Articles labeled: Bellingham

A judge is cracking down on Washington’s Department of Social and Health Services, giving them one month to comply with a class action lawsuit settlement from 4 years ago.

Whatcom County Superior Court Judge Charles R. Snyder said the state has made plenty of promises to closely monitor the health and well-being of children in its care, but has failed to keep those promises.

“I’m not asking,” he said. “I’m ordering.”

The ruling, unexpected after Monday’s lengthy hearing, requires the state to find ways to make monthly visits to foster children, to get them prompt health screenings, to ensure that they see their siblings regularly and to keep caseloads at a level where this is possible.

OK, we’ll confess that we used to steal money from our parents so we could head over to the local mini-golf place and play Xevious and Q-Bert. But we didn’t have to crack a safe in order to do it.

Cameras caught the students from Bellingham, Mass., spending 20 minutes using a knife to pry open a classroom door. Inside, a safe contained $800 in student funds, which were raised through local fundraisers for class trips or donated by parents, MyFoxBoston reports.

The suspects used a blow torch to burn off the safe’s lock. With all the cash in hand, cameras show the teens, wearing ski masks and rubber gloves to conceal their identities and fingerprints, running out of the building, MyFoxBoston reports.

Police report $700 of the stolen funds has been recovered. The rest of the money allegedly was spent on Chinese food and video games, MyFoxBoston reports.

Here’s the video of the perps in action. Listen for the reporter say it’s, “something straight out of CSI.” Uh, nice try, dude, but we don’t believe anybody was found dead at the scene. Perhaps “Simon & Simon” would be a more apt comparison.

A Bellingham Washington boy, around the age of 7 years old, went missing in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, while he and his family were on vacation. He disappeared on a beach where he was last seen on a concrete slab near the ocean waves. His parents desperately tried to find him in the ocean but saw nothing. The boy has ADHD and hope continues as rescuers continue to search.

The not knowing must be maddening for the parents.

TOFINO, B.C. — Searchers were out again this morning in a desperate attempt to find a seven-year-old boy who disappeared from a beach in Tofino, B.C., a day earlier.

William Pilkenton was last seen by his parents along the shore in the small coastal Vancouver Island community, where the family was on holiday.

The search area was expanded today, with police and search and rescue workers assisted by members of the public.

On January 11, 2008, Marcelle “Marci” Thibault of Bellingham, Mass., walked across I-495 with her niece and nephew, and all three were killed when struck by oncoming traffic. After a week of speculation and the family trying to make sense of this tragedy, the Middlesex District Attorney announced the result of his office’s investigation today, and they have ruled the case a murder/suicide:

“Based on our investigation, we believe Ms. Thibault took her niece and nephew and walked with them into oncoming traffic on Rte. 495, tragically resulting in the deaths of the two young children while taking her own life in the process,” said Leone. “The facts of this matter make it a truly heart-wrenching case, with troubling and very difficult findings.”

Through the DA’s office, the family has released this statement:

“This is a time of terrible tragedy for our families. We love Marci, Kaleigh, and Shane and we miss them very much. We ask everyone to join us in prayer for their souls, and to help us get through this most difficult period of our lives. We ask that the media respect our privacy and allow us the time to grieve and heal as we mourn our great loss.”

UPDATE: tragedy now ruled a murder/suicide

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A woman and her niece and nephew crossed a busy highway in Boston and were run over by two separate cars.

The whole situation is so bizarre. First, the woman had pulled over because she was driving on the wrong side of the road, and then proceeds to walk into traffic with the 4 and 5 year old. Makes me think that maybe alcohol was involved??

Poor babies. Their aunt should have made every possible attempt to keep them safe but instead, lead them to an agonizing death.

Marcelle Thibault, 39, of Bellingham, Mass., was driving in the wrong direction on the highway when she drove her 2003 Lincoln on to the grassy shoulder of the road, state police said. Thibault was traveling southbound in the northbound section of the road.

Thibault then got out of the car with the 4-year-old boy and 5-year-old girl who were traveling with her.
Police did not offer an explanation for what happened next.

Thibault and the two children walked out into the middle of the road, police said, where they were hit by two cars. All three were taken to hospitals and pronounced dead.

UPDATE: The district attorney has ruled this case a murder/suicide.