20 minute read
Letters
The Northern Light is published weekly by Point Roberts Press Inc.
Locally owned and managed, the company also publishes the All Point Bulletin, covering Point Roberts, Mount Baker Experience, covering the Mt. Baker foothills area, Pacific Coast Weddings annual guide, and the summer recreation guide Waterside as well as maps and other publications. Point Roberts Press Inc. is a member of the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association, Chambers of Commerce of Bellingham/ Whatcom County, Birch Bay, Blaine and Point Roberts and the Bellingham/ Whatcom County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Advertisement
The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors.
Letters Policy
The Northern Light welcomes letters to the editor. Please include name, address and daytime telephone number for verification. Letters are limited to 350 words and may be edited or rejected for reasons of legality, length and good taste. Thank-you letters are limited to five individuals or groups. Writers should avoid personal invective. Unsigned letters will not be accepted for publication. Requests for withholding names will be considered on an individual basis. Consumer complaints should be submitted directly to the business in question or the local chamber of commerce. Only one letter per month from an individual correspondent will be published. Email letters to letters@thenorthernlight.com.
Publisher & Managing Editor Patrick Grubb publisher@pointrobertspress.com
Co-publisher & Advertising Director Louise Mugar lmugar@pointrobertspress.com
Editor Grace McCarthy grace@pointrobertspress.com
Reporter Ian Haupt ian@pointrobertspress.com
Reporting Interns Nolan Baker, Sienna Boucher prpintern@pointrobertspress.com
Creative Services Ruth Lauman, Doug De Visser production@pointrobertspress.com
Office Manager Jeanie Luna info@pointrobertspress.com
Advertising Sales Molly Ernst sales@pointrobertspress.com
General Editorial Inquiries editor@pointrobertspress.com
Contributors In This Issue Doug Dahl
The Northern Light 225 Marine Drive, Suite 200, Blaine, WA 98230 Tel: 360/332-1777 Vol XXVI, No 47 Circulation: 10,500 copies Circulation Independently verified by:
Next issue: May 20 Ads due: May 14 Registration opens for Tour de Whatcom bike ride
Get your pedals in gear – registration for the Tour de Whatcom bike ride recently opened for its 16th year. The ride will start the morning of Saturday, July 17, leaving from Boundary Bay Brewery in downtown Bellingham.
With four different routes, varying from 22 to 100 miles, this ride offers something for riders of all abilities and makes it great for the family, according to an April 30 announcement. The ride has views of Mt. Baker, Lake Whatcom, valleys, rivers, lush farmland, beaches and the Salish Sea all in a fairly flat ride.
Whatcom Events, a community nonprofit organization, hosts the event. The organization also puts on Ski to Sea, Mt. Baker Hill Climb and Trails to Taps.
The event will follow CDC guidelines and Washington state mandates to prevent the spread of Covid-19, according to Whatcom Events. Masks will be required at the start area and rest stops, but not
Photo courtesy Tour de Whatcom
while riding.
Anyone 10 years old or older – an age limit put in place for safety reasons – can register for any distance. Prices currently vary from $40 to $55 per entrant and will increase by $15 after Sunday, May 16. Also, reduced prices are available for tandems or multiple riders and families (living in the same household).
Rest stops will only have restroom access and water this year, except for a food stop in Lynden for century riders. Participants will be given a brown bag of snacks the morning of the ride to eat while riding.
There will be no official afterparty this year, but riders can receive happy-hour priced drinks at Boundary Bay Brewery upon showing their bib number.
To register or find out more about the event, visit tourdewhatcom.com.
Letters
The Editor:
We have a small cottage in Point Roberts and it is with continued frustration and sadness that our two governments cannot come to a simple travel arrangement given the unique geography of the Point and the hardship of people. We have not been able to check on the cottage for over a year – we hope that there is no critters moving in or a jungle of a yard. We have both had our Covid-19 shots on March 17. Is it not possible to get a 48-hour “pass” from U.S. Customs and Border Protection on the provision for maintenance checkup only? I would urge all interested people (on both sides of the border) do some serious lobbying.
Maureen Neff
Salt Spring Island, B.C.
