler Cantrell, Glen Hirshberg (HERSH-berg), Kathi O’Shea (o-SHAY), Austin Wright, and Kai Blais-Schmolke (KAI BLAZE-SHMOLE-kee). 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. To help support what we do, check out our Patreon, Substack, or visit kmre.org and click on the banner. I’m _________, and thanks for listening!
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