Whatcom County email archival glitch revealed to have led to numerous improperly filed public works request, Whatcom County Council moves prospective location of new treatment facility from Ferndale to Bellingham, Whatcom County Council moves prospective location of new treatment facility from Ferndale to Bellingham, Bham Public Library moves forward with reno, Whatcom unemployment rate undergoes typical seasonal increase, Burn ban canceled for Columbia Valley area, Highway 542 closed next week, State bill barring masked law enforcement passes Senate
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KMRE brings you local news for Thursday, January, 29. Good afternoon, I’m ______.
STORY: Whatcom County email archival glitch revealed to have led to numerous improperly filed public works request
Whatcom County says an email archiving glitch led to numerous public records requests being inadequately filled between mid-September and early January.
According to the Cascadia Daily News, the problem came to light after the newspaper received “zero” emails in response to a records request tied to last fall’s historic flooding. County officials say the issue affected a backup archiver — not Microsoft email accounts themselves — and has since been fixed. However, they say the backlog could take up to 90 days to restore.
The county says it plans to rerun affected records searches, and release any additional documents. They also cited a growing volume and scope of public disclosure requests.
STORY: Whatcom County Council moves prospective location of new treatment facility from Ferndale to Bellingham
Whatcom County is steering its new behavioral health center away from the jail.
The County Council voted 6-to-1 this week to recommend placing the 32‑bed facility on Division Street in Bellingham as an out‑of‑custody center — a move that would make it available to the broader community, not just people in jail custody.
Councilmember Ben Elenbaas cast the lone no vote, saying he wasn’t ready to sign off without seeing more of the full plan.
[clip elenbaas.wav : out: way there yet]
Locating the center on Division Street would put it near existing treatment services, including crisis stabilization, detox and inpatient care. Supporters — including Councilmember Jon Scanlon and county staff — say the out‑of‑custody model improves access to treatment.
The center is part of the county’s Justice Project, a voter‑approved effort to overhaul criminal justice and behavioral health through a new jail, the care center, and expanded treatment and housing services.
STORY: Bham Public Library moves forward with reno
In more construction news, the City of Bellingham announced that the central Public Library is moving ahead with Phase Two of its renovation.
The eight-and-a-half-million-dollar project will be supported by city funds, private donations, and more than three million dollars in state grants. According to the City, the renovation will modernize the children’s and teen spaces, improve safety and accessibility, upgrade staff work areas, and enhance heating and ventilation. Construction is expected to begin in late 2026 or early 2027.
The Central Library will maintain open regular hours until then, some services will shift to other branches during construction.
STORY: State Dept. of Commerce awards nearly $3 million in grants to affordable housing projects across Whatcom
Three cities in Whatcom County have been awarded nearly one million dollars each for affordable housing projects.
The Washington State Department of Commerce announced last week that it was investing a total of 54.5 million dollars across the state to connect 70 housing projects to water-related infrastructure.
Bellingham will receive one million dollars for senior housing construction, while Ferndale will receive the same amount for the Kulshan Community Land Trust. The non-profit says it plans to build up to 50 homes inside their affordable housing project in northeast Ferndale called Thornton Village.
Everson was granted 900,000 dollars for the Mateo Meadows Community development near its downtown district.
STORY: Whatcom unemployment rate undergoes typical seasonal increase
Whatcom County saw a slight increase in the seasonal unemployment rate closing out the year 2025.
The Washington State Employment Security Department reported the seasonal adjusted rate that ended in December is higher from prior months and a few percentage points higher than last year.
However, Whatcom County’s unemployment rate of 5.4% is lower than the state average. About 7700 new jobs were added last quarter— most are in food service and bars.
STORY: Burn ban canceled for Columbia Valley area
The Northwest Clean Air Agency has cancelled its Stage 2 burn ban for Whatcom County’s Columbia Valley urban growth area.
The ban was issued on January 16th, then upgraded to a Stage 2 ban three days later. The Clean Air Agency bases their projections on weather forecasts and small particle air pollution, and issues burn bans when projected air quality is worse than national health-based standards for 24 hours or more.
The agency cited improved air quality, but encouraged residents to keep indoor wood burning limited to help reduce the necessity for future actions.
STORY: Highway 542 closed next week
Just a reminder that Mount Baker Highway will close for five days east of Glacier starting at 6 a.m. Monday.
Flood damage from December weakened a culvert and part of the roadway near milepost 43. Crews will replace the culvert, rebuild the roadbed, repave, and install new striping and guardrail.
The highway is expected to reopen Friday afternoon, Feb. 6. Afterward, drivers should expect alternating traffic near milepost 41 as additional repair work continues.
STORY: State bill barring masked law enforcement passes Senate
The Washington State Senate has passed a bill that bars law enforcement officers from concealing their identities and covering their faces while performing public duties.
Supporters of the bill say it adds accountability and transparency. The debate over the bill coincides with heightened national scrutiny over conduct by masked federal immigration agents, including two shooting deaths in Minneapolis this month.
Governor Bob Ferguson held a news conference where he urged the bill to move quickly through the House so he could sign it into law. Opponents of the bill include state Republicans, who questioned how the bill might be enforced.
WX: Rainy-o, hotman
And now for the weather:
There’s more sun out there today than expected, with daytime highs around the mid-50s. There’s a small chance of water falling from the sky, especially as the evening wears on. Expect lows in the high 40s.
Tomorrow morning, the forecast calls for a high chance of rain in the early morning. Right now, the weekend should be a mix of clouds and rain, with wind gusts at around 30mph. Time to make some tea.
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, Tyler Warne, 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 our work, check out our Patreon, Substack, or visit kmre.org and click on the banner. I’m _________, and thanks for listening!
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