The Northern Light: October 28-November 3, 2021 by Point Roberts Press

Oct. 28 - Nov. 3, 2021

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IN THIS

ISSUE

School district considers Birch Bay school, page 4

Employment terminated for unvaccinated after mandate

Halloween activities, page 5

PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230

County council discusses Point Roberts aid, page 8

Berm performs well during fall wind storm

By Ian Haupt

(See Mandates, page 3)

s The Birch Bay berm sailed through the most recent fall storm as walkers enjoyed the new plantings during a pause in the rains and wind gusts. Read more on page 6. Photo by Ian Haupt

Two potential buyers eye buying Alcoa smelter By Grace McCarthy Over a year after the Alcoa Corporation laid off 700 workers at its Intalco Works aluminum smelter, two potential buyers are reportedly eyeing the Ferndale plant. Don Goldberg, director of economic development for the Port of Bellingham, informed port commissioners during their October 14 meeting that discussions were underway for two different uses of the property. Goldberg did not name the companies, but said they were also in conversation with Alcoa.

The first company is working with Washington state and Alcoa in an attempt to modernize the smelter and reopen it for production. “It’s a very complex process to know whether the facility can be opened and whether Alcoa will do a transaction,” Goldberg said during the meeting, adding Alcoa recently sold its property outside of the plant to AltaGas, the new owners of Petrogas Energy Corporation. “I’m thrilled by the idea that someone may come in there and modernize that plant,” said Ken Bell, Port of Bellingham

City council extends utility moratorium By Grace McCarthy Blaine City Council voted 5-1 to delay the October 28 deadline for utility shutoffs by one week in order to give customers behind on payments time to pay their bills or create repayment plans. Over 100 customers face shutoffs Thursday, November 4 if they don’t take action. During the October 25 city council meeting, finance director Dan Heverling said 106 residents with delinquent accounts were at risk of having their utility

services turned off. Only 37 people had started repayment plans and those late on utility bills owe the city over $250,000, Heverling said. Delinquent accounts range from $100 to $5,500. “If people come to us and say they want to be on a payment plan, we’ll put them on one,” Heverling said. “We’ve reached out numerous times to people and sent them numerous advisements the shut off is happening.” The city still has $30,000 of the $40,000 American Rescue Plan Act funds allocated

to paying customers’ utility bills with the federal coronavirus stimulus package. Customers’ utility debt – which includes wastewater, drinking water, stormwater and electricity – impacts the rates of other customers. Since the utility moratorium began 18 months ago, the city has contacted customers through mailers and phone calls about the moratorium deadline and payment plan options, according to a press (See Utilities, page 16)

commission president. “One of the problems with it was it never scaled to the size that would have made it economically viable during the days it operated. It needs that vision in order for it to be successful.” Pittsburgh-based Alcoa announced in April 2020 that it would stop production at its Ferndale smelter by the end of July 2020 after years of economic instability. The second option is from a partnership between U.S. and Lower Mainland (See Alcoa, page 4)

INSIDE

Governor Jay Inslee’s vaccine mandate that required all state employees, educators, and most healthcare workers to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 went into effect on October 18. Under the proclamation, those who are not vaccinated and did not receive approval for a medical or religious exemption were to be fired last Monday if they did not resign or retire. The statewide mandate is estimated to cover 800,000 workers, including educators, healthcare workers and state workers. According to data released by the Office of Financial Management, the mandate covers about 61,000 state workers. Locally, the governor’s actions apply to school district employees, PeaceHealth caregivers, state troopers, firefighters and other state agency workers. The mandate does not apply to city or county workers. Across Washington, many state departments saw separations with more than 1,800 state employees leaving their jobs due to the Covid-19 vaccine requirements, either by separation, resignation or retirement. Washington State Patrol (WSP) saw 127 individuals leave the line of duty, according to an October 19 press release. Of the 2,200 WSP personnel, 67 troopers, six sergeants, one captain and 53 civil servants left the agency. Chief John R. Batiste said in the release he’s thankful for the more than 2,000 individuals who stayed and said they will not have to do more with less. “We shall do our very best to keep our remaining staff from becoming overburdened by these temporary losses,” Batiste said. Whatcom County, which is in WSP’s district 7 along with Skagit, Snohomish, San Juan and Island counties, lost 10 WSP commissioned personnel. The most any one district lost was 14, and that was in the state’s southwest counties. The Department of Corrections and De-

Coming Up . . . . . 14 Classifieds . . . . . 11 Letters . . . . . . . . . 4 Police . . . . . . . . . 14 Sports . . . . . . . . . . 7 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 14

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October 28 - November 3, 2021 • thenorthernlight.com

Deer Trail to return to 2-lane traffic next week By Ian Haupt An eroded roadway in Birch Bay will reopen to two-lane traffic after Whatcom County Public Works Department contractors install temporary erosion and sediment controls where a landslide closed the road to one lane of traffic for eight months. Public works engineer Brian Walker said in an email that Stremler Gravel, an excavation company out of Lynden, began work adding a temporary travel lane on Deer Trail October 25. He said public works anticipates the road to have two-way traffic by next week. Permanent repair work for Deer Trail is scheduled to start in the spring of 2022 when weather conditions are more favorable, according to public works, as de-

lays in acquiring property access agreements prevented the work from taking place before this year’s rainy season. In a January 15 newsletter, public works said a long-term fix would take a year or two due to staff resources, budget, permitting and other factors. Since January, Deer Trail has been reduced to one lane near the intersection of Cherry Tree Lane. Stop signs have been placed on either end of the road to control traffic. Because of the gradient and bend in the road, it can be difficult for those entering the residential area to see oncoming traffic on the other side of the barriers that block the eroded roadway. Deer Trail serves as sole access to households on it: Cherry Tree Lane, Fawn Crescent, Pheasant Drive and Grouse Crescent Road, totaling about 90 residences.

The landslide occurred when a county maintenance and operations crew removed a maple tree in January that had separated from the hillside and pulled the edge of Deer Trail with it. This week, Stremler Gravel will be removing trees in the right of way to reduce additional landslide potential and constructing a temporary travel lane for southbound traffic, Walker said. Crews will fill existing roadside ditches with free-draining rock and top it with compacted, crushed rock surfacing for the extra lane. They will also place plastic sheeting over the existing exposed landslide soils and install runoff dispersion wattles at the toe of the sheeting. Once the temporary fix is complete, county crews will remove the stop signs and add additional interim roadway signage.

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Photo by Ian Haupt

Mandates ... From page 1

partment of Transportation had over 400 separations in their 8,300 and 6,800-person departments as of October 19, according to the data. The majority of state departments have over 90 percent vaccination rates: only the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) and Employment Security Department (ESD) were below 90 percent. ESD had 330 employees receive exemptions and 10 separations in its almost 3,000-person department as of October 25. On the other hand, DVA had 70 separations and 0 exemptions in its 869-person agency. With the mandates going into effect, The Northern Light reached out to local organizations to inquire about their staff vaccination rates. The Blaine school district, PeaceHealth caregivers and North Whatcom Fire and Rescue are required to follow the mandates. The rest are not. Below are their responses. Blaine school district Total number of employees: ~385 Number of staff members fully vaccinated: 91 percent (~350) Number of staff members exempted: 9 percent (~35) Number of staff members not fully vaccinated: 9 percent (~35) PeaceHealth Whatcom County Total number of employees: 3,290 Number of staff members fully vaccinated: 3148 (97 percent) Number of staff members ex-

empted: 115 (3.5 percent) Number of staff members not fully vaccinated: 27 (.82 percent) North Whatcom Fire and Rescue Total number of employees: 50 employees covered by the mandate. Number of staff members fully vaccinated: 50 (100 percent) Number of staff members exempted: 0 Number of staff members not fully vaccinated: 0 City of Blaine Total number of employees: 60 Number of staff members fully vaccinated: 52 (87 percent) Number of staff members exempted: N/A Number of staff members not fully vaccinated: 8 (13 percent) Blaine Police Department (included in City of Blaine)

Total number of employees: 13 Number of staff members fully vaccinated: 12 (92 percent) Number of staff members exempted: N/A Number of staff members not fully vaccinated: 1 Birch Bay Water and Sewer District Total number of employees: 13 Number of staff members fully vaccinated: 12 (92 percent) Number of staff members exempted: N/A Number of staff members not fully vaccinated: 1 (unknown) At the time of publication, Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office had not tabulated its employee vaccination rate, spokesperson Deb Slater told The Northern Light in an email.

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The Northern Light • October 28 - November 3, 2021

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, Pacific Coast Weddings annual guide, 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 Co-publisher & Advertising Director Louise Mugar lmugar@pointrobertspress.com Editor Grace McCarthy grace@pointrobertspress.com Reporter Ian Haupt ian@pointrobertspress.com Creative Services Ruth Lauman, Doug De Visser production@pointrobertspress.com Office Manager Jeanie Luna info@pointrobertspress.com Advertising Sales Molly Ernst, Gary Lee sales@pointrobertspress.com General Editorial Inquiries editor@pointrobertspress.com Contributors In This Issue Doug Dahl The Northern Light 225 Marine Drive, Suite 200, Blaine, WA 98230 Tel: 360/332-1777 Vol XXVII, No 20 Circulation: 10,500 copies

Circulation Independently verified by:

Letters The Editor: As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, we have much for which to be thankful. Just a few short months ago, we were shocked to discover that our venerable sanctuary at Trinity Community Lutheran Church in Point Roberts was at risk of collapse, due to settling and bowing of the west wall. With little notice, it was deemed unsafe and closed to the public. The structural engineers and contractors laid out a two-phase plan to save the historic landmark, with a total estimate cost of $200,000. Phase 1, at $100,000, could not wait if we were to save the structure from collapse. Under the circumstances, the Trinity Church Board took a leap of

faith in the community and told the contractor to commence work while we started our fundraising campaign. The local community and other friends far and wide with ties and affection for the church justified our faith. We have almost reached our phase 1 goal of $100,000 – enough to pay for the current work. We give sincere thanks to the 112 donors who so far have responded to our appeal – contributing $20, $100, $1,000, even $10,000 to the cause. Now we must appeal for still more support to finish the job. Phase 2, at cost of another $100,000 will retrofit the foundation and protect the structure in the event of a major earthquake. We are fortunate that the

Please send letters to letters@thenorthernlight.com no later than noon on Monday.

School district has funding for future school property in Birch Bay, says finance director By Ian Haupt Blaine school district finance director Amber Porter told district board members during the October 25 regular school board meeting the district has the funds to purchase a property in Birch Bay that would be used for a future school. In October 2014, the school board passed a resolution for property acquisition, 14/15-04, that recognized the growing Birch Bay population would be well served with an elementary school and set a goal to acquire a site when the district had the funding in place to do so. “I do feel confident we can get something,” Porter said during the meeting, adding with a slight laugh, “as long as it’s

not a water property.” She said the district would ideally purchase a 10-acre site or larger that is in close proximity to the large population areas in Birch Bay. Porter said this may be difficult because the site has to be within the Blaine school district area, which is tight along the bay. The border with the Ferndale district lies halfway between Blaine and Kickerville roads. Should properties become available, Porter said the board will need to enter into negotiations with the property owners to evaluate whether the property meets the board’s criteria and then authorize the superintendent to make the purchase. “I just wanted to put that on your radar,” she

File photo

said, as the finances could become available by mid-November.

