Here are the top local stories that ran in The Bellingham Herald last week.
BLAINE INCREASES PROPERTY TAX
Blaine leaders approved increasing revenue from city property taxes by 2 percent next year, an amount expected to keep up with inflation but still less than the tax boost allowed by state law.
The City Council on Monday, Nov. 28, voted 7-0 to approve the increase, which was recommended by staff. The increase will generate $18,841 next year, not counting the revenue increase that results from more-valuable properties created by new construction.
PIONEER PARK VANDALS ARRESTED
Police have arrested three teenage boys in connection with burglaries and vandalism that damaged cabins at Pioneer Park Friday night, Nov. 25, just a week before the park's Olde Fashioned Christmas.
The boys, age 13 to 16, were arrested Monday night and booked into juvenile detention on suspicion of theft and malicious mischief, Ferndale Police Lt. Matt Huffman said. He said most of the stolen items, such as jewelry and clothing, had been recovered.
The vandals broke windows, locks, display cases and more. They also sprayed a cabin with WD-40 and a fire extinguisher, broke a donations box to steal the handful of change inside, and pulled down a crucifix at the church and hung it up upside down.
LUMMI NATION BUYS POTENTIAL JAIL SITE
Lummi Nation bought 80 acres near Interstate 5 that Whatcom County government has, for years, studied as a possible site for a new jail.
The tribe bought the land from developers Alliance Properties 2000 LLC for $5.4 million, according to a tax affidavit filed Wednesday, Nov. 30, at the county Treasurer's Office. The land is just west of Interstate 5 and south of Slater Road.
It remains unclear what the tribe plans to do with the land and how the purchase will affect planning for a new jail.
NEVADA TRUCKER SUSPECTED OF KIDNAP, RAPE
A semi truck driver was arrested on suspicion of raping a 25-year-old woman in the cab of his truck early Tuesday, Nov. 29, while he was parked near the Bellingham PetSmart.
The woman was waiting for her boyfriend about 12:30 a.m. in the parking lot at 4379 Meridian St., where Eduardo A. Medina, 40, of Nevada, was unloading pet-related merchandise from his 18-wheeler.
Medina approached the woman and tried to lure her into his truck, said Bellingham police spokesman Mark Young. Medina then grabbed the woman and pushed her to the ground. Fearing for her safety, she got in the truck, where Medina allegedly raped her, police said.
Afterward, she convinced Medina that she needed to go inside the nearby Wal-Mart and make a phone call to say she was OK, Young said. Medina agreed to go inside with her, and she was able to alert employees to call the police, who showed up to arrest Medina at the store.
THIRD SUSPECT CLEARED IN LYNDEN SHOOTING
Lynden police identified and then cleared a third suspect in a shooting that left a Ferndale man dead and his father with a gunshot wound to the head.
Rickey Peralez, 37, came in to talk to authorities after finding out he was a suspect in the Nov. 22 shooting death of Jesse Winchester, 22. After taking a polygraph test and being interviewed by police, Peralez was no longer considered a suspect.
Police are still looking for information on the whereabouts of two suspects in the shooting, brothers Salvador and Oscar Rodriguez, 21 and 15. Police believe there is still a third suspect who was involved in the shooting. People with information can call Lynden police at 360-354-2828.
