May 28 - June 3, 2015
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Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay HHHECRWSSHHH Postal Customer
IN THIS
ISSUE
BHS students earn national honors, page 3
Passing truck damages Birch Bay-Lynden Road overpass
Home and Garden special section, pages 8-9
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Blaine Marina, Inc. closing, page 10
Blaine veterans remember the fallen
By Steve Guntli The Birch Bay-Lynden Road overpass was temporarily closed after it was sruck by an overheight truck on May 21. Douglas J. Bianchi of Mount Vernon was driving a flatbed truck hauling a large excavator south on I-5 at 10:35 a.m. when the boom of the excavator clipped the overpass, sending shards of concrete raining down on the freeway. The overpass clearance is 15 feet, 11 inches tall; the height of the excavator came to 16 feet, 7 inches. No one was injured in the accident, though the debris damaged three or four cars. Washington State Patrol officers responded to the scene. Following the accident, Bianchi pulled into the Custer rest area to speak with state troopers. The right southbound lane of I-5 was closed so engineers from the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) Bridge Preservation Office could evaluate the structural damage. The overpass itself was closed down until the inspection was complete. According to WSDOT spokesman Tom Pearce, bridge engineers discovered that two of the overpasses girders will require replacement due to the damage incurred. WSDOT officials are considering the scope and timing of the repairs and estimate they will cost more than $1 million. All southbound I-5 lanes were reopened by 5:45 p.m. The westbound lane of the overpass will remain closed until repairs are made. Temporary traffic signals will alternate traffic on Birch Bay-Lynden Road. Bianchi was cited for carrying a load over the legal height limit, which carries a $144 fine. Bianchi, who owns Bianchi Construction in Mount Vernon, could be liable for overpass repairs and for fixing the damaged cars.
s Bill Irwin, a veteran Navy photographer, salutes the flag at the close of the American Legion’s candlelight vigil in Blaine Cemetery on May 24. Irwin and his fellow Blaine veterans decorate the graves of veterans with American flags each Memorial Day. See more photos online at thenorthernlight.com.
Photo by Alyssa Pitcher
Border patrol agent cleared in Sumas shooting By Steve Guntli The Whatcom County Prosecutor’s Office has cleared a United States Border Patrol agent who was involved in a fatal shooting near the Sumas border on March 19. Whatcom County Prosecutor David McEachran released the findings on May 19. The study concluded that the
shooting was “reasonable and justified,” due to the aggressive and erratic behavior of the subject. “This case is illustrative of the danger that officers face each and every day in Whatcom County,” McEachran wrote. “[Agents confront] people who may be running from authorities in other areas for very serious crimes and present a very real danger for all who encounter them.”
Blaine man crashes truck off pier in apparent suicide By Steve Guntli A Blaine man has died in an apparent suicide after crashing his truck on Marine Drive. According to Washington State Patrol (WSP) trooper Mark Francis, 30-year-old Kyle Green called his ex-girlfriend and told her he was going to kill himself by driving off the pier at 11:53 p.m. on May 22. The woman immediately called the police. An officer was dispatched to look
for Green’s vehicle, a red Chevy pickup truck. The officer spotted the truck and approached the vehicle, but Green quickly drove away. Green led police on a high-speed chase down Marine Drive. Near the 300 block of Marine Drive, he drove into barricades installed to prevent vehicular access to the pier. The truck rolled into the water and landed on its roof. Blaine Police officers attempted to reach the driver in time, but were unsuc-
cessful. It took nearly 10 minutes from the crash for the fire department to arrive with hydraulic rescue tools to remove the car doors. Green was pronounced dead at the scene. The Whatcom County Medical Examiner’s office said Green died from drowning and not injuries from the wreck. Alcohol and drug tests are pending lab results. WSP is investigating. Francis said the department is treating the incident as a possible suicide.
McEachran’s report withheld the names of the officers involved in the shooting. According to the report, the incident began on March 19 at around 2:30 p.m. A border patrol agent responded to a border sensor going off on Arthurs Way near the crossing. The young man who tripped the sensor, later identified as Jamison Edward Childress, 20, of British (See Shooting, page 2)
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