Encore October 2018 by Lynden Tribune

ENCORE Wednesday, October 24, 2018

What’s Inside.... Jim Zell and his archiving efforts with the Blaine Journal — C3 Ringo the Shih Tzu saves his own after a major stroke — C6 George and Gladys Visser prepare for the future by simplifying — C15

A supplement of the Lynden Tribune and Ferndale Record

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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, October 24, 2018 | Ferndale Record

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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, October 24, 2018 | Ferndale Record

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Maintaining local history is ‘hard but worthy work’ Blaine resident Jim Zell has a mission of preserving old Blaine Journals — and more By Ashley Hiruko ashley@lyndentribune.com

WHATCOM — There’s no need to tell Jim Zell about the importance of preserving history. He’s understood for quite some time the ramifications that come about from not doing so. “It’s always been said, ‘if you don’t know your history, the mistakes of the past you’ll make again,’” said Zell, 83. That’s one reason he has chosen to help preserve old aging copies of Blaine Journals of years past. His second reason for being devoted to history is “so we’ll know who we are,” says the transplant from Florida. “I wasn’t born here, but I feel like this is me, finding out what people were like back then.” And with every page he turns of old, original editions of the newspaper, becoming more decrepit each day, Zell learns something he didn’t know before and grows closer to the city he lives in now, Blaine. The Blaine Journal no longer exists as a functioning newspaper. It began in the 1880s and continued until it was incorporated in 1971, along with the Ferndale Record, into the new Westside Record-Journal, weekly for western Whatcom County. All the bound volumes of old Blaine Journals are in the keeping of today’s Ferndale Record in Ferndale. For several months now, Zell, a U.S. Air Force veteran, has volunteered his own time for this cause. There’s been some trial and error, and he checks online to learn just how this type of thing should be done. Now he has the process down. At first he would slant the bound books upward, from a table, and situate a camera above on a tripod. But this created a distortion in the image of a page that made the articles difficult to read. Now at home he has what he calls a makeshift box, a tripod hovering horizontally above a table with the paper positioned on a flat surface, so that the problem of a more narrow top page is gone. He also discovered that pages can’t be photographed two at a time. It takes him, he estimates, about 30 hours to complete two years of newspapers. Continued on the next page

Jim Zell demonstrates his process for archiving pages of old Blaine Journal newspapers. Now he has his own setup at home that allows for a more proportionate photo. (Ashley Hiruko/Lynden Tribune)

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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, October 24, 2018 | Ferndale Record

But it largely depends on their condition. “Some are all torn in pieces,” Zell said. “They are falling apart.” “It is tedious,” he added, “but worth it.” His first copies of the paper came from a friend and Blaine local. Murray Goff was a lifelong resident and operated Goff’s Department Store, a family business, for over 56 years before it closed in 2009. He had been collecting his own copies of the newspapers. Zell would make frequent trips to the clothing supplier and would stop and chat with Goff about the newspapers, and the history of Blaine. “It’s what got me interested in local history,” Zell said. When Goff died at age 91 in 2017, these copies of the Blaine Journal ended up in Zell’s hands. After starting, Zell decided to expand his project view. Once he was on his mission to help keep the stories of Blaine around for future generations, he was determined to acquire other editions, and he approached Ferndale Record publisher Michael Lewis to borrow the stored editions to photograph as well. It’s through this work, and the newspapers themselves, that’s he’s learned things he would never have known otherwise. There’s the story from 1899 of a man who was caught stealing chickens. He was forced by the chief of police to carry the stolen chickens the entirety of what is today Peace Portal

Zell stands with Caroll Solomon, Blaine Visitor Information Center manager. Zell has also volunteered sharing stories with locals and out-of-towners who stop by. (Ashley Hiruko/Lynden Tribune)

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ENCORE Drive. Other stories center on the history of the Semiahmoo tribe of Native Americans that resided in today’s Blaine and Birch Bay areas and also across the border in British Columbia. To share what he’s found, Zell plans to showcase some of his page copies during the Pre-Christmas Tree Lighting in the old Goff Building. It happens from 3 to 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 30, and from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 1. But Zell hopes for a more permanent home for the pages to be displayed. He’d like to see a museum in Blaine that incorporates an art gallery and historic section, which people could visit to research the newspapers. There’s more work to do. After beginning his endeavour, knowing that the history of other cities of Lynden and Ferndale are just as important, he’s hoping other volunteers will come forward to help preserve other newspapers. They should do so, he said, “for the satisfaction that they are preserving the story for their community and the sheer joy of reading it.” And Zell can already visualize the satisfaction that will come from completing his project of archiving the Blaine Journals. “In a year from now, when I have finished the archive I’m doing on Blaine, I’ll be able to read the newspapers again.”