Don’t forget to vote by Tuesday, November 2 By Grace McCarthy Election Day is just around the corner as the deadline to submit ballots to vote on countywide positions is 8 p.m. Tuesday, November 2. Positions up for election include seats on Blaine City Council, Blaine school board, Port of Bellingham, Whatcom County Council, Birch Bay Water and Sew-

Alcoa ... From page 1

B.C. companies that want to create the most environmentally friendly steel mill in the world at the now-idled smelter. Steel mills in the U.S. mostly use fossil fuels and ship their scrap to Asia to be made with coal plants, before being shipped back to the U.S., Goldberg explained. In-

er District and Blaine-Birch Bay Park and Recreation District 2. Ballot measures to increase North Whatcom Fire and Rescue’s property tax levy and to fund construction of the Birch Bay Vogt Community Library will also be voted on in this election. Whatcom County has 21 ballot drop boxes, including ones at Blaine Library, North Whatcom Fire and Rescue and Custer Elementary.

The Whatcom County Auditor’s Office will be open until 8 p.m. on Election Day for people to register to vote, update voter registration and replace their ballot. The office will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through Monday, November 1 and then will have extended hours on November 2. For more information, visit the Whatcom County Auditor’s Office at whatcomcounty.us/1732/current-election.

stead, this company would make steel by using scrap in the U.S. and using a modern electric furnace and green hydrogen power. The steel mill would come in three phases: Phase 1 would have a micro steel mill with about 100 six-figure jobs; phase 2 would be a $1 billion investment that would expand the plant to create 600-700 jobs; and phase 3 would be a $3 billion investment to create over 1,000 jobs, sim-

ilar to a project the potential buyers are building on the East Coast. Phase one would mostly make rebar steel, while phase two would add more steel products and phase three would add aluminum. “I’m opening up about the inside conversations that have been done but we’re light-years away from an actual translation or something coming to the commission,” Goldberg said.

Civic Meetings Birch Bay Water & Sewer District: Second and fourth Thursdays, 4 p.m., district offices, 7096 Point Whitehorn Road, Birch Bay. Info and Zoom meeting link: bbwsd.com. The November meetings have been rescheduled to Tuesday, November 9 and Tuesday, November 23. Blaine City Council: Second and fourth Mondays, 6 p.m., Blaine City Council chambers, 435 Martin Street. Info and virtual meeting login: ci.blaine.wa.us.

Next issue: Nov. 4 Ads due: Oct. 29

structure has survived its first 100 years of service to the community – a role that goes beyond spiritual, to include community concerts, kids summer music camp, food bank, and support for the American Red Cross if ever needed as a shelter. Our goal, in seeking phase 2 funding is to assure Trinity's continued service for the next 100 years. Please join us in giving thanks, and please help us complete the job. Andrew Mar Point Roberts

Blaine Planning Commission: Second and fourth Thursdays, 6 p.m. Info: blainepc@cityofblaine.com. Info for joining Zoom meetings: bit.ly/2CiMKnk.

Blaine-Birch Bay Park and Recreation: Second Tuesday, 5:30 p.m., location varies. Info: bbbparkandrec.org. Virtual meeting info: bbbparkandrec.org/board-meetings. Blaine Park and Cemetery Board: Second Thursday, 9 a.m., virtual meeting. Info: 360/332-8311, ext. 3330. Blaine School Board: Fourth Monday, 7 p.m., Blaine school district offices. Info and virtual meeting link: blainesd.org. North Whatcom Fire & Rescue: Rescheduled to Tuesday, October 19 at 11 a.m. via Zoom. Info: nwfrs.net.

October 28 - November 3, 2021 • thenorthernlight.com

Plenty of Halloween options in Blaine, Birch Bay and Semiahmoo By Ian Haupt With widespread vaccination, trick-or-treating is much safer this year than last. The Whatcom County Health Department is considering it a low-risk activity as long as trick-or-treaters and their chaperones follow a few steps, according to an October 21 press release. The health department encourages those going trick-or-treating this Halloween to be vaccinated, wear a properly fitted mask or face covering, keep trick-or-treating groups small and all contact outdoors, and to wash hands before eating candy. Costumes should not be worn over a mask or face covering, and vice versa, as it may cause difficulty breathing. Those handing out candy should also get vaccinated for Covid-19 – the health department said even one dose provides some protection – wear a mask, wash hands, keep contact outdoors, discourage crowding at doorsteps and should not invite trick-or-treaters inside. Unlike trick-or-treating, Halloween parties are only considered low-risk if everyone is fully vaccinated. The health department encourages those who choose to gather indoors with unvaccinated people from more than one household to wear masks, stay 6 feet apart and keep the windows open. Here are a few trick-or-treating events in Blaine, Birch Bay and Semiahmoo to keep families entertained this weekend. Trick-or-Treat on the Berm Saturday, October 30, 3:306:30 p.m. Join the Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce, Blaine-Birch Bay Park and Recreation District 2, and Friends of the Birch Bay Library on the newly completed berm pathway for the first trick-or-treat event on the berm. The event will start at the south end and end at the community library property. Trick-or-treaters will find several pop-up tents decorated as mini open-aired haunted houses along the path. Enter the photo costume contest by having your photo taken at the library. There will also be spooky trivia

CITY OF BLAINE Due to Governor Inslee’s proclamation in response to COVID-19, this City Council meeting will be conducted remotely. Information on how to watch to the meeting live will be on the City Council agenda which is located on the City’s website homepage under Your Government, City Council, City Council Agenda. Please check the agenda prior to each meeting as the location may change.

Thursday, October 28 6:00pm – Planning Commission Meeting

Monday, November 1 4:30pm – Special City Council Meeting

Wednesday, November 3 9:00am – Arts Commission Meeting *CANCELED*

Monday, November 8 4:30pm – Study Session: 2022 Budget

6:00pm – City Council Meeting s Halloween at Blaine Food Bank in 2020. at the library 4:30-5:30 p.m. Holiday Featured Movie Night at Semiahmoo Resort Saturday, October 30 Hocus Pocus event: 5-8 p.m. (movie begins at 6 p.m.) Tickets are $10 per person or $30 for a family of four (+$5 for each additional person). Includes popcorn, face painting, a costume contest and photo booth access. Limited tickets are available and can be purchased on semiahmoo. com. Rocky Horror Picture Show: Begins at 9 p.m. (21+) There will be an interactive movie experience with a themed welcome drink. Tickets are $15 per person and can be purchased on semiahmoo.com. Rocky Horror costumes are encouraged. C Street Halloween Carnival Spooktacular Sunday, October 31, starts at 5 p.m. Freeman house and Blaine Food Bank on C Street This is a partnered event between the Freeman family and Blaine Food Bank. Freeman’s house For the Freeman’s seventh annual Halloween carnival, the theme will be Pirates of the Caribbean. Trick-or-treaters will get their treasure maps and chocolate gold coins at the ticket booth

Wyman resigns for federal election security position Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman announced October 26 that she will resign from her role in the state to serve as senior election security lead for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). Wyman will resign November 19 after eight years as secretary of state. “I am honored to be able to share nearly three decades of experience and expertise at the federal level to support CISA’s efforts to safeguard our election systems from cyberattacks and enhance the public’s confidence in our elections,” Wyman said in a statement.

Under her tenure, Washington expanded vote-by-mail, installed almost 500 ballot drop boxes and allowed 16- and 17-year-olds to pre-register to vote, according to a press release from the secretary of state’s office. Wyman is the only Republican currently holding office in the state. Governor Jay Inslee will appoint a new secretary of state until the position is voted on in the November 2022 election. The secretary of state’s office oversees elections, registering corporations and charities, governing the use of the state flag, the state archives and the state library.

File photo

upon entering and use the maps to navigate the yard to find their treasure. There will be nine interactive, carnival-style game booths along the way as well as cotton candy and popcorn available. New this year is a photo booth and prizes for best costume. Fitting the theme, a life-size pirate ship will shoot off cannons every five minutes. Windermere Real Estate, The Rustic Fork Eatery, Chuckanut Bay Foods and Pacific Building Center all donated to the event. Brownies and warm adult beverages will be available for parents at Calypso’s Cantina at the Freeman house. The event is all outside and groups will be socially distanced. Treats are pre-bagged. Last year, they had 450 trickor-treaters. Gina Freeman said the line went around the block 5-7 p.m. “We love giving to the community and seeing the magic in all the kids’ faces,” she said. Blaine Food Bank The food bank will have several stations in its tent with live characters distributing candy. Food bank general manager Sally Church said last year they had a fortune teller, ghosts, witches, scarecrows, a shipwrecked pirate and a haunted cemetery with a grim reaper, and will be adding a couple of more vignettes this

year. “Our volunteers had so much fun that we all wanted to do it again,” she said, and hopes more families on C Street join as well to make it an annual community event.

Tuesday, November 9 8:00am – Blaine Tourism Advisory Committee (BTAC) Meeting

Contact information for staff & Councilmembers can be found on the City’s website. Call (360) 332-8311 or visit our website.

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The Northern Light • October 28 - November 3, 2021

Blaine chamber luncheon on November 3 The Blaine Chamber of Commerce is having an in-person luncheon on Wednesday, November 3 at the Blaine Harbor Boating Center, 235 Marine Drive. The featured speaker will be John Michener, economic development project manager at the Port of Bellingham. The luncheon will run 12-1 p.m. Subway will cater the lunch, which costs $10 per person. Cash or card are accepted at the lunch. To RSVP to the lunch, email info@blainechamber.com.

Birch Bay berm survives ‘typical’ fall storm By Ian Haupt The offshore storm that spun out of the Pacific this past weekend and battered shoreline areas like Birch Bay and Blaine left little in the way of cleanup for Whatcom County crews, according to storm management managers. John Gargett, emergency management director for the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office, called the storm that hit county shores late Sunday, October 24, and throughout the day Monday, October 25, “a typical fall storm with a little bit higher gusts.” He said countywide there was little cleanup for county crews. At the peak of this storm’s pow-

AT H LET E H

OF THE

er outages, Gargett said about 275 households were without power. He said the previous storm caused a lot more outages countywide. That could have actually saved the county this time around, he said, given that those trees that would have fallen had already done so. Some Birch Bay residents near and along Alderson Road, by The C Shop, may have experienced a brief power outage Monday afternoon and into the evening as crews worked on a power line around dinnertime. With the now-finished Birch Bay berm facing its first couple of storms of the season, Gargett said the county is pleased by the berm. “It’s been working as advertised,” he said. Without a king tide during this

s County crews worked on a powerline in front of The C Shop on Alderson that caused a brief outage October 25. Photo by Ian Haupt most recent storm, he said waves would have never breached the berm. “We’ll have to wait for those strong winter storms to test the

berm.” Gargett said high tide was 10.6 feet and well within the berm’s capacity.

H N T H Community Toy Store seeks MO

Spencer Dalry

Senior • Football

Throughout the month of October, Spencer has led the Borderite football team in tackles. He has averaged 11.5 tackles per game this month. Spencer was also voted team captain by his teammates. He is also a starter along the offensive line.

gift donations as registration opens By Grace McCarthy As the holidays fast approach, Community Assistance Program (CAP) is preparing for its annual Community Toy Store, with registration and donations opening Monday, November 1. The toy store allows Blaine, Birch Bay, Custer and Point Roberts families with limited income to purchase new toys for their children at a 75-percent discount from retail prices. Families can also purchase gift cards for youth 11-18 years old. “Donors purchase a gift and that gift then blesses the child and then gives parents the dignity to provide for their own families,” said CAP board member Laura Vogee. “The shopping proceeds benefits local organizations and the different families those

Member of the Month Bilson Appraisals 225 Marine Drive, suite 125 Blaine, WA 98230 360-318-6808 www.bilsonappraisals.com

Number of employees: Two - Ian and Yuli Bilson. How long in business: One year in Blaine, 20 years in the business. Description of the business: Bilson Appraisals handles all property types including residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural. The purpose can include financing, purchase/sales, litigation, estate planning, asset management, etc. How the business started: Owner Ian Bilson started in the appraisal business in Canada in 2001, after 15 years in banking. He and wife, Yuli, fell in love with Blaine and decided to settle here in 2020 with their kids and start their own appraisal business. They started out in the midst of COVID, working out of their home office, but business really took off and now lease office space at the harbor. Future goals: Continue to provide valuable real estate services to our area. Featured businesses are selected randomly from the Blaine Community Chamber of Commerce membership.

