Election results that Kyler does not currently have, At-risk missing person out of Point Roberts, Winter weather warning in place for Cascades area, Murder charges against Bellingham man dropped after judge rules insufficient evidence to establish probable cause, WWU students draft bill to extend collective bargaining rights to unrepresented student workers, Bellingham residents voice lack of support for parking minimums at public hearing
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KMRE brings you local news for Wednesday, November, 5th. Good afternoon, I’m ______.
STORY: Election results that Kyler does not currently have
Results from the election are in, and Democrats had a good night nationwide.
Here in Whatcom, according to the County Auditor, almost 27% of registered voters cast a ballot. Currently, about 25% of ballots are left to be counted. It will take a few days for results to be official, but preliminary numbers for the Whatcom County Council District 2 race has Elizabeth Boyle at 73% leading Maya Morales at 25%. In District 3 Jessica Rienstra (REEN-struh) is ahead of Kyle Christensen 56% to 43%, and Barry Buchanan is leading Misty Flowers 63 to 36%.
In City Council races, Holly Huthman is ahead of Leah Wainman with 64% to 34%. Skip Williams leads Kerri Burnside by a similar margin— 63 to 36. In City Council Ward 6, Michael Lilliquist is ahead of Andrew Reding (REED-ing) by 61 to 38. For Bellingham Initiative 25-03– the landlord initiative– ‘yes’ is in the lead with 60%, and 39% ‘no’.
The Port of Bellingham District 2 race is a nailbiter. Ken Bell currently holds a slim lead on Carly James, 50-49. For Proposition 2025-04 which increases the number of Port Commissioners, ‘yes’ leads ‘no’ 64% to 35%.
The Bellingham School District operations levy and the maintenance levy are both cruising to victory 66 to 33, and 62 to 37. Jenn Mason is ahead of Corinne Thorsen for School District Director Position 4– 74% to 25%.
County-wide, voters are currently approving Proposition 3, Proposition 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 12. Voters are currently rejecting Proposition 1, Proposition 2, 6, and 11.
In the City of Blaine, Prop 7 seems headed for approval, In the Blaine City Council races Jiggy Sorrell, Isaac Newland, Don Enos, and Sarbie Banes lead in their races against Eric Lewis, Ray Leone (lee-OWN-ee), Sukwant Gill, and Mike Hill. In the Blaine School District, Bob Feaster is ahead of Jim Shaver in the District 3 Director race with 61% of the vote to 37%.
In Everson City Council Position 1, James Wilson is ahead of Eric Oettel (OTT-uhl) 55 to 44.
In the City of Ferndale ‘yes’ on Initiative 25-01 leads 70-29%. For Ferndale City Council, Robert Pinkley is ahead of Ian Harper 56 to 42. John Mutchler leads Steve Potvin 60% to 39%. It’s a toss up right now in Ferndale School District Director position 4– Matt Beck has just over 50%, while Brian Lynch has 49%. For District 5, Peggy Uppiano leads Jacob Rosenblum 55 to 44.
The City of Lynden is currently rejecting their school bond proposal by 54 to 45, and in the School District Director Position 5 race Nick Sawka leads Kenneth “Spin” Owsley 59 to 40.
In the Meridian School District race, Jasmine Fast is ahead of Steve Corwin 54-43. And in the Nooksack Valley School District race, Britt Lentz leads Connor Smith 58 to 40.
In the City of Sumas (SOO-mass) Council Position 2, Richard Postma is in the lead over Brett Egbert 63 to 36.
The Fire Protection District 7 prop 8 which restores the regular property tax levy is winning 62 to 37. Fire Protection District 18 tax levy for EMS is also currently approved 65-34.
The next vote update will occur tonight at 8pm. Check the Whatcom County auditor’s website for more details. Results will be certified by November 25th.
STORY: At-risk missing person out of Point Roberts
A silver alert has been issued for a missing Point Roberts man.
David Anderson is 73 years old and was last seen on Monday at around 9am. Anderson is 5’7”, about 150 pounds, and wearing a blue shirt and black pants. If seen, please call 9-1-1.
STORY: Winter weather warning in place for Cascades area
Be ready for snow if you’re headed over the North Cascades Highway this week.
The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for the Cascades in Whatcom and Skagit counties — which starts today at 4 p.m. and lasts through Friday morning.
Forecasters expect 4 to 8 inches of snow along the Cascade crest and the highest points of Highway 20, with Mount Baker getting up to 10 inches by Thursday morning. Travel could be difficult, so drivers are urged to slow down and use caution.
And, if you’re swapping tires — studded tires are now legal in Washington through March 31st. But WSDOT (WASH-dot) reminds drivers that studded tires are not a replacement for chains when they’re required.
The State Patrol says they’ve started emphasis patrols to make sure drivers are chaining up when the signs go up over the passes.
STORY: Murder charges against Bellingham man dropped after judge rules insufficient evidence to establish probable cause
Charges have been dropped against a 20-year-old Bellingham man accused of attempted first-degree murder.
A judge dismissed the case against Alexis Molina, ruling there wasn’t enough evidence to establish probable cause. Molina was arrested last November after his roommate was shot five times while bringing groceries into their apartment.
Police said they found a gun in Molina’s safe which matches the caliber used in the shooting — but his attorneys argued the search warrant was invalid. In July, a judge agreed, saying there wasn’t a reasonable link between Molina and the crime.
The case was dismissed without prejudice on August 5th, which means prosecutors could refile charges in the future.
STORY: WWU students draft bill to extend collective bargaining rights to unrepresented student workers
Students at Western Washington University are pushing a new bill that would give more student workers the right to unionize.
Right now, only educational student employees — like tutors, teaching assistants, and peer advisers — are officially recognized under state law. But according to the Western Academic Workers United website, more than 1,200 operational student employees, including resident advisers and program staff, aren’t.
The proposed bill would extend collective bargaining rights to those workers. Previous versions failed because of cost, but the new bill cuts expenses and limits the scope to Western.
Bill sponsor, State Representative Joe Timmons, says he’s optimistic it will pass next session, which starts January 12th.
University officials say they can’t recognize a new union without legislation.
STORY: Bellingham residents voice lack of support for parking minimums at public hearing
Bellingham could keep its parking minimums suspended a little longer as the city works on a long-term housing plan.
The city council suspended minimum parking rules earlier this year to encourage more affordable housing, but the measure will expire in January 2026 unless extended. At a public hearing Monday night, community members weighed in on whether to extend the temporary ordinance.
Supporters say the policy helps build more homes and shifts the focus from cars to people. Opponents argue it overlooks single-family neighborhoods and smaller developments.
City staff are recommending the council extend the suspension for another six months to refine the zoning rules and create a permanent plan.
The council is expected to keep discussing the issue at its next two regular meetings.
WX: Here comes the blust
And now for the weather:
Look for a stormy day today, with a quarter-inch of rain and wind gusts of up to 38 miles per hour. Daytime highs will float around the upper 50s. Be prepared for the weather to get worse this evening, with up to half an inch of rain overnight, and wind speeds into the 40s. Nighttime lows are projected around 50 degrees.
Expect more of the same tomorrow, with a chance of thunderstorms into the evening.
OUTRO:
Today’s newscast was produced by volunteers Carlos Braga (BRA-guh), Connor O’Boyle, Kyler Cantrell, Theron (THARE-un) Danielson, 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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