Moles Farewell Tributes ends connection to Whatcom County amid investigation of improper body storage, EMS reviewing transport data after claims by Lummi Nation of inadequate emergency response, City investigating sources of stormwater contaminants entering Bellingham Bay, Construction delays continue through summer at Hannegan Rd. 72% of Washington eighth graders not proficient in math, report shows, Ex-Washington state auditor fights disbarment following prison time
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KMRE brings you local news for Thursday, June 13th. Good afternoon, I’m ______.
STORY: Deming woman arrested for suspicion of DUI after crashing vehicle into residence
A Deming woman has been arrested for suspicion of DUI after crashing into a house.
State Patrol Trooper Kelsey Harding said that the driver of the vehicle, 27-year old Tabitha Johnnie, was behind the wheel of a vehicle headed north on State Route 9 last Saturday. The car veered off the road and crashed into a private residence between Deming and Acme.
Johnnie and her passenger were taken to St. Joseph Medical Center. Nobody was in the house at the time of the crash.
STORY: Moles Farewell Tributes ends connection to Whatcom County amid investigation of improper body storage
Moles Farewell Tributes and Cremation Center officially terminated its partnership with Whatcom County after they claim the Medical Examiner’s office failed to properly store multiple human remains.
The funeral home had served as a temporary morgue since last year. However, John Moles, the funeral home owner, said in a recent statement that they quote “won’t tolerate substandard operations” end-of-quote, nor the county’s refusal to absolve Moles Farewell Tributes of wrongdoing in the mishandling of the bodies.
County spokesperson Jed Holmes says the county’s temporary morgue has been moved to Simple Cremation of Bellingham, and that the county has launched an independent investigation into why the medical examiner’s office failed to uphold proper procedure after autopsies.
The county says it has also acquired a refrigerated truck for additional storage space, and that County Executive Satpal Sidhu has prioritized the completion of renovations on the medical examiner’s State Street office.
Moles denies any responsibility for the mishandling of bodies on their property.
STORY: EMS reviewing transport data after claims by Lummi Nation of inadequate emergency response
Whatcom County EMS Services is refuting the Lummi Nation’s claims that EMS failed to provide adequate emergency response to the reservation.
Following the death of a Lummi woman in April, Tribal Chairman Anthony Hillaire sent a letter to County EMS stating that services to Lummi Nation are systematically inadequate. County EMS Manager Mike Hilley said that EMS administration reviewed countywide data, and says they don’t believe the data supports Hillaire’s allegations.
The letter asserts that the Lummi woman’s death was not an isolated incident, but rather part of a larger pattern. Hillaire expressed ongoing concerns about instances where EMS declined to transport patients. According to a public records request by the Cascadia Daily News, about 30% of Lummi patients were not transported to the hospital by either Whatcom County or Bellingham Fire departments.
According to Hilley, the non-transport rate sits at about 48% across the whole county. This is due in part to protocols created during the COVID-19 pandemic that were designed to ease overcrowding in emergency rooms. Hilley says he has requested more data from around the state to understand what left-at-home rates look like in areas comparable to Whatcom County, and to understand if better protocols need to be developed.
STORY: City investigating sources of stormwater contaminants entering Bellingham Bay
The City of Bellingham is actively investigating local stormwater runoffs for possible sources of contamination after a new study found multiple hotspots for bacterial pollution.
RE Sources (REE-sources), a Bellingham non-profit, studied the quality of stormwater flowing into Bellingham Bay from 2021 to 2023, and found E. coli levels five times higher than safe limits at the Bennett Outfall, located close to Taylor Dock. Researchers say bacteria levels are likely diluted but advise people to swim with caution.
The data comes a week after Whatcom County Health and Community Services issued a swimming advisory for Boulevard and Taylor Dock due to high levels of fecal coliform bacteria found during regular testing. The city says it is looking to identify the sources of the pollution.
STORY: Construction delays continue through summer at Hannegan Rd.
Road construction is expected to continue at the intersection of East Smith and Hannegan Road until at least mid-August.
Stremler Gravel was contracted by the county to install a multi-lane roundabout at the intersection. The project began last month, and major construction was originally expected to be done by July 4th. In their website, Whatcom County Public Works stated that there have been several delays to the project, and drivers should continue to anticipate high traffic and long wait times.
The total estimated cost for the roundabout is over $7.5 million dollars. Just over half is funded by federal grants including the Highway Safety Improvement Program and the Federal Carbon Reduction Program. The other portion—totaling more than $3.5 million dollars– will come from local road funds, which are primarily sourced from property taxes.
Work on the intersection is underway from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily and including weekends.
STORY: 72% of Washington eighth graders not proficient in math, report shows
A new report indicates most Washington K-12 students have not met basic math and reading proficiency standards in the last four years.
According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, in 2022, 66% of Washington fourth graders were not proficient in reading, and 72% of eighth graders were not proficient in math. The foundation’s report, based on the National Assessment of Educational Progress data, shows Washington students performing slightly better than the national average.
The Kids Count Data Book says Washington ranks 14th in overall child well-being– but 26th in education. The pandemic notably impacted eighth graders’ math proficiency, with a 12 percentage point drop from 2019 to 2022. Recovery has been observed from 2022 to 2023,however, concerns persist for students of color and low-income students. Additionally, 57% of Washington children aged 3 to 4 were not enrolled in school between 2018 and 2022. Stephan Blanford, executive director of Children’s Alliance, says the subsequent dramatic decline of test scores highlights the importance of early learning for K-12 success. Blanford says although high-level comparisons are often not sophisticated enough to capture key nuances, the data is useful in that it gives an imperfect picture of the performance of schools.
The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction says Washington achieved record-high kindergarten readiness this fall.
WX: Cloudy
Your Whatcom County weather today – Expect a mix of clouds and sun, with a high of 67 degrees. Tonight will be clear, as temperatures drop to a low of 50. Rain is likely to return tomorrow morning.
OUTRO:
Today’s newscast was produced by volunteers AnThu Nguyen (ANNE-two new-WIN), Carlos Braga, Connor O’Boyle, Jayne Kuhlman, Kye Salinas (KEY suh-LEE-nus), Maggie Flowers, and Kyler Cantrell. 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 thanks for listening.
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STORY: Ex-Washington state auditor fights disbarment following prison time
Disgraced former state auditor Troy X. Kelley is contesting his disbarment due to his 2017 conviction on eight felonies, which led to his imprisonment.
Kelley requested the state Supreme Court to overturn the disbarment recommendation from the State Bar Association’s Disciplinary Board, and advocated instead for his six-year suspension to count as “time served” and to be reinstated to inactive status. While serving in the state House and as Washington state auditor, Kelly faced legal troubles from his real estate services business between 2006 and 2008, which led to charges including money laundering, possession of stolen property, lying to federal officials, and filing false tax returns. Prosecutors alleged he kept about $3 million dollars in fees meant for homeowners. Following his indictment, he faced two trials; the first ended with a deadlocked jury on most counts, while the second resulted in eight felony convictions. Kelley has been suspended from the bar since January 2018 and continues to challenge his convictions.
The former auditor says he has no intention of practicing law again and cited his public service and the time elapsed since his offenses as mitigating factors. Conversely, the bar association’s attorney maintained that disbarment was necessary to uphold the integrity of the legal profession, stressing that Kelley’s felony convictions involved crimes of dishonesty.