This is a monthly feature sponsored by the Blaine Community Chamber of Commerce www.blainechamber.com • (360) 332-4544 • Join the chamber today ... membership has its privileges!

organizations help out. It not only benefits who are getting the gift, but the broader community.” New things for participants to expect this year include a new store location at Life Impact Church, as well as the return of a gift-wrapping table, which was not provided last year for the program to maintain social distancing. Registrations The gift assistance program is set up similar to a store for families to shop for multiple gifts with cash. The store will be open 6-8:30 p.m. December 9 and 10 and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. December 11, with the possibility of additional times being added, according to the CAP website. The toy store will be located in Life Impact Church, at 1733 H Street, suite 206, Blaine. Voucher assistance is also available for families, but CAP recommends applying early for voucher assistance. Pre-registration is required by Sunday, November 28. To be eligible to participate in the program, families must live in the Blaine school district, have children who qualify for free and reduced lunch and cannot be receiving any other gift assistance. Families with children who don’t attend Blaine schools can still participate, but they need to meet the income requirements for free and reduced lunch, according to CAP. School district families who didn’t apply for free and reduced lunch can call 530/828-5195 to find out if they qualify. Once an application is approved, families will be contacted by phone or email for their time to shop and then will receive a referral postcard in the mail at the beginning of December that is needed to attend the toy store. A guardian can purchase up to $15 in toys per child and up to two gift cards for older children. Bills larger than $20 won’t be accepted and children aren’t allowed into the store. All proceeds from this year’s toy store will go to The Bridge Community Hope Center’s emergency fund, CAP’s crisis assistance utility bill assistance program and Life Impact Church’s pantry

that provides personal care and household supplies, according to CAP. Donations People who want to donate to the toy store can do so through several options including online shopping, in-store shopping and monetary donations. People can purchase gifts on Amazon’s gift registry by selecting the toy store’s shipping address at checkout. CAP also has a wish list on the Launching Success Learning Store’s website that allows the nonprofit to pick up toys from the Bellingham store. For people who prefer to shop in stores, CAP is suggesting $20$50 toys for gifts such as Legos, sports equipment, books, craft kits and scooters. CAP recommends people purchase $25 gift cards for older children from stores such as Barnes and Noble, Best Buy and Michaels. Toys should not be wrapped and a note with the retail price should be included. Monetary donations can be made at blainecap.org or checks can be made out to Community Assistance Program and mailed to P.O. Box 1067, Blaine, WA, 98231. “Community Toy Store” needs to be in the memo line of the check. At least nine collection boxes will be placed around Blaine, Birch Bay and Semiahmoo until December 3. Collection box locations include Blaine Library, Blaine Starbucks, Pacific Building Center, The Bridge Community Hope Center, Birch Bay Village rec center, Semiahmoo Golf Club, Semiahmoo Marina, Semiahmoo Health Club and Spa and the Inn at Semiahmoo. Gift cards can only be placed in collection boxes at the library, the Bridge and Birch Bay Village. The Blaine toy store started in 2018 and is supported by churches, businesses, organizations and community members, according to the CAP website. Visit blainecap.org/community-toy-store to register and donate. People who want to register but don’t have internet access can call 530/828-5195.

October 28 - November 3, 2021 • thenorthernlight.com

Sports Football to finish regular season Friday against Nooksack, as girls soccer ends with winning record By Ian Haupt Borderite football will host Nooksack Valley Friday, October 29, for senior night and some of the boys’ final regular season game of their high school career. Football Blaine come into their final game of the season on the back of two away losses. Last week, the boys traveled to Meridian where they lost 21-15 to the Trojans after a down-by-6, fourth quarter drive was intercepted at the 2-yard line. Threatening to score and down 21-15, quarterback Avery Dohner threw a pass over the middle intended for Jaxon Kortlever that was tipped and intercepted by the Trojan defense. The Borderites started the game strong as Dohner completed a 47yard pass down the left sideline to Ethan Koreski. The quarterback

and receiver connected again on the next play for a 14-yard slant pattern touchdown pass. But Meridian responded, scoring twice in the first quarter. Blaine notched one back in the second, but failed to score in the final half of the game. The boys have made a habit of starting strong and pulling up short this season. Kortlever had a big game offensively, catching 10 passes for 151 yards. Koreski had his best varsity game with five receptions for 83 yards. Senior night is Friday at 7 p.m. at the Blaine High School stadium. Blaine is 4-3 this season. Statistics and play-by-play thanks to whatcompreps.com. Girls soccer The Lady Borderites finished off their regular season with a 1-0 loss at Lynden, but the Lions did not deny the girls finishing their

season with a winning record, 8-7. On the back of a three-game winning streak where Blaine scored two, nine and four, they failed to score against the Lions. It has yet to be decided whether they will be included in post-season action.

Volleyball Girls volleyball are long in need of a set. The girls have lost their last six matches in straight sets heading into their final game of the season Wednesday, October 27. The Lady Borderites traveled

to Lynden Monday, October 25, to face the Lions, who were on a six game winning streak and made it seven on the night. The girls lost in three straight sets; 25-15, 25-14 and 25-16. They are 3-11 this season with one game left to play.

Birch Bay, please vote for our library and our community.

Each vote matters — especially yours! Ballots due Nov. 2. Drop box: N. Whatcom Fire & Rescue, 4581 Birch Bay-Lynden Road.

s Jack Albright, 52, sacks Meridian’s quarterback in a tight 21-15 game October 23. Photo by Janell Kortlever

Birch Bay Library yeswhatcomlibraries.org Paid for by Yes! Whatcom Libraries, 4825 Alderson Road, Birch Bay, WA 98230

C ELE

KAMAL For Us All

s Quarterback Cole Thomas, 6, attempts to avoid the onrushing Trojan defense and find an open receiver in the Borderites’ 21-15 loss at Meridian Saturday, October 23. Photo by Janell Kortlever

Bob Feaster

County Council at Large

A vote for

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is a vote for us all! WWW.KAMALFORUSALL.COM PAID FOR BY KAMAL FOR US ALL 424 W Bakerview Rd Ste 105 #415 Bellingham, WA 98226

Blaine School Board

Let’s listen to each and work Experience andother Knowledge together for our students. Matter Paid for by: Bob Feaster for School Board, 8126 Quinault Road, Blaine, WA 98230

“

In the 25 years since my family immigrated to the United States, I have invested my heart and soul into this community. My life experience working in healthcare and construction will enable me to get right to work on important issues we are facing like the pandemic and the shortage of housing. We can do better Whatcom County. I appreciate your vote. — KAMAL BHACHU

The Northern Light • October 28 - November 3, 2021

Emergency? What emergency? B y P a t G r u bb A three-part proposal to provide emergency aid to Point Roberts was thrown back into the county executive’s lap after Whatcom County Council barely managed to rouse itself from torpor to discuss the matter at a Committee of the Whole meeting on October 26. Council had agreed last month to a request by county executive Satpal Sidhu to set aside $250,000 for emergency aid to the Point and said he would return to discuss how the funds could be used to obtain relief to the beleaguered businesses and residents of Point Roberts. Sidhu prefaced his remarks to council by explaining that even though the border would open up to vaccinated travelers on November 8, Covid-19 testing requirements imposed by the Canadian government on border crossers would mean that Point Roberts and other border communities

would not see an appreciable increase in incoming traffic and could not expect much economic recovery in turn. “These are not the only options, and I would be willing to hear any ideas from council. Even with the border opening up, there may not be that much more traffic,” Sidhu said. The executive’s office had prepared three options to help struggling families and businesses in Point Roberts. The first would provide unemployed individuals whose unemployment benefits expired in September 75 percent of their weekly benefits for a period of six weeks. The state employment security department reported that 59 people in Point Roberts had claimed federal benefits during the week of September 4, the final week of the program’s existence. The average benefit to those individuals was $615.88 per week, meaning those individuals would

receive a one-time grant of $2,768. If 50 individuals were to participate, the administration projected it would cost $138,400. The idea failed to gain traction from council. “I’m not comfortable with the county taking on the role of administering unemployment benefits,” councilmember Todd Donovan said, asking, “Is the situation qualitatively different in Point Roberts as opposed to Sumas?” Deputy executive Tyler Schroeder pointed out that unlike the rest of the county, people in Point Roberts were limited to scarce employment opportunities only locally once the pandemic closed the border. Earlier in his description of the option, he had told council that the state employment security department was “willing to provide verification of grant applications.” Fellow councilmember Ben Elenbaas was equally dubious. “I don’t really want to get into the world of unemployment insur-

2021

ance. What do the people of Point Roberts want, has anyone heard what they want,” he asked. Elenbaas represents district 5 which includes Point Roberts, a place neither he nor any other council member other than Rud Browne has visited since before the pandemic closed the border. The second option would provide $3,000 hiring bonuses to businesses that hired new employees. These would be one-time grants and would cost $150,000 if 50 new hires were covered. No council member expressed enthusiasm for that idea, either. The third option would direct grants to businesses that did not qualify for aid under the state’s commerce grant program to border businesses. Businesses with gross revenues of $5 million or more are ineligible as are businesses who don’t satisfy state criteria for whatever reason. Donovan expressed a preference for the third

option especially if it could be tied to increased benefits for employees such as a wage increase. Council member Carol Frazey also leaned toward the direct grant. “I’m also leaning towards option 3 to help businesses who are ineligible for the state commerce grant. I also like what councilmember Donovan said about benefits for employees,” she said. Sidhu responded the benefits may not pass on to unemployed people. “Businesses would have to determine where best they should utilize those funds. It may not be for wages,” he said. Schroeder told council he would discuss with the Port of Bellingham the possibility of tying benefits to direct grants. With that, the discussion was over. Councilmembers Barry Buchanan, Tyler Byrd, Rud Browne and Kathy Kershner had not uttered a word in the 12 minutes spent in discussion.

News & Photography

Washington’s Newspaper Publishers Association

Nov. 25 - Dec. 2, 2020 • thenorthernlight.com

Family-run board game company sees big sales increases this year

Better Newspaper Contest Awards Fourteen of these awards were for 1st place; again, the most this company has ever received. We are especially pleased that editor Grace McCarthy received 1st place in the entire state for comprehensive coverage of this century’s greatest story – the Covid-19 pandemic. Well-done, Grace. She also received 1st place for her comprehensive coverage of the Giant Asian hornet. She sure created a buzz on those stories. Reporter and special publications editor Ian Haupt also acquitted himself well with 1st place for business news and other strong finishes in six other categories. Our sales and graphics department made up a strong team with six 1st and seven 2nd and 3rd place finishes. Hurrah to them! Even Blaine Police Chief Donnell Tanksley’s guest editorial on Black Lives Matter hit a home run for the paper. Go, Tank! We’d like to recognize you, our readers, for your support and your engagement. Without you, we wouldn’t be here. Thank you. We make a good team.

