March 1 - 7, 2018
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ISSUE
New study looks at water supply in north Whatcom County, page 3
Lawmakers introduce gun legislation, page 5
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Traffic-free bike routes, page 8
State lawmakers go Wings Over Water NW Birding Festival is back March 16-18 into damage control with backlash over public records bill Legislators frame the bill as a win for open government, while opponents hope for veto by Governor Jay Inslee B y J o s h K e l e t y , WNPA O ly m p i a N e ws B u r e a u
(See Open records, page 6)
s The Wings Over Water NW Birding Festival will take place Friday through Sunday, March 16-18 in Blaine and Birch Bay. Photo by Eric Ellingson
B y S t e fa n i e D o n a h u e In just a matter of three days, you can become a skilled bird watcher. The 16th annual Wings Over Water NW Birding Festival is slated to take place from Friday through Sunday, March 16-18, in Blaine and will offer a look at the migratory birds that pass through Blaine and Birch Bay on the Pacific Flyway, which extends from Alaska to Patagonia. The festival will feature a variety of activi-
ties, exhibitions, speakers and more. Local bird watcher, writer and photographer Joe Meche said, “the rich tapestry of bird life in this area attracts birdwatchers from all over the country to experience a variety of birds close at hand.” The event kicks off by giving guests the chance to join an all-day field trip to the George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary in Delta, B.C. on Friday. The trip costs $42 and includes the bus charter, entrance fee, bird seed and lunch. Guests will get to see many
Blaine school threat was directed at Minnesota school By Oliver Lazenby The Blaine School District canceled classes on February 23 after receiving an email on Thursday about a threat to campus safety the next day. The threat turned out to be directed at a school in Blaine, Minnesota. The threat included the text “Blaine High School,” and came in the form of a screenshot from the messaging mobile application, Snapchat, according
to district superintendent Ron Spanjer. “It was in no way worth the risk of opening schools,” Spanjer said. “We needed to have time, in cooperation with the Blaine Police Department, to track down the source of the threat.” The threat read, in part, “ATTENTION all bhs (sic) students prepare too (sic) see my wrath tomorrow hahaha you all (expletive) up. I’m going to be the next to go down in history you SCUMS (expletive) all bhs, I dare you to go to school tm (sic)
I want to see how many people I can take with me.” The Blaine School District kept students and parents updated on its website, blaine.wednet.edu. By 7:30 a.m., the district learned that schools across the country received emails with similar or identical threats. Bremerton High School also canceled classes on Friday after receiving a screen (See Threat, page 15)
types of birds, including Sandhill Cranes. In the evening, there will be a Wings Over Water opening and featured artist reception at The Vault Wine Bar, 277 G Street. The event will feature a buffet along with wine and beer. Guests will have the chance to participate in a silent auction, view art, meet featured artist Annie Moorhead and listen to a presentation by Ric Zarwell, a representative of Rockjumper Birding Tours. (See Birds, page 2)
INSIDE
Following last week’s rapid-fire vote on a bill to exempt the legislature from state public records laws, lawmakers are going into damage control with public backlash mounting. The bill, SB 6617, explicitly exempts lawmakers from the state’s Public Records Act, and applies immediately and retroactively – meaning that existing records going back to statehood would be off limits to disclosure requests. The legislation allows disclosure of lawmakers’ calendars and communications with registered lobbyists, but only documents created after July 1, 2018. The law shields them from disclosure information on sexual assault incidents in the legislature, which a group of news organizations had sought and sued for last year. Introduced on February 21, the bill was rushed to a vote at break-neck speed, reaching the state Senate and House on February 23. It passed both chambers in 20 minutes with wide margins and no floor debate. By party breakdown, Democrats voted 68-8 or 88 percent in favor while Republicans voted 56-13, or 77 percent in favor. Two legislators were either absent or excused from the vote. “In my 18 years in the Legislature, this is by far the fastest I’ve ever seen a bill pass, from beginning to end,” said senator Mark Miloscia (R-Federal Way) who was one of the seven state senators to vote against SB 6617. He called the bill’s quick turnaround a “world record in my book.” The last-minute introduction of the law and the rush to enact it comes after a January ruling by Thurston County Superior Court Judge Chris Lanese, who determined that the legislature is subject to
Letters . . . . . . . . . 4 Classifieds . . . . . 11 Coming Up . . . . . 14 Police . . . . . . . . . 14 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 14
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E MUSIC: Electric l Society
The Northern Light • March 1 - 7, 2018
YOU’RE INVITED FRIDAY,
MARCH 16
Shamrockin' Celebration
Wings Over Water Festival Opening & Featured Artist Reception at: 277 G Street • Downtown Blaine 5 - 7 PM • Buffet $20 Happy Hour prices for Beer $4, Wine $5
Fabulous St. Patrick’s Day Buffet, beer and wine, silent auction, wildlife art and
Northwest Birding Festival photography displays opening celebrations to the16th Annual Wings Over Water Northwest Birding Festival. Meet featured artist Annie Moorehead, and enjoy a presentation by Ric Zarwell from Rock Jumper Worldwide Birding Adventures. SPACE IS LIMITED. MUST PRE-REGISTER. CALL 360-543-9982 OR VISIT: www.WingsOverWaterBirdingFestival.com
Breakfast served all day!
Birds ... From page 1
The event continues on Saturday with a hearty pancake breakfast at the Blaine community center, 763 G Street, from 8 to 11 a.m. Guests are asked to pay $6 for adults and $4 for children to attend. From 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, the public is invited to take part in an open water birding cruise by San Juan Cruises, running through Boundary and Semiahmoo Bay for $50 per person. A trained naturalist will be onboard to help guests spot nearby birds and wildlife. Anyone can stop by the birding expo at Blaine Middle School, 975 H Street, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. The expo is free to attend and will feature live raptor presentations, wildlife exhibits, arts and crafts vendors and a slew of activities for kids. Wildlife experts will speak at the expo and guests will have the chance to participate in a birding photography workshop to capture images of their own. Starting at 5 p.m. on Saturday at
the Blaine Performing Arts Center, 975 H Street, Dr. Robert DeCandido will speak about his research of migratory birds that travel from the Pacific Coast to the Far East. The next day, Allen will lead a presentation titled, “Birding in Special Places” from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Birch Bay State Park, 7878 Birch Bay Drive. The event costs $15 for adults and $10 for children to attend and will also feature a full breakfast buffet. Starting at 11:30 a.m., guests can join local birders Chuck Kinzer and Wayne Diaz in a walk along Birch Bay Drive and in Birch Bay State Park to take photos. Avid birder and photographer Ken Salzman will teach a birding photography workshop at the park at 2 p.m. Many more events and activities are scheduled throughout the weekend. To learn more about Wings Over Water NW Birding Festival, visit wingsoverwaterbiridngfestival.com. Questions can also be directed to Blaine community and tourism development coordinator Debbie Harger at 360/543-9982 or dharger@cityofblaine.com.
Blaine city manager to retire in June
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s After 36 years in public service, Blaine city manager Dave Wilbrecht announced on February 26 that he will retire from his position on June 15. “It’s been a wonderful experience here,” he told the city council during its regular meeting. Wilbrecht said he plans to stay in the area with his wife. “We love being here,” he said. Wilbrecht has worked for the city of Blaine for approximately five years.
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Valid only with the purchase of one lunch entrée, Monday-Friday from 11 am to 2 pm. Valid for food only while dining at Packers Bar & Grill. Expires March 30, 2018. Half-Price entree must be at equal or lesser value.
March 1 - 7, 2018 • thenorthernlight.com
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Water quantity, quality in north Whatcom County the focus of new study B y S t e fa n i e D o n a h u e A study released by the Birch Bay Water and Sewer District (BBWSD) in February gives new insight into the quantity and quality of deep aquifer groundwater found in the Blaine Groundwater Management Area (BGMA). The results highlight the potential of the BGMA to supply water to other parts of Whatcom County. In December 2015, BBWSD received a $700,000 grant from the Washington State Department of Ecology (DOE) to conduct a phase one study. Spurred by a growing demand for water supply in Whatcom County, the study examines the prospects of enhancing water supply in portions of Water Resource Inventory Area (WRIA) 1, the Nooksack River basin and the Cherry Point industrial area.
“The catalyst for this evaluation is the need, as identified in the Whatcom County Coordinated Water System Plan (CWSP), for additional water supply due to many issues, including the need for additional rights, water quality and instream flows,” according to the 230-page study. BBWSD general manager Dan Eisses said it marks a big step forward for the district’s long-term effort to improve water management. First and foremost, he said, “Our job is to make sure there is enough water in Blaine and Birch Bay, forever.” According to the study, the city of Blaine is projected to have adequate annual water supply through 2060, but will require additional water supply on days when water use is high, such as the Fourth of July, by 2047. The “conservative” projections are the first of their
s The Blaine Groundwater Management Area (BGMA), highlighted above.
kind for the city and the district, since both agencies’ comprehensive plans only forecast water supply and use through 2037. “This tells me, with current water rights, we have concern for 2047,” said Blaine public works director Ravyn Whitewolf. However, “there’s a lot of things behind the scenes to mitigate that,” she added. BBWSD hired crews to drill three exploratory deep groundwater wells within the BGMA in areas served by the district, including the city of Blaine, Ferndale and Lynden. Each well was drilled into a deep aquifer, which contains groundwater that is protected by a permeable layer of rock. The deep aquifer contains bedrock and extends from southern British Columbia to Birch Bay. Samplings revealed that water in the eastern portion of the aquifer contained higher levels of chloride due to trapped seawater in the bedrock. Eisses said chlorides have also been found in a deep aquifer that runs through Lynden. In addition to chlorides, the study identified high nitrate levels – which can be caused by runoff from barnyards or feedlots – at the Delta Water Association in Lynden, Rathbone Park Water Association in Ferndale and Rader Farms labor camp in Ferndale. According to the study, several other systems with high levels of nitrate are located around the Delta Water Association, immediately west of Lynden. Using conservative estimates,
s A graph depicting the city of Blaine’s projected Max Day Demand (MDD) through 2060. Blaine will need to obtain additional water rights to meet MDD by 2047. Illustrations courtesy of the Birch Bay Water and Sewer District
the deep aquifer examined in BBWSD’s study contains a yield of 8,000 acre-feet per year (AFY) with the city of Blaine being its largest user; currently, the city owns the rights to 3,500 AFY of the aquifer’s yield. According to the study, approximately 4,000 AFY remains available to other parts of the county. In all, the city of Blaine holds claims, certificates and permits granting it water rights to a total 6,551 AFY. The city has submitted 15 applications for additional water rights within the BGMA. In addition to the BGMA’s deep aquifer, the study notes the potential for additional water supply
from Blaine’s Lighthouse Point Water Reclamation Facility and BBWSD’s water treatment plant. This option requires a higher population to ensure reclamation and distribution system efforts are economically viable. Moving forward, BBWSD will need to obtain funding to continue the study, which is still in its preliminary stages, Eisses said. Right now, the district is gathering feedback from stakeholders, such as the city of Blaine, Lynden and Ferndale. “It’s a resource that takes a lot of capital to get to,” Eisses said. Whitewolf added, “We need people to come to the table.”
