Sedro-Woolley man sentenced for role in 2022 Bellingham shooting, Blaine PD searching for street sign thief, New Bellingham park opens as first stages of construction wrap up, Mount Baker School District to begin interviewing semi-finalists for school superintendent position, BLI gets air traffic controller after temporary tower closure, Trump tariffs likely to impact key imports and exports for WA, State rep calls for federal audit of WA voter registration practices
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KMRE brings you local news for Wednesday, March 5th. Good afternoon, I’m ______.
STORY: Sedro-Woolley man sentenced for role in 2022 Bellingham shooting
A Sedro-Woolley man was sentenced to nearly a year in jail for his role in a 2022 drive-by shooting in downtown Bellingham.
24-year-old Emanuel Martinez-Lucero was arrested last March, five months after allegedly shooting a man in the stomach outside the former Underground Nightclub. The incident followed an altercation between Martinez-Lucero and the victim’s friend.
Initially charged with first-degree assault and drive-by shooting, Martinez-Lucero pleaded guilty to amended charges of fourth-degree assault. The victim declined to pursue a trial, and wished Martinez-Lucero well.
Whatcom County Superior Court Judge Lee Grochmal (GROCK-mall) sentenced Martinez-Lucero to 364 days in jail, with the option to apply for jail alternatives after 89 days. A no-contact order with the victim was issued, and he must also complete a course on parenting, conflict resolution, or anger management.
STORY: Blaine PD searching for street sign thief
Blaine Police are asking for assistance in identifying a thief responsible for stealing multiple street signs in Blaine and Birch Bay.
Stop signs and pedestrian crosswalk markers were taken. Authorities note that each sign costs taxpayers around $250 to replace — and that missing signs are a hazard for drivers.
Anyone with information about the thefts or potential suspects is urged to call 9-1-1.
STORY: New Bellingham park opens as first stages of construction wrap up
Bellingham’s newest park is set to open its first phase with a public ceremony today.
The City of Bellingham says that North Lights Park covers nearly two acres. The new park is located in a narrow courtyard between townhomes, and will feature innovative play structures designed for all ages.
The park includes climbing rocks, a scrambling net and a bamboo jungle, with equipment designed to promote active lifestyles. The second phase will introduce complementary play structures to serve a broader range of users.
The budget for the project was $719,000, and was funded by the developer in exchange for a fee credit.
STORY: Mount Baker School District to begin interviewing semi-finalists for school superintendent position
The Mount Baker School Board will hold public interviews for superintendent candidates over the next week, starting with six semi-finalists on Saturday.
Candidates include five educational leaders from Washington and one from Alaska. Included in the list of contenders is Mount Baker’s Interim Superintendent Nick Perigo (PEAR-eh-go).
The district has been without a permanent superintendent since December of 2023. The interviews will begin at 8 a.m. at the district office, with a webinar link available for community members.
Three finalists will be selected for community forums on March 11th, 12th, and 13th at 6:15 p.m. at the Mount Baker School District office in Deming. Community members can submit questions for the finalists online before 5 p.m. on Monday.
STORY: BLI gets air traffic controller after temporary tower closure The control tower at Bellingham Airport has gained a temporary air traffic controller, and two more are on the way.
The tower at BLI, which is staffed by Serco under an FAA contract, has had to limit its operations since February, when the number of air traffic controllers dropped from three to two. The staff shortage has forced the tower to close on Tuesdays and every fourth Wednesday of the month. On
these days, pilots flying into Bellingham have had to use the Common Traffic Advisory Frequency to announce their intentions – something that Lyle Jansma (JANS-muh), a local pilot and the founder of Six Pack Aero, has described to the Cascadia Daily News as complicating situations.
According to Matt Rodriguez, the airport operations manager, the temporary air traffic controller started at BLI on Monday and is currently going through certification at the airport. The tower will continue to run on limited operations until they are fully certified.
The two other air traffic controllers, one temporary and one permanent, are due to start next month.
STORY: Trump tariffs likely to impact key imports and exports for WA President Trump has enacted a series of tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China, fulfilling a key campaign promise.
The 25% tariffs, initially delayed, took effect Tuesday, with a 10% tariff applied to Canadian energy products. In response, Canada has imposed tariffs on $155 billion of U.S. goods, while Mexico is expected to announce its counter tariffs soon.
Trade is a major economic driver in Washington state, and businesses across the state are expected to feel the impact. Referred to as the “lifeblood of Washington state’s economy” in a fact sheet from Senator Cantwell’s office, Canada is Washington’s number one trade partner. According to the state Department of Commerce, Washington did nearly
$20 billion in imports and $9.4 billion in exports in 2023 alone. Mexico ranks fifth, with over $3.48 billion in exports. Key industries affected include fuel, vehicles, aircraft, and agriculture.
STORY: State rep calls for federal audit of WA voter registration practices
A Republican lawmaker from Aberdeen has called for a federal audit of Washington’s voter registration practices.
Representative Jim Walsh introduced House Joint Memorial 4007 at the state House of Representatives on Monday morning. The document calls for a federal review of the state DOL’s implementation of the Motor Voter Act, signed in 1993 by then-President Clinton and which allows U.S. citizens to register to vote at the DMV.
HJM 4007 cites concerns that ineligible voters are being added to the voter registration database, an assertion that echoes the GOP’s claims of widespread election fraud in recent years. Representative Walsh’s petition to President Trump and U.S Attorney General Pam Bondi (bon-DEE) comes as Republicans in Congress are pushing ahead with legislation requiring prospective voters to prove their citizenship when registering.
According to the Seattle Times, Representative Sharlett Mena (CHARLOTTE meh-NUH), a Democrat from Tacoma, stated that there are no gaps in the current system and that information is only added to the database if an individual has already provided proof of citizenship, an
assertion backed by the Washington Secretary of State’s Office on its website. Furthermore, Scott Lemieux (le-MYOO), a professor of political science at the University of Washington, says that instances of voter fraud are quote “extremely rare” unquote.
WX: Solar cavity
And now for your Whatcom County weather:
Today is expected to be a mostly sunny day, with periods of cloudy weather and scattered showers here and there, largely in the afternoon. Daytime highs will be in the low-50s. Some light, patchy fog is expected to roll in tonight, as the temperatures drop into the low-30s.
That fog should mostly burn away by mid-morning tomorrow, after which time it should stay sunny for the rest of the day.
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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