Patrick Grubb, Publisher

Special Publications BEST IN SPECIAL PUBLICATION COVERS

Tom, Grant and Penny Dalgliesh of Columbia Games. The Blaine-run business started nearly 50 years ago in 1972, and is now experiencing a high demand because of the pandemic. Photo by Ian Haupt

By ian hauPt

The stickers recreate the fog- company currently has 17 games In the soon-to-be-released as they would be in 2238 and figof-war because players cannot see on its Kickstarter website, bit. game, set in 2238, Earth is a ured out how long it would take In the almost 50 years the Dal- the strength of their opponent’s ly/33cjdGb, that the Dalglieshes wasteland and the 20 million peo- to travel to each planet. They’ve gliesh family has run a board pieces. They have more than 30 will produce once people show ple who survived the apocalypse also devised an economy with game business, they say they hav- different formal games using this enough interest, or back the prod- are living in space colonies on texts indicating which planets en’t seen sales as good as they are game genre. uct. They have 14 games on the Mars and other places through- have a shortage or surplus of reright now. From Ancient Rome to the crowdfunding website that have out the galaxy. While many of the sources and then created trade “We’ve been doing better this American Civil War to mythical received enough funding to be colonies are composed of nations, routes between planets, he said. year than ever before,” said Tom lands, the Dalglieshes have games created and are available for or- like the U.S., Russia and China, HârnWorld even has its own asDalgliesh, founder of Columbia set in many different historical der. other colonies are corporate, run tronomy with constellations and Games. He said it’s obvious – peo- periods and fantasy worlds. Their Cities of Hârn is a HârnWorld by companies such as Amazon. zodiac signs. ple have more time. current work in progress, Rommel update released in August that reLike all role-playing games, The Dalglieshes continue to Tom suggested board games in the Desert, is a third edition ceived 1,160 backers who pledged High Colonies has a story back- release more background inforoften help people through hard strategic block wargame based on a total of $75,383. A new, deluxe ground that creates a world for mation and data four times per times. Two of the most popular a World War II battle in North Af- version of a Columbia Games players to enter and allows them year for HârnWorld to add to the board games in history – Monop- rica between the Germans and the classic, Hammer of Scots, which to be whoever they want. game’s intricacy, which Grant said oly and Scrabble – were released British and named after German is also available digitally, received “You take on the role of a char- they hope to do with High Coloduring the Great Depression. general Erwin Rommel. 560 backers for a total of $63,725. acter, and then you live within nies if it gets the same amount of Tom runs Columbia Games “It plays historically, except eiTwo to three years after their re- that environment,” Grant said. support. with his son Grant, and wife Pen- ther side can win,” Tom said. “We lease, games usually sell five times “The more engaged you get in it, “It’s filling in the details,” he ny. Originally from Vancouver, tweaked the history a little bit so the initial kickstarter backing, the more fun it becomes.” said. “This High Colonies is a B.C., the Dalglieshes moved to that both sides could win. Oth- Grant said. New releases account He said High Colonies and new thing that’s coming out, and Blaine to reduce shipping costs erwise, there wouldn’t be much for about 30 percent of Colum- HârnWorld are targeted as it’s beginning really in terms of to their American customer base. point to it.” bia Games revenue, he said, with role-playing games for adults how much we’ll do, we’ll have to Grant said U.S. buyers make up They have also turned some of the remaining 70 percent coming because of their complexity and see. We’ll see how well it does, 70 percent of their sales. their board games into computer from fans discovering games and depth. For both games, they have we’ll see if we can get a following Tom made his first game as a games, Grant said. Through a PC updates after the initial release. created a detailed history for each that’s as loyal and as passionate history student at Simon Fra- gaming platform called Steam, The Dalglieshes are now devel- of the worlds they are set in that as we have for the Hârn role-playser University where he was a four Columbia Games can be oping High Colonies, a futuristic, provides players with a great un- ing. If we do, we’ll be off to the member of the chess club. “So, I bought and played digitally. The science fiction role-playing game derstanding for the environment races because this stuff depends thought, ‘Why not come up with Dalglieshes have also made their that they call “hard sci-fi” as op- they are in. on the passion of fans to really some games that are historical?’” own role-playing games. posed to “space opera,” which For High Colonies, Grant said thrive.” he said. In the early 1980s, after the Grant said involves “lots of aliens he took the time to locate the For more information, visit Quebec 1759, the first game he growing popularity of Dungeons and laser guns.” planets in relation to one another columbiagames.com. and other chess club members and Dragons, Tom created his created in 1972, was based on a own world, called Hârn. battle of the same name between “If you don’t put the hat there, the British and French. It was a and read it in German, it means pivotal win for the British in the ‘piss,’” Grant said with a smile. Seven Years’ War. What was noteThe HârnWorld fantasy worthy about this first game was role-playing game, which the its simplistic, style, Tom Dalglieshes have developed andNewspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay FREE Community April 2 - strategic 8, 2020 said. enhanced over the years with It was the first “block game” more than 150 supplements, is a HHHECRWSSHHH Postal Customer PRSRT STD U. S. Postage they created, which Grant said detailed, medieval fantasy camPAID IN Food CARES Act provides Nature’s Path is hiring at hasTHIS become their niche. Essenpaign with relief original plot lines and distribution program Permit NO. 87 tially, the games consist of a board backgroundpage stories, begins in Birch Bay, page 6 to local businesses, 3 according its Blaine facility, page 10 Blaine, WA 98230 with a map, dice and plastic to the Columbia Games website. blocks with stickers on them. These supplements may come in “We are able to do more with the form of new maps or box sets. less,” Grant said about the block Columbia Games uses Kickgames. “Depending on what starter, a crowdfunding platform stickers we put on the blocks, the focused on creativity, to get fund- A map, texts and other materials for the creating and playing of Columbia Games role-playing games, HârnPhoto by Ian Haupt game could be anything.” ing for the games it produces. The World and High Colonies.

BUSINESS NEWS STORY First Place Board game company sees big sales increases Ian Haupt

ISSUE

D Street Shell station giving away milk and bread 11 Stafholt residents, two health care workers test positive for virus

s In order to help the Blaine community, the owners of the Shell gas station at 360 D Street have decided to give away free milk and bread to local families until at least April 7. See our story on page 16.

Photo by Oliver Lazenby

Inslee prohibits in-person city council meetings Audience participation also removed from agenda By Jami makan Blaine residents who wish to personally attend the next city council meeting on April 13 will not be able to do so, after governor Jay Inslee suspended key provisions of the Open Public Meetings Act and prohibited in-person attendance at city council meetings and meetings of other public bodies. The Open Public Meetings Act generally requires the deliberations and actions of public bodies to be conducted openly, so that citizens can oversee the conduct of the people’s business. “The people of this state do not yield their sovereignty to the agencies which serve them,” the Act begins. “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 retain control over the instruments they have created.” In a March 24 proclamation, Inslee used his emergency powers to suspend a key provision of the Act which states, in

Digital (See Stafholt, page 15)

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WHAT’S OPEN

TOURISM PUBLICATIONS First Place Waterside 2021 Patrick Grubb, Louise Mugar, Doug De Visser, Ruth Lauman

First Place Mount Baker Experience Fall/Early Winter 2020 Jason Hummel, Doug De Visser, Oliver Lazenby, Patrick Grubb, Louise Mugar

Second Place Mount Baker Experience Spring 2021 Grant Gunderson, Doug De Visser, Ian Haupt, Patrick Grubb, Louise Mugar

SOCIAL ISSUE S Third Place Shell station gives a and bread Oliver Lazenby

By Oliver lazenBy Good Samaritan Society – Stafholt in Blaine has 13 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus, including 11 residents and two health care workers, a spokesperson for the Good Samaritan Society said in an email on April 1. Two medical professionals and two Stafholt residents initially tested positive for COVID-19, the Good Samaritan Society confirmed to The Northern Light on March 30. Additional testing at the facility revealed nine more cases. Shawn Neisteadt, a spokesperson for the South Dakota-based nonprofit provider of senior care and assisted living services, couldn’t say anything about the condition of the infected individuals or when the initial tests came back positive. The facility has notified all residents and their families and is working with the Washington State Department of Health to implement its guidance on isolating residents, Neisteadt said. Stafholt is masking all employees and “following droplet precautions for symptomatic residents, and caring for ill residents in designated areas within our facility,” he said. “Our team is taking extra precautions to monitor the health of staff and residents who may have been exposed. The health and safety of our residents, employees and the community remain our highest priority as we serve during this unprecedented pandemic,” Neisteadt said. On March 30, Neisteadt said all employees and residents were offered tests for the virus and were tested one at a time in a tent in the parking lot. When questioned about testing the following day, the Sioux Falls, South Dakota-based spokesperson said he heard testing was still in process. The Washington State Department of Health, in its guidelines for long-term care facilities, recommends prioritizing ill health care workers for COVID-19 testing and for facilities to “have a low threshold for COVID-19 testing” for residents. Throughout the county, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases more than doubled over the past week, going from 64 on March 24 to 139 on March 31.

part, that “all persons shall be permitted to attend any meeting of the governing body of a public agency,” which includes city councils. Inslee’s Proclamation 20-28 “waived and suspended” this provision until midnight on Thursday, April 23. “Violators of this of this [sic] order may be subject to criminal penalties,” Inslee’s proclamation stated. The proclamation allowed city council meetings to go on if they provide options for the public to attend remotely by telephone or otherwise, and if they also provide “the ability for all persons attending the meeting to hear each other at the same time.” Blaine residents’ voices won’t be heard at the April 13 council meeting. In a separate decision made by Blaine city manager Michael Jones, audience participation has now been removed from city council agendas until “we get back to normal,” Jones said. His decision was announced on March 20, prior to Inslee’s March 23 stay-at-home order and March 24 proclamation. Specifically, Jones modified Rule 15 of the Council Rules of Procedure by removing the audience participation portion

from council’s regular agenda. His decision was conveyed to Blaine councilmembers in a memo, and the decision was made pursuant to Resolution 1800-20, which councilmembers had passed at a special meeting on March 16. Their resolution affirmed Jones’ March 13 proclamation of a local emergency related to the COVID-19 (See City council, page 3)

INSIDE

We are pleased to report that The Northern Light & Point Roberts Press received an unprecedented 39 awards at the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association’s 2021 Better Newspaper Contest. The entries, judged by out of state newspaper professionals, represents the best editorial, reporting and advertising published by Washington’s weekly newspapers in the past year.

Letters . . . . . . . . . . 4 Classifieds . . . . . . 11 Crossword . . . . . . 14 Police/Sheriff . . . 14 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 14

TheNorthernLight.com Rite Aid THIS WEEK’S Haggen Food & Pharmacy FLYERS

SPECIAL INTEREST WEBSITE Second Place MountBakerExperience.com Businesses, sign-up for FREE at: northernlight.whatsopenhere.com Louise Mugar, SEE WHAT’S OPEN AT: thenorthernlight.com Doug De Visser, Ian Haupt, Patrick Grubb A FREE online service offered by The Northern Light keeping you up-to-date with who’s open, what business specials are available and current hours. (see details on page 16)

NEWSPAPER WEBSITE First Place TheNorthernLight.com Grace McCarthy, Ian Haupt, Doug De Visser, Ruth Lauman, Patrick Grubb

Third Place WatersideNW.com Ruth Lauman, Doug De Visser, Zoe Deal, Louise Mugar VIDEO Second Place Sunset at Semiahmoo Park Ruth Lauman

October 28 - November 3, 2021 • thenorthernlight.com

Downtown Blaine businesses welcome fall with seasonal decorations

s The Railway Café, 795 Peace Portal Drive.

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August 6 - 12, 2020

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City applies to close some Peace Portal parking, page 2

Asian giant hornet in Birch Bay, page 7

PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230

Health dept. recommends remote school, page 13

WCLS won’t New Birch Bay brewery opens this week pursue joint levy for Blaine, Birch Bay Libraries By Oliver lazenBy

s Blaine Police Department, 322 H Street.

