Electric Avenue bridge closed for weeks due to ‘critical structural failures’, Final bulk carrier ship arrived to remove remaining scrap metal from Bellingham waterfront, Swimming advisory issued for Boulevard Park due to bacteria, New Central Garage Opens at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center, Power outage leaves over 1,000 without power in Glacier, Final week for eligible Washington families to claim $120 or $50 restitution payment as a result of price-fixing on common food items, State ferry system finally goes out to bid for new hybrid-electric vessels, Habitat for Humanity To Host Annual Trashion Show
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KMRE brings you local news for Tuesday, June 4th. Good afternoon, I’m ______.
STORY: Electric Avenue bridge closed for weeks due to ‘critical structural failures’
The Electric Avenue bridge has been closed after a recent inspection revealed structural failures.
Bellingham City Officials announced the immediate closure yesterday. According to Public Works Director, Eric Johnston, the bridge will remain closed until city officials can develop a plan for traffic to move safely across. The closure is expected to last a minimum of 2 weeks and drivers are advised to use Woburn Street as a detour.
Pedestrians and cyclists are still able to use the bridge. Transit updates from WTA and Bellingham Public Schools are yet to come.
STORY: Final bulk carrier ship arrived to remove remaining scrap metal from Bellingham waterfront
Yesterday, the final shipment of recycled metal from ABC Recycling began loading onto a carrier ship at the Bellingham Shipping Terminal.
According to ABC Recycling, 34,000 metric tons of scrap metal will be loaded onto the ship, where it will be transported to Bangladesh and smelted into building materials. The loading is expected to last no more than 10 days and will take place between the hours of 8 a.m. and 3 a.m.
Per the terms of a lease termination agreement between the Port of Bellingham and ABC Recycling, the company is required to remove all of its scrap from the waterfront site by June 30th. The agreement requires ABC Recycling to fully vacate the property by September 30th.
The original lease agreement was terminated after the Port alleged ABC committed various defaults under its original lease agreement, including parking a barge in an unauthorized location, failing to comply with stormwater management requirements, failing to maintain comprehensive liability insurance, and contaminating the water with waste and refuse.
ABC Recycling says it expects to meet all deadlines.
STORY: Swimming advisory issued for Boulevard Park due to bacteria
A swimming advisory was issued for Boulevard Park last week after routine monitoring detected high levels of fecal bacteria in the water.
Whatcom County Health and Community Services advises community members to avoid contact with the water in this area, particularly around Taylor Dock. In an email, The Department of Ecology said they will be checking to see if the high results remain consistent, and then identifying possible sources of pollution if there is an ongoing issue.
Beach water in Washington is tested regularly from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
STORY: New Central Garage Opens at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center
A new central garage at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center’s main campus opened yesterday.
The five-story garage accommodates over 600 vehicles, has 10 EV charging stations, and provides free parking for visitors, patients, and physicians. According to the hospital, the parking garage is another step closer to finishing the proposed Peter Paulsen Pavilion, which will provide a new emergency department and state-of-the-art care for women, children, and newborns.
STORY: Power outage leaves over 1,000 without power in Glacier
PSE says that over 1,000 homes were without power yesterday in Glacier.
Puget Sound Energy reported the outage due to high winds at around 6 am on Monday. Power was restored about two hours later. Widespread outages were also reported in Snohomish, King, and Pierce Counties due to the wind and rain resulting from the atmospheric river moving through our area.
Over 70,000 customer addresses were impacted in these areas.
STORY: Final week for eligible Washington families to claim $120 or $50 restitution payment as a result of price-fixing on common food items
More than 24,000 claims checks will head to Washingtonians in the next week as a result of antitrust lawsuits against chicken and tuna producers.
Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced today that checks totaling more than $2.5 million dollars from successful antitrust lawsuits brought by the Attorney General’s office will start arriving in consumer mailboxes soon. The lawsuit proved a widespread illegal conspiracy among well-known producers to inflate and manipulate prices of chicken and tuna products.
Monetary restitution is available to every household in Washington whose income is at or below 175% of the federal poverty level. Eligible single person households will receive $50, multi-person households will receive $120 dollars.
The deadline to file a claim is tomorrow. To see if you are eligible go to refundcheck.atg.wa.gov.
STORY: State ferry system finally goes out to bid for new hybrid-electric vessels
Washington State Ferries (WSF) has initiated the bidding process to build five new hybrid-electric ferries.
This is the first time in over 50 years that State Ferries will accept bids from shipyards nationwide, and reflects a shift towards electrification despite production delays and increased costs. The new ferries are intended to address the current fleet’s shortages, as Washington operates 21 ferries, but only 15 are in service due to maintenance and repairs.
Hybrid ferries have a potential 76% drop in fuel consumption, a fact that aligns with Washington State’s goal to reduce emissions. However, the debate over whether to revert to diesel power to get ferries into service quicker persists, with candidates for governor expressing varying views.
Bids are due in January 2025, with contracts awarded the following month. WSF plans to split the contract between two low bidders, aiming for delivery of the first two vessels by 2028.
STORY: Electric school buses come to Washington
In more hybrid transportation news, Washingtonians will start to see more electric school buses on the road after legislators in Olympia passed a bill this session that will increase their numbers. Reporter Eric Tegethoff has more.
ELECTRIC BUS AUDIO
WX: Rain
Your Whatcom County weather today – There is a chance of showers and thunderstorms today, with a high of 62 degrees. Tonight will be partly cloudy, as temperatures drop to a low of 47. The sun is expected to return tomorrow.
OUTRO:
Today’s newscast was produced by volunteers AnThu Nguyen (ANNE-two new-WIN), Carlos Braga, Connor O’Boyle, Jayne Kuhlman, and Kye Salinas (KEY suh-LEE-nus). 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: Habitat for Humanity To Host Annual Trashion Show