Zell embraced a learn-as-you-go method to archiving. (Ashley Hiruko/Lynden Tribune)

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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, October 24, 2018 | Ferndale Record

Lynden service Shih Tzu hailed as hero Ringo saved his owner, Donna, by alerting her husband as she suffered a major stroke By Brent Lindquist brent@lyndentribune.com

LYNDEN — Ben and Donna Honorof’s service dog Ringo knows a lot of tricks, and in mid-September he added life-saving to his repertoire. Donna stays up late to watch TV, and her service dogs Ringo and his mom Rosie, both Shih Tzus, stay up with her. Donna said she has some health issues, having faced multiple sclerosis, kidney disease, a couple of heart attacks and some minor strokes. Ringo and Rosie have helped Donna and Ben through these issues, and on Sept. 14 that help was more appreciated than ever. Donna was up watching television in their west Lynden home when she tried to get up to walk to the bathroom. “I went to get up and I couldn’t get up,” Donna said. “I started trying harder to get up, but I couldn’t move. I started calling for help, but Ben had gone to bed and shut the bedroom door, and he couldn’t hear me.” That was when Ringo jumped into action. He started running in circles around her, agitated by her cries for help. Donna said she was trying to be as loud as possible, but she wasn’t loud enough. It turned out she was in the middle of a major stroke. “I couldn’t do anything,” Donna said. “I couldn’t pull myself up to dial the phone to call Ben on his cell phone. I couldn’t do anything except call for help.” Ringo ran from the room and headed for their bedroom. He forced his way in the door and barked loudly at Ben, who initially thought he just wanted to get up onto the bed. Ben put Ringo on the bed, but Ringo didn’t lay down. “Ringo got right in his face and was barking,” Donna said. Ben figured that Ringo just needed to go outside, so he got up and pulled on his slippers and robe. They headed for the door, but Ringo didn’t go out. Instead, the dog led Ben to his wife. Ben thought Donna just needed help standing up, so he helped her up from her chair. When Donna Honorof suffered a major stroke in September, her service dog Ringo was there to alert her husband Ben. (Brent Lindquist/Lynden Tribune)

Continued on the next page

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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, October 24, 2018 | Ferndale Record

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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, October 24, 2018 | Ferndale Record

Ringo loves wearing his service dog vest, and perching on the back of Ben's chair like a cat. (Brent Lindquist/Lynden Tribune) “I went limp like a spaghetti noodle to the ground,” Donna said. “I knew what it was right away because I had seen a commercial the same day on TV about the symptoms of a stroke, and it said get help as soon as possible.” Donna was able to say the words “911,” “stroke” and “Kim,” their daughter’s name. At that point, Donna thought she would die because she had completely lost control of

her body. She couldn’t move, and all she could do was wait for help. Time is crucial for stroke victims, Donna said. The faster you get help, the better your chances are for recovery, and that recovery time tends to be quite long, especially if the stroke is considered major. If Ringo hadn’t been there to insistently summon help from Ben, Donna could have sat in her chair all night, her condition

deteriorating all the while. Instead, her service dog got help relatively quickly, and that has had some very positive ramifications for her recovery process. “Usually, if you have a stroke, you’re in the hospital for four to eight weeks depending on how bad it was,” Donna said. “Well, I had a major stroke and I was only in the hospital two and a half days because Ringo got me help in time for them to be able to

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get me a new experimental drug. I was walking in three days and talking the first day. I forget a lot of stuff right now because of the stroke, but Ringo saved my life, and I know the Lord used him to save my life. I’m positive.” Ben and Donna Honorof are in their second year of living in Lynden. She hails from California, and he’s from Illinois. Ben’s job first brought them to Washington, and

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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, October 24, 2018 | Ferndale Record

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Ringo and his mom, Rosie, know a variety of tricks. (Brent Lindquist/Lynden Tribune) they lived in Renton starting in 1989. Their daughter, Kim Honorof, owns and operates Among Friends Adult Family Home in Lynden, and that’s what then brought them to town. Donna is still recovering at home, and she expects to finish up physical therapy this week. She has been making a blanket, and while she hasn’t felt up to going out-

side much, she’s looking forward to planting some flower bulbs that recently arrived in the mail. “He really did save my life, because if he hadn’t gotten me the help when he did, the drug they gave me wouldn’t work, and because of it I can talk, I can move, and I can walk,” Donna said.

