Bellingham suffers weekend vandalism, Birch Bay awarded nearly $3m in state construction loans, Test of Canadian emergency alert system scheduled for Nov. 15th, Northwest Safe Trails Task Force awarded DOJ grant to enhance prosecutions in tribal communities, WNS – WA cap-and-trade spending falls short for frontline communities, Thurston County elections office is sixth in WA to receive suspicious envelope
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KMRE brings you local news for Tuesday, the 14th. Good afternoon, I’m ______.
STORY: Bellingham park suffers weekend vandalism
Boulevard park was damaged on Sunday after someone drove across its lawn.
The damage was reported by a neighbor early Sunday morning. According to the Bellingham Herald, tires had ripped into the grass, leaving long tracks of dirt on the surface. Parks and Recreation Director Niclole Oliver considered the damage to be significant.
A sign was also blown over in the same night, but this was found to be a result of a windstorm.
A timeline and budget for the repairs is yet to be determined.
STORY: Birch Bay awarded nearly $3m in state construction loans
Birch Bay Water and Sewer District was granted two loans to improve water quality and supply.
The first of the two loans will be put towards a new water storage tank at Point Whitehorn. The second will be used to replace water mains at Birch Bay and Semiahmoo (SEM-ee-AH-moo).
Birch Bay is the largest urban growth area in Whatcom County, and currently serves over 8,000 water connections annually. Officials from the Water and Sewer district stated that the loans were essential to replace aging equipment, such as a 50-year-old pipe at the Birch Bay watershed..
Interest rates for the $3m project will be 1.65%, which will help keep water rates affordable.
STORY: Test of Canadian emergency alert system scheduled for Nov. 15th
A test of the Canadian Alert Ready system is scheduled for tomorrow at 1:55 PM.
As a result, US residents near the border may receive emergency alert messages on phones and via Canadian television and radio broadcasts.
The test will be similar to the American nation-wide test conducted earlier last month.
STORY: Northwest Safe Trails Task Force awarded DOJ grant to enhance prosecutions in tribal communities
The Northwest Safe Trails Task Force is set to receive almost $900,00 to help fight crime in tribal communities.
The FBI’s Pacific Northwest Safe-Trails Task Force investigates major crimes on tribal land, and is a collaboration between the FBI and five local tribes– the Swinomish (SWIN-uh-mish), Tulalip (too-LAY-lip), Lummi, Nooksack, and Upper Skagit Tribes.
In a recent release from the Department of Justice, it was announced that the five-year grant will support an additional federal prosecutor to handle cases in tribal or federal court. It will also support tribal law enforcement as they collaborate to combat drugs and violent crimes on tribal lands.
The grant follows a successful two-year period during which over eight federal cases were prosecuted for armed drug dealing in tribal communities. The new Special Assistant US Attorney who is hired to work with the Safe Trails Task Force will join three other tribal liaisons working in the Western District of Washington.
STORY: WNS – WA cap-and-trade spending falls short for frontline communities
Washington state’s Climate Commitment Act promised funds for communities on the front lines of climate change. One group is tracking those dollars to make sure the state follows through. Reporter Eric Tegethoff (TEG-it-off) has more.
CAP AUDIO
STORY: Thurston County elections office is sixth in WA to receive suspicious envelope
The Thurston County Auditor’s Office is the latest election office to receive a suspicious envelope containing white powder.
According to the Auditor’s Office, the county intercepted the envelope, which the U.S. Postal Service had sent advance warning about. Staff isolated the unopened envelope and turned it over to law enforcement. Ballot processing was not impacted.
Five other Washington election offices previously received unknown white powder in their mail. King, Skagit, Spokane, and Pierce county offices were evacuated on Wednesday, and Snohomish County elections officials turned over a piece of suspicious mail to the FBI on Thursday. The envelopes sent to King and Spokane counties tested positive in a field test for traces of fentanyl, and the Pierce County envelope contained baking soda.
No one has been harmed by the packages.
WX: Clear
Today will be mostly sunny, with a high near 50° degrees and a low of 37. Rain will come later tonight, continuing into tomorrow.
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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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.
