U.S. Supreme Court rejects executive order, upholds birthright citizenship, WSDOT speed camera fines to increase today, Thousands lose internet service after RV fire in Lynden, Data breach at DSHS may have jeopardized records of thousands of WA residents, State Water Supply Availability Committee reports likely worsening drought conditions in near future, Ferguson joins group of eleven western state governors endorsing unified approach to revamping power grids, F&C – JULY 25 (not June) from FB post:
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KMRE brings you local news for Wednesday, July, 1. Good afternoon, I’m ______—- happy Canada Day to our neighbors across the line.
STORY: U.S. Supreme Court rejects executive order, upholds birthright citizenship
The Supreme Court of the United States struck down President Donald Trump’s executive order denying birthright citizenship to children born to parents without permanent legal status.
In a 6-3 decision, the Court decided it violated the 14th Amendment, which has long been interpreted to grant citizenship to all children born on American soil. The Court said a constitutional amendment would be needed to enact Trump’s order.
On Truth Social, Trump called on Congress to start working on legislation ending birthright citizenship.
STORY: WSDOT speed camera fines to increase today
Speed camera fines in work zones will increase today.
First-time violations will now cost offenders 125 dollars, and all subsequent violations will cost 248 dollars.
The increase comes after 85-thousand infractions were issued last year across the state – 77-thousand of which were first-time offenders.
The speed cameras will rotate through different work sites, and are meant to change driver behavior and improve safety for work crews and others on the road. The cameras only record speeding vehicles when work crews are present on site.
Since 2020, Washington has averaged over 13-hundred work zone accidents per year. Research from the state shows the cameras to be effective in reducing drivers’ speed.
Work zones can be active during the day or at night—- WSHDOT (WASH-dot) says drivers should be cautious and always consider them active.
STORY: Thousands lose internet service after RV fire in Lynden
Thousands of Xfinity customers in Lynden lost internet service Monday night after a fire damaged a utility pole.
Cascadia Daily News reports North Whatcom Fire and Rescue responded just after 10 p.m. to an abandoned fifth-wheel trailer near Enterprise Road. The RV was aflame, and it took about 45 minutes to put the fire out.
Fire officials say a nearby utility pole was damaged after a fiber-optic cable caught fire.
Internet service was restored to the area around noon Tuesday. Puget Sound Energy confirmed there were no power outages in the area, but said communication lines were damaged.
STORY: Data breach at DSHS may have jeopardized records of thousands of WA residents
Thousands of Washington residents may have had their personal records exposed during a state agency’s data breach.
The Washington State Department of Social and Health Services says it discovered in March that an employee had accessed personal information of its clients for non-work related reasons.
KOMO News reports that the employee accessed over 85-hundred records during the breach. The compromised information included names, dates of birth, social security numbers and the types of services people received.
DSHS says no specific information such as diagnosis, chart notes or treatments were retrieved. The employee was terminated from the agency.
DSHS is reaching out to anyone whose information may have been viewed, and recommended all clients monitor their financial accounts for suspicious activity.
The department is cooperating fully with law enforcement agencies during the ongoing investigation.
STORY: State Water Supply Availability Committee reports likely worsening drought conditions in near future
El Niño is here, and the state warns that it could cause a warmer, drier winter in Washington.
Although El Niño doesn’t usually affect summer temperatures in the Pacific Northwest, the Department of Ecology says it usually creates warmer winters and poor snowpack. Add in an early melt-off in the spring, as well as a predicted hotter-than-normal summer and you have lower streamflows through September.
The department says there’s a 63% chance El Niño will be classified as very strong by winter, which means sea surface temperatures in parts of the Pacific will rise by at least two degrees Celsius.
However, there’s still some uncertainty about what all of this will mean for the coming winter. Generally, a very strong El Niño can result in extremely low snowfall, but Washington’s past three very strong El Niño events had normal to above normal snowpack levels.
STORY: Ferguson joins group of eleven western state governors endorsing unified approach to revamping power grids
Governor Bob Ferguson has joined a bipartisan coalition of Western governors to modernize the region’s energy grid.
11 governors signed an agreement Tuesday that establishes a multi-state task force to speed up permitting for new transmission lines and improve coordination across the West.
The effort is intended to expand the aging grid to meet growing electricity demand and improve reliability during extreme weather events.
According to the coalition, much of the power system was built 60 years ago, and the current permitting process for new transmission lines can take up to 15 years.
They say the new partnership will speed up this process and get transmission projects built more quickly.
WX: A Magic: The Gathering Tournament
And now for the weather:
Expect high amounts of cloud cover throughout the remainder of today, with the possibility of the odd rain shower here and there.
Temperatures should remain steadily in the mid to high 60s during daytime hours, dropping down into the mid-50s by nightfall.
Tomorrow, look for some light morning showers, before breaking into some partial sunshine later in the afternoon.
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), Kai Blais-Schmolke (KAI BLAZE-SHMOLE-kee), Bella Farris, Jenny Lam, Natalie Jones, Noelle Reger (REE-ger), and Sean Lynch. 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, or Substack, or visit kmre.org and click on the banner. I’m _________… thank you for listening!
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F&C – JULY 25 (not June) from FB post:
North Whatcom Fire and Rescue – WCFD 21
SAVE THE DATE
Get ready for a showdown you won’t want to miss…Battle of the Badges BBQ!!
Join your local North Whatcom Fire District 21 and the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office as they go head‑to‑head on the BBQ!
Saturday, July 25
11:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Birch Bay Waterslides Parking Lot
Come out for:
FREE hamburgers & hot dogs
Family-friendly games & activities
Raffles, prizes, and music
A chance to meet your local first responders
And of course… a little friendly rivalry:
Firefighters bringing the heat (as usual )
Deputies trying to keep things under control
You decide who does it best!
Most importantly, it’s all about coming together as a community, having fun, and supporting the people who serve Whatcom County every day.
Mark your calendars and bring the whole family, we can’t wait to see you there!
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