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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, October 24, 2018 | Ferndale Record

Father and son align for Squalicum football Bob and Nick Lucey deliver a double dose of their extensive gridiron expertise By Eric Trent sport@lyndentribune.com

From left to right are Nick's wife, Katelyn Lucey; Nick Lucey; Nick's mother, Chris Lucey; and his father Bob Lucey. (Courtesy photo)

BELLINGHAM — At 14 years old, Nick Lucey wasn’t outside riding bikes and playing with his friends. He was in his parents’ house breaking down game film for his father’s high school football team. Lucey, the Squalicum High School football coach, is a son of Bob Lucey, former Curtis High School football coach and member of the Washington State Football Coaches Hall of Fame. Bob, now officially retired, won four Class 3A titles while at the helm of Curtis, compiling a 198-117 record over 30 seasons. Roles have reversed. Now Bob analyzes game film for Nick and the Storm football team. Not many prep football coaches have access to a gridiron mind with 36 years of coaching experience like Nick Lucey does. “We talk probably dang near every night,” the son says. “There’s not a lot of quality guys out there that will be able to give his advice and eyes. It’s huge.” It started in 2015, a year after Nick took over head coaching duties at Squalicum and after his defensive coordinator left. Nick, who is more offensive-minded, asked his defensive-minded father for help. So Bob installed the same defense he ran his last seven years at Curtis. “I was able to look at his personnel and we went through and looked at whether they would fit,” Bob said. “I had very specific things I was looking for, as far as physical and athletic attributes. I would watch the practice and the games and give him feedback on what they needed to do to make progress, or reinforce what they were doing well.” Now, Bob is in an unofficial capacity on what Nick calls quality control. “He talks to us about what we’re doing scheme-wise, technique and what we can improve on,” Nick said. “He knows I’m going to ask him questions. He loves Continued on the next page

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Nick Lucey has led Squalicum to two Wesco 3A North crowns and a 43-10 record since he took over as head coach in 2014. (Eric Trent/Lynden Tribune)

the game.” Nick uses the input to his advantage, of course, but really the relationship is a continuation of years of father-son bonding. Starting out as his father’s equipment guy as a kid, Nick has always been around a football field. As he was watching game film in eighth grade, he never wanted to be a quarterback, but that’s exactly what happened, Bob said. A three-sport letterman at Curtis, Nick was the junior varsity quarterback his sophomore and junior years, then was starting QB his senior season. And it wasn’t just because he was the coach’s son. “He ended up at quarterback because he understood everything that was going on,” Bob said. “He knew what everybody was supposed to do. He’s sort of gifted in the sense that he has great retention with what he watches and remembers.” Over the years, Nick has refined his football mind, with coaching stints all over the country — and even internationally. After graduating from Curtis in 1999, Nick played one season at Western State Colorado University and two at Pacific Lutheran University as a punter and

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ENCORE quarterback, before coaching one year with his dad at Curtis. Bob remembers calling one time when Nick was at Western Colorado and talking to him after Curtis had lost a game to Bethel. “I gave him the score and he said, ‘They probably scored on these two plays,’” Bob said. “And he was right.” Nick then went to Pullman High School as an assistant for three years, helping lead the Greyhounds to a Class 2A state championship in 2005. His next stop was as an offensive graduate assistant at Washington State University for three years under Bill Doba and Paul Wulff, where he worked with quarterbacks, receivers, special teams and offensive line. Nick traveled overseas to coach a semi-professional team in Denmark for a year. He then became offensive coordinator at Western New Mexico and Simon Fraser (B.C.) universities before taking over at Squalicum in 2014. After five seasons at Squalicum, Nick has compiled a 43-10 record with two Wesco 3A North titles — the second one just achieved on Oct. 19 with a 43-40 win over Oak Harbor. The Storm now play Continued on the next page

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Nick Lucey talks to his team after their 42-10 win over Stanwood to clinch at least a share of the division title on Oct. 12. They won it outright the following week with a 43-40 victory against Oak Harbor. (Eric Trent/Lynden Tribune)

