August 6 - 12, 2015
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Whatcom reps oppose Planned Parenthood, page 2
Parks levy pushed to August 2016 ballot
Health and Wellness special section, page 7
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Photos from Blaine/Birch Bay festivals, pages 8-10
Governor Inslee visits Blaine
By Ian Ferguson Blaine City Council chose not to put a proposed parks levy on the November ballot, instead waiting until the August 2016 ballot to allow time for more review. A subcommittee of the Blaine Parks and Cemetery Board proposed the parks levy to fund capital improvements on existing parks, new pedestrian and bike paths and downtown beautification within Blaine city limits. The proposed levy is for $0.32 per $1,000 of assessed property value. Over four years it would raise approximately $1 million from Blaine taxpayers. The Blaine Parks and Cemetery Board had recommended council put the levy on the November ballot, but at their July 27 meeting council members voted 4–1, with Charlie Hawkins opposed, to postpone putting the levy to voters until the 2016 primary election in August. Mayor Harry Robinson said he wanted more time for several reasons. City council has not yet held a public hearing, and Robinson said he would value the public’s opinion on the levy and the projects it would fund. He said he would like to see more exact cost projections of the projects that are being planned, and that council should evaluate these projects within the context of other capital improvements slated for the near future, including the Blaine Public Library. “We’re getting reports that the needs of the library are getting pretty desperate,” Robinson said. “They’re going to want some quick action because the building that they’re in is inadequate. So how do we balance these capital projects? It’s an excellent report, but I think before the council supports it we need to be thinking about these other issues and I don’t think we have the time to do that tonight.”
s Washington Governor Jay Inslee, r., speaks with Drayton Harbor Oyster Company co-owner Mark Seymour while riding the Plover ferry on August 4. The governor was in Blaine to discuss water-quality issues in the harbor.
Photo by Steve Guntli
Bobby Briscoe, Joan Lotze pull ahead in primaries By Steve Guntli Bobby Briscoe will face off against Ferndale mayor Gary Jensen in the race for Port of Bellingham commissioner. As of 8 p.m. on August 4, Briscoe, a Blaine resident and fisherman for more than 40 years, won 44 percent of the vote. Jensen took 39 percent, while Ferndale businessman Lloyd Zimmerman trailed with 17 percent. Briscoe
and Jensen will now compete for the seat on the commission, which is currently occupied by Blaine resident Jim Jorgensen. Joan Lotze maintained a sizable lead over her challengers for the Blaine school district board of directors. Lotze, who was appointed to the board in 2014 to replace outgoing member Susan Holmes, had 59 percent of the vote on Wednesday morning. Russ Schutt came in second with 21 percent, and Jesse Creydt followed closely be-
hind with 20 percent. On the county level, Todd Donovan took a healthy lead in the race for Whatcom County Council’s district 1, position B seat. Donovan won 62 percent of the vote. Bruce Ayers came in a distant second, with 17 percent. The next vote count will be posted on August 5 at 5 p.m. To see the results, visit results.vote.wa.gov/results/20150804/ whatcom.
(See Parks, page 2)
Crab season opens in north Whatcom County By Steve Guntli Get your crab pots ready: Crabbing season officially opens at 6 a.m. on Thursday, August 13. According to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), Marine Area 7 north will open for crabbing next week. Marine Area 7 north includes waters north of Lummi Island and the Strait
of Georgia, including Blaine, Birch Bay and Point Roberts. The sub-area is typically the last one to open. According to the WDFW, this is because the colder waters in the northern regions of the state cause crabs to develop more slowly. Crabs must meet a certain size requirement before they can be caught. On August 4, the WDFW announced that several marine areas to the south of the
state are closed due to increased levels of red tide biotoxin. Dan Ayres, coastal shellfish manager for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, said the area now closed to crab fishing includes more than half the state’s 157-mile-long coast, and likely will bring a premature end to this year’s coastal crab season. The season will be open for both (See Crabs, page 2)
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