Update on vote count, Interview with Riley Sweeney, Person arrested after starting ‘unintentional’ fire at Planned Parenthood, Lummi Nation Chairman Tony Hillaire spoke to Congress about fentanyl in Indigenous communities, Ballot counts delayed after white powder, fentanyl sent to WA election offices, WSDOT on second day of real-time system data outage, Blaine substitute teacher arrested on suspicion of first-degree child molestation
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KMRE brings you local news for Thursday, November 9th. Good afternoon, I’m ______.
STORY: Update on vote count
There have been some changes in the preliminary election results.
Blaine Police Chief Donnell Tanksley passed Whatcom County Undersheriff Doug Chadwick in the race for Whatcom County Sheriff. After the second round of ballots were counted, Tanksley leads by nearly 4 percent.
In the race for Bellingham Mayor, incumbent Seth Fleetwood is trailing challenger Kim Lund, by 52% to 47% after a second day of counting. Fleetwood led on Election Night by 140 votes.
Other races are looking decisive.
Incumbent County Executive Satpal Sidhu may win reelection, as he leads Dan Purdy by more than 11 percentage points.
Scanlon is ahead of Ordos by 57% to 43% for the at-large county seat, which could change the political makeup of the council.
The results will be updated later this week and certified on Nov. 28.
STORY: Interview with Riley Sweeney
Riley Sweeney is running for Meridian School District Position 5, and is narrowly behind his opponent in their race for the school board. KMRE reporter Connor O’Boyle sat down with Riley to learn more about why he chose to run.
SWEENEY AUDIO
STORY: Person arrested after starting ‘unintentional’ fire at Planned Parenthood
A suspect was arrested in connection with a fire that took place at the Planned Parenthood facility on Ellis Street yesterday morning.
Fire alarms triggered around 4 a.m. Wednesday, and Bellingham fire crews arrived to find the front entryway on fire. A bench in the outside of the clinic was destroyed by the fire, which also caused damage to nearby walls, ceiling, lamps and a fixture that appeared to be a camera on the building. The total damage is estimated to be over $7,500. Clinic staff do not believe the act to have been malicious.
Bellingham PD arrested and booked a yet unnamed male suspect into the Whatcom County Jail. The man is being held on suspicion of second-degree arson and first-degree malicious mischief.
STORY: Lummi Nation Chairman Tony Hillaire spoke to Congress about fentanyl in Indigenous communities
Leaders of Native American tribes detailed the fentanyl crisis in Indigenous communities during a Wednesday U.S. Senate hearing.
One of those leaders was Lummi Chairman Tony Hillaire, who has declared a state of emergency in Lummi Nation. He and other tribal leaders in Washington state have been calling on Governor Inslee to declare its own public health emergency over the opioid crisis.
At the meeting, tribal leaders discussed issues with jurisdiction. In 2021, the Supreme Court ruled that tribal officers have the authority to detain non-Natives suspected of committing crimes on reservations until non-Native law enforcement arrives, but the authority to detain can only go so far. If the nearest county can’t take that person, then the tribal police have to let them go. Leaders want to be able to charge that person in tribal court.
More than 200 American Indian and Alaska Native people died from synthetic opioid overdoses from 2018 to 2022 in Washington state.
STORY: Ballot counts delayed after white powder, fentanyl sent to WA election offices
Ballot counts were delayed in several counties after an unknown white powder was found in envelopes, including traces of fentanyl in mail received by two of the offices.
Election offices in King, Pierce, Skagit and Spokane counties were evacuated Wednesday after the white powder was found. Fentanyl was found in some envelopes sent to Spokane and King counties. Ballot counting was halted in those offices, as contact with fentanyl can cause overdose. The powder sent to the Pierce County Elections Office was determined to be baking soda. Included with that ballot was a vague message that referenced stopping the election. Governor Inslee condemned the incidents, calling it an “attack on democracy”.
King County and Okanogan County election officials have previously received suspicious substances in envelopes during the Aug. 1 primary election. The Okanogan County envelope was determined to be unharmful while King County’s contained “trace” amounts of fentanyl.
No workers were harmed by the incidents.
STORY: WSDOT on second day of real-time system data outage
Officials with the WSDOT said that a system outage that has affected both their website and mobile apps since early Tuesday is due to a security incident aimed at interrupting travel-related information.
The outage was first reported about 6am on Tuesday. The result was disabled pages on the WSDOT website and blank real-time resources in the agency’s mobile apps. The outage appeared to continue as of this morning.
WX: Rainy
There’s rain in the afternoon today, with a high near 55° and light winds. Tonight will have a low of around 43, with wind having gusts of up to 20 mph. The rain will continue into tomorrow morning, and last throughout the weekend and all of next week.
OUTRO:
Today’s newscast was produced by volunteers AnThu Nguyen (ANNE-two new-WIN), Carlos Braga, and Connor O’Boyle. 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. I’m ________________ and thanks for listening.
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STORY: Blaine substitute teacher arrested on suspicion of first-degree child molestation
A substitute teacher at Blaine Middle School was arrested on a charge of first-degree child molestation on November 2nd.
61-year-old Gerald William Robinson had allegedly touched at least two underage girls inappropriately, and caused more than 10 others to feel uncomfortable by staring or making inappropriate comments. Blaine PD lieutenant Michael Munden stated that all of these incidents have occurred since the start of the school year, and that some of these incidents were caught on camera.
Robinson had been working as a substitute in January and worked at the Blaine primary, elementary, middle and high schools. He was released on Friday after posting a $2,500 cash bond.STORY: Washington makes its biggest forestland purchase in more than a decade
The Washington Department of Natural Resources will purchase about 9,000 acres of forestland in southwest Washington to generate revenue from logging.
The transaction, which is the largest state land purchase in more than a decade, was approved by the State Board of Natural Resources Tuesday. The land, located in Wahkiakum (wuh-Ki-uh-kuhm) County, will cost the state $55 million. Money for the purchase will come from proceeds from previous land transactions and from revenue generated by the state’s new auctions of air pollution allowances to businesses. Revenue from the land would benefit the Common School trust, which goes toward K-12 construction across the state.
The property is currently owned by a private landowner, which department officials said they cannot disclose until after the sale is finalized. It’s expected to close in mid-December.
Run after ruling–
The Washington State Supreme Court is set to hear a significant case involving the rights of people sheltering in their vehicles.
A growing number of homeless individuals in Washington are living in their vehicles, but they face challenges due to local laws, including bans on vehicle habitation, restrictive parking rules, and towing. These laws often force people to leave their communities, even if they have lived there for a long time.
Jack Potter, a longtime resident of Lacey, was forced to live in his travel trailer due to housing market pressures. Lacey passed a law prohibiting vehicles used as shelter from parking in town for more than four hours, essentially forcing Potter and others out of their community.
Tomorrow, Potter’s case will be heard by the Washington Supreme Court.