NWFR seeking reimbursement for transport of Medicaid recipients B y S t e fa n i e D o n a h u e North Whatcom Fire and Rescue (NWFR) is enrolling in a new state program that reimburses public organizations for transporting Medicaid recipients. The program, called Ground Emergency Medical Transportation (GEMT), was established as a result of House Bill 2007 that was passed by the state legislature during the 2015-16 session. It’s open to publicly-owned or operated organizations that provide ground emergency transportation to Washington Apple Health Medicaid recipients and funds the actual cost of transport. “Federal monies have always been available to assist with the actual cost of providing care to patients that are on Medicaid programs. Until recently, only hospitals were able to take
advantage of this program,” NWFR fire chief William Pernett said in a presentation to the NWFR fire commissioners. “EMS transport agencies have never had access to these monies due to a lack of legislation allowing access and instead have settled for reimbursement that does not reflect our actual costs.” The district currently charges a base rate of $585, plus $15 per mile, for ground emergency medical transportation, Pernett said, but the actual cost of transport exceeds that amount. NWFR currently receives reimbursement of $115 for basic life support and $168 for advanced life support for the transport of Medicaid recipients. Once enrolled in the GEMT program, the district will be reimbursed up to 66 percent (See NWFR, page 13 )
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7-9 pm • Mark Williams & Selena Rogers 7-9 pm • Chuck Dingee 7-9 pm • Steve Loeffler Duo
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$2 off 3-6 pm during Happy Hour • $1 off rest of the evening
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World renowned ragtime/boogie-woogie pianist
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4
The Northern Light • March 1 - 7, 2018
Opinion
The Northern L ght 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, 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. 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
What are they hiding? B y P at G r u bb ,
publisher and managing editor of T h e N o rt h e r n L i g h t
“The people of this state do not yield their sovereignty to the agencies that serve them. The people, in delegating authority, do not give their public servants the right to decide what is good for the people to know and what is not good for them to know. The people insist on remaining informed so that they may maintain control over the instruments that they have created.” Thus begins the preamble to Washington state’s Public Records Act. The act was approved by voters in a 1972 initiative and ensures that anything that is recorded in writing and possessed by the government is open to the public unless a specific law prohibits it. Budgets, emails, letters, reports, even Post-It notes, are included in the law’s mandate. At the time of the bill’s adoption, the law only allowed 10 exemptions from disclosure. Currently, there are well over 500 exemptions in the Revised Code of Washington. In a secretive and hasty bit of legislative maneuvering, state legislators have created the biggest exemption of all. They’ve exempted themselves. This cynical effort to avoid public scrutiny comes after Thurston County Superior Court judge Chris Lanese ruled in January that the legislature is indeed subject to public disclosure laws in a
Copy Editor Kara Spencer kara@pointrobertspress.com Reporter Oliver Lazenby oliver@pointrobertspress.com Creative Services Ruth Lauman, Doug De Visser production@pointrobertspress.com Office Manager Jeanie Luna info@pointrobertspress.com Advertising Sales Molly Ernst, Janet McCall Catherine Darkenwald sales@pointrobertspress.com General Editorial Inquiries editor@pointrobertspress.com Contributors In This Issue Taylor McAvoy and Josh Kelety The Northern Light 225 Marine Drive, Suite 200 Blaine, WA 98230 Tel: 360/332-1777 Vol XXIII, No 36 Circulation: 10,500 copies.
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lawmakers and staff, and lawmakers and constituents. Even the appeals process will be controlled by the legislature. Not surprisingly, the passage of this law has spurred an immediate and overwhelmingly negative reaction. A number of newspapers including The Bellingham Herald and The Seattle Times have published front page editorials against it. Jason Mercier, director of the Center for Government Reform, wrote that “Lawmakers have awoken a sleeping giant,” and displayed a long list of editorials, articles and posts that have been published by newspapers, local and national, and commentators such as former Attorney General Rob McKenna and the League of Women Voters of Washington. Most editorials have called on citizens to contact Inslee to urge him to veto the law. This would force the Senate and House to vote again, this time under the glare of public view. If you believe your public servants shouldn’t decide what is good for you to know and what is not good for you to know, let your voice be heard. To contact the governor to ask him to veto the bill, go to bit.ly/2F7AWDN. To express your opposition to the bill with District 42 legislators, email Doug.Ericksen@leg.wa.gov, Luanne.VanWerven@leg. wa.gov, and Vincent.Buys@leg.wa.gov. For a list of every legislator’s email address, go to bit.ly/1BMyo1z.
Letters
Co-publisher & Advertising Director Louise Mugar lmugar@pointrobertspress.com Editor Stefanie Donahue stefanie@pointrobertspress.com
case brought by the Associated Press and other media outlets who had been denied access to documentation of sexual assault and harassment complaints filed against lawmakers. Calling it an “emergency,” the leadership privately put together a bill and rushed it through the Senate and the House without benefit of public hearings or consultations on Friday – and made it retroactive to the beginning of statehood. There are very few heroes in this story – out of 145 legislators, only 21 voted against the measure. Both parties voted for this travesty – both parties deserve condemnation. Our three District 42 legislators; senator Doug Ericksen and representatives Vincent Buys and Luanne Van Werven voted in favor. Ironically, Van Werven is a member of Washington state’s Sunshine Committee, a group charged with reviewing all exemptions to the disclosure act. Mid-afternoon Tuesday, the committee voted 7-0 to ask Governor Jay Inslee to veto the law. Only one of the legislators on the committee, representative Larry Springer, showed up. He expressed opposition to the motion but left before the vote. The legislators have tried to paint a happy face on this law – don’t believe them. Among other things, the bill will allow a wide range of communications to be confidential such as those between lawmakers,
The Editor: Congratulations to Paso Del Norte and Black Forest Steak House who were voted Best of the Bite! This year’s Bite of Blaine featured 17 Blaine and Birch Bay food vendors and was so delicious! Our thanks go out to the staff of Umpqua Bank, Blaine Healing Arts, The Northern Light, Blaine Girl Scouts and many other volunteers for putting it all together. We especially appreciate all who attended the event, and those who donated auction items that helped to raise over $14,000 for our awesome Old Fashioned 4th of July. Carroll Solomon, chamber secretary Blaine The Editor: This is a response to the letter advising us to be on the lookout for petitions for I-1600; I will be on the lookout, but probably not for the reasons intended in this letter. I’m sure we can all agree that in the most prosperous country in the world, a person shouldn’t go broke keeping his family healthy, but handing it over to the government isn’t the solution. The incorrectly
titled ‘Affordable Healthcare Act’ should have taught us that. The supporters of this initiative have this utopian vision of a flawlessly-run system totally void of any greed or corruption, the only interests served being are those of the grateful beneficiaries of the state’s services and benevolence. However, anyone who has ever had to deal with a governmental agency on any level sees a system run by lobbyists and special interest groups that will eventually be crippled by corruption, apathy and incompetence. My own personal experience with state run healthcare took me several months dealing with three different agencies, and ended up costing me hundreds more per month than before they offered mandatory help to my problem. As humans, we have a tendency toward imposing simple solutions to solve complex issues thinking that if you just do it my way, all of our cares will vanish. We often don’t see that we’re simply trading one set of problems for another – sometimes with disastrous results. Steve Berndtson Blaine
The Editor: Two of our founding principles are not working well. The right to bear arms (including machine guns) which, in many cases, takes away the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The evidence lies in the more than 32,000 U.S. gun deaths in 2017. When we suffered a terrorist attack by airplanes in 2001 we were able to go to war in the Middle East to prevent further attacks by foreign nationals. To that end we have bent the laws, sacrificed the lives of our military, spent upward of a trillion dollars and restricted many from entering the country. Citizens now endure pat downs, X-rays and removal of our shoes in airports throughout the land. That also intrudes on our right to privacy. But we put up with it to prevent foreign inspired terrorism. It is past time to tackle home grown terrorism and evidence shows the sale of AR(See Letters, page 13) Please send letters to letters@thenorthernlight.com no later than noon on Monday.
Civic Meetings Birch Bay Water & Sewer District: Second and fourth Thursdays, 4:30 p.m., district offices, 7096 Point Whitehorn Road, Birch Bay. Info: bbwsd.com.
Birch Bay Watershed & Aquatic Resources Management District: Third Wednesday, 6 p.m., location varies. Info: bbwarm.whatcom county.org.
Blaine City Council: Second and fourth Mondays, 6 p.m., Blaine City Council chambers, 435 Martin Street. Info: ci.blaine.wa.us.
Blaine Park and Cemetery Board: Second Thursday, 4 p.m., Blaine City Council chambers, 435 Martin Street. Info: 360/332-8311, ext. 3330.
Blaine Planning Commission: Second and fourth Thursdays, 7 p.m., Blaine City Council chambers, 435 Martin Street. Info: blainepc@ cityofblaine.com. Blaine-Birch Bay Park and Recreation: Second Tuesday, 5:30 p.m., Birch Bay Chamber Office, 7900 Birch Bay Drive, Birch Bay. Info: blainebirchbayparkandrec.org.
Blaine School Board: Fourth Monday, 7 p.m., Blaine school district offices. Info: blaine.wednet.edu. North Whatcom Fire & Rescue: Third Thursday, 1 p.m. Blaine Fire Station. Info: nwfrs.net.
