Archive for January, 2013
By Caleb Hutton
Bellingham police released a few new details Wednesday morning, Jan. 23, about the hit and run that nearly cost a Western Washington University freshman her arm.
For background, here’s the story we ran about the crash on Otis Street that sent Mackenzie O’Brien, 18, to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
The new news?
- No suspects.
- Detectives now say up to 15 people may have been crossing the street at the time. (As the original story states, Justine Phillipson, the other girl who was hit, said it was a group of 10.)
- Officers pinpointed the point of impact: About 100 feet north of Abbott Street.
- The driver turned left onto East Maple Street.
- Police don’t think anyone else was in the suspect’s car.
- The car should have fresh front-end damage.
- Witnesses are still being tracked down and interviewed.
- People should contact a specific policeman with any tips: Bellingham Traffic Officer Henry Ortega, 360-778-8628.
Also, KOMO News aired an interview from O’Brien’s hospital bed in Seattle. Here’s a link. It’s good to see she’s doing better.
And here’s the full press release from police spokesman Mark Young.
The Bellingham Police Department is asking for your help following a hit and run crash that injured two pedestrians. One of the pedestrians, an 18 year old female victim was transported to Peace Heath St. Joseph Medical Center with serious injuries. That victim was subsequently transported to Harborview. The second victim, a 19 year old female, sustained non-life threatening injuries that did not require hospitalization.
Witnesses told officers that at about 11:00 p.m, Friday night, a group of about 12-15 pedestrians were in the process of crossing Otis Street 100 feet north of Abbott Street. A car with its lights out, traveling between 25-35 mile per hour towards East Maple Street struck two of the pedestrians. The driver continued down Otis never stopping then was seen making a left turn onto East Maple.
Witnesses told officers that they believe there was one occupant in the vehicle, the driver. Officers are still interviewing witnesses for a description of the driver. The vehicle has been described as an older gray “boxy” style car. As a result of this crash, the suspect vehicle will have fresh front end damage.
Anyone with information concerning this hit and run is asked to please call Traffic Officer Henry Ortega 360-778-8628.
By Caleb Hutton
The Bellingham Fire Department sent out some more info about an “inevitable” merger with Fire District 8 late Tuesday, Jan. 22.
The gist of the situation was covered in this story that ran in today’s paper. But here are a few more points of interest that weren’t in the article:
Between the two agencies, (Fire Chief Roger Christensen) said, four chief-officer-level positions are reduced to three, and additional resources will be directed toward more direct support of street-level service.
Whatcom County Fire Protection District 8 is an independent municipal government led by a five-member elected Board of Commissioners. Fire District 8 covers 23 square miles and has a population of about 9,200 residents. It includes Marietta, most of Gooseberry Point, the Bellingham International Airport and other unincorporated areas north of Bellingham.
In the same press release, Fire Chief Roger Christensen also announced a new hire at a high-ranking position.
City hires new assistant fire chief
Bellingham Fire Department is pleased to announce the selection of William (Bill) Newbold to fill a vacant assistant fire chief position.
Assistant Chief Newbold, who started last week, comes to Bellingham from the Redmond (WA) Fire Department, where he has served for the last 20 years.
“Bill has worked at virtually every level within Redmond’s Fire Department,” Bellingham Interim Fire Chief Roger Christensen said, “including firefighter, lieutenant, captain, battalion chief and deputy chief of emergency medical service.”
Newbold has an extensive educational back ground including a Masters (with honors) in Aerospace Engineering, Associate of Arts in Fire Administration and Command, and has completed the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer Program.
While Newbold has an impressive academic and professional resume, Christensen said, his strongest qualification may have been identified during the reference checking process.
“Virtually everyone contacted described Bill as being exceptionally thoughtful, thorough and collaborative in his approach to problem solving, and described him as being exactly what is needed during difficult times,” he said.
Newbold filled a vacant assistant chief position held by Christensen prior to being named Interim Fire Chief.
Bellingham Fire Chief Roger Christensen. (Photo courtesy of the City of Bellingham.)
By Caleb Hutton
Roger Christensen, the current interim fire chief of the Bellingham Fire Department, will retire once the city can find his replacement — meaning he won’t be in the running for a permanent job at the head the
department.
Christensen replaced the retiring chief Bill Boyd in October. Before that, Christensen was second-in-command.
He said he hasn’t heard much about who has shown interest in the job — mostly because it hasn’t really been advertised yet. But he’s prepared to step down once Mayor Kelli Linville and her team choose a successor.
“That could be as early as this June, or it could be next June,” he said.
The interim fire chief said he’s notified the proper internal people at the department of his plans.
By Caleb Hutton
[Warning: Image below shows blood.]
Police are still looking for the suspect in an injury hit and run that almost cost an 18-year-old college freshman her arm last weekend.
Here’s the full story we ran online Monday, Jan. 11, where we went with this portrait Mackenzie.
Her father gave us the OK to run the photo below, as well, to give a glimpse of the injury.
Again, anyone with tips about who might have been driving the car that struck O’Brien should call the Bellingham Police Department at 360-778-8800. After hours, call 911.