Student letters
The following letters were submitted by Blaine Middle School students in Megan Schutt’s eighth grade social studies class. The students were assigned to write about freedom of speech, with the understanding that letters would be published in a local newspaper. More student letters will be published in upcoming issues.
The Editor:
The American flag is the symbol of our nation. Although on the surface it is just a piece of cloth, it stands for much more. It is a source of pride for millions, but it is also a symbol of oppression. What would happen if someone were to protest it? Should it be a crime? While you may not like it, flag burning should be allowed.
One reason that flag burning should be allowed is because banning it would be a violation of our rights provided by the First Amendment. It states that “Congress shall make no law [...] abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble.”
Flag burning is what is considered symbolic speech. The right to express our opinions via symbolism is protected. We saw this in the Tinker v. Des Moines case, where students wore black armbands to protest the Vietnam War.
Another reason why flag burning should be allowed is because of the laws regarding private property. You are allowed to do anything with property that you own, and the flag is no different. Of course, the burning of flags that belong to the government or someone else’s property is a crime.
One argument against flag burning is that it is unpatriotic, since people died for that flag. However, that does not mean it should be banned. It is simply another way for people to utilize their right to freedom of speech. Allowing things we don’t agree with is how we remain free.
Protesting by burning the American flag should be allowed. I encourage all of you to use your First Amendment right to protest for what you believe in, whether it be symbolic, large or small.
London Fletcher
Blaine Middle School
Blaine
The Editor:
Did you know you could lose your job for stating your opinions online?
American actress Gina Carano was fired from Disney in 2020 for making controversial statements on social media. Firing her may seem unconstitutional since she was practicing free speech, a First Amendment right, but it’s still legal. Private companies have the right to fire workers for what they post online. However, I don’t think workers should be fired for practicing free speech in their private lives.
Citizens should be able to express their controversial thoughts without the fear of losing their job. We benefit from hearing beliefs of others. Editorial.voa.gov mentions, “Freedom of speech and press allows citizens to communicate their ideas verbally and in writing …” This is important because when people can say their ideas, and if you’re willing to listen, you understand their beliefs, and our nation may become less divided.
Some claim firing Gina Carano was the right thing, since her posts were offensive to some people, and she deserved a punishment. However, she has the right to state potentially offensive opinions without punishment.
U.S. Supreme Court justice Stephen Breyer, stated “... the worst thing you can do by way of abridgement is stop somebody from talking because you don’t like what he says …” He claims this because if we limit the right to speak about certain subjects, where would the line end? Would the cut off get closer to more important subjects like how our government is run?
We need to have an open mind, and accept others who might have differing opinions. We have this freedom of speech, and letting others utilize it, as well as ourselves, is important. Maybe we can stand in other’s shoes, see from their perspective, and have more understanding for one another.
Helena Macarthur
Blaine Middle School
Blaine
Please send letters to letters@thenorthernlight.com no later than noon on Monday.
CiviC Meetings
Birch Bay Water & Sewer District: Second and fourth Thursdays, 4 p.m., district offices, 7096 Point Whitehorn Road, Birch Bay. Info and Zoom meeting link: bbwsd.com. Blaine City Council: Second and fourth Mondays, 6 p.m., Blaine City Council chambers, 435 Martin Street. Info and virtual meeting login: ci.blaine.wa.us. Blaine Planning Commission: Second and fourth Thursdays, 6 p.m. Info: blainepc@cityofblaine.com. Info for joining Zoom meetings: bit.ly/2CiMKnk. Blaine-Birch Bay Park and Recreation: Second Tuesday, 5:30 p.m., location varies. Info: bbbparkandrec.org. Virtual meeting info: bbbparkandrec.org/board-meetings/ Blaine Park and Cemetery Board: Second Thursday, 9 a.m., virtual meeting. Info: 360/332-8311, ext. 3330. Blaine School Board: Fourth Monday, 7 p.m., Blaine school district offices. Info and virtual meeting link: blainesd.org. North Whatcom Fire & Rescue: Third Thursday, 1 p.m. Info: nwfrs.net.
Hawkins, Higgins and Gill announce bids for Blaine City Council
Colin Hawkins
Colin Hawkins announced he will run for the Blaine City Council Ward 2 Position 4 seat currently held by his father, Charlie Hawkins, who won’t be running for re-election.
