Port of Bellingham sues waterfront developer after contract defaults, extension requests, Maritime Washington National Heritage Area Awards Grants for Interpretation Projects, including KMRE’s Love Your Waterfront, Maritime Washington National Heritage Area Awards Grants for Interpretation Projects, including KMRE’s Love Your Waterfront, Interview with Mayor Lund, Survey shows youth health better than expected, Judge rejects challenge to Washington gun control law, Free and Cheap, Alaska Airlines blames Boeing for blowout, wants out of passenger lawsuit
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Independent, nonprofit community radio.
KMRE brings you local news for Friday, March 15th. Good afternoon, I’m _David Korb_____.
STORY: Port of Bellingham sues waterfront developer after contract defaults, extension requests
The Port of Bellingham filed a lawsuit against Harcourt Developments, the company responsible for constructing three unfinished multi-million-dollar residential condo buildings along Bellingham’s waterfront.
According to port officials, the company defaulted on its development contract last year and their request for an extension was denied. Repeated failures to meet contractual obligations and environmental violations marked the company’s time on the waterfront. The lawsuit is now seeking declaratory judgment, attorney’s fees, and further relief from the court.
Harcourt was originally selected in 2015 as the lead developer for about 19 acres of the Waterfront District but had it reduced to 8. The company was expected to complete its three residential buildings by the end of 2023, but now has no timeline for completion.
STORY: Maritime Washington National Heritage Area Awards Grants for Interpretation Projects, including KMRE’s Love Your Waterfront
KMRE has been awarded a Maritime Washington National Heritage Area grant for the local radio show Love Your Waterfront.
The $5,000 dollar grant is part of a series designed to support storytelling around the people and resources who live along the waters of Washington. Show producer, Susan Lindsey, says the money will help increase the reporting of sound stories and news from the maritime community in Whatcom County.
LINDSEY AUDIO
Love Your Waterfront is a collaboration between KMRE Community Radio, Bellingham SeaFeast, Whatcom Working Waterfront Coalition, and Bellingham Tourism.
STORY: Interview with Mayor Lund
In an interview with KMRE Wednesday, Bellingham Mayor Kim Lund talked about her first 72 days in office and touched on her top priorities. Mayor Lund talked about a recently announced collaboration between the City and the Bellingham School District.
LUND EXCITING AUDIO
When asked if the move fundamentally changes the Bellingham parks system, the Mayor had this to say–
LUND PARKS NOT FOR SALE AUDIO
To find out more about some of Mayor Lund’s top priorities, listen to the complete interview today after the 5pm news right here on KMRE 88.3FM.
STORY: Survey shows youth health better than expected
The Washington State Department of Health released the results of its 2023 Healthy Youth Survey, showing that youth health is better than expected.
The project covered 217,000 students in grades 6 through 12. The survey showed improved health behaviors and mental health, along with increased social support.
Substance use by Washington 10th graders has remained stable, with about 8% of students currently vaping, drinking, or using cannabis. There has been an uptrend in the use of prescription and other drugs, but this represents less than 3% of 10th graders. The Department acknowledges that more work needs to be done.
Mental health outcomes among 10th graders are improving, but remain concerning, especially for youth who already face more barriers to mental health support. According to the new data, depression significantly decreased from 2021. Even so, 30% of 10th graders reported persistent depressive feelings, and nearly 15% reported suicide ideation. While these numbers are fairly high, it is also the lowest rate for Washington in 20 years.
Still, officials are encouraged by the increase of students that feel that they have access to support and information if they need it.
STORY: Judge rejects challenge to Washington gun control law
A federal judge dismissed a challenge to Washington’s new gun law, which requires gun manufacturers and dealers to take reasonable steps to prevent their products from reaching the wrong hands.
The law, known as the Firearm Industry Responsibility & Gun Violence Victims’ Access to Justice Act, aims to address loopholes in Federal gun law which shield the industry from liability. The law was challenged by the National Shooting Sports Foundation in federal court last year immediately after it was signed into law. U.S. District Judge Mary K. Dimke (DIM-kee) rejected the lawsuit in a decision Friday, saying the organization had not established legal standing to challenge the measure. She noted that its members were neither being sued under the law nor had they expressed intent to violate its terms.
This is the eighth challenge to SB 5078 that Attorney General Ferguson has successfully defeated. Similar laws in other states, including New York, have also withstood legal challenges.
STORY: Free and Cheap
Looking for something free or cheap to do this weekend? Here are two festivals happening this weekend.
The Wings Over Water Northwest Birding Festival is taking place in Blaine this weekend. It began this morning, but the main event is the birding-expo at Blain Pavilion on Saturday from 10am to 5pm. The birding expo will have a live raptor presentation from Sardis Raptor Center, youth activities, arts and crafts, wildlife exhibits and other activities. A full schedule of events for the weekend is available at WingsOverWaterBirdingFestival.com. No registration is necessary for the free events.
The second festival taking place is the Whatcom Cultural Art Festival, hosted at the Bellingham Cruise Terminal. Also running from Friday to Sunday, the event is open each day from 11am to 6pm. The festival features musical performances, food, art vendors, and more. A full program is available at AlliedArts.org.
WX: Sun
Your Whatcom County weather – today will be mostly sunny, with a high of 64 degrees and calm winds. Tonight will be clear and have a low of 44. It will be sunny and warmer all weekend, with temperatures nearly reaching 70 degrees.
OUTRO:
Today’s newscast was produced by volunteers AnThu Nguyen (ANNE-two new-WIN), Carlos Braga, Connor O’Boyle, Jayne Kuhlman and Tristan Trudell. 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. If you would like to help keep local news accessible, check out our new Patreon page at patreon.com/kmrenews or visit kmre.org and click on the banner. I’m _David Korb_______________… thanks for listening.
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STORY: Alaska Airlines blames Boeing for blowout, wants out of passenger lawsuit
Alaska Airlines has redirected the blame of the flight 1282 fuselage panel malfunction onto Boeing after being sued by passengers.
The accident, which occurred in January, caused the fuselage panel to fall off the plane – leaving a gaping hole on its side. No one was hurt but many claim to have experienced headaches and sensitivity to loud noises following the flight. In court filings this week, Alaska asked U.S. District Judge Ricardo Martinez to dismiss any claims regarding the incident against their company.
Alaska’s attorney argues that the alleged damages were caused by, quote, “entities out of the company’s control.” They direct the responsibility toward Boeing as well as its supplier Spirit Aerosystems, the company who made the fuselage panel that malfunctioned.
Lawyer Mark Linquist, who is representing passengers in one lawsuit, argues that both companies are to blame. He says Alaska allowed the plane to fly despite there being a restriction on the plane from flying over large bodies of water, while Boeing failed to properly test the plane for safety.
Both companies claim they are not responsible for the harm put on these passengers, and say they are limited on what information they can release due to an investigation led by the national transportation safety board.
