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Letters
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.
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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
Blaine Community Theater’s holiday spectacular
s Blaine Community Theater performed a live radio play of Miracle on 34th Street on December 18 at the Blaine Boating Center.
Photo by Ruth Lauman
Editor
Grace McCarthy grace@pointrobertspress.com
Letters
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
The Northern Light 225 Marine Drive, Suite 200, Blaine, WA 98230 Tel: 360/332-1777 Vol XXVII, No 28 Circulation: 10,500 copies
Circulation Independently verified by:
Next issue: Jan. 6 Ads due: Dec. 31
The Editor:
The flag of the United States is a tangible representation of our country, and, representing the United States of America is entitled to respect. It is so entitled to respect, in fact, that it is accorded its own section within U.S. Code.
Section 1, Title 4, of the U.S. Code concerns the flag, its treatment, and display.
One of those elements of display concerns the condition of the flag. It says, “When [a flag] is in such a condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, [it] should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning.”
Looking around Whatcom County, even before the recent bad weather, I saw many flags, both on poles outside homes and businesses and in the backs of pickup trucks, which were tattered, torn or stained. Those flags should be taken down, and if desired replaced by clean and wellkept flags. People wanting to turn flags in for disposal should contact a local veterans’ organization, such as Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, Disabled American Veterans or Vietnam Veterans of America. Some of those organizations can also recommend a source for replacement. Other contacts for disposal would include scouting groups.
It would be better to have no flag at all displayed than to have one that is tattered.
J.G. Phillips
Custer
The Editor:
To give Birch Bay a “sense of community” as my friend Doralee Booth said in the December 9-15 issue of The Northern Light, in support of gerrymandering school district redistricting. These folks in Birch Bay need to incorporate. Pay their own bills, rather than demanding city services from the county and a neighboring incorporated city. If I were God, which I now know I’m not, I’d merge Birch Bay and Blaine and call it all Birch Bay (Blaine was not a nice guy). And then grow the coming urban growth between the two, on flat buildable land, and leave northeast Blaine and its irreplaceable habitat alone.
Jack Kintner
Blaine
The Editor:
It is with sincere gratitude and great pride in our community that we announce that the Blaine Food Bank has met the $30,000 goal set by a generous benefactor in our 2021 Matching Funds Campaign. This amazing community has never let us down.
Our goal was not only matched but exceeded, and we ended the challenge with over $36,500 in donations. When the challenge was announced to the community, our local residents, churches, schools and businesses responded.
Who comes to the food bank? Your neighbors, your friends and people who attend your church are all among those coming to visit the food bank. They are people who are out of work, low-income families, seniors, veterans of the armed services, disabled individuals, single moms and dads or anyone who temporarily needs help.
We are incredibly grateful for the leadership support from this very generous donor who invested in the well-being of our community and inspires others to do the same. We are humbled by the donor’s trust and confidence, and by everyone who has rallied to meet the goal and ensure that everyone has enough food to eat.
We are so thankful for your support, your faith in our mission and your commitment to ending hunger in our community. We are so proud to partner with you in a united effort to feed the hungry. Thank you everyone!
Wishing you all the magic and joy of the holiday season, and thank you for caring.
Sally Church
Blaine Food Bank operations manager
Blaine
The Editor:
I was extremely disappointed with this paper and its recent articles about Doug Ericksen and Sharon Shewmake. The article about Sharon was positive and left-leaning. Information about Doug was negative and judgmental. Here we go again. Carefully read Sharon’s proposed bills. Be informed of what the Democratic Party is up to. Doug served our state for many years. He will be missed. I would advise the paper to be better informed when gossiping about people.
Susan Werner
Blaine
The Editor:
The Blaine/Birch Bay Community Toy Store leadership team would like to say a huge thank you for the outpouring of love and support this community showed to our local families in need of holiday gift assistance. Over 1,000 toys and 100 gift cards were donated this year, in addition to over $4,400 in monetary donations. This allowed us to help the parents of 374 chil(See Letters, next page)
Inslee requests President Biden declare Washington flooding a major disaster, provide individual assistance
B y I an h aupt
Governor Jay Inslee sent a request December 17 for President Joe Biden to declare November’s flooding and severe weather a federal emergency major disaster.
With a 50-plus page assessment of the damage caused by the series of severe winter storms, high winds, flooding, landslides and mudslides, Inslee asked Biden for an individual assistance program for Whatcom, Skagit and Clallam counties as well as Lummi Nation, the Nooksack Indian Tribe and the Quileute Tribe. If granted, these nations and local governments would gain access to a wide range of federal assistance programs to help recover from the damage incurred in November.
