Whatcom County funeral home investigated for improper storage of human remains, blames recently expanded medical examiner’s office, Whatcom County to explore operating year-round homeless shelter, Puget Sound Energy will ramp up collection efforts for thousands of overdue bills, Boeing pays record $11.5M in wages wrongly withheld from WA workers, New labeling standards will make it easier to determine what packaging is compostable, Free and Cheap
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Independent, nonprofit community radio.
KMRE brings you local news for Friday, June 7th. Good afternoon, I’m _David Korb_____.
STORY: Whatcom County funeral home investigated for improper storage of human remains, blames recently expanded medical examiner’s office
The Washington State Department of Licensing and Whatcom County are investigating complaints about improperly stored human remains at a Bellingham Funeral home.
The Department of Licensing was notified twice on May 16th by other Whatcom County funeral homes that Moles Farewell Tributes Bayview Chapel was improperly storing human remains. The reports alleged that there were six to seven unrefrigerated bodies at the funeral home, held for the Whatcom County Medical Examiner. The DOL confirmed that a formal investigation has been opened into whether Moles violated state law.
The investigation comes after Whatcom County Council recently approved a lease extension for the Medical Examiner’s office as the group prepares to transition from contract workers to county employees. Moles Farewell Tributes, is currently the temporary morgue for Whatcom County, while the Medical Examiner’s Office undergoes renovations. The County pays Moles for autopsies, storage, and transport. According to owner John Moles, they are not legally able to move the bodies without a request from the Medical Examiner’s office who has responsibility for the remains, and no request was made.
The investigation is ongoing.
STORY: Whatcom County to explore operating year-round homeless shelter
Whatcom County Council is currently exploring the possibility of a year-round, low-barrier homeless shelter.
A resolution presented Tuesday proposes that the County run its own shelter, as well as expand year-round shelter capacity. In the past year, Whatcom spent over 1.3 million dollars funding winter and severe weather shelters, with a single bed costing the county $426 per night. The proposal would cut that expense to an estimated $64, as well as reduce the need to find seasonal staff and coordinate with non-profit organizations.
County Deputy Executive Kayla Schott-Bresler pointed out that the hiring of full-time staff would create more work and impede the county’s ability to perform existing tasks. Council Members Tyler Byrd and Ben Elenbaas added that, in their opinion, those who utilize the shelter should also be expected to seek employment or more permanent housing while there.
Council Member Kaylee Galloway, one of the resolution’s supporters, acknowledged the concerns, but said that providing shelter to all homeless people in Whatcom County is possible.
STORY: Puget Sound Energy will ramp up collection efforts for thousands of overdue bills
Thousands of low-income families could have gas and electric service cut off because of their long overdue bills.
State regulators agreed last month to allow Puget Sound Energy to resume credit and collection practices paused since the pandemic. PSE is working to recover more than $140 million dollars owed from tens of thousands of customers.
If a customer fails to act within 30 days, PSE may place them on a phased debt collection plan. Disconnections for non-payment are limited to those who owe more than $250 and are more than 90 days overdue.
In response to the decision, PSE’s director of customer operations said that they will do everything possible to help customers and will not disconnect people who are working to pay their bill.
STORY: Boeing pays record $11.5M in wages wrongly withheld from WA workers
Boeing paid a company record $11.5 million in wrongfully withheld travel pay to almost 500 employees.
According to the state Department of Labor and Industries, employees who were shorted wages are part of traveling work crews responsible for helping return grounded planes to service. The payments, which ranged from a few hundred dollars to over $90,000, originated from uncompensated business trips between October 2019 and August 2023.
In 2021, the Washington Court of Appeals ruled that workers in the state must be paid for out-of-town business travel. A year later, the Department of Labor and Industries found that Boeing had not paid or accounted for all overtime and sick leave associated with their employees’ business trips.
Payouts were made on March 24th.
STORY: New labeling standards will make it easier to determine what packaging is compostable
Passage of the Organics Management Law 2.0 earlier this year means changes are coming to labels on compostable products.
This update aims to reduce consumer confusion, making composting more efficient and less costly. Starting this month, products in Washington must be certified by a third party to meet scientific standards for industrial composting. Other key updates include clearer definition of those products exempt from labeling– including products made of wood and those over 98% fiber without plastic or wax additives.
The new law also clarifies the use of colors on non-compostable film bags, restricting the use of green, beige, and brown to avoid misleading customers. The law also directs the departments of Ecology as well as Agriculture to explore creating compostable produce stickers to reduce microplastics in compost. That report is due by September 2025.
STORY: Free and Cheap
Here’s a short list of events around the county this weekend.
Pipeline Safety Trust is hosting events in remembrance of the 1999 Olympic Pipeline Explosion. Tomorrow at 9:30 am, the Pickford Film Center is screening a film followed by a discussion of the disaster. Tickets are free and available online. Later that day, the trust is hosting a guided walk of Whatcom Falls Park at 2 pm. More information about the tour, and other events are available at PSTrust.org.
Also on Saturday, the City of Bellingham is hosting a Community Work Party at the Parks Native Plant Nursery. Volunteers will help provide maintenance and weeding. The event starts at 9 am with all ages welcome. Tools will be provided. Registration is available at VolunteerBellingham.org.
Portal Putt Miniature Golf has opened for the season at the Portal Container Village. Golf is open from 1pm to dusk Thursday through Sunday, with tickets at 10 dollars for adults and 8 dollars for kids 12 and under.
WX: Sun
Your Whatcom County weather: Expect sun all day, with a high of 75 degrees. Tonight will be clear, as temperatures drop to a low of 53. A few clouds will arrive tomorrow with even warmer temperatures, and the sun is expected to shine all weekend.
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), 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 your listener donations. Check out our Patreon page or visit kmre.org and click on the banner. I’m _David Korb_______________… thanks for listening.
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