AG creates Indian boarding schools Truth & Reconciliation Tribal Advisory Committee, Lynden teen found, Bellingham man arrested and charged for stabbing, WWU establishes the Merriman Financial Literacy Program w/ $3.6m donation, Student loan repayments restarted on the 1st, Kaiser Permanente Unions on Strike
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AG creates Indian boarding schools Truth & Reconciliation Tribal Advisory Committee, Lynden teen found, Bellingham man arrested and charged for stabbing, WWU establishes the Merriman Financial Literacy Program w/ $3.6m donation, Student loan repayments restarted on the 1st, Kaiser Permanente Unions on Strike
KMRE brings you local news for Wednesday, October 4th. Good afternoon, I’m ______.
STORY: AG creates Indian boarding schools Truth & Reconciliation Tribal Advisory Committee
Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced the five members of his office’s Truth & Reconciliation Tribal Advisory Committee. The committee will study how Washington state can address the government’s role in the harmful legacy of Indian boarding schools.
The committee was announced following the National Day of Remembrance for Indian Boarding Schools on Saturday. The five members will consist of citizens from federally recognized tribes across the state, including Diana Bob from the Lummi Tribe. The committee will hold public listening sessions over the next year as part of a two-year journey toward uncovering the full history of Indian boarding schools in Washington. The first of those sessions will be held in January 2024.
In May of 2022, the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative released an investigative report detailing over 400 boarding schools across 37 states, including Washington, between 1819 and 1969. These schools deployed systematic and aggressive assimilation tactics, including renaming Indian children with English names, preventing the practice of their languages, religions, and culture and performing various forms of corporal punishment.
STORY: Lynden teen found
A missing persons alert for a Lynden teen was canceled this morning after they were reportedly found yesterday.
The alert for 16 year-old Arianna Quinonez was sent out on Monday after she went missing two days earlier. At 8 am today Lynden Police Chief Steve Taylor informed the Lynden Tribune that she was found safe and sound last night in California. She had traveled alone to visit online gaming friends that she had made without informing anyone.
STORY: Bellingham man arrested and charged for stabbing
A Bellingham man was arrested on Monday for a stabbing that occurred in early September.
On September 4th, police responded to the am-pm gas station near Bellingham Airport for the report of an assault with a weapon, where they found a man with a stab wound. A witness reported that Nathaniel Angelo Perry got into an argument with the man outside of a residence. According to the victim, the argument escalated and he pepper sprayed Perry and was stabbed in the chest in return. The victim was then taken to the hospital for treatment.
Perry is being charged with one count of first-degree assault with a deadly weapon. The first court date has been set for Tuesday.
STORY: WWU establishes the Merriman Financial Literacy Program w/ $3.6m donation
WWU alumnus Paul Merriman and his wife, Zan Merriman, have made a $3.6 million commitment to establish the new Merriman Financial Literacy Program at the university. The program, which will complement the existing financial literacy courses at WWU, will provide financial literacy skills to students at Western and will be offered to members of the community, including K-12 students.
The goal of the program is to provide all students and community members with skills to navigate their finances in a way that supports their financial future and overall well-being. Future offerings through the Merriman Financial Literacy Program will be through the College of Business and Economics, and members of the community will be able to access the program as a certificate through Outreach and Continuing Education at Western.
STORY: Student loan repayments restarted on the 1st
Student loan repayments began again on October 1st, after being suspended since 2020.
Payments won’t be due immediately, but will instead be a part of a year-long on-ramp ending on September 30th of next year. Borrowers have a year of leniency to begin repayments, but interest will continue to accrue. Those who miss payments during the period will not be reported to credit bureaus, be considered in default, or referred to collection agencies. The restart of student loan payments will affect about 800,000 Washington residents, with the average owed around $36,000.
However, a new plan was introduced recently that may help those with debt. Called the Saving on a Valuable Education, or SAVE, the plan offers a way for millions of borrowers to more affordably pay their monthly student loan bills. The payments are income-driven and based on earnings and household size. After monthly payments are made for a set number of years, usually 20, any remaining balance is forgiven. Much of the new program is available now, but it won’t be in place in its entirety until July. The administration estimates the plan will save the typical borrower about $1,000 per year and urges borrowers who want to sign up, to do so now.
Biden also just announced today the cancellation of an additional $9 billion in student debt. $5 billion of the aid will go to people who’ve worked in public service for a decade or more; $2.8 billion is for those enrolled in income-driven repayment plans; and $1.2 billion will go to borrowers with disabilities. The administration’s total amount of debt canceled is now nearly $130 billion.
STORY: Kaiser Permanente Unions on strike
Over 75,000 Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers went on strike today in multiple states, making the strike the largest for healthcare workers in US history.
The workers include licensed vocational nurses, home health aides, ultrasound sonographers, as well as technicians in the radiology, X-ray, surgical, pharmacy and emergency departments. Doctors were not part of the strike, and Kaiser Permanente said they would bring in temporary workers to fill in the gaps.
The union representing the workers are demanding better wages, specifically $25 an hour with 6 to 7% increases in wage per year for the next four years. They are also protesting understaffing by Kaiser, which according to the union bolsters profits for the larger insurer.
Washington did have some strikers in the state, but it was mostly in the Vancouver area, as Kaiser Permanente workers in other parts of the state have a different contract that expires at the end of October.
This is the sixth strike to affect the healthcare industry this year alone.
WX: Mist and Sun
Today is expected to be partly sunny with a high of 63 after a misty morning in Bellingham. Tonight will likely be mostly cloudy with a overnight low of 52*. The next few days are expected to be a mix between fog and sun, with a minor heat wave in the mid-70s by the end of the week.
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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