City of Bellingham reaches deal over Post Point plant’s air quality violations, Bellingham man arrested in 2021 for possession of child sexual abuse material receives formal prison sentence, Court documents outline sequence of events in October murder in Bellingham, Glass Beach set to close for cleanup of two toxic sites ahead of construction for new park, WA School Superintendent responds to changes in the Dept of Education, College students who are parents face food insecurity, WA upholds 2023 ban on assault weapons
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KMRE brings you local news for Thursday, November, 20th. Good afternoon, I’m ______.
STORY: City of Bellingham reaches deal over Post Point plant’s air quality violations
Bellingham says it has reached a settlement over air-quality violations at the Post Point wastewater treatment plant.
City Council members voted unanimously Monday night to approve the agreement with the Northwest Clean Air Agency.
Post Point treats wastewater from Bellingham and parts of Whatcom County. Treated water goes into Bellingham Bay, while solid waste is burned in incinerators that were built in the 1970s and ’90s.
The deal follows a 2024 notice of violation that said the plant’s sludge-burning incinerators weren’t meeting air-quality standards. The city has not admitted wrongdoing, but it has agreed to add more pollution-control equipment and install continuous carbon-monoxide emission monitors on both incinerators.
The Clean Air Agency says the upgrades will roll out over the next five years, and it will be monitoring the improvements. Mayor Kim Lund says the agreement confirms steps already underway to improve air quality at the decades-old facility near Fairhaven.
STORY: Bellingham man arrested in 2021 for possession of child sexual abuse material receives formal prison sentence
A Bellingham man has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison for possessing child sexual abuse material.
Sixty-eight-year-old Clifford Eugene Allen was arrested in 2021 and originally charged with five counts. He pleaded guilty to one count in May, and was sentenced Wednesday in Whatcom County Superior Court.
According to court records, the investigation began in 2019 after Microsoft submitted Cybertips to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Detectives later found more than 265,000 images and videos on Allen’s devices. He told investigators he downloaded abuse material “probably every day.”
Allen is a convicted sex offender who served just over two years in prison almost 40 years ago. However, his public defender said the treatment that Allen received was ineffective and not science-based.
Judge Jennifer Slattery followed the agreed recommendation: 30 months in prison, followed by three years of community custody. Allen must undergo a sexual-deviancy evaluation, complete treatment, and register as a sex offender for life.
To report child sexual exploitation, contact the CyberTipline at report.cybertip.org
STORY: Court documents outline sequence of events in October murder in Bellingham
Two men are facing murder and attempted-murder charges in Whatcom County after an October shooting left one person dead and another injured.
Nineteen-year-old Royelio Marquez (ro-HE-lio mar-kezs) and 20-year-old Alan Ramos were arraigned Nov. 14 in Whatcom County Superior Court. Both are being held on $2 million bail.
Police say the victims — 26-year-old Daytin Duronoso-Harp(dura-no-so) and a second 25-year-old man — arrived at St. Joseph Medical Center late on Oct. 18th with gunshot wounds. Duronoso-Harp later died; however the second victim is expected to survive.
According to detectives, security footage and cell-phone data place Marquez and Ramos in the area both before and after the gunfire.
Both suspects were arrested without incident on Nov. 13 and are believed to be associated with a Sureno-affiliated street gang.
Marquez and Ramos are scheduled to return to court in December.
STORY: Glass Beach set to close for cleanup of two toxic sites ahead of construction for new park
Bellingham’s popular Glass Beach is expected to close for major cleanup and construction work as early as the end of November.
Public Works spokeswoman Stefanie Cilinceon(sil-lin-sea-on) says the beach will remain off-limits because it’s part of the environmental cleanup and will eventually be incorporated into the new Salish Landing Park.
The $49 million cleanup will begin later this month, along with about $5 million in park construction. The entire project could take up to three years to finish. When complete, Salish Landing will feature a new beach, trails, restrooms, parking, benches, lighting, bike racks, and a kayak launch.
According to the City, the first step is to address decades of pollution— which includes industrial operations, a dump site, and a wood-treatment facility that operated into the 1980s.
STORY: WA School Superintendent responds to changes in the Dept of Education
The U.S. Department of Education plans to shift the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education — along with several other K–12 programs — to different federal agencies, including the Department of Labor.
In a recent release, Washington State Superintendent Chris Reykdal criticized the move, saying it could create confusion for educators, administrators, and families. He noted many of the programs being moved support historically underserved students, including those experiencing poverty, homelessness, or language barriers. Reykdal says shifting education programs to agencies with little connection to schools could be disjointed and potentially harmful
He also emphasized that Washington schools remain committed to supporting every student.
STORY: College students who are parents face food insecurity
According to a new research brief, about one in five college students in Washington are raising a child, and many struggle to meet basic needs.
The study found that 68% of parenting students experience food or housing insecurity. Most are women from low-income backgrounds who report difficulty finding affordable childcare. Nearly half say childcare hours don’t align with their school schedules.
In Washington, costs of infant care are more than twice the cost of in-state college tuition and are on par with housing costs, making the state the eighth most expensive for childcare in the U.S.
The brief recommends data collection, the creation of support systems and local partnerships, and greater funding to help them succeed. Experts say addressing these challenges could boost the state’s workforce and benefit families and communities.
STORY: WA upholds 2023 ban on assault weapons
Gun-control advocates in Washington are celebrating another legal victory after the state’s ban on assault weapons was upheld once again.
A Thurston County Superior Court judge has ruled that the 2023 law which banned the sale, manufacture, distribution, and import of assault weapons remains constitutional. The law covers a range of semiautomatic firearms classified as “military-style assault weapons.”
The challenge came from a Moses Lake gun dealer, Guardian Arms, which argued the ban violated the state Constitutional protections on the right to bear arms. But Judge Christine Schaller(SH-all-er) dismissed the case, which marks the third time efforts to overturn the ban have failed.
The Alliance for Gun Responsibility, which helped pass the law, called the ruling a reaffirmation of the state’s authority to protect public safety. Attorneys defending the statute said the weapons in question are designed for combat, not self-defense, and that the law’s restrictions on sales are a reasonable public-safety measure.
Supporters also point to research suggesting that thousands of injuries and deaths in mass shootings nationwide might have been prevented if a federal assault-weapons ban had remained in effect.
With the judge’s decision, Washington’s assault-weapons ban stays fully intact.
WX: Peter Pan II: Return to the Surface of the Flippin’ Sun
And now for the weather:
More partial sunshine looks to be in store today, accompanied by highs in the mid-low 50s. This evening looks to be primarily overcast, with lows in the mid-40s.
Expect consistent rain to fall tomorrow along with wind gusts, starting overnight and continuing through the morning.
OUTRO:
Today’s newscast was produced by volunteers Carlos Braga (BRA-guh), Connor O’Boyle, Kyler Cantrell, Glen Hirshberg (HERSH-berg), Kathi O’Shea (o-SHAY), Bella Mae, and Kai Blais-Schmolke (KAI BLAZE-SHMOLE-kee). 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 your donations. Check out our Patreon page or visit kmre.org and click on the banner. I’m _________, and thank you for listening!
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