Nearly year after outbreak, Stafholt receives first vaccine doses

First Asian giant hornet trapped in Birch Bay The next steps will be to follow a hornet back to its nest using sightlines or by attaching a tracking tag. The agency has given itself a deadline of early to mid-September to locate the nest before the colony begins creating new reproducing queens and male hornets, Spichiger said. “We absolutely do not want this species in North America. People need to pay attention,” Danielsen said. “This is not a good thing. It’s not just for us little hobbyists, this is not a good thing for North America.” For more information on the hornet, visit agr.wa.gov/departments/insects-pests-and-weeds/ insects/hornets.

Ruthie Danielsen tends to the six beehives on her Birch Bay property, about a mile from where the Asian giant hornet was caught in a WSDA bottle trap.

STORY

away milk

Ruthie Danielsen maintains seven Asian giant hornet traps, three near her home and four on nearby properties. The traps, made of orange juice and rice cooking wine, were proven to work after a hornet was caught in July in a WSDA trap. even those outside Washington state, and stakeholders like Birch Bay beekeeper Ruthie Danielsen. “I treat the bees like I do my goats, my dogs and my kitties,” said Danielsen, who became a beekeeper five years ago after retiring. “They’re a part of our family. That’s probably what’s so devastating about another thing that can come in and kill them. It’s really distressing.” Danielsen said it’s not the hornet alone that worries her, despite the fact that the Cherry Point hornet was trapped about a mile from her six honeybee hives. The hornet is an added stressor on top of pesticides, other bees trying to rob her hives and Varroa mites. Varroa mites are invasive species that came to Washington in the ’80s and carry diseases that can kill hives. One unmanaged hive threatens all of the other hives, said Danielsen, who treated her hives four times last fall. The additional pressure of the hornet is especially dangerous for commercial pollinators, which use their honey bees to help pollinate fruits and nuts. “It’s a domino effect,” Danielsen said. “I don’t think that’s an alarmist view. That’s a potential.” Danielsen, who was one of the

first members of the Mt. Baker Beekeepers Association to spur the group into action in February, said she’s working with her former employer, BP Cherry Point Refinery, to put additional traps on its wooded property. Danielsen has three traps at her home and four others that she maintains on neighbors’ properties. She’s also been calling on state representatives to co-sponsor the “Murder Hornet Eradication Act of 2020” bill that was introduced to the U.S. House of Representatives in May by U.S. House Natural Resources Committee chairman Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ). The bill directs the Department of the Interior to provide $4 million each year from 2021 to 2025 to states to provide a program for management, research and public education to help eradicate the hornet and restore affected bee populations, according to the bill. Currently, Representative Derek Kilmer from Port Angeles is the only co-sponsor from Washington. “If the participation from the general public wanes, they’re going to need a lot more funding to keep this going,” Danielsen said, noting the labor it takes for WSDA workers to inspect over a thousand samples weekly. WSDA plans to add about 40 more traps in Birch Bay that will be monitored daily, Spichiger said. The agency has been preparing to track the hornet locally.

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Nearly a year after Good Samaritan Society – Stafholt experienced a deadly Covid-19 outbreak in its Blaine nursing home, residents and staff rejoiced at the sight of their first vaccinations on January 19. “We’re moving to the anniversary of March and we remember that month really well,” said Tatiana Koreski, Stafholt’s infection control nurse. “We don’t want to repeat it again.” The outbreak entered the nursing home on C Street not long after the first confirmed virus cases began to appear in Whatcom County, and by the end of April, had infected 17 residents and six staff members, resulting in one resident’s death, The Northern Light previously reported. For Koreski, the outbreak was symbolized by shutting two heavy doors that the Whatcom County Health Department instructed the nursing home to use to seal off a newly constructed Covid-19 unit. In one way, Koreski felt relieved they had control on the virus that people were scrambling to understand, but in another way, Koreski felt the reality sink in they were living through a pandemic. “It all comes back to me with all the challenges and trials of living through the outbreak,” she said. “But we pulled through.” Memories like watching a resident who wasn’t expected to

Blaides said. Blaides said he’s passed his pandemic days by talking to a staff member who will sit in a lawn chair six feet outside his bedroom window, but longs for going on walks with his wife, Grace, and visiting the Blaine Food Bank, where he said he was manager for 17 years. The second dose is set for Tuesday, February 9, and a third clinic for those who couldn’t attend the first clinic is set for March. Koreski said the nursing home will follow the same Covid-19 guidelines, including not allowing friends and family into the facility, until more of the general public is vaccinated. Koreski said she’ll never forget receiving a letter from the health department officially clearing the nursing home as Covid-19 free

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Whatcom The folks who brought back the 4th of July County Council mandates curbside pickup By Meg OlsOn

Whatcom County Council has approved changes to county code that will eliminate exemptions to mandatory garbage pickup in Point Roberts. At their June 5 meeting, council heard from an almost evenly split 15 community members on the proposal, which would establish a mandatory minimum service level of a 32-gallon can of garbage to be picked up twice-monthly and billed through the property tax roll. Opponents of the proposal cited a number of reasons for their opposition, pri-

marily that the minimum service level was Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay July 27 - August 2, 2017 too high. “This exceeds the needs of 80

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percent of those surveyed (in a 2016 onHHHECRWSSHHH Postal Customer PRSRT STD line survey sponsored by the county solid U. S. Postage PAID waste division) who self-haul or use tags,” IN THIS Permit NO. 87 Kimberly Butts said. Blaine, WA 98230 Ken Calder, also opposed to the chang- s Back in 1976, a group of civic-minded people got together to plan a 4th of July celebration, the first since 1916. On June 20, they had a reunion at Ruby White’s house. See story, page 16. Standing, from l.: Fred DeHaan, Rosy Negron, Carla Scherer, Pauli DeHaan, George es, submitted a petition signed by 364 sea- Scherer, Pat Jorgensen, Doreen Peltier. Seated: Norma Peltier, Ruby White, Kris Manning. Photo by Shelley Damewood sonal and full-time residents asking that council delay the decision until September to allow a recently formed solid waste subcommittee of the Point Roberts Community Advisory Committee to continue to look at the issue. Cites client base and “increasing erts hospital district on June 26 that Unity according to Unity Care. Those in favor of the change as well as Care NW would end its contract to proThe number of people being served at community turmoil” county staff pointed out that PRCAC had vide services on the Point as of December the Point Roberts Clinic, as well as the been pondering the garbage collection B y M e g O l s O n 31, 2018, but would provide services on a number of visits, have been declining, acfor over two years, held numerous public a n d P a t g r u B B month-to-month basis if needed until June cording to the resolution. The number of meetings, sponsored an online survey and 30, 2019 and help with a possible transi- visits per year shrank from 1176 to 1033 B y S t e fa n i e D O n a h u e sent out a mailer. Unity Care NW is done with the Point tion to an alternative service provider. between 2015 and 2017, which is deAre impact fees the key to revital“There have been numerous opportuni- Roberts clinic. According to the June 25 resolution, the (See Hospital, page 8) izing downtown and incentivizing ties for people to put in their two cents’ Citing declining use, a disproportionate Point Roberts Clinic does not fit with growth in Blaine? worth,” Arthur Reber said. “This process administrative burden and “communi- the other clinics Unity Care NW operThe question was at the hearthas of been an very thorough and collaborative,” ty turmoil,” the board of directors of the ates in Ferndale and Bellingham, which hour-long discussion between Blaine City said taxpayers’ association president Mark non-profit health care provider voted at its it described as “patient centered mediCouncil and city staff at a special meetRobbins. Chamber of commerce president June 25 meeting to discontinue the con- cal homes.” Close to half of the visits to allpointbulletin.com ing held July 24. Not yet ready to make Dee Gough said her association also sup- tract to operate the Point Roberts Clinic. the Point Roberts clinic are for urgent facebook.com/allpointbulletin a decision, council voted unanimousported Notice was delivered to the Point Rob- care, and not for primary medical care, ly during a separate meeting that eve-the proposal, agreeing that mandatrash pickup was the obvious solution ning to request that city staff drafttory a proto the posal based on four types of impact feesperennial problem of dumping garon the roadsides. and incentive programs – the bage council Classifieds ........................................ 20 Hegedus with the Whatcom County will either approve, deny or modifyJeff the Coming Up ...................................... 19 Health Department said by establishing a B y M e g O l s O n running three weekends in August. proposal in a few months. Garden ............................................. 15 mandatory minimum service level for all Kiniski’ s Reef Tavern is partnering with Impact fees are one-time charges that Library ............................................ 18 properties, as determined by “The Point Roberts Arts and Music the foundation, offering a location, plancounties, cities and towns imposedeveloped on deObituaries ........................................ 22 velopers. The funds are used to which extendproperties have a water connection, Festival is back on the water,” says Arts ning assistance and funds for this year’s it would public services to support growth. In lead to vendor stability because Foundation founder and festival organizer event. “We decided to make it longer so Opinion .............................................. 4 more more people can enjoy it,” said tavern Washington state, impact fees can be usedusers would support the system. Craig Jacks. Seniors ............................................ 18 After being put on the shelf for a year, manager Allison Calder. The first weekend on public streets, roads, publicly-owned Tides ................................................ 10 parks, open space, recreation facilities, (See Garbage, page 7) the festival will be back for its 23rd year, (See Arts & Music, page 14) school facilities and fire protection facilities. Impact fees and other development incentives have already been written into s Droves of sand sculptors took part in the Birch Bay Sand Sculpture contest July 22-23. More photos on page 15. Photo by Chuck Kinzer the Blaine’s comprehensive plan, which details how to accommodate growth over the next 20 years. AFTER PARADE FAMILY ACTIVITIES: BEGIN THE DAY AT THE “These are things we’ve been looking at H Breakwaters Bar & Grill Community Center 1437 Gulf Rd. for a while,” said community development STARTS AT 12 NOON along POINT ROBERTS MARINA at Point Roberts Marina. director Michael Jones. “The comprehen-Pancake Breakfast 7:15-11:15 am PREP benefit Gulf Rd. from Marine Dr. to Tyee Dr. AT 10:30 PM Flag Raising Ceremony 11:30 am featuring PR Winds child will H to Kiniski’s Tavern sive plan and what you’ve already adoptbe turned away on the basis of a not being able pay forReef lunch, includBy Oliver lazenBy ed recognizes the idea that there has to be zero or negative balance account.” ing anything from stamping kids’ hands enough financial capacity of the city to conIn some school districts, if a stuThose guidelines aren’t new, but they’re as a reminder to bring money, to denying tinue to do its job and provide the services dent doesn’t have lunch, they don’t in writing for the first time in response to them a lunch tray. and things that it needs to do while taking eat. In others, they get a cheese sand- new U.S. Department of Agriculture regBlaine’s guidelines say students won’t this into consideration.” wich to eat in front of their classmates ulations that require school districts to get turned away at the lunch counter, even The city has already started developing who are toting trays of corndogs, baked communicate, in writing, what they’ll do if they already have a negative balance a revised impact fee ordinance out of a re- beans, fruit and vegetables. when students can’t pay for lunch. on their account. Instead, they’ll either For the most part, that’s not the case at The new federal rules are aimed at end- get a regular meal and some more debt quest from the state legislature for all citBlaine schools. The district’s guidelines for ing “lunch shaming,” a term for a variety (See Fees, page 2) dealing with unpaid lunch debt state, “No of practices that single students out for (See Lunch, page 6)

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the coast, but crews had to leave the steel-clad Hawaiian vessel moored in Port Townsend for routine repair, said operations director with Grays Harbor Historical Seaport, Caitlin Stanton. Grays Harbor Historical Seaport organizes trips along the west coast to educate the public about maritime history and traditions. Crews maneuvering Lady Washington

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MAP 31 AWARDS GENERAL FEATURE STORY, SHORT 26 YEARS MAP MAP Second Place Grandparents visit grandson through chain-link 225 Marine Dr., Suite 200, Blaine, WA • 360.332.1777 • sales@pointrobertspress.com fence www.thenorthernlight.com Jami Makan

Tall ship Lady Washington sets sail for annual maritime festival In just a matter of days, tall ship Lady Washington will appear in Drayton Harbor – the vessel is a full-scale replica of the first American ship to touch land on the west coast of North America in 1788. Lady Washington typically pairs with the Hawaiian Chieftain for trips along

through the Pacific’s brisk waters are set to make a stop in Blaine from August 3 to 6 during Drayton Harbor Days, offering a slew of local cruise excursions and tours. Here’s a look at what’s in store: Vessel Tours: The tours are offered throughout Lady Washington’s stay in Blaine. Stanton said they offer the public

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The hunt for the invasive Asian giant hornet ramps up after Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) officials announced that the first Asian giant hornet in Birch Bay had been trapped just north of BP Cherry Point Refinery on July 14. This comes after WSDA, cooperating agencies and the public set over 1,844 bottle traps for the world’s largest hornet. In a citizen science effort, the public set 1,080 of the traps. The traps use orange juice and rice cooking wine, and mirror similar traps used in the hornet’s native habitat in Japan. “This is encouraging because it means we know that the traps work,” said WSDA managing entomologist Sven Spichiger in a news release. “But it also means we have work to do.” In a July 31 press conference, Spichiger said capturing the hornet, which the agency presumes is a worker but will be confirmed after testing, was not unexpected. The agency knew there was a nest late last year that had likely produced queens and male hornets, creating opportunity for hornets to escape and produce new colonies. Five hornets had previously been confirmed in Washington and there were three detections in Canada after the invasive species arrived in North America for the first time last fall, probably by cargo ship. The last hornet was discovered in Custer in late May and confirmed to be a mated queen. Spichiger said the detections of this, and the queen found in June in north Bellingham, helped eliminate the threat of possible new nests from those queens. “This detection unfortunately means that we did get a nest that was able to establish somewhere in the Birch Bay area,” he said. The hornets are known for their large size that reaches up to 2 inches, orange and black bodies, and aggression towards honey bees. The hornets have made a buzz among concerned citizens,

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survive the virus get vaccinated Tuesday brought tears to Koreski and other staff members’ eyes, she said. The nursing home received the Pfizer vaccine from Walgreens, which is distributing the vaccine under the federal Pharmacy Partnership for Long-term Care Program. Pharmacists started the clinic in mid-morning and finished by mid-afternoon. The providers had to thaw vaccine vials every half hour to ensure they were the right temperature, Koreski said. Stafholt residents went in one by one to receive the vaccination and pharmacists went to residents’ rooms who were unable to go to the vaccination room, she said. Cayla Bullard, a certified nursing assistant at Stafholt, described the vaccinations as exciting. Over the past 10 months, Bullard said she’s strengthened her relationship with residents, who are unable to meet inside with family and friends, with activities like making cards. She looks forward to when they can be reunited with loved ones. Stafholt resident Jerry Bladies, 84, said his vaccination went well and was only required to answer a few questions before he received the vaccine in his arm. “I thought it was a necessary thing to do to help myself and the people around me because you always wear your mask but sometimes you forget to do it,”

By Grace MccartHy

Department of Ag says the invasive hornets have established a nest in the area

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s Beach Cat Brewing, at 101-7876 Birch Bay Drive in Birch Bay, plans to open at noon on Thursday, August 6. Read more in a story about the brewery on page 15

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Birch Bay feels absence of part-time residents By Grace Mccarthy Crystal Anderton has been visiting Edgewater Trailer Park since she was an infant. Even before she was born, her great-great-grandparents rented a cabin one week every summer in Birch Bay, spurring a tradition that carried through generations – a story similar to many of her neighbors. What made Edgewater feel like home was the people who shaped those memories: The ones who were there when she potty trained and the ones who were at her wedding reception in the park 13 years ago. But now Anderton and her husband, Josh, are one of two American homes left at Edgewater, along with an essential worker from Canada – a stark difference from the dozens of homes normally occupied. And

with repeated border closure extensions since the first shutdown to non-essential travel on March 21, Anderton isn’t sure when her Canadian neighbors will return. When the border first closed, the Andertons got to work helping neighbors. They exchanged emails, collected spare keys, emptied fridges, turned off water and upgraded their phone plan for international calls. “In the beginning it was ‘don’t drink all of our beer,’ then it was ‘you better drink it, it’s going to get expired,’ and then it was ‘we’ll get you a 12-pack when we’re back,’” Anderton said. Anderton likens the quiet park to the aftermath of an atomic bomb. Bird feeders are overrun with yellow jacket nests, children’s toys are cluttered on a deck, and a Canadian flag is blowing in the wind. CBP spokesperson Jason Givens said in

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By Ian Haupt Evelyne Hendricks lives to help others. After 20 years preparing families for adoption and 25 years counseling couples through marriage, she is now helping people manifest change through hypnotherapy. Hendricks has lived in Blaine for 25 years. She graduated from Western Washington University’s mental health program in 1986, then studied couples counseling in San Francisco, and continued her studies at the Portland Family Therapy Institute before moving to Blaine. Upon moving to Whatcom County, Hendricks and her husband started their own small, pri-

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vate marriage counseling practice. She said they love and resource the work of John and Julie Gottman of The Gottman Institute, which uses a research-based approach to helping make relationships successful, and use other works like The Internal Family Systems Model, an integrative approach to individual psychotherapy developed by Richard C. Schwartz. Helping couples through a difficult time in their relationship is certainly hard, but, Hendricks said, it’s satisfying when you know you have helped. “I think most people really want to achieve a sound marriage or partnership, and it really requires some very specific tools to achieve

that,” she said. “And I think that’s what my husband and I feel like we’ve done.” Hendricks said marriage counseling is more psychoeducation than therapy. It’s teaching people the tools to make a partnership successful and what they can do to achieve that success. What are the tools to a successful partnership? According to Hendricks: Building admiration and respect in the partnership, honoring differences and creating a map of intimate knowledge about your partner. While marriage counseling, Hendricks worked in White Rock, B.C., for 20 years as a social worker for the Government of Canada’s Ministry of Children and Family Development where she counseled families, children, individuals and couples in the midst of adoptions. She said she evaluated families’ strengths and areas of growth so

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Hendricks received her hypnotherapy certificate from Bellingham Technical College in June 2020, after starting in the fall. The program, based on research by Roy Hunter, required students to get 300 hours of one-to-one contact with clients over the course of a year. Hendricks said due to Covid-19 she has conducted her therapy sessions on Zoom or over the phone, which she said has been a learning curve for everyone, but was able to graduate and begin taking on clients after receiving a license from the state of Washington. Now, she holds all her therapy sessions, which last from an hour to an hour and half, over the phone, but once the pandemic is over she has plans to reopen her in-person practice location with the name Rapid Transformation Hypnotherapy. Hendricks said the myths about hypnosis – losing con-

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PERSONALITY PROFILE, SHORT Third Place Blaine man’s 73rd birthday celebration skydive Kyra Planetz

When the first phase of Washington state’s four-phase re-opening plan began May 5, the number of new cases of Covid-19 in Whatcom County was already increasing. In the week ending May 2, 29 people in Whatcom County tested positive for the coronavirus, up from 11 the previous week and 15 the week before. Many of the new Whatcom County cases are clusters of cases of people who came into contact with each other at small private gatherings or other specific places, county health officials said at a May 4 online media briefing. In total, 319 in Whatcom County have tested positive for the virus and 27 have died from it. The increase could also be explained by more testing. Locally, the ability to test is improving and the Whatcom County Health Department broadened its recommendations for who should seek testing. The county now encourages all people with symptoms to seek testing. Previously, testing was limited to those with symptoms who also met additional criteria, such as being an essential worker, for example. Of the 3,201 total test results tracked by the county health department as of May 5, 575 of those results came back since April 28. On May 5, the percent of positive test results out of total tests in Whatcom County

PHOTO ESSAY Third Place More businesses re-open for Phase 2 Kyra Planetz

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BELLINGHAM • FERNDALE • UnityCareNW.org

s This couple, separated by a ditch and the border between Canada and the U.S., were scheduled to get married last weekend. Their wedding plans are now on hold until the border between the two countries opens up again.

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BPD continuesGENERAL to implement LEMAP recommendations NEWS PHOTO By Jami makan

(WASPC) provided its report to the Blaine provide law enforcement administrators Second Place Police Department (BPD) identifying areas with an opportunity to undergo a critical of improvement to align the de- review of their organization through the Loveinpartment inneedthe of coronavirus withtime best practices and standards eyes of peer professionals. WASPC’s report in law enforcement. A month earlier, at the identified areas in need of strengthening, Kintner directionJack of interim police chief Michael and BPD began implementing the report’s

In an April 13 memo to city councilmembers, Blaine police chief Donnell Tanksley provided an update on his department’s efforts to implement recommendations from an outside review of the department conducted in 2018. On March 28, 2018, the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs

found in Washington state prior to December. WSDA received over 80 calls about Asian giant hornets following the publication of its initial report in December, although most of the sightings could not be positively identified without photographs. According to WSDA, invasive Asian giant hornets are typically almost an inch and a half long and are distinguished by their large yellow heads. They nest in the ground, and although they are typically not interested in humans, pets or large

enough, another scourge from Asia is likeSINGLE ADVERTISER (SALE/EVENT) SMALLER ly to affect some Whatcom County resi- THAN 1/2 PAGE dents this year. First Place After receiving reports of Asian giant hornets in the Blaine and Bellingham area earlier this year, the Washington State Wings Over Water Department of Agriculture (WSDA) now to track and trap this invasive speRuth Lauman, Molly Ernst plans cies from Asia, which was not previously

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Knapp, WASPC had conducted a Loaned Executive Management Assistance Program (LEMAP) assessment of BPD. The goal of the LEMAP program is to

animals, they can inflict a painful sting if threatened or if their nest is disturbed. “Asian giant hornets do pose a threat to people because their venom is more toxic and they have more of it,” said WSDA public engagement specialist Karla Salp. “However, they will not generally attack people unless they feel threatened. Your biggest risk is if you were to step into an Asian giant hornet nest.” (See Hornets, page 2)

recommendations right away, Chief Tanksley said in his memo. “Immediately after

(See BPD, page 3)

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WSDA plans to track and trap Asian giant hornets

that they could be successful in parenting children through adoption. “So if you ever want to adopt, I’m a very good resource,” she said. Hendricks became interested in hypnotherapy when a friend, Sue Dunstone, told her how much she enjoyed Bellingham Technical College’s hypnotherapy program. Hendricks said she was looking for a new challenge. “My goal really was to find something different and interesting; a way to facilitate rapid transformation for people who are stuck repeating unhealthy patterns,” she said. “And that’s what hypnotherapy does – it’s a way to get to the change much more quickly.” Hypnotherapy is an exploration in what’s called cognitive behavioral therapy, she said, which is communicating with your brain to make changes in your life and in yourself.

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INSIDE

s Blaine Healing Arts Massage Therapy, 366 H Street.

August 6 - 12, 2020 • thenorthernlight.com

In the face of Covid-19-induced fundraising challenges, the Whatcom County Library System (WCLS) board of trustees decided not to pursue a joint levy to fund a new library in Birch Bay and a remodel to the Blaine library. The board of trustees voted to split the projects at its July 21 meeting so that it could focus on funding the future Birch Bay Vogt Community Library, at 7968 Birch Bay Drive. The Washington legislature set aside $2 million for the Birch Bay library project in April 2019 for its 20202021 budget, but the project will only receive the money if WCLS and the Friends of the Birch Bay Library can match that amount by June 30, 2021. Previously, the WCLS board was pursuing forming a single taxing district to fund both projects. It hoped to put two ballot propositions on the August 2020 special election ballot – one to form a taxing district and another to levy money for the projects. “We realized that with the challenges our communities are facing right now, there’s no way we could go out and ask voters to approve January 21 - 27, 2021 • thenorthernlight.com 15 the levy to build both of those projects,” said Mary Vermillion, WCLS community relations manager. “We are going to make a push for the Birch Bay project.” WCLS and the Friends have a design for an approximately 7,600-square-foot library in Birch Bay, at a property that WCLS purchased in 2017. The Friends group has raised about $160,000 so far, said Dianne Marrs-Smith, president of Friends of the Birch Bay Library. Marrs-Smith said that the Friends group is grateful the library system is working with the group to match the $2 million in state funds, and that WCLS and the Friends are working on a plan to raise the rest of the money. So far, all options are on the table, she said. To learn more about future fundraising plans for the Birch Bay library, visit friendsofbirchbaylibrary.org. s Stafholt infection control nurse Tatiana Koreski getting vaccinated. The Friends of the Blaine Library hired Photo courtesy Tatiana Koreski a design team last year and held a series of to plan in late May, and the freedom of “As a countrymeetings we promised to a remodel to the Blaine Library. Koreski The design team revealed a conletting residents out of the heavy protect our vulnerable,” in bringing February 2020 that is about 8,600 double doors. No resident has said. “Finally, wecept are, by had Covid-19 after the outbreak. them the vaccine.” square feet, roughly twice the size of the current Blaine library.

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The Northern Light • October 28 - November 3, 2021

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s WSDOT is closing the Custer rest stops for at least the next three months because of lack of resources. Photo courtesy WSDOT

By Ian Haupt Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has closed several rest stops along I-5 between Everett and the U.S./ Canada border, including in Custer, due to a lack of resources. The Custer rest stop and Smokey Point rest area north of Marysville were closed October 15 for what WSDOT says will be at least three months. The closures come after WSDOT had numerous issues with some visitors not using the facilities for their intended purpose, according to a news release. “The decision to close these

rest areas is not taken lightly,” said Morgan Balogh, WSDOT assistant regional administrator for maintenance, in the release. “Our priority is keeping the roadway safe for all users and we need to shift our resources moving into the winter months.” Some rest stop users were extending their stay beyond the posted limits, illegally disposing trash and waste, vandalizing buildings, and verbally abusing and even threatening WSDOT employees, the release said. WSDOT will reevaluate reopening rest area facilities early next year, basing the decision on crew and resource availability.

&Garden

Leaves can leave stains, so know how to remove them Leaves that fall from trees can be a marvel to behold. But leaves can stain exterior surfaces when

they eventually settle on vehicles, concrete driveways, patios and other surfaces, become wet and/

or are not cleaned away in a timely fashion. Leaf stains are caused by tannins in the leaves. The pig-

ments can be absorbed by porous materials like concrete and leave stains behind. While these stains

• Hardwood • Prefinished • LVP/Laminate

may wash away over time, homeowners may prefer a faster way to get rid of unsightly stains. To remove moderate leaf stains, mix oxygen bleach with hot water and apply to stains using a scrub brush. Dark stains may require a tougher cleanser, such as one that contains trisodium phosphate. Some homeowners find success using a pressure washer to clean away leaf stains, while others rely on commercial leaf-stain removers.

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October 28 - November 3, 2021 • thenorthernlight.com

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Legal IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON IN AND FOR THE COUNTY OF Whatcom In Re the Estate of Jeanne L. Roussellot, Deceased. NO. 21-4-00819-37. PROBATE NOTICE TO CREDITORS (RCW 11.40.030) JUDGE: Evan P. Jones The personal representative named below has been appointed as personal representative of this estate. Any person having a claim against the decedent must, before the time the claim would be barred by any otherwise applicable statute of limitations, present the claim in the manner as provided in RCW 11.40.070 by serving on or mailing to the personal representative or the personal representative’s attorney at the address stated below a copy of the claim and filing the original of the claim with the court in which the probate proceedings were commenced. The claim must be presented within the later of: (1) Thirty days after the personal representative served or mailed the notice to the creditor as provided under RCW 11.40.020(1)(c); or (2) four months after the date of first publication of the notice. If the claim is not presented within this time frame, the claim is forever barred, except as otherwise provided in RCW 11.40.051 and 11.40.060. This bar is effective as to claims against both the decedent’s probate and nonprobate assets. Date of First Publication: October 14, 2021 Personal Representative: Tracy Daily 1601 Emberly Oaks Drive Alexandria, LA 71301 Attorney for the Personal Representative: Katti Esp 301 Prospect Street Bellingham, WA 98225 Address for Mailing or Service: Katti Esp 301 Prospect Street Bellingham, WA 98225 Court of Probate Proceedings Superior Court of Whatcom County and Cause Number: Cause No. 21-4-00819-37

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IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON IN AND FOR WHATCOM COUNTY In re the Estate of: JOAN AIELLO, Deceased. No. 21-4-00837-37. NOTICE TO CREDITORS. The Personal Representative named below has been appointed and has qualified as Personal Representative of this estate. Any person having a claim against the decedent must, before the time the claim would be barred by any otherwise applicable statute of limitations, present the claim in the manner as provided in RCW 11.40.070 by serving on or mailing to the Personal Representative or the Personal Representative’s attorney at the address stated below a copy of the claim and filing the original of the claim with the court in which the probated proceedings were commenced. The claim must be presented within the later of: (1) thirty days after the Personal Representative served or mailed the notice to the creditor as provided under RCW 11.40.020(1)(c); or (2) four months after the date of first publication of the notice. If the claim is not presented within this time frame, the claim is forever barred, except as otherwise provided in RCW 11.40.051 AND 11.40.060. This bar is effective as to claims against both the decedent’s probate and nonprobate assets. Date of Filing of Notice to Creditors: October 13, 2021 with Clerk of Court: Date of First Publication: October 21, 2021 Name of Personal Representative: MARY ROSE JOHNSON Attorney for Personal Representatives: Steven D. Avery, WSBA #35262 Address for Mailing or Service: Avery Elder Law, P.S. 801 Samish Way, Ste. 202 Bellingham WA 98229 Telephone: (360) 325-2550 Email: steve@averyelderlaw.com DATED: October 21, 2021 AVERY ELDER LAW, P.S. 801 Samish Way, Ste. 202 Bellingham, Washington 98229 (360) 325-2550 www.averyelderlaw.com

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FIND IT IN THE CLASSIFIEDS Legal PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE WHATCOM COUNTY CHARTER

On June 1, 2021, the Whatcom County Council adopted Ordinance 2021-032, submitting to the qualified voters of Whatcom County a proposal to amend Whatcom County Charter Sections 5.40 and 5.41 to align signature requirements for citizen initiatives with Washington State norms. This ordinance submits to the qualified voters of Whatcom County (at the November 2021 General Election) a charter amendment to allow that persons proposing an initiative must “ collect the signatures of the registered voters in the county equal in number to not less than eight (8) percent of the vote cast in the county in the last regular county executive election,” and the requirement for a mini -initiative be “ the signatures of qualified voters equal in number to not less than three (3) percent of the number of votes cast in the county in the last county executive election.” The changes would amend Section 5. 40 and Section 5. 41 of the County Charter. If the proposal is approved by the voters, the Whatcom County Charter will read as follows: Section 5.40 Initiative – Procedures. Any legal voter or organization of legal voters of Whatcom County may file an initiative proposal with the County Auditor, who within five (5) days, excluding Saturday, Sunday and holidays, shall confer with the petitioner to review the proposal as to form and style. The Auditor shall give the proposed initiative a number, which shall thereafter be the identifying number for the measure. The Auditor shall then transmit a copy of the proposal to the Prosecuting Attorney, who within ten (10) days after receipt thereof, in consultation with the petitioner shall formulate the ballot title which shall consist of: (a) a statement of the subject of the measure; (b) a concise description of the measure; and (c) a question: “Shall this be enacted into law?” The statement of the subject of the measure must be proposed as a positive statement, be sufficiently broad to reflect the subject, and be sufficiently precise to give notice of the measure’s subject matter, and not exceed ten words. The concise description must contain no more than thirty words, be a true and impartial description of the measure’s essential contents, clearly identify the proposition to be voted on, and not, to the extent reasonably possible, create prejudice either for or against the measure. Such concise statement will be the ballot title. The petitioner then has one hundred and twenty (120) days to collect the signatures of the registered voters in the county equal in number to not less than eight (8) percent of the vote cast in the county in the last regular gubernatorial county executive election. The one hundred and twenty (120) day period shall begin upon receipt of official notification to petitioner(s) by the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office either by certified mail or messenger. If the last day for collecting signatures falls on a weekend or legal holiday, then the one hundred and twenty (120) day period shall extend to the end of the next business day. Section 5.41 Mini-Initiative. Any ordinance or amendment to an existing ordinance may be proposed to the County Council by registering with the Auditor initiative petitions bearing the signatures of qualified voters equal in number to not less than three (3) percent of the number of votes cast in the county in the last gubernatorial county executive election. Upon verifying the sufficiency of the signatures, the Auditor shall transmit the initiative petition to the Council which shall hold a public hearing on the proposed ordinance and enact or reject the ordinance within sixty (60) days. Public documents are available for review weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Council Office, 311 Grand Avenue, Suite 105, Bellingham, and at co.whatcom.wa.us/council. View meeting schedules, agendas, minutes, videos, documents, and archives at whatcom.legistar.com. The Council is currently holding all meetings remotely. For instructions on how to watch or participate in meetings, please visit whatcomcounty.us/joinvirtualcouncil or contact the Council Office at 360-778-5010. Publish October 28, 2021

The Northern Light • October 28 - November 3, 2021

Real Estate

BLAINE, BIRCH BAY & SEMIAHMOO

Windermere Real Estate/Whatcom Inc. 8105 Birch Bay Square St. #101, Blaine, WA I-5 Exit 270 • 360.371.5100

For the health & safety of our clients, Windermere Real Estate is pleased to follow the State of Washington’s mandate to not hold Open Houses. We are, however, available to show you your dream home by virtual tour or private appointment. Please call your Realtor for assistance.

F E A T U R E D L I S T I N G S - B I R C H B AY

4823 Alderson Rd #105

MLS #1812705 $130,000 Ideally located, affordable commercial space in the heart of Birch Bay. 15 min drive from I-5 & 2-minute walk from the beach, this is a perfect spot for a medical, dental, retail or office space. This unit is a finished with ADA Bathroom, finished waiting room/ office in the store front, located in a highend building with residential condos and townhouses above. Don’t miss this opportunity to buy and build your business Buyer to verify all information. Dues are $257 per month and cover water, sewer, and garbage.

Matt Berry 360-389-0104

5556 Whitehorn Way

MLS #1835946 $895,000 Incredible opportunity for multi-generational living with sweeping water views! Custom built light & bright 5-bedroom home in sought after Point Whitehorn neighborhood features a main floor primary suite, vaulted ceilings, deeded beach access, two decks, oversized garage + shop/weight room. Fantastic lower-level potential with private entry, second kitchen, living space, two additional bedrooms and a bathroom. Located just steps to Birch Bay State Park or an easy drive to I-5 and US/Canada border access.

