November 17 - 23, 2016
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Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay HHHECRWSSHHH Postal Customer
IN THIS
ISSUE
City accepting planning commission applications, page 3
Port tenant wants to build up on Marine Drive, page 7
A local look at the 2016 election results, page 15
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Rare supermoon lights up the sky Birch Bay volunteer receives lifetime achievement award B y S t e fa n i e D o n a h u e
(See Volunteer, page 3)
s Birch Bay resident Eric Ellingson captured a photo of the supermoon on November 14. NASA scientists say it was the closest the moon has been to Earth since 1948 – the next supermoon is expected to debut in 2034.
Photo by Eric Ellingson
How did we vote? A look closer look at local election results B y P a t G r u bb If you thought the Trump signs outnumbered the Clinton signs around the hood, you weren’t wrong. And if you figured that might reflect how your neighbors were going to vote, you figured right. Voters living in The Northern Light’s readership area
came out solidly in favor of insurgent presidential candidate Donald Trump as well as down-ballot Republican candidates. In many, if not most cases, the differences in voting patterns between local, county and state voters are significant and interesting to consider. As part of The Northern Light’s election
City makes progress on building code enforcement B y S t e fa n i e D o n a h u e A city campaign to eliminate derelict buildings and yard waste has led to an uptick in notices and fines from the city in an effort to hamper violations. Community planner Maddie Ottley was hired by the city in February following the approval of an ordinance to increase code enforcement for owners of derelict proper-
ties in the area. At a November 14 regular city council meeting, Ottley detailed her progress to city staff. Already, 91 cases have been resolved since she started. Since February, city staff have identified 24 potentially dangerous properties throughout Blaine. Eight of the structures have been demolished, including a gas station on D Street, which Ottley said was
boarded and abandoned for a long period of time. Out of the 24 properties identified since February, six have been cleaned and secured and two have been repaired and are no longer considered derelict. Two others have active demolition permits expected to be complete before December.
coverage, staff has compiled voting data for the precincts from information available at the county auditor’s office and prepared spreadsheets showing local, county and state results. Some of these can be seen on page 15 while the others will be posted (See Election, page 15)
INSIDE
After racking up more than 10,400 hours of service with the Blaine Food Bank, local resident Richard Love is being honored with the U.S. President’s Volunteer Service Award for lifetime achievement. The award follows Love’s October announcement ending his service with the organization after more than a decade. As he approaches his 97th birthday, he fondly recalls his time as a volunteer, which played a pervasive role in his life after retirement. “They’ve got a good system down in Blaine,” he said. “It’s wonderful to work someplace like that.” For years, Love arose well before sunrise, revved up the engine on his white truck and started driving – as a volunteer, he was often responsible for picking up donations from around town, delivering foodstuffs to families in need and sorting items for pick-up at the Blaine Food Bank, located on C Street. To say the least, he was a busy guy. In all, the local food bank serves an average of 400 families – or 1,500 individuals – on a weekly basis, dispersing more than 20,000 pounds of foodstuffs. According to staff, the branch is serving 100 more families than it did in the previous year. Love and his wife of almost 50 years, Lonna, moved to Blaine in 2002 from Newport, Washington to be closer to family. Previously, Love spent 43 years operating vehicles at a trucking firm out of Portland, Oregon. Following his career behind the wheel, he spent many hours in Blaine working in hand with local managers, grocery store
Coming Up . . . . . 14 Classifieds . . . . . 11 Letters . . . . . . . . . 4 Police . . . . . . . . . 14 Sports . . . . . . . . . . 6 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 14
TheNorthernLight.com
(See City, page 2) TheNorthernLight
Santa Train ! d r a Abo All
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Ride through a magical wonderland full of over one million lights!
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@TNLreporter
@PointRobertsPress
Miniature World Family Fun Center 4620 Birch Bay Lynden Rd. • Birch Bay TRAIN RUNS FROM 5-9 PM
FRI, SAT, SUN: November 25-December 11 • DAILY: December 16-23
For more info & advance tickets, visit miniatureworld.org