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The Northern Light • January 20-26, 2022
Opinion
The Northern L ght The Northern Light is published weekly by Point Roberts Press Inc. Locally owned and managed, the company also publishes the All Point Bulletin, covering Point Roberts, Mount Baker Experience, covering the Mt. Baker foothills area, 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.
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Publisher & Managing Editor Patrick Grubb publisher@pointrobertspress.com Co-publisher & Advertising Director Louise Mugar lmugar@pointrobertspress.com Editor Grace McCarthy grace@pointrobertspress.com
s A new ATM at the Speedway gas station on D Street now allows the purchase of Bitcoins. Photo by Pat Grubb
Letters
Reporter Ian Haupt ian@pointrobertspress.com Reporting Intern Georgia Costa prpintern@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 Editor: Martin Luther King Jr. famously said, “The time is always right, to do what is right.” On this, nearly all of us agree. Where we tend to drift apart, is what we think is “right.” It should be no surprise, that what most concerns the League of Women Voters (LWV), is the right to vote, as that is the cornerstone of our democracy. In the U.S., over the past 233 years, we have seen more access to voting for more of our citizens. But it has been a tough road with many potholes. The members of the LWV recognize that the source of our power, compassion, conviction, brilliance and resilience, as a country, lies not only in our representative democracy but in the diversity of our citizens. As we begin a new year, it is essential
that we guarantee the right and access to vote to all through the Freedom to Vote Act (S.2747), and restore and strengthen the bipartisan Voting Rights Act of 1965 by passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (VRAA). King said, “No one is free until we are all free.” LWV has been fighting for the right to vote for over 100 years and voting is the foundation of a strong democracy where all can enjoy the richness of an engaged, diverse society. I urge you to raise your voice and be a voter. Joy Monjure, League of Women Voters branch president Bellingham The Editor: My husband and I are Texas transplants
who visited Birch Bay for the first time in 2015. We were on summer vacation and never expected to fall head-over-heels for a community, but that’s exactly what happened. We loved walking to the beach, restaurants, the corner market, hearing live music and forming new friendships. At one of several festivals, we learned that a community library was in the works. That clinched the deal for us. We made plans to leave the Lone Star State and to make Birch Bay our home. That dream came true in 2018, but today, the commu(See Letters, next page) Please send letters to letters@thenorthernlight.com no later than noon on Monday.
Contributors In This Issue Doug Dahl, Melissa Santos / Crosscut.com The Northern Light 225 Marine Drive, Suite 200, Blaine, WA 98230 Tel: 360/332-1777 Vol XXVII, No 30 Circulation: 10,500 copies
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Next issue: Jan. 27 Ads due: Jan. 21
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.
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 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.
Blaine Park and Cemetery Board: Second Thursday, 9 a.m., virtual meeting. Info: 360/332-8311, ext. 3330.
Blaine Planning Commission: Second and fourth Thursdays, 6 p.m. Info: blainepc@cityofblaine.com. Info for joining Zoom meetings: bit.ly/2CiMKnk.
Blaine School Board: Fourth Monday, 7 p.m., Blaine school district offices. Info and virtual meeting link: blainesd.org. North Whatcom Fire & Rescue: Third Thursday, 11 a.m., Station 61 at 9408 Odell Road and via Zoom. Info: nwfrs.net.