If elected, Hawkins said he would like to focus on expanding utilities in east Blaine in a way that won’t negatively impact people already connected to the utilities, so they don’t have to foot the bill for new houses.
Hawkins has served on the city of Blaine’s public works advisory committee for the past two years and has almost 20 years’ of experience in local politics. Hawkins has also organized the Blaine Christmas Giving Tree, fundraised for the Marine Park playground and Blaine Food Bank.
Hawkins is a former president and board member of the Blaine Community Theater.
“I think my time involved in the city with the public works advisory committee has given me a lot of insight in the pretty substantial hurdles Blaine has coming up,” he said. “Utility expansion is going to be a big issue.”
Hawkins’ family has lived in Blaine for over five generations s Colin Hawkins.
and ran Goff’s Department Store for nearly a century in downtown Blaine. Everyone from his father, grandfather, mom, and aunts and uncles have been involved in local politics over the years, Hawkins said.
“It’s been a way in my family to give back to the community,” he said. “It’s seen as a way we can continue to make Blaine the best that it can be.”
Hawkins said he decided now would be a good time to run for council because his children are getting older so he has more time to dedicate to meetings.
Kerena Higgins
Kerena Higgins announced her bid for Blaine City Council’s Ward 1 Position 2 seat, currently held by mayor Bonnie Onyon.
If elected, Higgins said she wants to help create steady and balanced business growth in Blaine through business growth and housing.
Higgins is a local attorney who has served for 20 years as an assistant attorney general with the Washington state Attorney General’s Office, where she manages a team of attorneys who represent public universities and the Washington state Department of Labor. In her work, Higgins advises local schools such as Western Washington University, Bellingham Technical College and Whatcom Community College.
“Advising for Western is like advising a small city,” she said. “I have the ability to analyze problems from a lot of different perspectives and take an approach based on a solid risk analysis.”
Higgins is running for a vacant seat, since Onyon announced she would not run for reelection. s Kerena Higgins.
Higgins ran for the at-large council seat earlier this year.
Before the Attorney General’s Office, Higgins worked as a legislative aide in Washington, D.C. and as a grants administrator for Washington State University. She earned her J.D. from Seattle University and her B.A. from Vermont University.
Higgins said she decided to run now because her children getting older has given her more time to give back to the community.
Bike safety course on May 21
Children will have the opportunity to learn everything they need to know in order to enjoy safe bike rides this summer during a free Birch Bay event 2-4 p.m. on Friday, May 21.
The “Confidence Skills Course” will be held in the Blaine-Birch Bay Park and Recreation District 2’s activity center parking lot at 7511 Gemini Street. The event will teach students in third grade how to check their bikes before rides, pump tires, brake safely and wear their helmets correctly.
Children need to bring their own bikes for activities, which will be available for families to drop in as they choose. A free blinking safety clip provided by Tay’s Safety Supply will be given to every child.
The event is hosted by BBBPRD2, Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office, Whatcom Smart Trips and the Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce.
Up to 50 children may participate in the event.
People who want to attend can sign up at the BBBPRD2 website, at bit.ly/3vUFS5R.
Sukhwant Singh Gill
Sukhwant Singh Gill announced he is running to retain his at-large seat on Blaine City Council.
If successful, Gill said he wants to bring more business across the border and improve Blaine’s tourism. Gill said he’d like to prioritize Marine Drive repairs to Jorgensen Public Pier and create multicultural festivals to drive Blaine’s tourism.
“I’d like to work with city council to get things done together to get to a reachable thinking which can make the town better,” he said. “We work as a team to make everything better in Blaine, whatever efforts we need to put to make it a better, more beautiful, tourism place with activities.”
Gill said he would also like to work with city council to help get funding and aid for pending projects around Blaine.
Gill has lived and worked as a businessman in Blaine since the early ’90s, during which time he has owned or started several businesses including the Shell gas station on D Street, Big Al’s Diner and the newly opened Blaine Mart convenience store on C Street.
Gill has also served on the Blaine Tourism Advisory Committee.
Council appointed Gill to the position in February, after former councilmember Alicia Rule resigned.
