Two Whatcom County men charged in connection with child exploitation arrests, Man arrested after breaking into WWU-owned property, Woman sentenced for deadly DUI crash in 2022, State court management system to remain down for remainder of week, Third community “Freedge,” opens in rural Whatcom County, Study finds Whatcom County homes among most expensive in both state and nation, Mt. Baker ski resort named as second most affordable in nation, What the election means for WA voters, The return of Helios, envoy of glorious incandescence, Boeing to announce sweeping layoffs today
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KMRE brings you local news for Thursday, November 14th. Good afternoon, I’m ______.
STORY: Two Whatcom County men charged in connection with child exploitation arrests
Two Whatcom residents were among 14 people charged as part of a multi-agency child exploitation operation in Skagit County.
They are 37-year-old Cody Mitchell of Ferndale, and 25-year-old Ronald Ramos of Bellingham. Mitchell was arrested on charges of first and second-degree attempted rape of child, commercial sexual abuse of a minor and communication with a minor for immoral purposes, with bail set at $300,000. Ramos has been charged with second-degree rape of child and communication with a minor for immoral purposes, with bail set at $200,000.
The arrests were conducted last weekend in a multi-day operation that involved 12 regional police departments, as well as federal agencies including the FBI and Homeland Security.
STORY: Man arrested after breaking into WWU-owned property A man was arrested on Tuesday morning after he broke into Western Washington University-owned property.
According to a notice sent out by University Police, a passerby noticed that the board to a crawlspace area had been removed from the vacant Ivy Terrace Cottages. They had also heard sounds from inside the building.
Officers entered the building to find 62-year-old James Duerksen (DIRK-sen), who was arrested on charges of second-degree residential burglary, possession of burglary tools, and third-degree theft. Duerksen was released from the Whatcom County Jail yesterday afternoon on his own recognizance.
STORY: Woman sentenced for deadly DUI crash in 2022 A 22-year-old woman from East Wenatchee was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison for causing a fatal drunk driving crash on Interstate 5 in 2022.
The incident occurred when Annastacia Lough (uh-nahs-TAY-zya LOCK) drove the wrong way on I-5 and collided head-on with a car driven by 31-year-old Stephanie Chinn, who died at the scene along with her dog. Lough’s blood alcohol level was 0.19 – more than twice the legal limit.
Following her prison term, Lough will serve 18 months of community custody, as well as having to pay legal fees and restitution.
STORY: State court management system to remain down for remainder of week
The Washington State Administrative Office of the Courts says that the statewide court system will remain down for the rest of the week.
The system went down on November 4th after quote-unquote “unauthorized activity” was detected. The Administrative Office stated on a Facebook post Tuesday that no court or personal data had been accessed, altered or removed.
The court system helps organize local case management, calendars and workflows across Washington’s 39 counties. Since the shutdown, payments and filings have had to be done in person at each county clerk’s offices.
The Whatcom County Clerk’s office has announced that until the system is restored, physical court records can be accessed in person at their office in the County Courthouse during regular business hours.
STORY: Third community “Freedge,” opens in rural Whatcom County A third community “Freedge” is now open in rural Whatcom County.
According to Sustainable Connections, the nonprofit which developed and runs the program, the “Freedge” – a fridge and pantry filled with free food for the community – helps combat local food insecurity and reduces food waste. The new location is now open at the North Fork Library in Kendall, and is stocked with surplus supplies from local businesses and farms.
The Kendall Freedge is open during library business hours, and is maintained by staff and volunteers. The two other Freedges are located near the RE Store in Bellingham and at the Upper Skagit County Library in Concrete.
Sustainable Connections says they hope to work with community partners in order to open a fourth Freedge by 2026.
STORY: Study finds Whatcom County homes among most expensive in both state and nation
A recent study by SmartAsset ranked Whatcom County as one of the most expensive areas in Washington to buy and finance a home.
With a median home value of over $600,000, Whatcom ranked sixth in the state, while San Juan County topped the list at over $900,000. The cost to finance a home in Whatcom was also the sixth-highest in Washington, with
an estimated median financing cost of almost $1.3 million for a 30-year mortgage with a 20% down payment. Nationally, Whatcom County ranked 105th in financing costs.
However, Whatcom ranked 20th in the state for estimated interest rates, which SmartAsset calculated based on local credit scores and debt-to-income ratios.
STORY: Mt. Baker ski resort named as second most affordable in nation
On the other side of the affordability spectrum, a new study by HomeToGo ranked the Mt. Baker Ski Area as the second-most affordable ski resort in the U.S. for the upcoming season.
Although only 35 ski resorts were analyzed, the study suggests Mt. Baker is among the more affordable major ski resorts. An adult day lift pass costs about $95, about half the average price at other popular resorts. The median nightly vacation rental price near Mt. Baker is about $100– that’s $60 less than other destinations, which makes the total daily cost $200.
STORY: What the election means for WA voters
Washington voters showed strong support for education funding when they rejected a repeal of the capital gains tax, which provides substantial funding for education and childcare programs.
However, many school districts face severe budget challenges and need more funding to cover rising costs. Attorney General and newly-elected governor Bob Ferguson has pledged to increase the share of the state budget for K-12 education, saying he aims to return it to 50%. Ferguson also plans to direct more funds to districts with high numbers of low-income students. State Superintendent Chris Reykdal, re-elected for a third term, says he intends to request nearly $3 billion more for public schools, calling for a statewide recommitment to education.
WX: The return of Helios, envoy of glorious incandescence And now for your Whatcom County weather:
Partial sunshine is expected to return today following some scattered morning showers throughout the county. Daytime highs are expected to drop slightly into the low 50s, with some leftover strong gusts from the last few days reaching up to 22 miles an hour. Evening lows are projected in the upper 30s.
Friday’s forecast calls for a similar weather pattern, with daytime temperatures continuing to decline into the 40s.
OUTRO:
Today’s newscast was produced by volunteers Carlos Braga (BRA-guh), Connor O’Boyle, Jayne Kuhlman (COOL-mun), Kyler Cantrell, Theron (THAIR-in) Danielson, Brodey O’Brien, Paloma Ortiz, Anna Hedrick, and Miguel Garduño (MEE-gel gar-DOO-ño). 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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STORY: Boeing to announce sweeping layoffs today
Boeing says it plans to layoff about 10% of its workforce in mid-January.
The cuts, initially expected to spare front-line workers, will impact engineers and production staff, with a focus on trimming overhead and “nonessential” roles. However, engineering teams on military programs like the F-15 and P-8 are expected to see reductions.
Additionally, remote white-collar staff are at high risk, with some teams expecting cuts as steep as 30%. Although Boeing needs more machinists to meet its large order backlog, the end of the recent strike has led to discussions about layoffs even among these workers, a move that union president Jon Holden calls “shortsighted.”
The company says it is pushing to increase production rates, especially for the 737 MAX, but it faces delays due to safety oversight from the FAA and lingering effects of a recent strike.
