July 7, 2026 News Transcript

Brunswick Creek fire in BC casts smokey haze over WA, Bellingham initiative prohibiting algorithmic rent fixing officially passes signature certification, St. Joe’s reports a near-tripling of fireworks injuries over 4th of July weekend compared to 2025, Local housing market holds steady, but slow, Affordable housing comes online, Legal battle over ferry fares continues, Portion of Skagit River closed to all fishing through Thursday, State Dept. of Natural Resources making strong headway on preserving forested areas through prescribed burns, Member of WA Human Rights Commission resigns following accusations of antisemitism, Holiday weekend sees jump in firework-related incidents (already covered), F&C – JULY 25 (not June) from FB post:

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KMRE brings you local news for Tuesday, July, 7th. Good afternoon, I’m ______.

STORY: Brunswick Creek fire in BC casts smokey haze over WA

A large fire in Brunswick Creek casts a haze over Washington state.

The fire became a concern on July 4th when intense winds increased the size and range of the fire in Brunswick Creek, about 50 north of Hope, B.C..

Evacuation Orders were put in place on Sunday for a large portion of the Fraser valley. The wildfire has continued to spread outside of the control line that the fire department established.

As of today, 96 firefighters have been assigned to the area to handle the incident as well as 12 helicopters to provide water and other resources and other heavy machinery to manage the fire.

STORY: Bellingham initiative prohibiting algorithmic rent fixing officially passes signature certification

A ballot initiative limiting rent-setting software has qualified for the November Election.

County Auditor Stacey Henthorn says Community First Whatcom submitted nearly 5,700 signatures, well above the 3,200 required. The petition was certified last Thursday.

The initiative would prohibit landlords from using algorithmic software that analyzes rental market data and recommends rent prices, lease renewal terms or occupancy levels. It would also ban agreements between landlords to establish rental prices.

The Bellingham City Council is expected to consider next week whether to place the measure on the November ballot.

STORY: St. Joe’s reports a near-tripling of fireworks injuries over 4th of July weekend compared to 2025

Hospitals in Washington have reported an increase in firework-related injuries following the Fourth of July weekend.

PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham says its emergency department treated 14 firework-related injuries over the weekend. That’s up from five patients treated last Fourth of July holiday.

Harborview Medical Center in Seattle reported 86 people were treated for fireworks-related injuries, up from the 52 patients in 2025.

Hospital officials say many of these injuries were severe and could have been prevented.

STORY: One driver hospitalized following two-vehicle collision on Bow Hill Road

A BC woman is in the hospital following a lane-change crash on Bow Hill Road

The Washington State Patrol says both vehicles were headed north Monday when the first driver moved into the second lane. The other driver swerved onto the left shoulder to avoid her, but the two vehicles collided.

Troopers say the first vehicle, driven by a 68‑year‑old woman from Coquitlam (ko-KWIT-lum), rolled onto its side and blocked the lane. She was taken to Skagit (SKA-jit) Valley Hospital.

The second driver was not hurt. Troopers blame the crash on an improper lane change.

STORY: Local housing market holds steady, but slow
Whatcom County’s housing market remained relatively steady in the second quarter.

Prices and sales did see modest increases compared to a year ago, but homes are taking significantly longer to sell—averaging 46 days on the market. Local realtors say higher mortgage rates and increased inventory are giving buyers more time to weigh their options.

Meanwhile, Sudden Valley stood out as one of the county’s hottest markets, with home sales jumping more than 23 percent.

STORY: Affordable housing comes online
Families have started to move into the new affordable housing development near Bellis Fair Mall.

The Opportunity Council says Cedar Commons will ultimately provide 129 affordable apartments and an early learning center with space for about 80 children. The first phase is now complete, with 65 units serving lower-income families. Construction is already underway on a second phase that will add 64 apartments for seniors by next summer.

The City of Bellingham has invested just over $10 million toward the nearly $65 million project.

STORY: Legal battle over ferry fares continues
A legal battle over fares for the Lummi Island ferry is headed into its next chapter.

The Washington Court of Appeals has issued a split decision in a citizen lawsuit challenging how Whatcom County calculates fares for the Whatcom Chief. The lawsuit argues ferry users should only pay 55 percent of operating expenses, not capital projects.

The court agreed—for the second time—that over 750-thousand dollars in ferry dock repairs are capital costs that cannot be passed on to riders through the fare box. But it also ruled that roughly 3-and-a-half million dollars in tideland lease payments can continue to be included in fares.

Plaintiff Peter Earle says he plans to ask the court to reconsider the ruling and, if necessary, appeal to the Washington Supreme Court.

STORY: Portion of Skagit River closed to all fishing through Thursday

A portion of the Skagit (SKA-jit) River will be closed to all fishing through Thursday.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife says part of the lower Skagit River will be closed to all fishing until Thursday, and again from July 13th through 15th. The closed area is from the State Route 536 bridge to Gilligan Creek.

The closure allows WDFW to conduct research on salmon runs using SONAR, drift nets and fish tagging methods.

Fishing will still be allowed in the area between Thursday and Saturday– with some restrictions. All salmon except sockeye must be released, and the daily catch limit is 4 sockeye.

There will be additional periodic closures in the Skagit and Baker river areas during the upcoming tribal fisheries. For updates about closures, fishers can visit the WDFW website or download the Fish Washington app.

STORY: State Dept. of Natural Resources making strong headway on preserving forested areas through prescribed burns
Washington state is using fire to fight fire.

The Washington Department of Natural Resources says it’s nearly halfway to its goal of treating 1.25 million acres through thinning and prescribed burns. Officials say controlled burns may create some smoke now, but they’re intended to reduce the risk of the massive wildfires that have repeatedly blanketed Western Washington with hazardous air in recent years.

DNR says its goal is to have the burns completed by 2037. Restoring forest health will take decades, but they warn a delay in the work will only make future fires larger and more destructive.

STORY: Member of WA Human Rights Commission resigns following accusations of antisemitism

A member of Washington’s Human Rights Commission resigned this week after accusations of antisemitism.

Commissioner Luc Jasmin (LUKE JAZ-min) made comments during a March 2025 meeting, where members discussed passing a resolution to condemn antisemitism. Jasmin asked if the commission was under duress to approve the resolution, and made disparaging remarks about Jewish people.

The meeting was published just 3 weeks ago on the commission’s YouTube page, and Jasmin is now receiving backlash for his remarks.

The commission approved the resolution in April 2025. It acknowledged that criticism of the Israeli government, anti-Zionism or support of Palestinian rights do not necessarily constitute antisemitism.

In his resignation letter, Jasmin apologized, but said he was resigning because he felt pressured to do so.

Governor Bob Ferguson said he will appoint a replacement for Jasmin soon, and encouraged anyone interested in the position to apply.

WX: Se-venti vanilla latte

And now, the weather!

Expect mostly sunny skies today with highs in the mid-70’s. Look for clouds to come in towards the evening and stay through the night with overnight lows in the mid-50’s.

And for tomorrow, it’s more sunshine with highs in the low 70’s with some light breezes. Look for a mix of sun and clouds for the rest of the week with highs hovering around 73.

Summer truly is beautiful.

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!

STORY: Holiday weekend sees jump in firework-related incidents (already covered)

F&C – JULY 25 (not June) from FB post: