Man arrested in connection with shooting near Skagit Valley College, 2025 Bellingham and state minimum wages set, Bellingham likely to dissolve Immigration Advisory Board, Body of missing climber found on Mount Baker, Updates to the Whatcom County Fentanyl Plan, North Coast Credit Union decides to sell its building, Statewide community college and govt employee union rejects proposed new contract, WA counties, including Skagit and Whatcom, drop mental health lawsuit against state, Mount Vernon opens new city library, Free COVID tests from the government
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KMRE brings you local news for Wednesday, October 2nd. Good afternoon, I’m ______.
STORY: Man arrested in connection with shooting near Skagit Valley College
A 28-year-old man from Oak Harbor was arrested in connection with a drive-by shooting near Skagit Valley College.
The incident occurred around 12:30 p.m. on Monday, prompting the college to go into lockdown. A 41-year-old man was taken to Skagit Valley Hospital, but his condition has not been disclosed.
The suspect, Nathan Trujillo (troo-HEE-yoh), was found by Anacortes Police, but initially evaded arrest. Trujillo was later apprehended by State Patrol officers on I-5 near Bellingham and booked into Skagit County Jail early yesterday morning. He faces charges of drive-by shooting, first-degree assault, and attempting to elude police.
STORY: 2025 Bellingham and state minimum wages set
Starting on New Year’s Day, Bellingham’s new minimum wage will be $17.66 per hour.
Bellingham currently sets its minimum wage at a dollar over the statewide minimum wage of $16.66 per hour. However, this amount will increase to $2 above the statewide minimum wage as a result of a 2023 ballot initiative. Bellingham’s new minimum wage will rise to $18.66 on May 1st of next year.
Washington state has the second-highest minimum wage in the country, behind only Washington D.C.
STORY: Bellingham likely to dissolve Immigration Advisory Board
The City of Bellingham is likely to dissolve the Immigration Advisory Board.
In a 4-to-2 decision, City Council members voted to disband the board during a meeting on Monday afternoon. The decision comes about seven months after the council halted the IAB’s meetings due to ongoing strife between the board and the city, as well as complaints by city staff that the board disregarded rules on open public meetings.
The IAB was originally established in 2019 to evaluate policies and make recommendations to the mayor and city council on immigration matters. The council voted to establish a work group which, according to councilmember Hannah Stone, would continue some of the work done by the board, albeit with a quote “narrow but important scope” unquote.
Council members will vote for a final time to dissolve the board on Monday.
STORY: Body of missing climber found on Mount Baker
A 39-year-old man from Squamish, British Columbia, was found dead after a search-and-rescue mission on Mount Baker’s Coleman-Deming route.
The climber had been missing since last Thursday after attempting a solo climb. County deputies launched a search on Sunday after he failed to check in. Aerial and ground search efforts were hampered by poor weather. Search teams finally located the climber in a crevasse (cre-VASS) on Monday by using his satellite communication device. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The cause of death will be determined by the Whatcom County Medical Examiner.
STORY: Updates to the Whatcom County Fentanyl Plan
In an update yesterday from Director Erika Lautenbach (lot-n-BOCK), Whatcom County Health and Community Services has announced an update to the county’s Fentanyl Operations Plan.
The plan was launched in May and involves collaboration across public health, law enforcement, and community organizations to improve access to services and reduce harm caused by the fentanyl crisis. Lautenbach says the county continues to make headway and has installed naloxone (nuh-LOCK-sone) dispenser boxes across the county, added a substance use disorder professional to the PeaceHealth Emergency room, and is in the process of hiring an overdose response specialist to support post-overdose individuals. Additionally, Lautenbach said the county has distributed over 5,200 naloxone doses so far in 2024, not including those provided through emergency services.
Continued updates on progress will be shared with the community.
STORY: North Coast Credit Union decides to sell its building
North Coast Credit Union has agreed to sell its property at Northwest Avenue to the City of Bellingham for nearly $1.3 million.
The sale will result in the closure of the credit union’s branch at that location, which is expected to take place in the coming months. The property purchase follows the city’s acquisition of an adjacent parcel for future affordable housing, with its first use being a shelter solution called North Haven, replacing two tiny home villages facing relocation.
North Coast Credit Union President A.C. Griffith emphasized the importance of supporting affordable housing while adapting to declining in-branch transactions, with all employees at the Northwest branch offered roles at other locations.
The Bellingham City Council approved the purchase on Monday.
STORY: Statewide community college and govt employee union rejects proposed new contract
The Washington Public Employees Association has rejected a proposed two-year contract.
The union, which represents nearly 5,000 state and community college workers, says the proposed 5% pay raise won’t keep pace with rising costs. Citing a significant loss in purchasing power over the past 25 years, the union is asking for a 30% pay increase. Around 82% of the union’s state agency workers and 91% of community college staff voted against the deal.
Meanwhile, the larger Washington Federation of State Employees ratified a similar contract by a wide margin.
STORY: WA counties, including Skagit and Whatcom, drop mental health lawsuit against state
Twenty-eight Washington counties have dropped a lawsuit against the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) regarding the state’s handling of psychiatric patients.
The lawsuit, filed in August 2022, claimed that state psychiatric hospitals were discharging “civil conversion” patients—those mentally unable to stand trial—back into communities without proper notice due to a lack of space. The state had prioritized patients who faced criminal charges, as required by a federal court settlement—the “Trueblood” case—which left civil patients without beds.
According to court papers, the counties feared the practice could jeopardize public safety. The agreement to drop the case came after the state showed progress in reducing its backlog of criminally charged patients and opened new facilities to accommodate civil patients.
DSHS spokesperson Tyler Hemstreet acknowledged that while challenges remain, the situation has improved significantly since the lawsuit was filed.
Forecast: Partly sunny
And now for your Whatcom County weather:
Today is expected to be mostly sunny, with sparse cloud cover. Daytime highs are projected in the low 60s, with calm south-southwestern winds. Evening temperatures are expected to drop down to the low 40s.
Much the same is expected tomorrow, with some evening rain projected to continue on into Friday.
OUTRO:
Today’s newscast was produced by volunteers Carlos Braga (BRA-guh), Connor O’Boyle, Jayne Kuhlman (COOL-mun), Tristan Trudell, Kyler Cantrell, Theron (THAIR-in) Danielson, Brodey O’Brien, Paloma Ortiz, Anna Hedrick, and Miguel Garduño (MEE-gel gar-DOO-ño). 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. Check out our Patreon page or go to kmre.org and click on the banner. I’m ________________, and thank you for listening.
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STORY: Mount Vernon opens new city library
STORY: Free COVID tests from the government
The federal government is once again offering free COVID-19 test kits, with up to four kits per household available through COVIDTests.gov.
Shipping is also free, and only a name and address are required to place an order. The FTC reminds consumers: to avoid test scams, only order through the official website and never share financial or personal information.