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March 1 - 7, 2018 • thenorthernlight.com
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education programs and gun restrictions are appropriately coupled, said Jeoff Potter, CEO and www.blaineimmigration.com •www.blaineimmigration.com 435 Martin St., Suite 2010 •••435 Blaine, WA St., www.blaineimmigration.com Blaine,WA WA 435Martin Martin St., Suite Suite2010 1010 ••Blaine, Policy Director for the Alliance Leonard D.M. Saunders,Leonard AttorneyD.M. at Law Saunders, Attorney at Law for Gun Responsibility. “Components of this bill, whether it’s the school safety pieces, or the firearm pieces taken together as one single bill; they are the consensus for the position on firearms and We’re here to help with all of your tax preparation needs for individuals and businesses. safety in the country,” he said. Let our experienced professionals help you maximize your refund with minimal hassle! The bill has until Thursday, Tax Preparation • FBAR & Other Foreign Issues March 8 to become law. The Tax Consulting • Bookkeeping & Payroll Services prime sponsor, Frockt, is optimistic that it has the support it Cynthia Polley, Enrolled Agent needs to pass despite that there are no Republican sponsors list360-393-3658 ed on the bill. www.BirchBayTaxAndAccounting.com • 8105 Birch Bay Square Street • Suite 102
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Thursday, March 1, 10 am Public Works Advisory Committee meeting Location: PW 1200 Yew Ave. Tuesday, March 6, 3 pm Blaine Economic Development Advisory Committee meeting
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With less than two weeks left in the session, state lawmakers introduced a new bill in response to the high school shooting in Parkland, Florida. Introduced on February 23, SB 6620, and its companion in the House, HB 3004, would create a mechanism for students to report dangerous behavior and would require the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction to allocate grants to school districts to implement emergency response systems. The bill also raises the age to purchase an assault rifle from 18 to 21. The new bill would require that purchasers undergo a federal and state background checks as well. “You cannot really address this issue in full unless you do some reasonable things around these particular firearms that are being used over and over in mass killings,” said the senate bill’s prime sponsor and vice chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee David Frockt (D-Seattle). Although the bill was scheduled for a hearing with less than 24 hours’ notice the Senate Ways and Means Committee hearing room was packed with people on both sides of the issue on February 27 and lawmakers voted to suspend the five-day public notice requirement. According to Frockt, the new gun bill would allocate $700,000 in the operating budget to schools for implementation of response and reporting programs. The bill also raises the licensing fee for dealers from $125 to $150 per year. Because the fee increase and the funding for the program would affect the budget, the bill can be moved through committee without the deadlines facing bills that have no impact on the budget. “I think we’re in a real desperate situation and the public wants action and not just talk,” Frockt said. Washington state is no stranger to gun violence. In July, 2016, a 19-year-old purchased an assault rifle legally from Cabelas and killed three people at a house party in Mukilteo. Paul Kramer testified in support of the bill at its hearing on February 27. He spoke about his son, Will, who was seriously injured in the Mukilteo shooting. “Were this proposed bill in effect as law two years ago, the Mukilteo shooting wouldn’t have happened as it did,” he said. “There was nothing marginal about those lives,” said Adam Cornell, a prosecuting attorney in Snohomish County. “And there was nothing marginal about the lives of those who died in Parkland and all the other mass shootings that have
happened in this country, and will continue to happen if we don’t do something about it.” Washington state school shootings in recent years include one at Marysville Pilchuck High School in 2014 when a student killed four others and himself, and another at Freeman High School in 2017 when a student killed one classmate and wounded three others. Johna Munsen, 18, a senior at Ingraham High School in Seattle and president of her school’s Junior State of America chapter, a political activism club, testified in support of the bill. Now that conversations around school shootings are coming up more and more in national dialogue, people are starting to take notice of student voices, she said. Her school and others around the nation are planning a school walk out on Wednesday, March 14 to protest gun violence. “The whole point of this movement is just common sense and preventing tragedy,” she said. “It’s not trying to take away the Second Amendment.” The bill would infringe on the rights of responsible gun owners, said Keely Hopkins, state liaison for the National Rifle Association. Hopkins added that most shootings are committed with handguns. “The folks most likely to be affected by this are the least likely to commit crimes,” said Brett Bass of the Bellevue Gun Club and firearms instructor. Gun regulations should be considered a separate issue from school safety measures, senator Tim Sheldon (D-Potlatch) said. “Banning long guns from the possession of 18-year-olds is not going to solve this problem,” he said. “Better security is.” Sheldon, one of the few rural Democrats in the state, said lawmakers are not considering the state’s constituency in the urban/rural divide. He added that while the bill only affects 18-20-year-olds, it chips away at Second Amendment rights.
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The Northern Light • March 1 - 7, 2018
Open records ... From page 1
public records laws. The decree was prompted by a lawsuit brought by the Associated Press, the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association, and other regional papers against lawmakers who denied a records request that journalists made last year for lawmakers’ internal communications and information on incidents of sexual harassment. Lawmakers have appealed the ruling to the state Supreme Court, where the litigation is ongoing. Public outcry over the bill was immediate. On February 27, 13 daily newspapers across Washington state published front page editorials condemning the bill; over the weekend, Governor Jay Inslee had received over 500 emails from citizens criticizing the legislation, The Seattle Times reported. On February 26 alone, his office received 200 phone calls from people opposing the bill, according to the report. Senator Jamie Pedersen (D- Seattle) who voted for SB 6617, said in a phone interview that he hasn’t received any constituent emails that support the bill. Now, some lawmakers are going into damage control over the backlash. Since their vote on Friday, legislators who supported the bill began issuing press releases and statements on Facebook and other platforms defending their vote. They are framing the legislation as a win for both constituent privacy and government transparency. Government transparency advocates and newspapers criticized the bill and the breakneck pace to push it into law as a cynical attempt by the elected officials to get around the judge’s January ruling. “I think that both the process and the bill itself are abominations. The process demonstrates the utter contempt that legislators
hold for public participation in the legislative process,” said Toby Nixon, president of the Washington Coalition for Open Government. “The bill has so many things wrong with it.” Michele Earl-Hubbard, the attorney representing the news organizations in the ongoing court case, said before the vote that “there will absolutely be litigation” if the legislature passed SB 6617. “The state legislature thinks they need something special and that they need to operate in secrecy,” she said. “It’s really despicable what they’re doing.” Six members of the public were briefly allowed to testify on the bill during a “work session” with members of the Senate and House committees concerning state government the day before legislators voted it into law. The testimony was unanimously opposed to the legislation. “You’re running the risk of demonstrating to the people that you’re setting up an imperial legislature that is not subject to the people,” said David Zeeck, publisher of The Olympian and The Tacoma News Tribune. “You don’t shove through something this important with that short of a time frame, no public hearing, no committee meetings on it,” said Gordon Padget, a Vancouver resident who drove up to Olympia to attend the work session. “Do you think the people are going to trust you as state legislators if you enact this?” Prior to Friday’s floor vote in the Senate, the legislation’s two primary sponsors, Senate majority leader Sharon Nelson (D-Maury Island) and Senate minority leader Mark Schoesler (R-Ritzville) framed the legislation as boosting government transparency. “This is a step forward in transparency,” Nelson said. District 42 legislators, senator Doug Ericksen (R-Ferndale) and
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Additionally, several House representatives Luanne Van Werven (R-Ferndale) and Vincent members circulated a defense of Buys (R-Lynden) all voted in favor the bill authored by senator Pedersen, with largely word for word of the legislation. Asked why she believed state similarity. Pedersen said that he representatives should be exempt had shared his message – which from the public disclosure act, was originally published in The Van Werven responded by writ- Stand – with the Senate Democrats ing, “As a legislative appointee communications staff, who then to the Sunshine Committee, I am passed it over to House Democrats’ committed to open and transpar- staffers, who distributed it among ent government […] For me this their members. In the essay, Pedissue came down to constituent ersen said that the bill has been and whistleblower privacy. Under “widely misunderstood.” Judge Lanese’s ruling, the media “There’s no real attempt to have and public could have had access any balance in the reporting,” said to all communications between Pedersen of media coverage on me and my constituents and I be- the issue in a phone interview. He lieve that correspondence should also characterized the numerous newspaper editorials as an “unbe private.” Neither Ericksen or Buys had re- precedented use of resources by sponded to a request for comment the plaintiffs in the lawsuit to try and stir up opposition to the bill.” by press time. The press and open government Representative Matt Shea, (R-Spokane Valley) said the bill advocates were quick to fact-check is a response to the January court lawmakers. Seattle Times editoriorder and that the legislature is al board member Melissa Santos not subject to pubargued on Twitter lic disclosure laws on February 26 because it is not a that health information and many state agency. “We’re personal details the ones that have are already exempt oversight over state from disclosure agencies. We are a under the Public separate branch of Records Act, congovernment and trasting with claims this bill restores, lawmakers very clearly, the – Luanne Van Werven from separation of powDistrict 42 representative that SB 6617 is ers,” he said. (R-Ferndale) needed to protect In a February 23 constituent privacy. statement, senator Sean Robinson, Manka Dhingra (D-Kirkland) said a reporter for the Tacoma News that the bill balances the privacy of Tribune, slammed legislators’ charconstituents with transparency. “I acterizations of both the bill and am happy that we are moving in media coverage of it on Twitter: the direction of more transparen- “The media covered it truthfully. You guys ran a deceitful, abusive cy,” she wrote. The same day, representative process that prevented scrutiSharon Wylie (D-Vancouver) pub- ny, cut out public hearings and lished a statement on her website denied your own members the in which she slammed media cov- chance to speak in dissent. Own erage on the issue: “Media reports it and be honest,” he wrote on that this claim is a way of avoiding February 24. “For the most part, what we’re transparency and bypassing a court hearing the legislators saying is decision are incorrect,” she wrote. Representative Gael Tarleton, not true,” said Michele Earl-Hub(D-Ballard) argued in a Febru- bard, the attorney representing the ary 25 blog post that while the media organizations in the lawsuit. process by which the bill passed In response to criticisms of the was “flawed,” she thought it was bill’s rushed passage, Pedersen necessary to counteract Judge claimed in his essay that the bill Lanese’s January ruling. She needed to be pushed through at wrote that the ruling would im- the end of the legislative session pose “obscene” financial costs to because Judge Lanese’s ruling legislators to administer records came in late January and he “rerequests and “paralyze the ability fused” to suspend his order until of legislators to properly represent the case had gone through the appeals process. their constituents.”
“I believe that correspondence should be private.”
“If the ruling had come in October, we could have done this differently,” he wrote. Earl-Hubbard countered that lawmakers never requested a stay from Judge Lanese. “It’s not true that they asked him to stay his order and he turned them down. They never asked him,” she said. Following the January ruling, attorneys representing the legislators filed for a stay with the state Supreme Court, but the court has yet to rule on the request, according to Earl-Hubbard. Senator Miloscia said that the bill was rushed to passage within three days due to its strong support among lawmakers and the likelihood that it would garner public opposition. “When there is complete and utter agreement among a vast number of legislators on a bill that people will get upset over, those bills go extremely fast, as fast you can make it, and that’s exactly what happened,” he said. Miloscia said that the bill “basically says that the politicians decide what the people have the right to know,” and that legislators “knew exactly what they were voting for.” The bill currently sits before Governor Inslee, who could choose to sign the bill, let it pass without his signature, or veto it. He has until Thursday, March 1, to make a decision. During a February 27 appearance on MSNBC, Inslee said that, while he thinks the bill is a “bad idea,” he can’t veto the legislation because lawmakers passed the bill with a “veto-proof majority.” He added that he doesn’t “have control over” over the legislation. By vetoing the bill, Inslee would send the bill back to the House and Senate to be voted on once again, this time under the harsh glare of public scrutiny. When asked if the governor would veto the legislation, Inslee spokesperson Tara Lee wrote in an email that their office is “reviewing it.” The governor has vetoed legislation that has received super majorities in the legislature before. Last year, Inslee vetoed an across-the-board manufacturing tax cut that was passed by both chambers. To see the vote breakdown by members in the House and Senate, visit bit.ly/2GPItV8 or bit.ly/2CPz8Kl. Additional reporting contributed by The Northern Light.
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At a February 26 meeting, the Blaine school board accepted Tiger Construction’s $690,000 bid for work on Blaine Elementary School and district gyms. Including sales tax, the school district awarded the Everson-based company a $750,030 contract, which includes remodeling five classrooms at the building’s north end, enclosing the playground’s covered area and making seismic upgrades to the middle school gym and Ken Waters gym. The company will begin construction this summer and complete the project before school starts.