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For Bob Lucey, football was ‘a life-changing passion’ The best word to describe Bob Lucey is “lifer.” Lucey has played, coached and given back to the game in the Tacoma area for the past 51 years. Lucey started out at Bellarmine Prep in Tacoma and went on to play at the University of Puget Sound, where he received Honorable Mention All-America honors in 1969. Following college he began a successful coaching career at Curtis High School, holding the head job for 30 years and winning four Washington State AAA Championships with an overall record of 198-118. He is an inductee into the Washington State Football Coaches Hall of Fame, University of Puget Sound Hall of Fame and Pacific Northwest Football Hall of Fame. “The game of football has been a major influence in my life,” said Lucey. “In 1963, a high school coach first encouraged me to play football. Apparently he saw something in me that I did not see in myself. It was the beginning of a life-changing

Bob Lucey passion.” Coach Lucey joined the Tacoma Pierce County Chapter of the National Football Foundation in 1976, and he began actively promoting his student-athletes for recognition at the local Scholar-Athlete Award Banquet. He himself was honored by the chapter three times as Coach of the Year. In 2008, Lucey took over as chapter president. — from tribute to Bob Lucey when he received the Leadership Award of the Tacoma Pierce County Chapter of the National Football Foundation in 2014

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the Wesco 3A South winner, Snohomish, on Oct. 26 in the first round of the district playoffs. Most of Nick’s questions to his dad come over the phone, as Bob still lives in University Place, in Pierce County near Curtis High School. Schemes are what usually come to mind when game film is mentioned, but Nick says most of the insight Bob has to offer comes in other aspects of the game. The little things, like a player’s first step from scrimmage, his pad level and his alignment on the field, make a huge difference for high schoolers. “Anybody and their mom is breaking down NFL schemes,” Nick says. “Great, but at any level of sports, especially high school, just technique and fundamentals [are important]. Every time I talk to him, that’s the one thing he comes back to.” Bob’s perspective has also paid dividends at the macro level. “There isn’t too much in my 36 years of coaching, and another eight coaching eighth graders after I retired, that I haven’t seen as far as interactions with kids’ parents,” Bob said. “He’s very fortunate he has a great school to be at (Squalicum).” Nick recognizes how valuable it is to have his father at his side.

“It’s so valuable to hear his perspective,” Nick says. “He’s been through it and he’s seen how thing have worked out. To be able to have that without the benefit of the experience is huge.” Perhaps the biggest contribution Bob has made with Nick, however, comes from the life lessons football can teach. Nick and his wife have a 2-year-old son and just added a set of 4-month-old identical twin girls in June, just before football practice started. It’s taught him balance. “When you figure that out, you’re a better coach,” Bob said, “because you’re able to understand what your kids are going through. There are other things in life besides football.” The father and son duo have used football as a metaphor for life. “You can learn a lot about how to deal with things in life and how to move on,” Bob said. “Things happen and you need to learn from them, move on to the next part and be better for what you’ve been through, positive and negative.” When Nick comes home to his wife and children, football stays at school. “He’s got great balance, as far as being a teacher, coach, husband and father,” Bob said. “That’s the thing I’m most proud of him for."

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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, October 24, 2018 | Ferndale Record

For this couple, their memorial is fully planned

Gladys and George Visser stay active in retirement, but part of what they have done in scaling down their lives is to plan what they desire for their final days and for their own memorial services. (Calvin Bratt/Lynden Tribune)

George and Gladys Visser don’t want uncertainties to be left to their children By Calvin Bratt editor@lyndentribune.com

LYNDEN — In today’s emphasis on end-of-life planning, George and Gladys Visser have taken it a step further. They plan for their memorial services — the songs that

should be sung, the Scripture that is their hope, the pictures that could be displayed. In a way, this is done as a favor to their children. The Vissers went through a downsizing of their possessions when they moved to their Heather Square apartment two years ago. The process made them evaluate. “I said, ‘I don’t want my kids to have to go through all this stuff. So I started organizing things,” Gladys said. There was a distribution of belongings, from furniture to tools, that they have

collected in their long active lives and no longer need. The first pick in a garage full of stuff went to their four children, then on to their grandchildren. What didn’t get chosen was sold or given away. In that estimation of what’s of value, they also thought of what they will leave as their lasting legacy, what they don’t care much about and what they definitely want to convey. They won’t leave others to wonder what Bible verses or songs or photos were dear to them. “They won’t have to be sitting there

thinking what our favorite text was,” said Gladys. The Vissers began deciding those elements themselves and making them clear. For instance, George wants the song “What a day that will be, When my Jesus I shall see” to be part of his parting. Gladys wants the Bible passage of Ephesians 2:8-10 with its words to be her forceful affirmation: “For it by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God Continued on the next page

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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, October 24, 2018 | Ferndale Record