Leah Crews 360-305-4747

5436 Beach Rock Loop Drive

MLS #1856964 $695,000 You’ve found your new home. This property is amazing! Built in 2015 and beautifully appointed. With the master and office on the main floor, you can live on one level but still have another 2 beds, a bath and family room upstairs. The kitchen is made for those group dinners and gourmet chef. All the appliances are new within the last year. The open design is ideal for entertaining especially with the covered patio out back to hold your barbecue. The garage is nearly 700 sf with room for your cars and golf cart!

Greg Flint 360-220-0551

F E AT U R E D L I S T I N G S - B L A I N E

NEW

8403 Kickerville Road

MLS #1829414 $1,150,000 Equestrian waterfront dream home or sprawling 6.2 acre estate residence. Quiet & beautiful rural Setting only minutes to I-5 & services. Completely remodeled w/slab granite surfaces & artisan quality tile work. Fabulous kitchen. Spa quality main bath. Vaulted family room w/fireplace. Sunny south facing deck with pool & ideal outdoor entertaining. 4+ Big beds. High & dry barn: tack room, custom saddle racks, 12X12 stalls ea. w/removable walls, mats. & H2O. Fully vinyl fenced w/ outdoor riding arena.

Lisa Kent 360-594-8034

F E AT U R E D L I S T I N G S - B L A I N E

5442 Ocean Mist Loop

MLS #1856648 $785,000 Great location in desirable Salish Breeze, neighborhood of established upscale homes within walking distance of Birch Bay State Park! Under construction - 4 bed, 2.5 bath home plus office, bonus room, & loft/flex space located on large 10k+ sf lot. Pacific Edge Builders to complete February 22’. Beautiful custom finishes are planned to include quartz countertops throughout, engineered hardwood floors, upgraded tile work, gas fireplace, & 3 car garage which is extra deep w/ room for storage or a workbench.

Mike Kooy 360-739-0869

4255 West Road MLS #1837127 $149,000

Wooded almost 1 acre lot just outside city limits. Included in price, Completed and approved Department of Natural Resource assessment, septic design and permit, comprehensive wetlands mitigation plan, storm water design, surveyed, electrical and city water lines available and in the street, all the questions answered. Possible to get building permit this year and get started building your new home.

Billy Brown 360-220-7175

Peace Portal Drive

MLS #1810366 $295,000 The location says it all. High visibility corner between Peace Portal Dr and Interstate 5 plus only minutes from the Canadian border. The sale includes two properties totaling just over 2 acres. The property has water, sewer and power available off street making for ease of hookup and development. Zoning is highway commercial, light industrial allowing for almost unlimited use. Buyer to verify zoning and land use with Blaine Planning & Development.

Gerry Allen 360-920-0563

F E AT U R E D L I S T I N G S - S E M I A H M O O

PRIC

256 Whitetail Loop

MLS #1832683 $599,500 Rare in town opportunity to be in booming Blaine, welcome to Whitetail Loop! 5 bedroom/4 bathroom newer construction home features on-trend white cabinetry & quartz counters, easy care laminate flooring, spacious bedrooms and upper level media/bonus area. Charming covered front and back porches + main floor office area provides an ideal work or school from home scenario. Steps away from Lincoln Park and an easy walk to the schools, downtown, shopping, restaurants, and a saltwater marina.

Jen Freeman 360-815-0803

5388 Goldfinch Way

MLS #1823671 $1,269,000 View from every room! Pacific Northwest morning sunrises over snowcapped Canadian coastal range & majestic beauty of towering firs & cedars from floating deck of custom designed home. Comfortable south-facing front porch warm & inviting. Lush, easy care terraced landscape beckons you to water’s edge. Miles of walking trails brings you to the resort for a spa day, marina to sail out on the Bay or private golf course designed by Arnold Palmer for quick 9 holes. White-painted windows & crown moldings.

Kathy Stauffer 360-815-4718

5429 Canvasback Road

MLS #1849472 $1,250,000 Timeless curb appeal and architecture. Rare one owner, custom crafted shingled storybook home, with a delightfully gentle elevation above Semiahmoo’s broad, emerald fairway. One of the best panoramic view locations with privacy, along the left flank of the 1st fairway. Semiahmoo G&CC is an award-winning Arnold Palmer design and private club. Home features, 3685 sq. ft, 3 bedrooms, master with ensuite on the main, two more suites up. 2 full, 1 3/4 and 2 half baths are incorporated into the design.

Brian Southwick 360-815-6638

5913 Normar Place

MLS #1845995 $1,350,000 Astounding updated custom Semiahmoo Bay view home w/sweeping westerly vistas of islands, White Rock & sunsets. Coveted private beach access to tidelands, boating & clamming/crabbing! Open concept plan, spacious main-floor master featuring ensuite bath with jetted tub, ample flex space, vaulted ceilings, double French doors. Lower-level guest suite w/kitchen, living space, & private entrance makes for excellent mother-in-law suite or VRBO opportunity!

Lisa Viereck 206-852-2289 or Lisa Kent 360-594-8034

4368 Castlerock Drive

MLS #1841177 Newer single-story home, set on the 12th fairway of Loomis Trail Golf Course, brings unobstructed & expansive views of Mt. Baker, the golf course and an overall abundance of PNW beauty. The elegant home is meticulously maintained & surrounded by a wildlife enhanced preserve. It is elegantly framed with large, gracious windows, high ceilings & most importantly—well thoughtout design. Great room has coffered ceilings with mood lighting & ceiling fan. Spacious, Chef friendly sunlit kitchen.

Kathy Stauffer 360-815-4718

www.windermere.com

! G N I

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D N E P

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8361 Beach La Mar Dr.

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Rentals - Commercial

NELSON BUILDING 925 Ludwick Ave., Blaine

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Call Hugh : 360.371.5800 Your Local Expert For All Real Estate, Residential Or Commercial Services! Hugh Brawford, Managing Broker

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LEASE SPACES FOR:

Warehousing-Distribution Manufacturing or Retail Vehicle Storage Yards

All real estate/rentals advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act of 1968 as amended, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or an intention to make any such preference, 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, call HUD toll-free at 1-800-877-0246.

Find it in the Classifieds!

380 s.f.

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Rentals - Rooms FURNISHED ROOMS in historic home, incl. amenities, NS, pet friendly starts at $600/ mo. + deposit, references required. 360-332-3449.

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For leasing info, contact Pat Grubb at 360/332-1777 or email pgrubb@mac.com

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October 28 - November 3, 2021 • thenorthernlight.com

O B I T U A RY

Rules of the Road: The correct way to drive near emergency vehicles By Doug Dahl Question: I know there’s a law about slowing down and moving over for emergency vehicles, but can you explain what that means? Do I slow down and move over, or is it one or the other? And what constitutes an emergency vehicle? Is it just the ones that come when you call 911 or anything with flashing lights on top? Help me out here. Answer: The “Slow Down, Move Over” law is one of those rules that seems clear just from the name, but when you actually think about it, you realize it’s not as obvious as you first thought. The law in the Revised Code of Washington is titled (in part) “Emergency or work zones,” so let’s start by defining that. An emergency or work zone is the area 200 feet before and after an emergency or work vehicle. Easy enough. But what is an emergency or work vehicle? The law includes any of these vehicles when their warning lights are activated: stationary authorized emergency vehicles (we’ll come back to that one), tow trucks, other vehicles providing roadside assistance, police vehicles, highway maintenance and service equipment, snow removal equipment, and stationary or slow moving highway construction vehicles, high-

way maintenance vehicles, solid waste vehicles and utility service vehicles. If that list isn’t extensive enough for you, let’s define authorized emergency vehicles. It includes any vehicle of a fire department, police department, sheriff’s office, coroner, prosecuting attorney, Washington State Patrol, and public or private ambulance service. Rather than memorize the list just figure that, like you suggested, if it’s got flashing lights on top it’s a good bet that it’s included. When you approach an emergency or work zone the required action depends on the size of the road. On highways with four or more lanes (two in each direction) move to the lane away from the emergency or work vehicle unless it’s unsafe to do so. On roads with less than four lanes slow down, and if you can, move left (which might not be possible due to oncoming traffic.) In both situations the law states that if changing lanes would be unsafe, drivers shall reduce vehicle speed by at least 10 mph below the speed limit and proceed with caution. (Caution should be the default mode for driving, so it’s a good reminder.) That’s what the law requires, but as I’ve mentioned before, the law provides the bare minimum requirements. It’s a good starting

point, but we can do better. In the context of this law, consider the 200-foot requirement. If my math is right, it takes two seconds to cover 200 feet at freeway speeds. That’s not a lot of time. If you’re scanning the road 1015 seconds ahead like your driving instructor taught you, you can start taking appropriate action well before the required 200 feet. Plus, how many of us are actually any good at estimating 200 feet? While not required by law, consider doing the same for disabled vehicles too. Someone who’s just had a tire blow out likely does not have the same situational awareness as professional roadside responders doing high-risk work. They might be focused on their immediate dilemma and forget to check for traffic as they’re getting out of their car to find their spare. As a general driving principle, it’s a good idea to create as much space as you can between you and anything or anyone you could hit, and that’s what the move over law does. I hope I’ve helped you out, and let’s all pay it forward by helping out our roadside responders with slower speeds and extra room. Doug Dahl is a manager with the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, Region 11 and publishes TheWiseDrive.com.

City amends contract to make way for new development on Gateway property By Grace McCarthy

Arthur MacArthur February 27, 1924 - October 19, 2021 Arthur C. MacArthur born February 27, 1924 in Salt Lake City, Utah to Freda Mable McCoy MacArthur and Albert Dudley MacArthur. Arthur was preceded in death by his wife Nadine of 66 years, daughter Pamela Baily and his parents, and is survived by his daughter Sandra (Jim) and sons Angus (Melissa) and Andy (Jodie) and son-in-law David Baily. Art was dedicated to his family and has eight grandchildren as well as six great-grandchildren. Arthur was raised by his mother and lived all over the West Coast before moving to Oahu, Hawaii in 1938. They lived there until the bombing of Pearl Harbor, at which time they moved back to the mainland where Art enlisted in the Navy as a hospital corpsman. He served in the South Pacific in WWII and later in the Korean War with honorable discharges for both wars. Shortly after, Art moved to Tucson, Arizona where he met the love of his life, Nadine, on a blind date. After just one month, he proposed and they married five months later. They enjoyed almost 67 years of wedded bliss. Art and Nadine loved to travel and were not afraid to relocate with their four kids to California, Hawaii, Australia, New Mexico, Idaho, Oregon, Texas before finally retiring and settling down in Blaine. Art was the head of The Clan MacArthur for the West Coast, a master gardener, talented woodworker, beekeeper, a lapidary enthusiast and an active vendor at the Blaine Farmers Market. He and Nadine were also active members of the Grace Lutheran Church in Blaine since 1989. Art was a Boy Scout Executive early in their marriage and later became a well-loved teacher with a Master’s Degree in Education. After he retired from teaching, he spent time commercial fishing with his sons. Later on, he spent time substitute teaching until his 87th birthday. Art was a well-traveled man who lived his life to the fullest and prioritized family and service above all else. He will be dearly missed by the rest of his family, but we find solace in the fact that he is reunited with his true love. Services will be held at Grace Lutheran Church in Blaine on November 6 at 11 a.m.

BUSINESS & PROFESSIONAL

agreement. The city will create a new five-year RFP agreement after Ben’s Truckstop closes the sale or in the next six years, whichever occurs first, according to city documents. The city retains the option to purchase the property if the owner does not obtain a building permit within 18 months of the sale’s closing, the property isn’t transferred to the owner by the end of 2021 or the city’s costs are not reimbursed within 10 days of the city giving Boblett Properties an invoice, according to city documents. Jones said he believes this is the first time the city has entered a RFP agreement with another business. Ben’s Truckstop submitted a building permit application to the city for a convenience store

The Northern Light: October 28-November 3, 2021

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