The contract is nearly $100,000 less than the district’s $850,000 budget for the work, district project manager Jim Kenoyer said at the board meeting. “We’re pretty comfortable that’s a good number for us,” he said. Eight contractors toured the project; just Tiger Construction and Edmonds-based Spee West submitted bids. Spee West bid $875,000. A $45 million capital projects bond that voters approved in February 2015 funds the elementary school renovation. That project, along with the third phase of the high school remodel – which also begins this summer – are the final projects funded by the 2015 bond.
March 1 - 7, 2018 • thenorthernlight.com
7
Three permits, 4 easements still elude county for Birch Bay shoreline project 10,000 YEARS AGO
1950-52
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers excavates between 200,000 and 300,000 cubic yards of gravel and sediment from Birch Bay for the Blaine Air Force Station and other facilities, creating a “sediment deficit” in Birch Bay.
Coast Salish people begin visiting summer villages at Birch Bay for clamming, crabbing, fishing, foraging and hunting.
1986
2006
A request for the berm project is made in the 2004 Birch Bay Subarea Plan, which is adopted by the Whatcom County Council as a part of the Whatcom County Comprehensive Plan in September 2004.
MARCH 2013
A letter from Whatcom County to Birch Bay Drive property owners says burying utility lines along the length of the berm will be part of the project. Later in 2013, Reid Middleton estimates that burying the lines would cost $25 to $30 million, far more than the cost of the berm project itself, and the county drops that from the plan.
Phase 1 of a feasibility study for the berm is completed.
Whatcom County selects Reid Middleton as the project’s lead engineer. Whatcom County staffers hope the project will start in fall 2014.
MARCH 2014
Discussions with Reid Middleton break down and the county terminates its contract and hires Environmental Science Associates to replace Reid Middleton as lead engineer.
Phase 2A of the study, which included a preliminary cost estimate, is completed.
JULY 2012
Planning for the project gets underway and county officials estimate that it will be finished by about 2020.
OCT. 2012
DEC. 2012
The combination of a storm and a high tide flood Birch Bay Drive and damage Via Birch Bay Cafe and Bistro.
NOV. 8, 2014
Whatcom County and Environmental Associates holds the first of a series of three open houses on the project to gather public feedback on the berm and walkway design. More than 100 people attend.
JUNE 6, 2015 Open house #2 is held.
Whatcom County establishes a fund for the Birch Bay Drive and Pedestrian Facility Project.
SEPT. 24, 2015
60 percent level surveying and engineering plans complete.
FEB. 1, 2016
Planned date to have needed right of way negotiations complete, according to schedule presented at the third open house.
Whatcom County and Environmental Science Associates hold the third of three open houses and present a 90 percent level design for the project that includes a schedule for construction.
SEPT. 2016
County officials confirm that construction will be delayed another year. Construction was previously planned to begin in September 2016.
New planned date for construction to start, contingent on remaining easement negotiations and final permits.
2007
JAN. 2013
JULY 2016
SEPT. 2018
The Birch Bay Drive and Pedestrian Facility Project is included in Whatcom County’s Birch Bay Comprehensive Plan.
A flood spurs community and governmental review of the infrastructure at Birch Bay Drive.
2004
The beach is “renourished” with sand and gravel eight times during this period, according to a 2006 study by Coastal Geologic Services and others.
1977
1982
Whatcom County commissions a preliminary engineering study that estimates the project, including burying utilities, will cost roughly $2.3 million.
1989-1998
Reid Middleton begins preliminary engineering.
A report by hydrologist Wolf Bauer recommends a sand and gravel berm to replace ineffective seawalls and groines and restore the beach at Birch Bay. The current design is adapted from Bauer’s work.
1984
A test section of berm just north of the mouth of Terrell Creek is completed and is effective with ongoing maintenance.
LATE 2013
1975
NOV. 2016
Property easement negotiations stall due to third-party property value appraisals taking longer than expected. Easements about one-third complete in November 2016.
SEPT. 2017
Second planned date for construction passes, as 10 more easements and several permits. are still needed.
Sources: Whatcom County planning documents, permits and staff.
FEB. 2017
Whatcom County officials say they have 19 out of 40 property easements needed for construction on the project.
APRIL 2017
A county contractor does a second round of sampling for cultural resources along Birch Bay Drive, as requested by the Lummi Nation as part of the project’s National Environmental Policy Act permitting process.
Illustration by Doug De Visser
By Oliver Lazenby First it was the worst case-scenario, then it seemed likely and now it’s confirmed: construction on the Birch Bay Drive and Pedestrian Facility Project, often called the berm, won’t start before fall 2018. The county needs temporary construction easements and permanent easements for four more properties along the length of the project, and three more permits. County officials think those issues can be resolved by fall, in time for construction to start on the project, which aims to restore the beach along a 1.58-mile section of Birch Bay by adding roughly 100,000 tons of sand and gravel. That will sound familiar to those following the project. The county once hoped to break ground in fall 2016 and then pushed the start date back to fall 2017. Repeatedly for three years, the Birch Bay Community has heard that permits and easements should be obtained in time for construction in the fall. County officials say they’re making progress on the project, which may be the largest beach restoration project in the northwest. A year ago, the county had secured temporary and permanent easements for 19 of 40 properties affected by the project. The county has obtained a long list of permits but is still working on the cultural resources section of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) permit, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit and a Whatcom County shoreline permit. Easements The county needs to reach easement agreements on the remaining four properties by June 2018 to start construction in the fall, according to Whatcom County Public Works staff. County officials wouldn’t say where the outstanding properties are or what the owners want. “It would not be appropriate during ongoing negotiations to provide details of the negotiations,” staff said in an email. Asked if the county is considering eminent domain proceeding, staff said they are negotiating those easements “under good faith conditions.” In addition to temporary construction easements, the county needs permanent easements for the pedestrian walkway planned for the beach side of Birch Bay Drive. In addition to restoring the beach, the project calls for a walkway, bike lanes and other pedestrian improvements to the road, which is popular with walkers and bicyclists. Easement negotiations began in spring 2016. At that time Whatcom County project manager Roland Middleton expected the process to be quick since the project should benefit prop-
erty owners by protecting their land from floods and storm surges, in addition to restoring the beach. The process was delayed because many property owners don’t live in Birch Bay and some properties are owned by multiple people or managed by a board of directors. In general, negotiations for any kind of property rights can be lengthy and obtaining easements over waterfront property that is valuable and that in many cases involves multiple vested property owners lengthens the negotiation time. “Public works is committed to providing all owners with the time needed to evaluate the offers and to negotiate in good faith.” As the county negotiates those final easements the clock is ticking on eight previously obtained temporary easements expiring this year. Staff said those easements are “not being renegotiated at this time.” Permits The final permits for the project hinge on section 106 of the NEPA permit, which requires the county to sign an agreement with the Lummi, Nooksack, Suquamish, Swinomish, Samish, Sauk-Suiattle and Tulalip tribes on how to handle culturally sensitive material. The project primarily involves adding material to the beach, but the county will excavate for about 14 drainage pipes along the project and digging could unearth artifacts. County staff said they expect to reach an agreement with the tribes by next fall. “Since we are negotiating in good faith and have been for some time it is a reasonable assumption that section 106 of NEPA will be resolved,” public works staff said. The county is still working within its $11.5 budget for the project, staff said. Whatcom County and the Birch Bay community started planning for the berm in the 1975 when hydrologist Wolf Bauer recommended a natural sand and gravel berm to replace seawalls and other ineffective concrete structures. Birch Bay has a “sediment deficit” because the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers excavated between 200,000 and 300,000 cubic yards of sediment from Birch Bay to build the Blaine Air Force Station and other facilities in the early 1950s. To get email updates from Whatcom County on the project, go to whatcomcounty.us/ list.aspx, enter your email address in the field at the top of the page, scroll down to “Public Works – Birch Bay Drive & Pedestrian Facility,” under the News Flash heading, and click on the envelope icon to subscribe. The county also has a website on the project: whatcomcounty. us/522/Birch-Bay-Drive-Pedestrian-Facility-Proj.
8
The Northern Light • March 1 - 7, 2018
Health & Wellness
Local choices in health, healing & fitness.
Happy, paved pedaling: Bike routes away from traffic By Oliver Lazenby It’s easy to find a scenic bicycle ride in our region. Finding one away from traffic is a little harder, but there are still plenty of options. These routes offer quiet pedaling with few cars – or none at all, in some cases – and natural beauty and plenty of stops along the way. Birch Bay Coastal Loop This 11-mile loop makes use of idyllic coastal roads along Birch Bay, as well as car-less roads through Cherry Point Aquatic Reserve. For easy parking and extra miles through Cherry Point, park on the south end of Gulf Road and head north toward the paved and gated roads on BP property and pedal around the gate. From there, continue north on a rough paved road through expansive fields with views of Mt. Baker. Picnic at Birch Bay State Park or continue north for ice cream or more beach time in Birch Bay,
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s Birch Bay Coastal Loop. Illustrations by Doug De Visser
which is lively in the summer and quiet in the winter. Head south over Terrell Creek on Jackson Road to make a loop back toward Cherry Point Aquatic Reserve. This loop is easy to do without a (Continued on next page)
March 1 - 7, 2018 • thenorthernlight.com
9
C O N T I N U E D
Health & Wellness Local choices in health, healing & fitness.
