North Cascades Highway closed near Easy Pass Trailhead as wildfire continues, Incumbent State Rep. Alicia Rule faces two challengers this November, Dept. of Transportation posts road guides to avoid summer construction, High volume of black bear sightings in northern Whatcom County, Dept. of Transportation posts road guides to avoid summer construction, Whatcom Conservation District receives federal grant to test new irrigation technology, WA gray wolves to retain endangered status, restrictions on killings still remain, Bellingham man goes to Olympics
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KMRE brings you local news for Monday, July 22nd. Good afternoon, I’m ______.
STORY: North Cascades Highway closed near Easy Pass Trailhead as wildfire continues
Yesterday, the North Cascades Highway was closed again in both directions by the Washington State Department of Transportation, due to the nearby wildfire called the “Easy Fire.”
The wildfire was initially reported on July 17th, and the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center says it was caused by lightning. According to a status report yesterday, the fire covers about 286 acres and is 0% contained.
The highway was closed on July 17th, then temporarily opened on the 18th. WSDOT (WASH-dot) says the closure is in place until further notice, and motorists are advised to use U.S. Route 2 or Interstate 90 for cross-state travel.
Visit the Washington State Department of Transportation’s travel center map for real-time updates.
STORY: Incumbent State Rep. Alicia Rule faces two challengers this November
State Rep. Alicia Rule is running for the 42nd Legislative District House Position 1 again this year, and faces challengers on both sides as she attempts to secure a third straight two-year term.
One Republican and one Democrat are challenging Rule in the primary. According to Washington State voting laws, the two candidates with the most votes will advance to the general election on November 5th.
Rule, who has served in the state House since 2020, is a former member of the Blaine City Council and founder and former head of the Blaine Downtown Development Association. Rule says her priorities for the next legislative session include: introducing a diaper tax exemption, addressing both violent and property crime, as well as protecting access to birth control and IVF.
Republican candidate Raymon Pelletti is a U.S. Air Force veteran, as well as a former board member of both the Whatcom Dispute Resolution Center and the state Make-A-Wish Foundation. He also served as the former president of the Whatcom County Association of Realtors. According to his website and a recent interview with the League of Women Voters of Bellingham-Whatcom County, Pelletti says his focus is on public safety, the economy, and his opposition of abortion, gender-affirming care for minors, and reforms aimed at police accountability.
Democratic candidate Janet Melman has a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from the University of California at Irvine and studied performance craft at UCLA Extension. She is a health-care and transgender rights advocate, content creator, voice actress, comic book author, and 20-year member of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.
All three candidates have websites, or voters can find out more at VoteWA.gov. (VOTE WAH dot gov)
STORY: Dept. of Transportation posts road guides to avoid summer construction
Traffic this summer is expected to be worse than usual due to a high number of summer road construction projects.
The Washington State Department of Transportation posted a full list of this summer’s 93 different scheduled construction projects. According to the official Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) blog, the summer is when most road construction projects are done, as reliably dry weather is needed for concrete to fully cure.
The DOT also has a June-September calendar of major state events likely to affect summer traffic, and is updated as new events are announced. The calendar includes festivals from Bumbershoot to Watershed, concerts from Noah Kahan to Blink-182, and sports events such as the Mariners and Monster Trucks.
The most recent closure begins today on State Route 546/East Badger Road lasting through Friday. Travelers should expect a five-day closure of both directions east of Northwood Road in Lynden, for modifications to the Kamm Ditch fish passage project. Detours are available on the Guide Meridian Road, East Pole Road, and State Route 9.
STORY: High volume of black bear sightings in northern Whatcom County
As of last week, there were 15 black bear sightings in Western Whatcom County.
At this time last year, the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) had received zero reports. The bear sightings include 14 in Blaine and 1 in Ferndale. According to the DFW, several were the result of “human food source attractant.” In a July 17th statement, the department issued suggestions to avoid bear interactions including:
- Never intentionally feed wildlife.
- Keep garbage cans in a garage or a sturdy building.
- Take down seed, suet, and hummingbird feeders until late fall.
- Clean up fallen fruit around your home.
- Feed your pets inside.
- Avoid storing food in your car.
- Clean your barbecue grill after each use.
And, if you see a bear on your property, clap your hands loudly and make your presence known.
STORY: Whatcom Conservation District receives federal grant to test new irrigation technology
The Whatcom Conservation District will receive $1.2 million to test new weather-based technology that may help improve irrigation for Whatcom County farmers.
The new technology uses soil moisture sensors and a data collection system that provides real-time weather information to farmers to monitor and improve irrigation decisions. The Whatcom Conservation District will run tests on raspberry, blueberry, seed potato, grass and mixed vegetable crops to analyze water use efficiency and time savings.
The project is 1 of 53 funded across the country by The U.S. Department of Agriculture last Thursday.
STORY: WA gray wolves to retain endangered status, restrictions on killings still remain
The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission voted 5-4 on Friday to reject a proposal to ease restrictions on hunting gray wolves and keep them listed as an endangered species.
The decision followed a heated debate, with commissioners emphasizing caution despite recent population increases. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) recommended changing the wolves’ status to “sensitive,” reflecting population growth since their complete elimination in our region in 1930. While wolves have returned to parts of Washington since 2008, most live east of the Cascades under state and tribal management. Ranchers fear for their livestock, and some commissioners and conservationists remain skeptical of the population data. Opponents to increased hunting of wolves argued that the count was inflated and questioned the sufficiency of recovery.
Commissioner Molly Linville proposed a compromise to list wolves as “threatened,” which was amended to the least restrictive “sensitive” category. However, the commission ultimately decided to maintain the endangered status, supported by Governor Jay Inslee’s administration.
The debate underscores ongoing conflicts over wolf management, echoing national disputes, and highlights how complex and divisive wildlife recovery efforts are.
STORY: Bellingham man goes to Olympics
The Opening Ceremony of the Paris Olympic games takes place this Friday, and one of them has ties to Bellingham.
21-year-old Jonas Ecker, a Bellingham native, is a student at the University of Washington and a seven-year Team USA veteran. He will partner with Aaron Small in the men’s canoe races, competing in both the K2 500-meter and K2 1,000-meter.
In all, 19 of the athletes representing Team USA have ties to Washington state– Good luck, Jonas and all the athletes!
WX: Sun
And now for your Whatcom County weather:
This week will be noticeably cooler than last, with today’s temperatures peaking at a high in the low 70s. Expect southward winds at speeds of up to 15 mph, gusting up to nearly 30. Nighttime lows will be around the mid 50s.
OUTRO:
Today’s newscast was produced by volunteers Carlos Braga (BRA-guh), Connor O’Boyle, Jayne Kuhlman (COOL-mun), Carlee Schram (CAR-lee SHRAM), Tristan Trudell, Kyler Cantrell, Ikumi Mashiko (ih-KOO-me muh-SHE-ko), Anna Vickers, and Theron (THAIR-in) Danielson. 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. Check out our Patreon page or go to kmre.org and click on the banner. I’m ________________, and thank you for listening.
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