June 1 - 7, 2017
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IN THIS
ISSUE
Blaine Library staff add to the team, page 5
Photos from the Birch Bay Kite Festival, page 7
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Blaine High School recognition, page 10
BHS music Blaine students take advantage of nice weather teacher reflects on decadeslong career By Jack Kintner
(See Retire, page 3)
s Krista Deming’s second grade class did their reading outside on May 26. In Blaine, the temperature reached into the low-80s over Memorial Day weekend.
Sheriff’s SWAT team in Blaine for pot bust By Oliver Lazenby Washington state residents may have voted to legalize marijuana, but in Blaine their tax dollars are still going toward stemming the plant’s black market. Officers from three agencies – Blaine police department, Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team, and Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) enforcement officers – brought an armored car to serve a search warrant on the 500 block of G Street in Blaine at about
2 p.m. on Wednesday, May 24. Residents at the house were cooperative while a search revealed four more plants growing than residents were legally allowed to have, three times more than the legal limit of usable marijuana, and evidence that residents may have planned to sell marijuana. None of the eight residents at the house were arrested and the investigation is ongoing, said captain Tom Dixon with the LCB’s enforcement division. At least one resident was a medical mar-
Revenue task force closer to issuing recommendation After taking an in-depth look at Blaine’s budget, the city’s short-term revenue task force voted to approve a draft recommendation for the Blaine City Council on ways to generate revenue in the 2018 budget. During their final meeting on May 30, the group of about a dozen community stakeholders approved the draft as part of the ongoing Strategic Economic Initiative. City staff will present a more detailed version of the recommendation to Blaine City Council on Monday, June 26. The task force combines expertise from the Blaine Economic Development Advisory Committee (BEDAC) as well as other
Photo by Stefanie Donahue
stakeholders from the community, including representatives from the city, Semiahmoo Resort Association, Blaine school district and Blaine Police Department, among others. The group had a total of five meetings before approving the draft. Ultimately, members advised that the council maintain existing general fund revenue, avoid adding a business and occupation tax or increasing utility taxes and pursue an “aggressive economic development program,” which could include hiring a consultant/business recruiter, among other things. Unless the city takes action, budget
estimates project the city’s expenditures will exceed revenues by 2020, according to the task force. In recent years, the city has made drastic cuts to maintain a balanced budget and is now funding daily operations with reserves. “Blaine is on the precipice of something great. You can see that driving through town,” said Eric Davidson, a longtime Blaine resident and member of the task force. “Bringing businesses and people to Blaine will help fund city services that we want and need. But, we need revenue now to meet the service expectations of business and residents alike.”
ijuana patient and could grow up to six plants, but officers found 10 plants in a grow room. “They were over their prescribed amount by four plants, which may not sound like a lot, but in addition to that they were significantly over the amount of usable marijuana allowed,” Dixon said. They would have been allowed to have six ounces of usable marijuana, Dixon said. That amount is worth roughly $1,360 in a (See Drugs, page 3)
INSIDE
“There’s no way you can be a high school music teacher and have a boring day,” exclaimed Andy Harmening as he reflected on his 31-year career teaching music, 29 of them for the Blaine school district. Harmening, 65, retires this month. Born near St. Louis and raised on a 120acre eastern Washington ranch 11 miles outside Chewelah, north of Spokane, Harmening tried his hand at different jobs before settling on a music career. He worked for 10 years after high school as a professional rock musician, a logger, a weaver for Pendleton Woolen Mills in Portland and a forklift driver at an eastern Washington sawmill. “Driving that forklift on the green chain,” he said, shaking his head, “one day I looked at one of the older guys and realized I didn’t want to be that old guy working on that green chain when I was 60 years old.” His best career option, performing and teaching music, stood before him. Music seems to come naturally to the soft-spoken and kindly gentleman, something that was evident early on. “I remember standing by my mom when she took piano lessons,” Harmening said, “just barely able to peek over the keys.” Still, he was able to pick out melodies she’d just been taught simply by watching the lesson. Six years later he completely dismantled that same piano to see what made it tick. “My mom came home before I finished putting it back together and was not happy, and let me know, but when I put it back together it worked perfectly. I also found a bunch of coins and other old stuff inside. Pretty neat,” he said. Harmening also built his own electronic keyboard for his rock and roll band. “It was a Heathkit, something like 1,700 little pieces, but in a month or so of working every spare moment I had a keyboard.” He said
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