(Continued from previous page) bike-specific map, but Whatcom County/Bellingham bike maps are available at most bike shops in Bellingham, and Whatcom County bicycle maps are available at whatcomsmarttrips.org. Vancouver UBC/Arbutus loop Bicycles are probably the best way to explore a city. Vancouver, with its beaches, forested parks and numerous dedicated bike routes, highlights this rule. For local cyclists, variations on this loop through the University of British Columbia campus have always been popular, but the new Arbutus Greenway path, connecting residential neighborhoods from Marpole to Kitsilano, adds more than 5 extra miles (9 kilometers) of car-free pedaling to the roughly 18-mile (30-kilometer) route. The city bought the Arbutus rail corridor from Canadian Pacific Railway for $55 million in 2016 and quickly turned it into a bicycle and pedestrian path. The route takes you along the water, through trendy neighborhoods and is close to downtown for an easy side trip. Most of it is on car-free paths, and much of the rest of the route has minimal traffic. The city of Vancouver has a detailed cycling map online at bit. ly/1jSA8AQ. Pick one up before setting out on your journey. Thanks to Vancouver’s public bicycle share program, Mobi, you don’t even need to bring a bike. Get the app and find one of the many stations at the northern end of the Arbutus Greenway. Snohomish Centennial Trail A 30-mile, paved ‘rails to trails’ route from Snohomish to the Skagit County line connects the communities of Snohomish, Lake Stevens and Arlington. The 10-foot wide trail passes through farmland, forest and along and over rivers. The trail has busy sections near Snohomish and Lake Stevens, as well as quiet sections on the north end where road cyclists can pick up the pace. Work began on the southern end of the trail in 1989 and the trail was
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The Northern Light • March 1 - 7, 2018
2018 BORDERITE SPRING SPORTS Boys Baseball
DATE 3/13 3/14 3/16 3/19 3/21 3/23 3/26 3/28 4/2 4/3 4/6 4/7 4/10 4/11 4/13 4/16 4/18 4/20 4/24 4/26 5/1-12
OPPONENT TIME SITE Granite Falls 4:30 pm Pipeline Meridian 4:30 pm Pipeline Lynden Christian 4:30 pm LCHS Sehome 4:30 pm Pipeline Nooksack Valley 4:30 pm Pipeline Squalicum 4:30 pm Pipeline Sedro-Woolley 4 pm Janicki Lynden Christian 4:30 pm Pipeline Nooksack Valley 4:30pm NVHS Sehome 1 pm J Martin Chelan 4:30 pm Mt Goat Field Cascade 1 pm PD Burlington-Edison 4 pm BEHS VBF Ferndale 4:30 pm Pipeline Mount Baker 4:30 pm MBHS Bellingham 4:30 pm Pipeline Anacortes 4 pm AHS Lakewood 4 pm LWHS Lynden 4:30 pm Pipeline Meridian 4 pm MHS 2A District at Daniels Field and Volunteer Park, Anacortes
Girls Softball DATE 3/12 3/15 3/20 3/22 3/23 3/26 3/29 4/2 4/2 4/10 4/12 4/17 4/19 4/24 4/25 5/1 5/3 5/8 5/10 5/10 5/12-18
OPPONENT TIME Lynden 4:30 pm Mount Baker 4:30 pm Granite Falls 4 pm Squalicum 4:30 pm Lynden Christian 4:30 pm Sedro-Woolley 4:30 pm Lynden Christian 4:30 pm Coupeville 1 pm Coupeville 3 pm Sehome 4:30 pm Nooksack Valley 4:30 pm Burlington-Edison 4:30 pm Ferndale 4 pm Mount Baker 4:30 pm Bellingham 4:30 pm Anacortes 4:30 pm Lakewood 4:30 pm Lynden 4 pm Meridian 4:30 pm Meridian 6 pm 2A District at Janicki Fields
SITE Pipeline MBHS GFHS SqualHS Pipeline Pipeline LCMS Pipeline Pipeline Pipeline NVMS Pipeline FHS Pipeline BHS Pipeline Pipeline LHS Pipeline Pipeline
Girls Golf
DATE 3/19 3/27 3/29 4/12 4/17 4/24 5/1 5/9 5/14-15 5/22-23
OPPONENT TIME SITE Ferndale 3:45 pm FHS Squalicum 3:30 pm Home Granite Falls 3:30 pm Home Burlington-Edison 3:45 pm BEHS Bellingham 3:30 pm Home Sedro-Woolley 3:30 pm SWHS Lynden 3:30 pm LynYMCA Anacortes 3:30 pm Home Sehome 4 pm WCC Lakewood 3:30 pm LWHS Ferndale 3:30 pm Home Squalicum 4 pm SqualHS Burlington-Edison 3:30 pm Home Bellingham 4 pm BellHS Sedro-Woolley 3:30 pm Home Lynden 3:30 pm Home Sub District Tennis at Blaine High School District at Liberty High School
OPPONENT TIME SITE LW, MB, Fern, LC, Mer, Seh 3 pm NBGC W, Ana, Fern, MB, Mer, S-W 3 pm Gleneagle Whatcom County Championships 3 pm SudVal GC Seh, B-E, Bell, LW, Squal, S-W 3 pm Padden Fern, B-E, Bell, LW, MB, S-W 3 pm Grandview GC LC, Ana, B-E, Lyn, MB, Seh 3 pm Hstd GC B-E, Bell, LC, Mer, NV, Squal 3 pm Semiahmoo GC Lynden, Ana, B-E, Bell, LW, Seh, S-W 3 pm Hstd GC 2A District Championship at Snohomish Golf Course WIAA 2A State Championship at Horn Rapids Golf Course
Boys Golf DATE 3/20 3/22 3/24 3/28 3/31 4/10 4/12 4/16 4/24 5/1 5/7 5/14-15 5/22-23
OPPONENT TIME B-E, Fern, LC, LW, MB, Seh 2 pm Ferndale 3 pm Jack Barnes Memorial Invitational 10 am Lyn, B-E,Fern, Mer, Seh, Squal 2 pm Joe Lenberg Tournament 10 am Sedro-Woolley 3 pm LW, B-E, Bell, MB, Mer, S-W 3 pm MB, B-E, Fern, Lyn, Seh, S-W 3 pm Ana, B-E, LW, Lyn, MB, S-W 3 pm Bell, B-E, LC, Mer, NV, Squal 3 pm Seh, Ana, B-E, Bell, Lyn, LW, S-W 3 pm 2A District Championship at Skagit GCC WIAA State Championship at Columbia Point GC
Track
DATE OPPONENT 3/15 Mount Baker, Meridian 3/21 Nooksack Valley, Sehome 3/23 Bedlington Invitational 3/28 Lynden Christian, Sedro-Woolley 4/7 Birger Solberg Invitational 4/14 Mountlake Terrace Invite 4/20 Mer, Lyn, MB, NV 4/25 Ferndale, Squalicum 5/2 Lynden, Lakewood 5/9 & 11 2A Sub District North at Civic Stadium 5/16 & 18 2A District at Lakewood High School 5/24-26 2A State meet at Mt. Tahoma High School
Boys Soccer DATE 3/14 3/16 3/17 3/20 3/22 3/26 3/28 3/30 4/10 4/12 4/14 4/17 4/20 4/24 4/26 4/30 5/3-12
Girls Tennis DATE 3/13 3/15 3/16 3/19 3/21 3/26 3/28 4/10 4/12 4/16 4/18 4/20 4/23 4/25 4/27 4/30 5/4-9 5/14-15
This page sponsored by:
TIME 3:30 pm 3:30 pm 3:30 pm 3:30 pm 10 am 9:30 am 3:30 pm 3:30 pm 4 pm
OPPONENT TIME Mount Baker 4:30 pm Lynden Christian 4:30 pm Vashon Island 4:30 pm Ferndale 4:30 pm Sehome 4:30 pm Anacortes 4:30 pm Mount Baker 4:30 pm Nooksack Valley 4:30 pm Lynden 4:30 pm Sedro-Woolley 4:30 pm Squalicum 1 pm Bellingham 4:30 pm Meridian 4:30 pm Lynden Christian 4:30 pm Burlington-Edison 6 pm Lakewood 7 pm 2A District at Liberty High School
Unified Soccer BOLD = Home Games Schedules may change due to weather
Schedule not available at press time. Check www.nwcathletics.com.
SITE Semiahmoo GC BGCC TLGC Hstd GC Apple Avalon Gleneagle NBGC Loomis SudValGC Padden
SITE Pipeline Bender Pipeline Pipeline Phillips Pipeline MBHS Pipeline Bender Pipeline SqualHS Pipeline MHS Pipeline BEHS KF LWHS
SITE Home NVHS LHS Home Civic EdStad MHS Home LHS
March 1 - 7, 2018 • thenorthernlight.com
11
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The Northern Light • March 1 - 7, 2018
OLD
IN
3D
Real Estate
AYS
N
Lot 7 - Salish Rd. • Birch Bay Birch Bay Village vacant lot SOLD in just 3 Days! I have more buyers looking for land and homes in Blaine & Birch Bay. Why wait until Spring? Buyers are looking NOW! Please call me for a copy of my “Listing Plan of Action.” This is the action plan that I use to get property sold at the highest price, and in the least amount of time.
SEMIAHMOO SHORE 9416 Turnstone Ln #25 $795,000
Semiahmoo Shore BRAND new luxury home, unobstructed waterfront views. Ready to occupy and all the appointments you expect including full high-end appliance package, epoxy floor attached double garage, linear fireplace, hardwoods, tile, quartz, designer finishes, owner’s suite. MLS 1114030
Laura Marshall
Top Floor luxury condo in beautiful beachfront Grand Bay Resort Condos. 2-BD, 2-BA features soaring ceilings & add’l loft room & high windows. Upscale interiors, luxe master suite, deluxe kitchen, great room with spacious deckall in the heart Birch Bay. Steps to the Beach! Also includes custom hot tub, elevators & plenty of parking.
SALT WATERFRONT VISTAS!
8778 Clubhouse Point Dr. $734,500
9146 Aerie Lane $949,000
4830 Cedar Lane $274,900
4-BR, 3.25-BA, home with views of marinas, cities & mountains! Exquisite vintage white kitchen w/solid granite counters. Top notch appliances. Den/ office. Waterside guest suite up, plus generous flex space. Gardenlevel guest suite, w/same awesome view.
2-BD, 1-BA One house back from Birch Bay’s best sandy beach. Adorable remodeled cabin. Roof top balcony with water views. Ductless heat pump with A/C. Tankless hot h20 heater, propane free standing stove., everything gone through with owners pride in mind. Live and vacation on this warm water bay! MLS #1248443
Call me...
MLS #1247473
Suzanne Dougan
Randy Weg
360-305-5704
360-961-0838 lisasprague@windermere.com
ING
7714 Birch Bay Dr. #409 $299,000
Lisa Sprague
360-303-9434 LauraMarshall@windermere.com
IST EW L
dougan@windermere.com
360-220-7175 billybrown@windermere.com
6959 Fingalson Creek $485,000 Nearly 5 acres, gorgeous 4-BD, 2.5-BA 2810 SF open plan and natural light! Southerly-facing exposure, wall of windows, high ceilings. Nicely appointed kitchen overlooking expansive living & dining room. Walk outside to your personal garden & oversized yard. MLS# 1190470
Brian Southwick
Billy Brown
360-920-7733
randyweg@windermere.com
2-Bd+office, 2-BA 2905 SF at Clubhouse Point. Unique family homes in gated micro-community within Resort Semiahmoo, hugging sunny Arnold Palmer designed 1st & 18th fairways. New construction, single story, great room & Casita. Quality finishes. 2-car garage. Secluded. Photo is a rendering. clubhousepoint.com
Cole Markusen
360-815-6638
briansouthwick@gmail.com
360-389-3696 Cole@windermere.com
8 decades of combined experience with Blaine and Birch Bay Real Estate • 8105 Birch Bay Square • I-5 Exit 270 • Blaine
Century21BayProperties.com 4412 Carstan Loop, Birch Bay • $282,500
PENDING!
BIRCH BAY HOME! Lovingly cared for and only minutes to the sandy beaches of Birch Bay. Easy I-5 access! Great for first time home buyers or anyone looking to downsize. 1320 SF 3-BD, 2-BA home on a corner lot features 2-car garage, vaulted ceilings, laundry room, lrg open kit, new sod in the front yard!
Amy Bremer • (360) 961-0620 1504 Peace Portal Drive, Blaine • $245,000
JUST LISTED!