A letter in support of the governor’s request and signed by all U.S. senators and representatives from Washington was sent to the president December 22.
In Whatcom County, emergency support workers and volunteers continue to aid those affected by the storms. A county situation report released December 17, conducted by the Whatcom Unified Emergency Operations Center, said 183 people from 54 households remain in temporary housing.
As for roads affected in the area, Birch Bay-Lynden Road, which had a 40-foot section washed out after a California Creek culvert failed, repair is awaiting a weather window so that county crews can install a pipe for creek passage, according to the public works website. Public works expects emergency repairs to finish mid- to late-January. Its contractor has removed the washed-out roadway from the creek and started pulling back the slopes.
The slide on Drayton Harbor Road at the Shintaffer Road intersection is a lower priority for final repairs because of low traffic volumes, according to the public works website. Public works staff are working with a geotechnical engineer to assess the condition and safety of the slope and hope to open the road to single lane traffic as soon as safety and slope stability permit.
s Crews create a temporary stream diversion at Birch Bay-Lynden Road to allow pipe to eventually be placed. Photo courtesy Whatcom County Public Works Department
CITY OF BLAINE
Due to COVID-19 and the Governor’s Proclamation, meetings are now only open to the public telephonically. Information on how to listen 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 call-in number or location may change.
Friday, December 31 City Offices Closed – New Year’s Day Observed Monday, January 10 6:00pm – City Council Meeting Thursday, January 13 6:00pm – Planning Commission Meeting Monday, January 17 City Offices Closed – Martin Luther King Jr. Day Monday, January 24 6:00pm – City Council Meeting
All City offices are currently closed to the public. Contact information for staff and Councilmembers can be found on the City’s website.
Call (360) 332-8311 or visit our website. www.cityofblaine.com
Letters ...
From previous page dren from 145 families provide gifts for their children. The parents were so grateful for the large variety of high quality gifts they were able to choose from. I’m sure there were a lot of smiles and excitement on Christmas morning from both parents and children, thanks to this community-wide effort.
Due to the abundant generosity of our community, we usually have a significant number of toys left after our Blaine and Birch Bay families have shopped. While we save the majority of these for the following year, we always go through our remaining inventory and pull out items that have not sold for several years or that we have too many of. This year, we donated a van-full of these surplus toys to Whatcom Strong for families in the east part of the county affected by flooding. Many children in this area lost all their toys, so the donation from our community was greatly appreciated.
This year’s shopping proceeds, which totaled $4,131, will be shared with the Bridge Community Hope Center’s emergency assistance fund, the Life Impact Pantry, and the Community Assistance Program’s utility bill fund. Through the work of these organizations, your donations will have an impact on families in the community throughout the year ahead.
Thank you for making all this possible. A big thanks goes to all our volunteers, as well. We couldn’t do this without you. It is an honor to be part of such a giving community.
Laura Vogee
Toy Store director
Blaine
The Editor:
Pardon me if I’ve missed something in your reporting. I’m just an interested reader here asking if we are soon going to read some of the more salient details regarding the Birch Bay-Lynden Road closure?
By the way, I know I speak for many, I thank you all for your hard work putting the fine little paper together so well every week. You’re very much appreciated.
Merry Christmas and happy New Year to all.
Ken Arnold
Birch Bay
CITY OF BLAINE ENGINEERING TECH III
The Engineering Technician III provides a wide variety of technical support to the public and Public Works Department, both in the office and the field, such as plan review, document processing (i.e. developer review), document archival, data collection, and inspection services for both developer and public projects. They utilize GIS tools to support technical analysis of facilities and property within the scope of department needs, assists with preparation of a wide variety of engineering designs, while also assisting the public by providing information regarding engineering practice and policy.
CITY OF BLAINE OFFICE SPECIALIST – UTILITY BILLING
Salary Range: $23.34 – $28.28 per hour (2021 wages; 2022 wages will be determined by new CBA).
Under the general direction of the Finance Director, the Utility Billing Office Specialist works directly with the Utility Billing Coordinator and performs regular and recurring customer service, administration of utility billing records, utility billing accounting, and total utility billing cycles. This position is also required to perform periodic Utility Billing Coordinator functions including after-hours reinstatement of utility meter services.
Interested persons should complete the online application on the City’s website, https://www.ci.blaine.wa.us/1073/Office-Specialist---Utility-Billing
First review deadline is January 7, 2022 at 4:30 PM. The position is open until filled. The City of Blaine is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
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