Ferndale PD seeking assistance locating car prowlers, California man arrested for smuggling noncitizens across Canadian border, Ground broken on development promising to provide lasting affordable housing, Lynden school district hopeful new housing developments can offset bond costs, Postal Service to address Whatcom mail delays, Ferguson announces plans for WA ferry fleet
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KMRE brings you local news for Monday, March 10th. Good afternoon, I’m ______.
STORY: Ferndale PD seeking assistance locating car prowlers
Ferndale Police are asking for the public’s help in locating suspected car prowlers.
According to a Facebook post, several vehicles were searched at Star Park last Wednesday, including a white Mercedes-Benz SUV with Washington plates. Surveillance photos show at least one suspect wearing a pink hoodie.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Officer Lloyd with Ferndale Police by email or phone.
STORY: California man arrested for smuggling noncitizens across Canadian border
A resident of Santa Rosa, California was sentenced to six months in prison for his role in an illegal smuggling operation that transported noncitizens across the northern border.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington, Sushil Kumar (soo-SHEEL koo-MAR), a 35-year-old citizen of India, was part of a Santa Rosa-based network that directed noncitizens to Peace Arch Park in Canada, where they were guided across the border before being transported to locations throughout Washington and beyond.
Kumar was investigated after a motion-activated camera captured five people jumping a fence near Blaine’s Boundary Village Apartments in November of 2023. The individuals, all Indian citizens without documentation, entered a white minivan and were later stopped by the U.S. Border Patrol. Court records indicate that they each paid between $5-and-10,000 to be smuggled into the U.S. The minivan driver, 68-year-old Bobby Joe Green, admitted he was paid $500 per trip to transport individuals across the border.
Prosecutors condemned the smuggling scheme for exploiting vulnerable individuals and posing potential security risks. Kumar was sentenced to six months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release for conspiracy to transport noncitizens for profit. Two other Indian citizens, 26-year-old Rajat Rajat (RAW-jit RAW-jit) and 20-year-old Sneha (snay-HA) were later arrested for similar smuggling activities. Rajat and Green have pleaded guilty and await sentencing, while Sneha’s trial is set for May.
STORY: Ground broken on development promising to provide lasting affordable housing
A groundbreaking ceremony was held last Thursday for a new affordable housing development in Bellingham’s Birchwood neighborhood.
LaFreniere (LAH-fruh-neer) Court will feature 18 permanently affordable homes, including:
- Eight three-bedroom, two-bath homes
- Eight two-bedroom, two-bath homes, and
- Two ADA-accessible two-bedroom, two-bath single-story homes
All homes will be energy efficient and solar-ready, with prices expected to be under $325,000 for larger units and under $275,000 for smaller units.
The development utilizes KulshanCLT’s model, where home buyers purchase the homes below market rate while the nonprofit retains ownership of the land, ensuring permanent affordability. Homeowners build equity at a yearly rate of 1.5%.
Bellingham Mayor Kim Lund, who attended the ceremony, emphasized the importance of expanding access to homeownership as a wealth-building tool. The development aligns with the mayor’s executive order last year addressing Bellingham’s housing crisis, where 56% of renters and 24% of homeowners are cost-burdened.
According to Kulshan CLT, the homes will be available to households at or below 80% of the Area Median Income. The City Sprouts Farm, currently on the property, will remain operational after construction is complete.
The development is expected to welcome its first residents by December.
STORY: Lynden school district hopeful new housing developments can offset bond costs
The Lynden School District says it will seek approval from the City of Lynden and Whatcom County to implement impact fees on new housing developments beginning next January.
The fees would help fund needed expansions at Lynden High School and elementary schools without relying solely on bonds, which have failed twice recently — the August vote received roughly 46% approval, far short of the required 60%.
The proposed fees would be nearly $7,000 for each new single-family dwelling with three or more bedrooms, or multi-family dwelling with two or more bedrooms. Smaller units would be exempt from these fees. According to School Superintendent David VanderYacht (VAN-dur YACHT), to avoid hampering local development, these rates represent a discount of 25% for single-family units and approximately 50% for multi-family units from the maximum allowable rates.
The district estimates these fees could generate between $7-to-eight-and-a-half million dollars over 15 years within the City of Lynden alone. The funds would help expand capacity at multiple schools and potentially reduce the cost of future bond measures.
With enrollment already exceeding permanent capacity and anticipated growth from developments like Pepin (PEH-pin) Creek, the district faces increasing space challenges. Several neighboring districts including Bellingham, Ferndale, and Mount Vernon already utilize similar impact fee structures.
STORY: Postal Service to address Whatcom mail delays
New mail carriers will soon take to the streets of Everson and Nooksack with the goal of alleviating ongoing complaints from local residents over mail delays.
According to Postal Service media spokesperson Zachary Laux (LO), short staffing and winter weather have contributed to delays. Laux encouraged residents to keep paths clear for carriers, and reassured the community that service improvements are underway.
Furthermore, Laux said that new carriers are nearing the end of training, and will soon be onboard to help alleviate the staffing shortages.
Mail delays are not new to the county. In 2022, Washington congress members Suzan DelBene (DEL ben-NAY) and Rick Larsen urged the U.S. Postmaster General, Louis DeJoy (LEWIS THE JOY), to address the issues. Complaints from the community detailed mail carriers working extended hours to catch up on deliveries and residents not receiving timely items such as medication. An unnamed spokesperson said the delays were caused by COVID-19.
Laux said the Postal Service encourages customers to report concerns through official channels, and complainers have been given similar advice. Complaints and comments can be submitted at usps.com by clicking Contact Us at the bottom of the homepage.
STORY: Ferguson announces plans for WA ferry fleet
Governor Ferguson has outlined his plan for Washington’s ferry system.
In a press conference last Thursday, Ferguson said the conversion for two of the state’s largest ferries to hybrid-electric will be delayed. The conversion process can take up to two years to complete. Ferguson stressed that quote “Washingtonians count on fast, reliable ferries to get to work and access critical services” unquote. As such, the Governor aims to bring the state’s fleet back to pre-pandemic operating capacity this summer, with at least 18 boats on the water.
Ferguson said that delaying the conversions will improve ferry services, especially ahead of major events such as next year’s World Cup – after which the conversions will resume.
WX: Rainy Bird Johnson
And now for your Whatcom County weather:
Today will kick off what is expected to be a consistently rainy week with scattered showers and wind gusts of up to 22 miles per hour. Daytime highs are projected in the high-40s, dropping into the 30s later on in the evening.
The rain is expected to continue through tomorrow and beyond, so our condolences to those of you who were looking to start the summer grilling season in early March.
OUTRO:
Today’s newscast was produced by volunteers Carlos Braga (BRA-guh), Connor O’Boyle, Kyler Cantrell, Theron (THAIR-in) Danielson, Paloma Ortiz, and Stevie Sjogren (SHOW-gren). Our news director is Staci Baird. 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 thank you for listening.
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