WALK TO SCHOOLS & DOWNTOWN! SW-facing spacious, waterfront condo overlooking Semiahmoo & Drayton Harbor. Single-level 3-BD, 1.75-BA, covered parking gar. Interior main floor unit offers spectacular sunsets & scenic ocean views from LR, kitchen nook & deck. Gas FP, jetted tub, and handicap accessible entry.
Jeremy Porter • (360) 306-1794 4751 Birch Bay-Lynden Rd #45, Birch Bay
$120,000 & MINUTES TO THE BEACH!
LATITUDE 49, BIRCH BAY! 398 SF, 2-BD, 1-BA park model on a 180 day corner lot in gated community. Closed in-carport affords covered access to deck/entry into home. Clubhouse, pool, hot tub, weight room & tennis courts. Minutes away from sandy beaches of Birch Bay, plus easy I-5 & border access.
Carl W. R. Dufton • (360) 815-6637
Spring is near! Find out what your home is worth and lets get it listed! Call Gerry today!
Luxury single story townhomes on Semiahmoo’s emerald first fairway!
UNDER CONSTRUCTION! Completion 2018! www.clubhousepoint.com
at Semiahmoo (360) 815-6638
Linda Kiens (360) 815-6640
WALK TO SCHOOLS & DOWNTOWN! SUpdated vintage home in Blaine’s most sought after residential “Salishan” neighborhood. Newer roof, refinished hardwood living and bedroom floors, high energy efficient natural gas heating, spacious lot with covered patio and a fenced back yard, detached garage and more!
Terry Conway • (360) 410-0503 8309 Sunset Drive, Birch Bay • $279,000
SOLD!
ONE-LEVEL LIVING! Custom rambler, 1544 SF 3-BD, 2-BA, one block from beach. Great walking neighborhood, near Halverson Park. Zero clearance & very energy efficient. Fully fenced back yard w/ a 6’ cedar fence that is 3 years new. Very clean, nice open floor plan, brand new stove, microwave etc.
BEACH ACCESS!
Information subject to change.
All estate/rentals advertising in this newspaper is subject to Allreal real estate/rentals advertisthe Housing Actisofsubject 1968 as amended, which makes ingFederal in thisFair newspaper ittoillegal advertiseFair anyHousing preference,Act limitation or discrimination the to Federal based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap of 1968 as amended, which makes it illegal familial status or naorigin, any or anpreference, intention to make any suchorpreference, totional advertise limitation dis- limitation or discrimination. This newspaper willrace, not knowingly accept any advertisement for real crimination based on color, religion, estate which is infamilial violationstatus of the law. readersoriare hereby informed that all sex, handicap, or Our national dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity gin, or an intention to make any such prefbasis. To complain of discrimination, call HUD toll-free at 1-800-877-0246. erence, limitation or discrimination. This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertisement for real estate which is in violation of the law. Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis. To complain of discrimination,
In the heart of 7806 Birch Bay Drive #708 • $174,000 Birch Bay! JACOBS LANDING CONDO! Great 2-BD upper unit w/partial view of Bay. Garden-like setting for quiet & privacy. Perfect weekend get-a-way or year-round living. Near great restaurants and cafes, golfing. Amenities: club house, heated in-door pool, hot tub, rec room, racquetball and tennis courts!
New Construction!
OPEN HOUSE SUNDAY 12-2
Ruth Skeete • (360) 358-5075 277 & 331 Whitetail Loop, Blaine • $415,000 to $424,800 The first of 18 new homes to be built in Mountain Estates, Blaine’s newest neighborhood!
Jairo “JB” Batres • (360) 306-9029 Christy Imperio • (360) 201-4100 8361 Semiahmoo Dr., The Pointe on Semiahmoo Tidal Way, Units 102H, 102I & 103I, Birch Bay • 299,900 to 304,900 WALK TO THE BEACH! The Tides at Birch Bay is a premier $1,999,888 - WATERFRONT MASTERPIECE! Masterpiece w/timeless design just shy of an acre. Private sanctuary offers 3,419 SF, a spectacular 139’ of waterfront w/bay views, Canada & San Juan Islands. NW Asian design for refined living. Details; chef’s kitchen, expansive flr plan all on one level.
Call or Text: Heather Taylor • (425) 785-5771
Call Hugh -360.371.5800
community of craftsman style cottage condos nestled on 11 acres of hillside above the bay. These beautiful private units are over 1100 SF, w/ granite counters, rock gas FPs, SS appls, 2-BD, 1.75-BA, bonus loft & office/den, +large covered back deck overlooking Birch Creek.
OPEN HOUSE SAT & SUN 1-4
Tonia Thrift • (360) 595-3257
Rentals - Commercial
Brand New - Birch Bay Village
28 years experience. Hugh Brawford
2610 WOBURN
Bellingham • Barkley Area
$270,000
Natural gas heat, fenced back yard, covered patio. Great first home or rental.
GerryAllen@windermere.com
2920 SF, 2-car garage & Casita $734,500
956 Harrison Avenue, Blaine • $225,000
SOLD!
3-BD, 1-BA • New roof & paint.
Gerry Allen 360-920-0563
8045 Birch Bay Dr., Blaine, WA (360) 371-7252
21 ACRES
8140 Kitamat Way
ENERGY EFFICIENT
3-BD, 2-BA energy efficient home on 11,932 SF lot, over-sized finished garage. Great kitchen with softclose cabs, SS appls. Master w/recessed bed, great room w/fireplace & custom cabs. Enjoy moorage, golf, tennis, swimming, 24/7 security. R-52 wall installation and R-49 ceiling. CFC Construction.
On Kickerville On Terrell Creek. Zoned light industrial/residential. Owner terms available!
$200,000
$500,000
TO VIEW CALL: Andrea Wilcox 360-201-6688
GUEMES ISLAND
Waterview Building Lot
NOW $45,000 www.CallHugh.com
TheNorthernLight.com Rentals - Rooms HISTORIC HOME FURNISHED ROOM, NS, pet friendly $550/ mo. + deposit, references required, 360-332-3449.
Rentals - Residential DRAYTON HARBOR REALTY PROPERTY MANAGEMENT
BIRCH BAY • CUSTER • SEMIAHMOO
SEMIAHMOO CONDO 2-BD, 2-BA, Completely furnished. Located on 8thTee! $1800/ mo. 1-yr lease.
BLAINE
2-BD, 1-BA SENIOR CITIZEN PARK. Unrestricted Bay views, Remodeled. $895/mo. 3-BD, 2.5-BA HOME. 1430 Blaine Ave. W/D, DW quiet area, garage. $1350/mo.
Find it in the Classifieds!
N/S, N/P, OAC and deposits will apply. WE NEED PROPERTIES TO MANAGE,
360-332-3166
ENERGY EFFICIENT
FOR LEASE
Commercial Building on Blaine Harbor Great location with spectacular marina & park views. 850 s.f. Reception area plus 3 offices. MUST SEE! Rent depends on term of lease.
Contact Pat Grubb 360-332-1777 pgrubb@mac.com
March 1 - 7, 2018 • thenorthernlight.com
Letters ... From page 4
15s and bump stocks are a good starting place. When confronted with a single shot pistol or rifle you might have a sporting chance to dodge the bullet. Or if you are practiced, calm, cool and collected, you can defend yourself from an intruder with one or two well placed shots. Of course, that assumes that you will be wide awake and have your weapon at hand, loaded and ready to fire 24/7, at home, work, church, mall, school, grocery store, McDonalds or on the freeway. And as for spending money on better mental health diagnosis and treatment, I’m all for it, beginning with Wayne Lapierre, head of our third political party, the National Rifle Association. Note: It is a rifle association not a machine gun association. Alice Brown Birch Bay The Editor: This past Friday’s closure of Blaine schools due to a threatening email has reminded me that the recent school shootings in Parkland, Florida could happen here. Washington, like Florida, allows 18-year-olds to purchase an assault weapon (like the AR-15) with no waiting period and no background check. The state legislature has failed to rectify this. I believe that assault weapons like the AR-15 have no place in civilian society. They are offensive weapons of war meant only to kill. These weapons put all of us at risk. I have been inspired by the bravery and determination of the students, parents and teachers of Parkland who survived this horrific event; they are making our elected leaders accountable for not fixing the problem of gun violence. Corporations are already severing their ties with the NRA which has not been helpful in solving gun violence. I will call our state and federal representatives and demand that assault weapons be banned and every gun purchaser have a background check. I invite all who read this to do the same. If our representatives will not act, then let us work to elect those who will. We need more vigilance and accountability, not more guns. Layne Boyce Birch Bay The Editor: I know the name of Nikolas Cruz but not one name of his victims. Society has failed to make any progress in stopping school shootings in the 40 years since the “I don’t like Monday’s shoot-
er.” In fact, the frequency and level of carnage has increased in our celebrity-driven culture. A class action lawsuit against major media outlets which have contributed to the propagation of mass shootings by facilitating the shooters’ desire for fame would allow many people who have suffered loss or injury to unite and force change. “Freedom of speech” is about restraining the government’s ability to suppress speech but there are limitations; scream fire in a crowded theater and you would be exposed to criminal and civil penalties. The First Amendment does not allow you to expose others to danger. You may not incite others to criminal acts. The First Amendment allows media outlets to speak their minds but it should not protect them from the consequences of their actions. Do mass shooters want fame? If you Google that phrase there are over 300,000 responses, most in the affirmative and most from stories produced by the media. They know these killers want fame and they continue to give it to them. What purpose does it serve to know every single detail of these killers’ lives? Leave it at a “19-year-old male” and no photograph and maybe killings by these copycat, celebrity seeking monsters would be reduced. This is just one component which should be pursued in the effort to stop mass shootings. Increased security at schools, improved gun laws and more enforcement and treating mental health issues have to be addressed. However, if I was injured or lost a loved one in a mass shooting I would get together a group and contact a class action suit attorney. The media does not have the right make celebrities out of these killers and put the public in danger. Dave Berry Blaine The Editor: The Federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act has been called a tax reform plan but is really a tax cut plan, showering taxpayers with rate reductions without offsetting the full cost by closing loopholes or raising taxes elsewhere. This plan adds billions of dollars to the national deficit, while sacrificing virtually all federal programs (National Park Service, US Forest Service, EPA, NOAA, etc.) except the departments of Defense and Homeland Security, which will receive significant increases. It results in a $1.4 trillion benefit to large corporations and will cost our nation almost $2 trillion! It repealed the individual mandate under the Affordable Care Act, limited deductions for state and local income taxes and property
taxes, and reduced the corporate tax rate from 35 to 21 percent. It cuts Medicaid by $1 trillion over 10 years, cuts the medical expense deduction for 9 million people with high medical costs, and results in 15 million Americans losing their health insurance. This tax overhaul revives the so-called “Laffer Curve” supply-side economics inspired Reaganomics from the 1980s. Economists use it to argue that it is possible to generate higher revenues by cutting tax rates, but evidence from the Congressional Budget Office (2011) analysis does not support this. Lower tax rates by the Reagan administration decreased tax revenues significantly and contributed to a massive increase in federal debt during the 1980s, with income for the top 1 percent nearly doubling, while income for the other income levels increased only marginally, and income actually decreased for the bottom quintile (CBO 2011). During Reagan’s presidency, the national debt grew from $997 billion to $2.85 trillion, leading to the US moving from the world’s largest international creditor to the world’s largest debtor nation. The CBO (2017) determined that this new tax plan will actually increase taxes in 2019 for 13.8 million households, earning less than $200,000 a year, and by 2025, 21.4 million households will have steeper tax bills. Is this really what the American people want again; a plan that even President George Bush Sr. called “voodoo economics?” D. Brady Green Blaine The Editor: Another day, another heartbreaking mass shooting. Although our schools and concert venues have become increasingly unsafe, senator Doug Ericksen can’t see his way to doing anything about it. The Las Vegas shooter in October used a “bump stock” – a trigger modification that turns a semi-automatic weapon into a machine gun – to kill 58 and wound over 500 in less than 10 minutes. To its credit, our state senate just passed a bill banning bump stocks – with bipartisan support. But Ericksen opposed it, saying a ban in Washington wouldn’t prevent a purchase in another state. It’s up to our state to protect us. Other states should step up, and many will, to protect their own. Saying that one law won’t automatically prevent every mass shooting is no excuse for doing nothing. Senator Ericksen seems to favor doing nothing. Myra Ramos Lummi Island
Whatcom County Sheriff’s reports: February 23-24 February 23, 4:08 p.m.: Motor vehicle
February 23, 10:40 p.m.: Juvenile
hicle accident on Birch Bay-Lynden
accident on Portal Way.
problem on Quinault Road.
