Maple Falls man who faked Native heritage sentenced in U.S. District Court, 24 school board seats open in Nov election, WA Supreme Court sides with Inslee in Challenge to eviction moratorium, New DOH dashboard details drug overdose deaths in Washington, House Budget Committee Democratic Caucus releases information about shutdown’s effects on states, Free and Cheap
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STORY: Maple Falls man who faked Native heritage sentenced in U.S. District Court
A Whatcom man was sentenced on Wednesday, after falsely representing himself as Native American to sell his art.
Lewis Anthony Rath of Maple Falls pleaded guilty in March to violating the Indian Arts and Crafts Act, a law aimed at eliminating counterfeits from the Indigenous art market. The investigation into Rath began in 2018 when the Indian Arts and Crafts Board received a complaint that he was representing himself as an enrolled member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe to sell items such as totem poles, masks and pendants to Seattle retail stores, despite neither having tribal enrollment nor heritage. In a statement to the court, Assistant U.S. Attorney and Tribal Liaison Tate London said that people like Rath defraud consumers who seek authentic Indian artwork and make it more difficult for Indian artists to make a living. Rath was given a sentence of 24 months of probation and 200 hours of community service.
STORY: 24 school board seats open in Nov election
More than half of school board seats in Whatcom County will be up for election in November, and some incumbents are expected to be ousted.
School boards across the county are seeing an increase in candidates due in part to parents’ frustrations regarding school closures, mask mandates and students’ declining test scores during the COVID-19 pandemic. Balancing student needs, parent demands, and state rules has become more of a challenge over the last few years.
One example is Ferndale. In 2021, parents and community members demanded the school board operate in defiance of state regulations regarding closures and masks, which would have jeopardized the majority of the state-funded operating budget. Three candidates have entered the Ferndale race to challenge the incumbents, running on a platform championing parents’ rights and involvement in school board matters. However, others like vice president of the Ferndale Education Association, Amy Nylen (KNEE-len), see the increase in candidates as misguided, arguing that the understanding of the mission and capabilities of a school board has become clouded.
41 candidates are running for 25 available school boards’ seats across the county, 9 of which being uncontested.
STORY: WA Supreme Court sides with Inslee in challenge to eviction moratorium
In a 5-4 ruling on Thursday, the Washington Supreme Court defended the state’s eviction moratorium, originally established during the pandemic’s state of emergency.
The majority ruled that the eviction moratorium, which ran from March 2020 to October 2021, was lawful and did not exceed gubernatorial emergency powers. In the majority statement, Chief Justice Steven González said that without it, up to 790,000 people would have been evicted during the pandemic. Associate Chief Justice Charles Johnson wrote in the dissenting statement that the portion of state law Inslee relied on to issue the moratorium allows the governor to suspend certain activities as needed, but doesn’t allow him to suspend state laws. The majority argued that nothing in the emergency powers law “suggests the governor is limited to prohibiting activities that are untouched by statutes.”
The suit to end the moratorium started 9 months after the moratorium began, when landlords in Centralia sued the governor and the state, arguing the moratorium violated their property rights and exceeded the governor’s emergency powers. Another case challenging the state’s moratorium and Seattle’s separate moratorium is awaiting a decision from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
STORY: New DOH dashboard details drug overdose deaths in Washington
The Washington State Department of Health’s new Unintentional Drug Overdose Data dashboard aims to help communities better understand overdose deaths and make informed prevention decisions.
Relevant drug overdose death data are collected through State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System, or SUDORS. SUDORS links information from coroner and medical examination reports, toxicology, autopsy and, when possible, prescription drug monitoring program data. The data on the dashboard are refreshed twice a year in the spring and fall.
Thirteen Washington counties are currently participating in the program, accounting for about 88% of statewide overdose deaths. The goal is to eventually include the entire state.
STORY: House Budget Committee Democratic Caucus releases information about shutdown’s effects on states
The House Budget Committee Democratic Caucus released a report on the possible effects of the potential government shutdown on Washington state.
Government shutdown would result in the closure of national parks, with thousands of park rangers placed on furlough. Even more worrisome are the immediate effects on the Nutritional Supplemental Program for WIC benefits, which helps over 120,000 in Washington state alone, and over 6 million country-wide.
Additionally, as many as 143,000 federal workers and troops in Washington will be left without jobs and pay if the shutdown is not averted by the end of this weekend.
Over 891,000 SNAP benefit recipients in Washington will be unable to access their benefits if the shutdown becomes prolonged.
In addition, the lack of resources could leave many small businesses that depend on loans without money. States could be forced to provide funding for federal programs, including the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, which affects nearly 75,000 Washingtonians.
Government shutdown would also cause travel delays in airports, and the FDA would experience delays or interruptions on pharmaceutical testing and food safety inspections.
STORY: Free and Cheap
Looking for something to do this weekend?
The closing celebration for Bellingham’s Climate Action Week will be held tomorrow from 3 to 7 at Kulshan Beer Garden downtown. It is an all ages event, with live music, a circus act and kids play zone, trivia with prizes, ebike demos, and food and drink vendors.
Earlier on Saturday, the Bellingham Farmers Market will be held downtown from 10 to 2. Blaine’s Market by the Sea will be at the same time, at G Street Plaza.
WX: Sunny again
The sun is due to come out today with a high near 62*. Winds will become calm in the evening, and nighttime will come with clear skies and a low around 45*. Sunny skies are expected to stick around until Sunday morning.
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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