By Caleb Hutton
ASAP Towing posted some photos of the wreckage of Sunday night’s car crash into the Bellingham Municipal Court building.
Here are three angles of the damage, courtesy of the tow company. The second image shows the car after it was pulled from the hedges.
For more photos, see ASAP’s Facebook page.
By Caleb Hutton
This afternoon I swung by the Bellingham Municipal court building to see the aftermath of a crash Sunday evening, Jan. 20, that sent one man to St. Joseph hospital and another man to Whatcom County Jail.
Here’s a draft of the first half of the story.
BELLINGHAM — A suspected drunk driver was arrested after crashing into the Bellingham Municipal Court building on Sunday evening, Jan. 20, sending a 25-year-old passenger to St. Joseph hospital and causing thousands of dollars in damage.
Police believe James Philip Alegre Howard, 26, of Seattle, was drunk and speeding at 7:40 p.m. when he drove his northbound 2003 Nissan 350Z into the wrong lane of Grand Avenue, over a curb and into the grass beside the Bellingham Police Station, said police spokesman Mark Young.
At the Girard Street intersection, the car kept going due north into the right turn lane — a lane for traffic turning south. Then the Nissan bumped over another curb, off-roaded over more than a car’s length of grass and slammed into the southwest wall of the court building.
Below, the shadows make it hard to see the outline of the car’s path, so the photos show a few angles.
Looking north from the police station:
Looking south from the court building:
Damage to the building, seen through the hedges. The hole is probably about a foot wide.
For more context, here’s an aerial map.
By Caleb Hutton
A funeral procession for Erik Ramstead, the late chief of the Everson Police Department, will pass through Nooksack and Everson on Monday morning, Jan. 21.
We printed this article after Ramstead’s death.
The law enforcement procession starts at 8 a.m. Monday at Nooksack Valley High School and will head west through Everson. A public funeral will follow at 10:30 a.m. at the Church of the Assumption in Bellingham, 2116 Cornwall Ave.
Here’s a public Facebook page for the event.
By Caleb Hutton
A garage used for woodworking burned to the ground Thursday night, Jan. 17, east of Blaine.
Before:
Courtesy of the Whatcom County Assessor’s Office.
During:
Courtesy of North Whatcom Fire & Rescue.
And I don’t have an after photo, but … well, it goes without saying, it was a total loss.
The fire at 8899 Giles Road was called in at 9:22 p.m. Firefighters arrived to find the shed beyond saving, said North Whatcom Fire and Rescue Division Chief Henry Hollander. The above photo was taken moments after the first fire engine showed up.
So firefighters focused on keeping the flames from spreading to the nearby house. It took about 20 minutes before the flames were knocked down. Three hours and 3,000 gallons of water later, first-responders finally cleared the scene.
Hollander estimated the damage at $10,000 for the structure and $25,000 for the table saws and other woodworking tools stowed inside.
The county fire marshal is investigating the cause, but right now the evidence points to a wood stove the homeowner was using to keep the 24-by-24-foot detached garage warm, Hollander said.
By Caleb Hutton
Note: This post and the headline have been corrected. It turns out both incidents happened on the same day, at about the same time, according to police. I misnterpreted the chronology outlined in Superintendent Greg Baker’s letter. You can read the letter below.
Twice on Tuesday, Jan. 15, a Bellingham School District student was suspiciously approached by a stranger after school. Superintendent Greg Baker posted this letter to parents on the district website.
Dear Families,
I want to take this opportunity to remind our families about some safety precautions.As you may be hearing about in the news, a child was approached yesterday on the way home from Parkview Elementary School by a stranger in a black van near the 700 block of West Indiana Street. Late this afternoon, we received a different report that a stranger in a vehicle near Carrington and Barkley Boulevard approached a Whatcom Middle School student yesterday on the way home from school.In both cases, the children did the right thing by telling someone and parents reported the incidents to police. As of this time, no one has been arrested, but police are investigating. It is unknown if these two incidents are connected in any way. If you have any information that will help police in their investigation, please call 911.Please review some general safety reminders with your children:
- Tell an adult immediately if they see someone or something that makes them worry or feel uncomfortable.
- Stay with friends. Don’t travel alone.
- Always stay in well-lit, well-supervised areas.
We have shared this information with our staff. Please know that we take the safety of our children very seriously and appreciate your support.Thank you,Greg Baker
By Caleb Hutton
A Vancouver, B.C., mountain climber was airlifted from the 8,500-foot level of Mount Baker after slipping on ice and cutting his face earlier this week.
The man and a climbing partner had already summited the mountain and were on their way down when they sent out a SPOT beacon at 3 a.m. Monday, Jan. 14, said Whatcom County Sheriff’s Deputy Mark Jilk.
A U.S. Navy helicopter from Whidbey Island and a search and rescue team responded. The helicopter pilot found the men at 11 a.m. One climber was “fine,” Jilk said, but the other appeared to have suffered a concussion after slipping on ice during the descent. He had cuts and bruises to his face.
The injured man was airlifted to St. Joseph hospital with injuries that weren’t considered life-threatening. The other climber skied down the mountain alone.
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