Road.
February 23, 4:23 p.m.: Hot rod on
February 24, 8:18 a.m.: Suspicious cir-
February 24, 12:41 p.m.: Motor ve-
Sagebrush Lane.
cumstances cold call on Loomis Trail
hicle accident on Birch Bay-Lynden
February 23, 6:09 p.m.: Motor vehicle
Road.
Road.
accident on Birch Bay Drive.
February 24, 8:56 a.m.: Mental cold
February 24, 12:42 p.m.: Motor ve-
February 23, 7:21 p.m.: Traffic stop on
call on Surf Place.
hicle accident on Birch Bay-Lynden
Pacific Highway.
February 24, 9:27 a.m.: Motor vehicle
Road.
February 23, 7:59 p.m.: Motor vehicle
accident on Birch Bay-Lynden Road.
February 24, 4:34 p.m.: Suspicious cir-
accident on Birch Bay Drive.
February 24, 10:28 a.m.: Motor ve-
cumstances on Sweet Road.
The Editor: We all felt the impact of climate change last summer when wildfire smoke from BC fires caused the air quality in Bellingham to resemble that of Beijing. And should we not heed the warnings of a 2016 Zillow study, stating that almost 2,000 homes in Birch Bay and Blaine will be underwater by 2100. The cost of climate change is not just economic. According to the World Health Organization, it’s the greatest threat to global health in the 21st Century! Depressing? Yes. But the good news is our elected officials in Olympia can take action on climate by passing key pieces of legislation, including a bill that would put us on a path to 100 percent clean electricity by 2045. Kudos to senator Kevin Ranker for sponsoring this important bill and generating bipartisan support for it. We need to make the switch away from harmful fossil fuels and promote the use of clean energy alternatives. Doing so will not only protect our health and the land that we love, but it will also create new jobs and bolster our economy for years to come. We must put an end to our dependence on fossil fuels now. Ranker – lead the way! Pam Borso Custer
13
NWFR ... From page 3
of the actual cost to provide ground transportation to Medicaid patients, which according to a feasibility study that looked at the district’s 2016 fiscal year, amounts to $9,057. In 2016, NWFR transported 660 individuals; 230 of them were Medicaid recipients. The total cost to transport Medicaid recipients was $2,038,331. If enrolled in the program, the district would have received 66 percent of that cost, or $1.3 million, adding to a total annual budget of $7,472,280. Pernett said the estimates were very generous and he expects the program to generate approximately $700,000 annually. Either way, “It’s a huge chunk of change,” he said. So far, the district submitted three applications to the Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA), which oversees the program, to seek reimbursement for 2017, 2018 and 2019. Next, the district will submit a cost report to the HCA so it can establish a new rate for billing. Once that step is complete, NWFR stands to receive reimbursement for the 2017 fiscal year as early as August, Pernett said. The money will be placed in the capital budget, which can be used to repair facilities.
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14
The Northern Light • March 1 - 7, 2018
Coming up
Police Reports February 14, 2:05 a.m.: Disturbance on Peace Portal Drive. February 14, 1:06 p.m.: Criminal impersonation on H Street. February 14, 1:58 p.m.: Disturbance on G Street. February 15, 7:30 a.m.: Suspicious circumstances on Hughes Avenue. February 15, 8:00 a.m.: Dog impound on H Street. February 15, 9:35 a.m.: Suspicious circumstances on A Street. February 15, 10:15 a.m.: Arson on Vista Terrace. February 15, 5:40 p.m.: Driving without a license on 2nd Street. February 15, 7:32 p.m.: Civil matter on Clark Street. February 15, 10:59 p.m.: Violation of no contact order on D Street. February 16, 8:20 a.m.: Animal complaint on Hughes Avenue. February 16, 9:17 p.m.: Suspicious circumstances on Peace Portal Drive. February 17, 9:23 a.m.: Transient complaint on Marine Drive. February 17, 4:10 p.m.: Violation of a no contact order on C Street. February 17, 4:40 p.m.: Traffic complaint on Semiahmoo Parkway. February 17, 4:50 p.m.: Warrant arrest on H Street.
February 17, 7:15 p.m.: Warrant arrest on D Street. February 18, 12:33 a.m.: Mental health concern on Martin Street. February 18, 5:15 a.m.: Suspicious circumstances on Peace Portal Drive. February 18, 11:40 a.m.: Agency assist on Kickerville Road. February 18, 1:22 p.m.: Burglary in the 2nd degree on Blaine Avenue. February 18, 1:30 p.m.: Weapon on 2nd Street. February 18, 4:29 p.m.: Parking problem on Semiahmoo Drive. February 18, 7:58 p.m.: Mental health concern on Semiahmoo Parkway. February 19, 3:00 p.m.: Shoplifting on H Street. February 18, 3:55 p.m.: Welfare check on Peace Portal Drive. February 19, 4:34 p.m.: Agency assist on Alder Street. February 19, 5:40 p.m.: 911 hang up on 9 Street. February 20, 8:47 a.m.: Suspicious circumstances on Peace Portal Drive. February 20, 11:20 a.m.: Theft from a building on H Street. February 20, 5:05 p.m.: Citizen assist on F Street. February 22, 10:00 a.m.: Burglary on D Street.
February 22, 10:29 a.m.: Homelessness on Marine Drive. February 22, 11:30 a.m.: Suspended driver at Peace Arch point of entry. February 22, 2:25 p.m.: Threats made on 9th Street. February 22, 4:26 p.m.: Agency assist on Boblett Road. February 23, 11:23 a.m.: Collision on H Street. February 23, 12:56 p.m.: Lost property on H Street. February 23, 2:29 p.m.: Suspended driver on 2nd Street. February 23, 4:16 p.m.: Fraud on H Street. February 23, 9:45 p.m.: Welfare check on Canvasback Road. February 24, 10:28 a.m.: Collision on Harvey Road. February 25, 1:48 p.m.: Suspended driver on H Street. February 25, 11:05 p.m.: Suicidal subject on Runge Avenue. February 25, 11:18 p.m.: Noise disturbance on 8th Street. February 25, 1:45 a.m.: Hit and run on Martin Street. February 25, 10:53 a.m.: Suicide attempt on H Street. February 26, 12:16 p.m.: Vehicle prowl on Canvasback Road. February 26, 12:49 p.m.: Parking violation on Adelia Street. Report by Blaine Police Department.
Crossword
ACROSS
1. Chop or cut 4. Green veggie 7. Bar bill 10. Doctors’ group 11. One who buys and sells securities (slang) 12. Be in debt 13. Lively ballroom dance 15. Singer Charles 16. Polish city 19. Former 21. Dismissing from employment 23. Minerals 24. Plotted 25. Consult 26. After a prayer 27. Agents of one’s downfall 30. Leaseholders 34. Supervises flying 35. Voodoo god 36. Alfalfa 41. Apply another coat to 45. Witnesses 46. Jai __, sport
47. Ones who proof 50. Recant 54. Small group with shared interests 55. Part of warming headgear 56. Woolen cloth 57. Snag 59. Central American fruit tree 60. Woman (French) 61. The 22nd letter of the Greek alphabet 62. Type of bed 63. Soviet Socialist Republic 64. Consume 65. Japanese freight company (abbr.) DOWN
1. Czech monetary unit 2. Able to arouse intense feeling 3. Elk 4. Muscular weaknesses
Tides
5. Geological time March 2-8 at Blaine. 6. Depths of Not for navigation. the ocean 7. Burns to 49° 0’ 0”N - 122° 46’ 0”W the ground 8. Becomes DATE TIME HEIGHT TIME HEIGHT cognizant of 9. Cause to Fr 2 6:05 am 10.0 11:52 am 3.9 shade 5:18 pm 8.8 11:53 pm -0.1 13. US political party Sa 3 6:37 am 9.9 12:38 pm 3.2 14. Refers 6:16 pm 8.6 to some of a Su 4 12:35 am 0.9 7:09 am 9.7 thing 17. Single 1:22 pm 2.6 7:12 pm 8.3 18. Type of Mo 5 1:17 am 2.0 7:41 am 9.4 beer 20. Ancient 2:06 pm 2.1 8:12 pm 8.0 Iranian people Tu 6 1:59 am 3.2 8:11 am 9.1 22. Grocery
chain 27. Gridiron league 28. English river 29. __ and cheese 31. Peyton’s younger brother 32. Long time 33. High schoolers’ test 37. Respects 38. Organize anew 39. Filippo __, Saint 40. Intrinsic nature of something 41. Cheese dish 42. Ancient Greek City 43. Patron saint of Ireland 44. Produced by moving aircraft or vehicle 47. Shock treatment 48. __ Jones 49. Things 51. Having wings 52. Panthers’ QB Newton 53. Third-party access 58. Satisfaction ANSWERS: THENORTHERNLIGHT.COM
2:52 pm 1.9
9:16 pm 7.6
We 7 2:43 am 4.3
8:41 am 8.7
3:40 pm 1.7 10:28 pm 7.4
Th 8 3:31 am 5.3
9:15 am 8.3
4:32 pm 1.7 11:52 pm 7.3
Weather Precipitation: During the period of February 20 to 26, 0.37 inches of precipitation was recorded. The 2018 year-to-date precipitation is 8.57 inches. Temperature: High for the past week was 51.3°F on February 25 with a low of 21.7°F on February 22. Average high was 44.7°F and average low was 27.9°F. Courtesy Birch Bay Water & Sewer Dist.