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“Trailer outfitted with supplies to make relief support mobile” was the Tribune headline in April 1997 when George Visser and others set up a trailer for Northwest Mercy Ministries to use in the region. (Tribune file clipping)

— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Now, that’s not to say they don’t from time to time come across other words that especially strike their heart — and also might make it into their service order after all. Some time ago, the Vissers were thinking that a few photos the Lynden Tribune had taken over the years might be considered in their assembly. These had to do with the couple’s many disaster-response assignments either with the Red Cross or the church organization World Renew. For nearly 20 years George and Gladys were frequently on the scene of a hurricane or flooding or fire just weeks after it had happened and destroyed both property and lives. Among the most impacting, Gladys was in New York City eight days after the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks in 2001 and was part of the direct assistance to those whose lives had been shattered by the terrorism. “I worked with families, cried with them, hugged them,” she says. George was often a driver or could use his diverse handyman skills — he had a career of 35 years in lumber yards

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in Denver and Lynden — at disaster-response sites. They decided to quit this volunteering service in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and dozens of local people signed up to be new trainees. And so they look at their preparation for their final departure — “let’s be real about this,” Gladys said — as an extension of the volunteer work they did helping people prepare as they could for their lives ahead, after a disaster. “I want people to know how to go about approaching their last days,” she said.

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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, October 24, 2018 | Ferndale Record

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What you need to know this Medicare enrollment season This is a column by Catherine Field, Intermountain market president of the Humana health insurance company, on important information to know as Medicare reenrollment time is again upon us. It’s that time of year when people with Medicare review their health insurance choices and enroll in a Medicare Advantage or Prescription Drug plan for the coming year. People typically have a lot of questions as they research their Medicare options, which primarily include Original Medicare, Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement plans, before finding the plan that best fits their needs. Here are some of the most commonly asked questions Humana licensed health insurance agents get from consumers during the Medicare Annual Election Period: When is the annual enrollment period to choose a Medicare plan for 2019? The Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plan Annual Election Period takes place from Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, 2018, for coverage that takes effect Jan. 1, 2019. Do I have to reenroll in Medicare every year? You don’t need to sign up for Original Medicare each year. However, you should review your Medicare Advantage or Prescription Drug Plan coverage annually, since Medicare plans and personal circumstances can change every year. If you take no action during the annual enrollment period, you’ll typically automatically be reenrolled in your same medical or prescription plan for the next year. Does Medicare include coverage for my prescription drugs? Original Medicare does not cover most prescription drugs. Many Medicare Advantage plans include prescription drug cover-

It’s the time of year, through Dec. 7, to make any changes in Medicare coverage for the next calendar year. Consult with your provider. age, or you can sign up for a Part D Prescription Drug Plan separately. A licensed agent can look up your medications and tell you what the cost of each drug would be on a plan.

Part B premium, which covers medical services and preventive care. You might want to use the additional premium dollars you save for out-of-pocket medical costs, such as co-pays.

How are health insurers like Humana able to offer Medicare Advantage plans with no monthly premium? Private insurers keep premiums low through programs like disease and chronic care management, which help people better manage health conditions and this in turn reduces health care costs. Keep in mind that you still need to pay your Medicare

How do I find out if my doctors, hospitals and specialists are in my Medicare Advantage provider network? Most Medicare Advantage plans offer easy-to-use online tools to help you find doctors and hospitals that are in the plan’s network. A licensed agent can also help you look up hospitals and doctors to see if they’re accepting a plan and taking new

patients. If I select a Medicare plan for the coming year and then find I don’t like it, can I drop it and choose another plan? The plan you select by Dec. 7 will be your Medicare plan for all of 2019, with few exceptions, so it’s wise to research your options carefully. If you sign up for a Medicare Advantage plan for 2019 and then find it’s not the right fit, between Jan. 1 and March 31 there will be an Open Enrollment Period during which you can switch from a Medicare Advantage or a Medicare Advantage-Prescription Drug Plan

to another Medicare Advantage plan with or without prescription drug coverage, or choose Original Medicare with or without a stand-alone Prescription Drug Plan. Full information on 2019 Medicare health and prescription drug plans is available on www. medicare.gov, and for Humana plans at www.humana.com/ Medicare. You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-6334227) (or TTY: 1-877-486-2048) 24 hours a day seven days a week, or call Humana at 1-877-877-0714 (TTY use 711) 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time seven days a week.

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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, October 24, 2018 | Ferndale Record

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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, October 24, 2018 | Ferndale Record

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