“I know to listen to how stakeholders and experts, to make sure that we find solutions that will have the most benefit and the least harm to the businesses and citizens of Blaine.” Gill said in a statement. “In my work on the BTAC committee before I was s Sukhwant Singh Gill.
on council, I was focused on promoting our historic places and tourism, which can increase city revenue and jobs.”
CITY OF BLAINE
Due to COVID-19 and the Governor’s Proclamation, meetings are now only open to the public telephonically. Information on how to listen to the meeting live will be on the City Council agenda which is located on the City’s website homepage under Your Government, City Council, City Council Agenda. Please check the agenda prior to each meeting as the call in number or location may change.
Thursday, May 13 9:00am – Parks and Cemetery Board Meeting 2:00pm – Public Works Advisory Committee Meeting 6:00pm – Planning Commission Meeting Tuesday, May 18 8:00am – Blaine Tourism Advisory Committee Meeting Monday, May 24 5:45pm – Study Session: Planning Commission Interview 6:00pm – City Council Meeting Tuesday, May 25 3:00pm – Civil Service Commission Meeting
All City offices are currently closed to the public. Contact information for staff and Councilmembers can be found on the City’s website.
Call (360) 332-8311 or visit our website. www.cityofblaine.com
CITY OF BLAINE Continued Electrical Work
Crews will continue improvements on the electrical system in central Blaine through June 30. Public Works will notify affected residents three days prior to an outage with door hangers providing information on when the outage will occur and the duration of the outage.
For more information, please call 360.332.8820 or visit our website at www.cityofblaine.com.
CITY OF BLAINE MAINTENANCE WORKER
SUMMER SEASONAL – TEMPORARY $18 per hour – No Benefits
Applications are being accepted for multiple seasonal maintenance workers with the City’s Public Works Department. This is a temporary position that will last up to four months. The seasonal maintenance worker position requires a high level of personal integrity while providing fast, friendly and effective customer service.
Duties for these positions may include but are not limited to: performing routine tasks such as weed-eating, raking, mowing, shoveling and other means of mechanical vegetation control; litter pick-up; pothole patching, pavement striping; building and other public facility repair and maintenance; traffic control in a work zone of a city right of way; cleaning and painting of fire hydrants and/or roadway curbs; trail repair and maintenance; performing other assigned duties of an equally complex nature. Interested persons should complete the online application on the City’s website, https://www.ci.blaine.wa.us/. Application deadline is 4:30pm on May 14, 2021. The position is open until filled. The City of Blaine is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Thank you for supporting local journalism.
“Thanks for the local news!” - Patricia Thompson
This week’s supporters: Patricia Thiel • Paula Kelly • Graham and Donna Hunter • Donald and Patricia Thompson
You can also contribute online at thenorthernlight.com
Please Support This Newspaper
Name:
Email:
Address:
$24
(or whatever you can)
City: State:
Zip:
Community Newspaper for Blaine & Birch Bay
New $4 million facility to offer services for Whatcom County residents experiencing homelessness
B y n olan B aker
A new $4 million facility to help provide services to those facing homelessness in Whatcom County has been announced by Unity Care NW, Opportunity Council, PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center and the Whatcom County health department.
The organizations announced plans for the facility in an April 27 joint media release, after the state legislature approved its final capital budget.
Sharon Shewmake, a state representative for the 42nd legislative district, made the request to fund The Way Station.
The Way Station will offer a range of services to those experiencing homelessness, including access to basic hygiene, such as showers and laundry facilities, healthcare services provided by Unity Care NW, as well as case management and housing services through Opportunity Council.
The facility will “repurpose” what is now the health department’s community health building at 1500 North State Street in Bellingham. Rachel Lucy, PeaceHealth’s director of community health, said she expects renovations to begin before the end of 2021.
Shewmake was credited by the organizers as fighting for the $4 million to fund the endeavor in this year’s state budget.
“The project hits it all,” Shewmake said in a statement, “housing, caring for community, saving money and helping to get people better and in housing.”
Whatcom County executive Satpal Sidhu praised the new site and the community initiative to run the facility.
“Our partners have been instrumental in building momentum to get this project off the ground,” Sidhu said in the media release. “I also greatly appreciate our legislators’ efforts in Olympia to secure state funding that, together with local resources, will help us address a gap in services for the unhoused.”