School District Community Meeting: Thursday, March 1, 5-6 p.m., District Office Boardroom, 765 H Street. Community members are invited to hear progress on the high school stadium complex. Knife and Tool Sharpening Workshop: Saturday, March 3, 10 a.m.– noon, Blaine Public Library, 610 3rd Street. Local resident teaches you how to make your kitchen, garden, and shop tools easier and safer to use. Some equipment and tools are supplied; bring any you want to learn about or sharpen. Info: 360/305-3637. Native Plants and Birds: Saturday, March 3, 2–3 p.m., Blaine Library, 610 3rd Street. Discover the benefits of native plants in your yard for birds, bees, bugs and beauty! North Cascades Audubon Society shares how and why growing native plants improves your backyard habitat. Great gardening ideas birds love and plenty of materials to get you started. Info: 360/305-3637. Live Music at The Vault: Saturday, March 3, 7-9 p.m., The Vault Wine Bar, 277 G Street. Mary Ellen Leichen and Craig Adams perform. Jim Basnight Band: Saturday, March 3, 9 p.m.–1 a.m., Silver Reef Casino lounge, 3876 Haxton Way, Ferndale. No cover. Worms and Composting: Wednesday, March 7, 4–6 p.m., Blaine Library, 610 3rd Street. Stop throwing away valuable soil building materials and start your compost project now. Whether you use a compost bin or become a worm wrangler, this workshop gets you started. Learn about the basics of food waste recycling, and how easy it is to manage worms indoors and out. Presented by Blaine C.O.R.E. (Community Orchards for Resources and Education). Info: 360/305-3637. BHS Blood Drive: Thursday, March 8, 8:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m., Blaine High School gym foyer, 1055 H Street. Students and community members invited to donate to those in need. Vegetable Gardening 101: Saturday, March 10, 10 a.m., VW’s Home and Garden, 8210 Portal Way. Learn bed sizes, paths, best veggies to grow in Whatcom County and more. Free. Info: vwhomeandgarden. com. The Haynie Opry: Saturday, March 10, 7 p.m., Haynie Grange, 3344 Haynie Road. Featuring Matt Audette and the Circle of Friends Band performing traditional country music. Features special guest Marcia Kester performing tribute to Patsy Cline. Doors open at 6 p.m. Live Music at The Vault: Saturday, March 10, 7-9 p.m., The Vault Wine Bar, 277 G Street. Mark Williams & Selena Rogers. Creepy Underwear: Wednesday, March 14, 3:15–4:15 p.m., Blaine Library, 610 3rd Street. Join us for a creepy craft program, based on the hilarious book Creepy Pair of Underwear! by Aaron Reynolds and Peter Brown. Participants will get a brand new pair of green briefs and materials to creep them out. But you have to take them home when you’re done! Kindergarten Registration Day: Thursday, March 15, 10 a.m.–7 p.m., Blaine Primary School, 820 Boblett Street. Parents of soon-to-be kindergarteners can come to register for the next school year. Children must turn five on or before August 31, 2018. Must bring a copy of child’s birth certificate and updated immunization records. Info: 360/332-1300. Wings Over Water Opening Reception: Friday, March 16, 5–7 p.m., The Vault Wine Bar & Event Space, 277 G Street. Enjoy food and wine, silent auction, wildlife art and photography displays, meet featured artist Annie Moorehead, and enjoy a presentation by Ric Zarwell from Rock Jumper Worldwide Birding Adventures. St. Patrick’s buffet dinner $20, wine $5, beer $4. Must pre-register. Info:wingsoverwaternwbirdingfestival.com. Bob Milne Performance: Friday, March 16, 7:30 p.m., Blaine Performing Arts Center. Enjoy music by world-renowned ragtime, boogie-woogie pianist. Adults $15, students $10 available at: brownpapertickets.com. Proceeds benefit Blaine Library improvements. St. Patrick’s Day at The Vault: Saturday, March 17, The Vault Wine Bar, 277 G Street. Special corned beef dinner plus regular menu and live music 7-9 p.m. with Chuck Dingee & Sharon Mayson. Pancake Breakfast: Saturday, March 17, 8–11 a.m., Blaine Senior Center, 763 G Street. Pancakes, waffles, scrambled eggs, biscuits and gravy, coffee and orange juice. Adults $6, kids under 6 $4. Info: 360/332-8040. Wings Over Water Birding Festival: Saturday, March 17, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Blaine Middle School, 975 H Street. Expert wildlife speakers, wildlife and geology field trips, live raptor presentations, photography workshops, exhibits and displays, birding and wildlife cruises, kids’ activities. Info: 360/543-9982. Tree Sale: Saturday, March 17, 10 a.m.–noon, Henry Jansen Ag Center, 1775 Front Street, Lynden. Whatcom Tree Farm Forestry Association will sell 15 tree species at a $1 each. Info: 360/671-6988. Kid’s Bird Seed Hangers Class: Saturday, March 17, 10 a.m., VW’s Home and Garden, 8210 Portal Way. $20 materials cost. Info: vwhomeandgarden.com. Make a Bird Feeder: Saturday, March 17, 11 a.m.–noon, Blaine Public Library, 610 3rd Street. Celebrate Wings Over Water at the Blaine Library by making your very own bird feeder to take home. Everything you need will be provided. For grades K-5. Info: 360/305-3637. Starting Your Vegetable Garden: Wednesday, March 21, 4–6 p.m., Blaine Library, 610 3rd Street. Get started growing your own vegetables. Learn about choosing the right plant for the right place, fertilizers, microclimates, soil tests and amendments, seed starting, companion planting, mulching, composting, and pest controls. Program repeats at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 24. Presented by Blaine C.O.R.E. (Community Orchards for Resources and Education). Submissions to Coming Up should be sent to calendar@thenorthernlight.com no later than noon on Monday.
March 1 - 7, 2018 • thenorthernlight.com
Threat ... From page 1
shot of the same Snapchat post. Since receiving the threat, the Blaine school district has discussed its safety procedures with the Blaine Police Department, Spanjer said. The district has emergency plans and conducts three lockdown drills a year. “I think it’s important that people understand that we do have protocols and procedures in place and those are under constant review,” Spanjer said. The Blaine school board will discuss school security at the next school board meeting on Tuesday, March 27, at Point
FAJITAS
Roberts Primary School. U.S. schools have seen a surge in threats since February 14, when a shooter killed 17 at a high school in Parkland, Florida. Since then, the Educator’s School Safety Network, a nonprofit that tracks media reports on school threats and safety incidents, has tracked an average of 78 threats and incidents per day. Typically, the organization tracks about 10 a day, according to its website, eschoolsafety.org. Also on February 23, authorities arrested a girl in connection with a social media threat about a shooting at Ferndale High School, and two boys were arrested after two separate threats to schools in Tacoma.
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12:30 pm Early Bird 1- 3 pm Regular Bingo
SUNIL YAPA
Photo by Gilbert Chong
AUTHOR SUNIL YAPA VISITS MARCH 8-10, 2018 All events are free! SEE WWW.WHATCOMREADS.ORG FOR FULL SCHEDULE OF EVENTS.
Open to the Public! Bring Your Friends!
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16
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FU N FO R E T H E E N T IR ! Y IL M FA
MARCH 16-18, 2018
Blaine Middle School • 975 H Street • Blaine, WA • I-5 Exit 275 • Photography Workshop • Wildlife Boating Cruises and so much more!
PLUS ...check-out WingsOverWaterBirdingFestival.com for these additional fun activities:
FRIDAY, MARCH 16
• Reifel Bird Sanctuary Field Trip • WOW Festival Opening & Artist Reception at The Vault Wine Bar in Blaine
SATURDAY, MARCH 17
• Pancake Breakfast • Open Water Birding Cruises • Featured Presentation at PAC and so much more...
SUNDAY, MARCH 18
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EVENT SPONSORS
Newspaper of Blaine & Birch Bay
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Blaine
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE & Visitor Information Center
Mobile Exchange, Inc.
Your Semiahmoo, Birch Bay Planned Community Specialist
City of Blaine
D Street
wingsoverwaterbirdingfestival.com • 1-360-543-9982
s ! n o i t a l u t Congra Blaine Community Chamber of Commerce 2017 Business of the Year
THANK YOU Bite of Blaine featured restaurants! Big Al’s Diner Birch Bay Café Black Forest Steak House Blaine Senior Center CJ’s Beach House Cost Cutter
BIRCH BAY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
&Visitor Information Center
Drayton Harbor Oyster Co. Edaleen Dairy Good Samaritan Society-Stafholt Lizzie’s Café Paso del Norte
Pizza Factory Railway Cafe Semiahmoo Marina Café Semiahmoo Resort Subway The Vault Wine Bar
THANK YOU to the following donors and volunteers who helped make this year’s Bite of Blaine a success!
DONORS Atwood Ales Baker Septic Banner Bank Barnyard Coffee Bayside Beauty Becky and Jason Farrar/ Spark Betty Be Good Big Bison Builders Inc. Birch Bay Waterslides Black Forest Steak House Blaine-Birch Bay Park & Recreation Blaine Bouquets Blaine Chiropractic Center Blaine Senior Center Bobby McGee Cascade Floors Chada Thai Curb Shots Day-To-Day Dance Productions Diversified Shipping Dorita Gray Duty Free America
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Edaleen Dairy Hagen’s of Blaine Hill’s Chevron Horseshoe Coin & Antiques Jen Freeman & Leah Crews/Windermere Justesen Industries Kari Hrutfiord/Blaine Healing Arts Kats & Dawgs Grooming Laura Hedges/Blaine Healing Arts Law Offices of Roger Ellington & Rajeev Majumdar Lizzie’s Diner Louis Auto Glass Nature’s Path Food Inc. New Edge Hair Design North Bellingham Golf Course Pacific Building Center Paso Del Norte Peace Arch City Café Pizza Factory Ray Maxon
Blaine
Rugosa Trading Sage Butterfly Semiahmoo Resort, Golf, Spa Smuggler’s Inn St. Moritz Watch Corp. Starbucks Subway TC Trans Trident Seafoods The Chrysalis Inn and Spa The Northern Light The Vault Wine Bar & Event Space Touchstone Health Clinic Turner Photographics Umpqua Bank Umpqua Home Lending/Becky Farrar Washington Federal Bank Wings Over Water Northwest Birding Festival Woods Coffee
VOLUNTEERS Kimberly Akre Mason Akre Tobin Akre Audrey Burrell Wayne Diaz Maddy Ernst Molly Ernst Laura Hedges Svenna Hrutfiord Shaazi Jalali Cameron Johnson Mike Kent/Windermere Real Estate Ray Maxon Gavin Miller The Northern Light Newspaper Juniper Shea Kim Shea Andrea St. Martin Gabriella St. Martin Carroll Solomon Sydney Thrall Gary Tomsic Ana Townson Lexi Townson Sam Townson
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE & Visitor Information Center Facebook.com/blainechamber www.BlaineChamber.com
16
The Northern Light • March 1 - 7, 2018
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