Fire restrictions lifted on most WDFW-managed lands, Arrest made in August armed robbery in Ferndale, Emma’s Salmon Funding Follow Up, Supreme Court reinstates conviction of Mount Vernon woman, Federal audit finds flaws in WA’s oversight of pandemic aid for schools, WA Min Wage to increase, Domestic Violence Awareness Month
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STORY: Fire restrictions lifted on most WDFW-managed lands
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife announced on Friday it will lift its campfire and other fire restrictions in many areas.
As wetter and cooler weather conditions decrease the danger of fire statewide, the WDFW has repealed restrictions on recreational fires in most Department-managed lands. Fire danger remains high in the White Salmon and Chelan areas, but many other areas like the Blue Mountains have downgraded their danger ratings in response to the rain.
Those wanting to make fires outdoors are still encouraged to check restrictions online ahead of time. Information can be found on the Department of Natural Resources and Forest Services websites.
STORY: Arrest made in August armed robbery in Ferndale
Ferndale Police have arrested a suspect in an August armed robbery incident.
The robbery occurred on August 15th at a retail business on Main Street. The suspect displayed a knife, and stole alcohol and tools before fleeing. Last week, during a traffic stop conducted by Lummi Nation Police, Juan Carlos Barron, aged 41, was arrested on an unrelated warrant. Ferndale Police officers noted that Barron had tattoos matching the description of the robbery suspect and he was positively identified as the robbery suspect.
Barron has been booked into the Whatcom County Jail on charges of harassment and 1st-degree robbery.
STORY: Supreme Court reinstates conviction of Mount Vernon woman
On Thursday, the Washington State Supreme Court reinstated the conviction of a Mount Vernon woman found guilty of trying to convince her 10-year-old son to kill his father by tainting his food and drink with rat poison.
Vanessa Valdiglesias-Lavalle (vall-di-GLAY-si-as luh-VALL?) was found guilty in April 2021 of first-degree solicitation to commit murder. In Washington, a person is guilty of criminal solicitation when the person “offers to give or gives money or other thing of value” with intent to promote or facilitate the commission of a crime. Key to the verdict was the son’s audio recording of his mom telling him that they could live “together forever” if he poisoned his father. However, her conviction was overturned last year after an appellate court ruled that that audio statement did not constitute a “thing of value”.
The State Supreme Court disagreed with this and stated that “money or other thing of value” includes anything that possesses utility, desirability, or significance and doesn’t need to be limited to items with traditional economic or market value. In their opinion, Valdiglesias-Lavalle’s statement of being together forever does count as a thing of value.
Valdiglesias LaValle is serving a 15-year sentence at the Washington Corrections Center for Women in Gig Harbor.
STORY: Emma’s Salmon Funding Followup
The farmers who receive funding for salmon habitat restoration work from the Washington government are worried about how they might appear to the public.
According to Save Family Farming spokesperson Dillon Honcoop, local farmers are not asking for a government handout, but rather their lobby efforts are aimed at making sure that family-owned farms are protected AND that salmon restoration is prioritized as well.
The land involved in salmon restoration was originally going to be planted as natural habitat surrounding tributaries to the Nooksack river. Some of the contracts were renegotiated or canceled when government officials found errors in the original contracts.
Honcoop says these contracts can do a lot for local farmers.
[Clip – only about a month]According to Honcoop, work done for salmon is important, and cutting funding dramatically to these programs is worrisome to climate activists and farmers alike.
[Clip – what’s at stake]STORY: Federal audit finds flaws in WA’s oversight of pandemic aid for schools
In an audit last week, the U.S. Department of Education found flaws in Washington state’s oversight of more than $1 billion in federal dollars intended to help public schools weather the pandemic.
Investigators found that the state didn’t have adequate transparency, and had issues with preparing plans and contracts properly. The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction had previously had issues with spending transparency in 2021, when questions were raised about the lack of information from school districts around how they would use pandemic funds. It wasn’t until earlier this year that OSPI told districts to post more details about their spending plans. In addition, auditors found several instances where school districts failed to submit proper plans for spending the aid, with components missing. The plans have since been completed.
As a result of the audit, school districts will be required to post their budgets online in an easily discoverable way. New, more detailed information about aid expenditure is due to arrive sometime this fall.
In total, Whatcom school districts have claimed more than $50 million in aid due to this package.
STORY: WA Min Wage to increase
The Washington minimum wage is set to increase to $16.28 an hour starting next year. The increase is only a 3.4% increase from the current minimum wage, and will take place on January 1.
The increase comes shortly before Whatcom County votes to change Bellingham’s minimum wage to one dollar above the state wage, eventually building to two dollars above the state wage in 2025.
Currently, Washington has the highest minimum wage in the country, while the federal minimum wage is still at $7.25 an hour. Bellingham will join Seattle, SeaTac and Tukwila with an increased minimum wage if the initiative passes in March.
STORY: Domestic Violence Awareness Month
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, a time when organizations across the community focus on raising awareness to the societal issue of domestic violence, including dating, intimate partner, and relationship violence.
Western Washington University is hosting a variety of events to support victims and raise awareness. One of the notable events will be the Clothesline Project, which encourages survivors of domestic violence to write their stories on an article of clothing and put them on a clothesline in front of Haggard Hall. To find out more about these events visit the WWU counseling center’s website.
WX: Rain again
Today is a rainy one in Bellingham. The high will only reach about 58 degrees today, with an overnight low of 51. It looks like the rain may go away tomorrow during the day, but it’s expected back Tuesday night.
OUTRO:
Today’s newscast was produced by volunteers AnThu Nguyen (ANNE-two new-WIN) , Emma Toscani and Carlos Braga. 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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