The Whatcom County Coalition to End Homelessness, a group that consists of officials from the city of Bellingham, the Whatcom County health department and the Whatcom Homeless Service Center at Opportunity Council, conducts an annual point-in-time count of the number of unhoused individuals in Whatcom County on a single night.
The last published count, which was conducted in January 2020, counted 707 homeless people living in Whatcom County, a 1 percent increase from 2019’s count, but a 17 percent overall decrease since 2008.
County partner seeking input on development of Racial Equity Commission, with the first event on May 22
B y I an H aupt
The Chuckanut Health Foundation is hosting a virtual summit Saturday, May 22 as it works to develop a proposal for Whatcom County’s Racial Equity Commission. The summit offers an opportunity for local government officials, commission founders and others to speak on and receive input from the community as they work to eradicate racial disparities in the county.
The foundation will use the summit to inform county residents of its goal to form a commission, which it will propose to local governing bodies for approval. It will host multiple
The Immigration Law Firm
• U.S. green cards / naturalization • U.S. green cards / naturalization • Work / investor visas • Inadmissibility waivers • Denied entry waivers • TN (NAFTA) work permits • Removal hearings • NEXUS appeals • U.S. Citizenship claims 360-332-7100 360-332-7100
www.blaineimmigration.com • 435 Martin St., Suite 2010 • Blaine, WA www.blaineimmigration.com • 435 Martin St., Suite 1010 • Blaine, WA Leonard D.M. Saunders, Attorney at Law Leonard D.M. Saunders, Attorney at Law
meetings with a workgroup and county stakeholders discuss how a racial equity commission could eliminate race as a socioeconomic factor.
In its April 20 meeting, Whatcom County Council entered into a contract with the Chuckanut Health Foundation, along with the city of Bellingham, to conduct work sessions to establish a countywide Racial Equity Commission.
The Chuckanut Health Foundation is a nonprofit organization in Bellingham that awards grants and scholarships to community members. According to its website, the foundation’s goal is “to build a community where every child gets a healthy start and every person receives the care they need throughout their lifetime.”
The foundation was given $90,000, with the county and city of Bellingham splitting the cost, to develop recommendations on how to run the commission. Ideas from community driven work sessions – the May 22 summit being the first – will be presented to county government.
When discussed in council, some councilmembers expressed concern that such discussions might lack a diversity of opinion necessary to be productive.
Councilmember Ben Elenbaas, before voting for its approval, said he hoped that the discussions will challenge beliefs and create recommendations for racial equity issues the county faces.
“As long as this commission is going to be using these dollars to look deeper than the color of people’s skin, I’m willing to support it,” Elenbaas said. “But if it’s just going to continue to be politics as usual, driving narratives or stories that are preexisting, I don’t know if we’re going to be solving any problems.”
Councilmember Barry Buchanan said the foundation and commission leaders are working to prevent discussions from becoming an echo chamber.
“Everyone involved in this believes that we have to get out to the full community and not be politics as usual,” Buchanan said. “The leadership that is being provided for this project is aware of that concept and doesn’t want to go down that road.”
County executive Satpal Sidhu will speak at the summit along with city of Bellingham’s mayor Seth Fleetwood; Heather Flaherty, executive director of the Chuckanut Health Foundation; and commission co-founders Shu-Ling Zhao and Kristina Michele Martens. Guests from South Carolina, Oregon and Seattle with backgrounds in racial equity will also speak.
The contract between the county and foundation is set to expire at the end of 2021.
In that time, the health foundation will host five workgroup and stakeholder meetings to develop a presentation and commission proposal to relevant legislative bodies – Whatcom County Council, Bellingham City Council and any other city governments that join the funding and forming of the countywide commission.
For more information, visit chuckanuthealthfoundation.org/ communityvision.
SHOP, EAT AND READ LOCAL
ALLEY AUTO INC
365 D Street • 360-332-7018 MON-FRI 8AM TO 5PM
We Install Quality NAPA Parts.
We’re small, but we have it all! In stock, same day or next day service! Your one-stop shop for all your automotive needs!
We won’t be undersold on all truck, car and motorhome tires!
