Social media post leads to arrest in stolen goods case, Whatcom County primary ballots mailed, Initiative that would make WA Cares payments optional to be on ballot, Relocation of Bellingham tiny home village delayed after neighbor files appeal, Whatcom and state unemployment rates on the rise, WA State Parks tighten overnight camping limits, raise fees
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KMRE brings you local news for Tuesday, July 23rd. Good afternoon, I’m ______.
STORY: Social media post leads to arrest in stolen goods case
Whatcom County authorities arrested a man last week after he was found selling stolen items online.
Two burglaries were reported to the sheriff’s office earlier this year – one in March, and the other in April. The victims of the burglaries later found their stolen property for sale on Facebook Marketplace. Detectives set up a meeting with the seller in late April. 33-year-old Reuben Perez claimed he didn’t know the property was stolen and agreed to return the items to their rightful owners – however that never happened. They also found that Perez had been using the Facebook profile of a man who’s been in prison since 2022.
Perez was arrested last Tuesday on suspicion of a variety of charges, including second-degree burglary and first-degree criminal impersonation. He has since been released on bail.
Story: Whatcom County primary ballots mailed
Primary ballots were mailed to Whatcom County residents last week.
On the ballot are a variety of federal and statewide office positions including President of the United States, Washington state governor, and members of the U.S. House and Senate from the 40th and 42nd districts. Also on the ballot will be legislative measures, as well as elections for fire protection district levies and precinct committee officers.
All partisan races in Whatcom County will be on the primary ballot regardless of the number of candidates. The two candidates with the most primary votes will advance to the Nov. 5 general election, regardless of party affiliation.
Washington is a vote-by-mail state, and all ballots must be postmarked by 8pm on August 6th, or placed in one of the 22 county-wide official drop boxes which are now open.
STORY: Initiative that would make WA Cares payments optional to be on ballot
An initiative to allow Washington state workers to opt out of the “WA Cares” program will be on the upcoming November ballot.
If passed, Initiative 2124 will make WA Cares, which went into effect in July of last year, voluntary. Most workers in Washington are currently required to participate in the program through a 0.58% payroll tax. Beginning in July 2026, those who qualify for the program will be able to access a $36,500 lifetime benefit to use on expenses like caretaking, equipment, or meals.
Supporters of Initiative 2124 say many people required to pay the tax may never use the full benefit or even qualify for it. Opponents of the initiative say the fact that all workers are required to participate means the premiums can be kept low. They fear the WA Cares program cannot survive if it is completely voluntary as premiums would become too expensive, which would lower the likelihood that those with the highest need for the program’s care will receive it.
Last year, “Let’s Go Washington”, a conservative political committee, led the signature-gathering drive to get Initiative 2124, along with measures to scrap the state cap-and-trade program and to repeal the state’s capital gains tax, on the ballot.
STORY: Relocation of Bellingham tiny home village delayed after neighbor files appeal
A planned relocation of two Bellingham tiny home villages to a property on Northwest Avenue is likely to be delayed after a neighboring business filed an appeal.
North Coast Credit Union borders the location of the new tiny home village, and is asking the hearing examiner to overturn the approval of a Temporary Shelter Permit. North Coast Credit Union’s appeal, filed last month by their CEO, A.C. Griffith, alleges that the city violated the property’s planned contract when it approved the permit for 52 tiny homes in the same space with a density limitation of 8 residential units. Credit Union representative Rachel Silkie had this to say about the appeal.
Northcoast Statement Audio
The city’s Communications Assistant Director, Melissa Morin, said the planned contract does not prohibit a tiny home village that complies with the Bellingham Municipal Code. She said the city will respond to the appeal’s argument about the unit restriction at the hearing.
The original plan to relocate both Unity Village in Fairhaven, and Swift Haven in the Puget neighborhood by the end of the year has now been put on hold. According to Morin, the pre-hearing conference with the hearing examiner is set for August 9th.
According to the City of Bellingham’s website, a move-in date for the project will be set after a determination on the appeal.
STORY: Whatcom and state unemployment rates on the rise
Unemployment rates in Whatcom County have recently been on the rise.
Recent records from both the Washington Employment Security Department and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that the county’s unemployment rate has increased 1.4% since May 2023. Other regions in Washington have also spiked, with Ferry County at the highest with 7.7%, and Asotin (uh-SO-tin) County at the lowest with 3.3%.
Washington State as a whole has seen an almost 19% increase since last May, with nearly 196,000 people receiving unemployment benefits as of this May.
STORY: WA State Parks tighten overnight camping limits, raise fees
New overnight camping rules in Washington state parks will go into effect starting August 19th.
The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission announced the new guidelines, which set a limit of 10 consecutive nights per stay and a total annual cap of 90 nights. Additionally, campers can no longer leave for short periods and return to the same park. Starting next year, overnight camping fees will increase to $23-to-$56 per night. Moorage fees and buoy moorage minimums will also see hikes.
The changes come amid a national campsite shortage, and bring Washington into alignment with neighboring states like California, Oregon, and Idaho, which have similar limits. Most public comments support the rule change, although some veterans and retirees have expressed opposition, which the Parks Commission says highlights their reliance on extended camping as primary housing.
Washington’s state parks system includes 77 campgrounds, with Deception Pass and Cape Disappointment being the most popular.
WX: Sun
And now for your Whatcom County weather:
Expect partly cloudy AM weather giving way to sunny skies, with highs in the mid-70s. There will be calm winds throughout the day, gusting up to 17 mph in the afternoon. Nighttime lows will be in 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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