Explosion at Ferndale residence being investigated, Whatcom County man accused of stabbing relative several times at Ferndale residence, Seattle man who distributed thousands of fentanyl pills in Whatcom County sentenced to six years in prison, Authorities say suitcase found by fishermen in Oct contained remains of Canadian resident, WA ferry system scraps timeline for resuming normal service, Boeing 737 MAX 9s grounded after Alaska Airlines in-flight blowout
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KMRE brings you local news for Monday, January 8th. Good afternoon, I’m ______.
STORY: Explosion at Ferndale residence being investigated
Authorities are scrambling to find the cause of an explosion in a Ferndale residence yesterday.
Fire crews arrived at the 6100 block of Apollo Drive to find the garage door had been blown into the driveway, as well as garage walls moved off the foundation by the explosion. No one was home with the exception of some pets, who were safely evacuated. The rest of the residence suffered no damage.
STORY: Whatcom County man accused of stabbing relative several times at Ferndale residence
An 18 year-old Whatcom resident was arrested Thursday after allegedly stabbing a relative.
According to Public Information Officer Deb Slater, the suspect, Chief Harold Saluskin Pitt, entered the Ferndalel residence at 3 am without permission. When asked to leave by a relative, he stabbed the man with a knife. The relative managed to escape and call for help. He is currently at St. Joseph’s Medical Center with a punctured lung.
Saluskin Pitt was detained and booked into Whatcom County Jail on suspicion of first-degree assault and burglary.
STORY: Seattle man who distributed thousands of fentanyl pills in Whatcom County sentenced to six years in prison
A 33-year-old Seattle man, Abdurman Ahmed, was sentenced to six years in prison for distributing fentanyl in Whatcom County.
According to Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa Gorman, Ahmed was part of a conspiracy involving six individuals indicted last April. Despite suffering a near-fatal fentanyl overdose, Ahmed continued selling the drug. Law enforcement officers observed drug transactions, seized fentanyl pills from Ahmed twice, and also found illegal firearms.
The case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces operation, with DEA and local law enforcement leading the investigation. Other defendants in the case face charges related to fentanyl distribution and firearm possession. The prosecution highlighted Ahmed’s willingness to profit from distributing a dangerous substance that had lethal impacts on the Lummi Nation and the rest of Whatcom County. In handing down the sentence, Judge Richard Jones emphasized the need to protect the public, citing Ahmed’s endangerment of others, including children.
The investigation is part of efforts designed to combat high-level criminal organizations involved in drug trafficking.
STORY: Authorities say suitcase found by fishermen in Oct contained remains of Canadian resident
The remains found in a suitcase pulled from Ross Lake in October have been identified.
Staff Sergeant Kris Clark, a senior media relations officer for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, confirmed that the body is that of a Canadian resident. The investigation, originally headed by the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office, has been handed over to the RCMP. The body was found in Ross Lake by two people fishing in October, who were interviewed after handing the remains over to the Sheriff’s Office.
No additional information on either the identity of the victim or when the RCMP took over the investigation is available at this time.
STORY: WA ferry system scraps timeline for resuming normal service
On Thursday, Washington State Ferries released a new Service Contingency Plan, explaining that normal service will not return for at least four years, when new boats are expected to come online.
The plan marks a change from last year, where WSF estimated it could resume full service to at least the Southworth and Bremerton routes by the fall. The timeline was extended to 2024 and many routes will now be operating indefinitely with one fewer boat. According to Washington Ferries, the goal this year is to deliver 95% of its scheduled trips, as opposed to its historical goal of 99%.
The ferry system continues to struggle with staffing shortages and an aging fleet. Staffing minimum requirements are just barely being met, which means when someone calls out sick, trips are disrupted. WSF is launching a recruitment campaign next week and in his proposed budget, Governor Jay Inslee is suggesting $20 million dollars to aid hiring efforts. The fleet currently has just 21 boats operating, 5 shy of its estimated need. Many of these are over 30 years old and need regular maintenance and repairs.
The state hopes to award a contract to build its new electric ferries this summer, with the expectation that one be delivered by February 2028.
STORY: Boeing 737 MAX 9s grounded after Alaska Airlines in-flight blowout
All Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft have been grounded after part of an Alaska Airlines plane fuselage blew out at 16,000 feet.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered the grounding of the entire series of planes after a section of the Alaska plane’s fuselage, designed to plug an emergency exit gap, fell away, leaving a hole in the cabin and causing depressurization. Pictures taken by passengers revealed no damage to the frame around the hole, leaving some to conjecture that the problem may lie with one of the four bolts that secured the plug.
The incident involved an almost-new MAX 9 delivered by Boeing to Alaska Airlines less than 10 weeks earlier. In the days before the incident, pilots reported intermittent warning lights indicating cabin pressure loss, which were addressed according to approved maintenance procedures. Alaska and United are the biggest operators of this model in the U.S.
The plug, installed for production efficiency, is not specific to the MAX and has been present since 2006 on previous 737 models. The entire fuselage, including the door plug, is assembled by Spirit AeroSystems in Kansas and then transported to Boeing’s Renton plant. The incident poses a setback for Boeing as it was recovering from previous challenges, including the 2018 and 2019 MAX crashes that led to a 21-month global grounding of the model.
WX: Rainy
It will be rainy all day, with a high of 47 degrees and light winds. Showers will continue overnight, with a low of 37 degrees. There is a wind advisory in place starting at 4 am tomorrow, ending at 10 pm, with winds as high as 36 mph after midnight. Tomorrow will also be rainy, and just as windy. Additionally, there is a Winter Storm Warning in place in the Cascade mountains, where heavy snow and gusts as high as 55 are expected.
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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