January 18 - 24, 2018
FREE
Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay HHHECRWSSHHH Postal Customer
IN THIS
ISSUE
Blaine residents open coffee business, page 5
Blaine wrestling wins to Nooksack Valley, page 6
Tips to keeping your pet properly groomed, page 10
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Teens and parents Japanese national team takes on local wrestlers brainstorm options for teens By Oliver Lazenby
s Blaine’s Saul Magallon, r., wrestles a member of the Japanese Junior National Team in an exhibition match on January 11 in the Blaine school district’s Ken Waters Gym. Photo by Janell Kortlever
County council appoints Timothy Ballew to open position By Oliver Lazenby Whatcom County Council appointed Timothy Ballew II, former chairman of the Lummi Indian Business Council, to fill the vacant at-large council seat until the next election. Ballew was picked from a field of 29 candidates, which the county narrowed down to seven finalists on January 9. Finalists gave speeches at a January 16 council meeting; following which the
council voted 5–1 to appoint Ballew to the position. Council member Tyler Byrd voted no. Ballew’s term will last until next January. “I want to commit to each and everyone of you, but more importantly the members of Whatcom County, my pledge to do what I can to help the county council keep this county what it is, and that’s the greatest place to live and raise a family and work,” Ballew said in his speech to council. “We have a diverse economy and
Peace Portal trail project receives new round of state funding B y S t e fa n i e D o n a h u e A project to forge a new pedestrian path through Blaine is one step closer to completion. The state Transportation Improvement Board – which provides street construction and maintenance grants to more than 300 cities and counties in the state – notified the city in November that it would grant $293,425 toward the project, titled ‘Peace Portal Community Trail Phase 2,’ said
public works director Ravyn Whitewolf in an email. Once completed, the project “will create a viable and scenic pedestrian connection from the new pedestrian crossing at the Peace Arch US/Canadian border crossing through the city to the southern Blaine city limits,” according to the city’s grant application, submitted in August 2017. In a letter written to the board, Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) assistant regional manager
Jay Drye wrote, “The proposed improvements will enhance local connectivity for non-motorized transportation in this area and support the regional priority of enhancing Coast Millennium Trail connections through Whatcom County.” He said, “WSDOT plans to invest in the replacement of the Dakota Creek Bridge, just south of the project on SR 548, which will tie into the non-motorized system. The
we have an environment that we have not just the responsibility to take care of for now, but to pass onto our families to make sure our families get to experience the things our grandparents did.” Ballew told the council he isn’t planning to run for the position in November; several council members had said they hoped to fill the position with someone who didn’t plan to run for it. Coun(See County, page 3)
INSIDE
What would make Blaine and Birch Bay better places for teens? That question guided this month’s Teen Night, a meeting of the Blaine-Birch Bay Healthy Youth Coalition, which formed late last year to combat youth mental health and substance abuse problems. More than 100 people attended the meeting on January 15 at the Pizza Factory, including kids from Blaine, Birch Bay, Lynden and Ferndale, which the coalition saw as a sign that kids in Blaine and beyond are looking for healthy ways to socialize. The meeting also included parents and community members. During the meeting, teens brainstormed and filled five dry-erase boards with ideas in five separate areas: sports, outdoor activities, the arts, vocational skills and creating teen centers. Many of the resulting ideas could be easy to implement, said Jesse Creydt, co-founder of the coalition. Examples include a running club for teens who enjoy running but do it alone, or asking the city to turn on the lights at the skate park at night so that teens have somewhere safe to skate, Creydt said. “Some of these ideas are simple and people have expressed willingness to work on them,” he said. “There’s a lot of community energy and an interest in making some positive things happen.” The coalition is reviewing the ideas and will try to implement some of them in the “short term,” Creydt said. The leadership team plans to make a presentation at the Healthy Youth Coalition’s next Teen Night at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 17 at the Pizza Factory. Creydt emphasized the importance of the meetings and getting input from children and teens. “They have been starved for a place to go and connect with others and talk about what’s important to them,” Creydt said. “A lot of folks are worried about their kids and want to get them off their devices and out of their rooms in healthy ways that aren’t just sports but healthy programs and activities.” (See photos on page 15.)
Letters . . . . . . . . . 4 Sports . . . . . . . . . . 6 Classifieds . . . . . 11 Coming Up . . . . . 14 Police . . . . . . . . . 14 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 14
TheNorthernLight.com
(See Trail, page 2) TheNorthernLight
@TNLreporter
@PointRobertsPress