Rise In Homelessness, Bellingham Increase Police Presence, WWU Student Workers Form Union, Peacehealth Closes Another Clinic, Ferndale Police Looking for Rock Throwers, Juneteenth Celebrations Independent, nonprofit community radio.
KMRE brings you local news for [Monday], [June 12]. Good afternoon, I’m ______.
STORY: RISE IN HOMELESSNESS
A recent report from Whatcom County Health and Human Services shows a 27 percent increase in homelessness across the county since last year.
The annual census counted more than 1000 individuals from 850 households without long-term housing. Whatcom County Health and Community Services Housing Supervisor Chris Donofrio (duh-NAH-free-oh) explains who is without housing in our region.
CHRIS 01
The jump in homelessness is dramatic. The new figures include sheltered individuals staying in emergency shelters and transitional housing, as well as unsheltered people living in unconventional dwellings– such as tents, vehicles or abandoned buildings. The data comes from the Health Department’s Point-In-Time census, a cross-sectional survey conducted one day a year. However, the count from last year showed a three percent decrease in homelessness among individuals, and just a 2 percent increase in household homelessness. Donofrio explains where some of the discrepancy might be coming from.
CHRIS 02
Although shelter capacity increased slightly since last year, the number of households requesting services is growing faster than the county’s ability to provide assistance. One of the quickest growing demographics facing homelessness is seniors over the age of 60. Donofrio says the reasons for homelessness are complex and wide ranging, but he says, there is a way that the county can start to address the underlying issues.
CHRIS 03
STORY: BELLINGHAM INCREASES POLICE PRESENCE
The city of Bellingham is implementing a program to increase police presence in downtown areas.
Bellingham Police Department explains that because of the city’s recent success in hiring, they plan to offer overtime shifts as “emphasis patrols”. Bellingham faced a shortage of officers starting in 2020 due to various factors, including the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder, new state laws on police accountability, retirements, and dismissals related to the city’s COVID-19 vaccine requirement.
The current program does not indicate an immediate revival of the special units, such as bike patrols and the drug task force, but involves officers from the existing divisions taking on additional patrol duties through overtime shifts.
STORY: WWU STUDENT WORKERS FORM UNION
Student workers at Western Washington University have voted overwhelmingly in favor of forming a union.
According to a recent press release, student employees have formed the Western Academic Workers United-UAW by a vote of 805-19.
The vote took place during finals week, with over 75% of the university’s eleven hundred student workers participating.
The group had filed for union formation in December, and the certification of the vote results is expected soon. Additionally, another group of student workers engaged in clerical and maintenance jobs are seeking authorization cards to join the union.
STORY: PEACEHEALTH CLOSES ANOTHER CLINIC
Peacehealth has announced the closure of its Asthma and Allergy Clinic in the Cordata neighborhood.
Peacehealth cited rising costs as the reason for the closure and mentioned “duplication in the community” as a factor in their decision. The clinic will no longer accept new patients and will permanently shut down on September 30th. Current patients can continue making appointments until July 10th, after which limited services will be available until the closure. Peace Health officials denied a request by KMRE News for an interview, instead sending the following statement:
Quote “Decisions such as the one affecting PeaceHealth’s Allergy and Asthma Clinic, and others that we’ve had to make to meet our current financial challenges, are very difficult, take into account many factors and are not made lightly.”
They apologize for the inconvenience to the community, but they say there is another allergist in town who will take many of the people left without doctors.
STORY: FERNDALE POLICE LOOKING FOR ROCK THROWERS
The Ferndale Police are seeking assistance from the public to identify people who have been breaking store windows with rocks.
Since May 11th, there have been at least 15 incidents of rocks being thrown, resulting in significant property damage. The police believe that two or more individuals may be involved in a string of incidents along Thornton Street and Malloy Avenue, between the hours of 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. Anyone with information about the incidents is urged to contact the Ferndale Police.
STORY: JUNETEENTH CELEBRATIONS
A reminder that City-wide Juneteenth celebrations kick off with the Commercial Street Block Party which takes place on Wednesday featuring Black-owned businesses, the Double Dutch Divas, food trucks, games, and small business shopping.
On Friday, Boulevard Park will host a Juneteenth Celebration with food trucks, a live DJ, vendors, arts and crafts, and family-friendly activities, and Maritime Heritage Park will also hold a community picnic featuring live music, entertainment, and a community art wall.
WX: OVERCAST AND MISTY
Expect to see mist,drizzle, or even light rain showers beginning to develop through this afternoon in spots. The mist should linger through tonight, with steadier light showers at higher terrain. Overcast skies are expected to linger into the morning tomorrow, but conditions will remain mostly dry Wednesday night through Friday morning. The next system is expected to arrive Friday afternoon.
OUTRO:
Today’s newscast was produced by volunteer Myles Weber. 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. I’m ________________ and thanks for listening.
Rise In Homelessness, Bellingham Increase Police Presence, WWU Student Workers Form Union, Peacehealth Closes Another Clinic, Ferndale Police Looking for Rock Throwers, Juneteenth Celebrations
Independent, nonprofit community radio.
KMRE brings you local news for [Monday], [June 12]. Good afternoon, I’m ______.
STORY: RISE IN HOMELESSNESS
A recent report from Whatcom County Health and Human Services shows a 27 percent increase in homelessness across the county since last year.
The annual census counted more than 1000 individuals from 850 households without long-term housing. Whatcom County Health and Community Services Housing Supervisor Chris Donofrio (duh-NAH-free-oh) explains who is without housing in our region.
CHRIS 01
The jump in homelessness is dramatic. The new figures include sheltered individuals staying in emergency shelters and transitional housing, as well as unsheltered people living in unconventional dwellings– such as tents, vehicles or abandoned buildings. The data comes from the Health Department’s Point-In-Time census, a cross-sectional survey conducted one day a year. However, the count from last year showed a three percent decrease in homelessness among individuals, and just a 2 percent increase in household homelessness. Donofrio explains where some of the discrepancy might be coming from.
CHRIS 02
Although shelter capacity increased slightly since last year, the number of households requesting services is growing faster than the county’s ability to provide assistance. One of the quickest growing demographics facing homelessness is seniors over the age of 60. Donofrio says the reasons for homelessness are complex and wide ranging, but he says, there is a way that the county can start to address the underlying issues.
CHRIS 03
STORY: BELLINGHAM INCREASES POLICE PRESENCE
The city of Bellingham is implementing a program to increase police presence in downtown areas.
Bellingham Police Department explains that because of the city’s recent success in hiring, they plan to offer overtime shifts as “emphasis patrols”. Bellingham faced a shortage of officers starting in 2020 due to various factors, including the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder, new state laws on police accountability, retirements, and dismissals related to the city’s COVID-19 vaccine requirement.
The current program does not indicate an immediate revival of the special units, such as bike patrols and the drug task force, but involves officers from the existing divisions taking on additional patrol duties through overtime shifts.
STORY: WWU STUDENT WORKERS FORM UNION
Student workers at Western Washington University have voted overwhelmingly in favor of forming a union.
According to a recent press release, student employees have formed the Western Academic Workers United-UAW by a vote of 805-19.
The vote took place during finals week, with over 75% of the university’s eleven hundred student workers participating.
The group had filed for union formation in December, and the certification of the vote results is expected soon. Additionally, another group of student workers engaged in clerical and maintenance jobs are seeking authorization cards to join the union.
STORY: PEACEHEALTH CLOSES ANOTHER CLINIC
Peacehealth has announced the closure of its Asthma and Allergy Clinic in the Cordata neighborhood.
Peacehealth cited rising costs as the reason for the closure and mentioned “duplication in the community” as a factor in their decision. The clinic will no longer accept new patients and will permanently shut down on September 30th. Current patients can continue making appointments until July 10th, after which limited services will be available until the closure. Peace Health officials denied a request by KMRE News for an interview, instead sending the following statement:
Quote “Decisions such as the one affecting PeaceHealth’s Allergy and Asthma Clinic, and others that we’ve had to make to meet our current financial challenges, are very difficult, take into account many factors and are not made lightly.”
They apologize for the inconvenience to the community, but they say there is another allergist in town who will take many of the people left without doctors.
STORY: FERNDALE POLICE LOOKING FOR ROCK THROWERS
The Ferndale Police are seeking assistance from the public to identify people who have been breaking store windows with rocks.
Since May 11th, there have been at least 15 incidents of rocks being thrown, resulting in significant property damage. The police believe that two or more individuals may be involved in a string of incidents along Thornton Street and Malloy Avenue, between the hours of 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. Anyone with information about the incidents is urged to contact the Ferndale Police.
STORY: JUNETEENTH CELEBRATIONS
A reminder that City-wide Juneteenth celebrations kick off with the Commercial Street Block Party which takes place on Wednesday featuring Black-owned businesses, the Double Dutch Divas, food trucks, games, and small business shopping.
On Friday, Boulevard Park will host a Juneteenth Celebration with food trucks, a live DJ, vendors, arts and crafts, and family-friendly activities, and Maritime Heritage Park will also hold a community picnic featuring live music, entertainment, and a community art wall.
WX: OVERCAST AND MISTY
Expect to see mist,drizzle, or even light rain showers beginning to develop through this afternoon in spots. The mist should linger through tonight, with steadier light showers at higher terrain. Overcast skies are expected to linger into the morning tomorrow, but conditions will remain mostly dry Wednesday night through Friday morning. The next system is expected to arrive Friday afternoon.
OUTRO:
Today’s newscast was produced by volunteer Myles Weber. 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. I’m ________________ and thanks for listening.
