October 1 - 7, 2015
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Parks board considers Wolf memorial, page 3
Department of Ecology predicts drought will extend through 2016
Health and Wellness special section, page 7
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
First Responders special section, pages 8-9
Check me out
By Steve Guntli Though the weather has been noticeably cooler and wetter in recent weeks, the Washington State Department of Ecology (DOE) says Washington is still in a state of drought. “The recent rains were nice, but we’re not out of the woods yet,” said DOE director Maia Bellon. “We’re carrying a huge water deficit into this fall and winter.” As of September 22, Whatcom County and all of the west coast of Washington is designated as D2, or a “severe drought” area, according to the National Drought Mitigation Center. Eastern Washington is designated D3, for “extreme drought” conditions. According to the DOE, 2015 is on track to be the hottest year on record (the state started monitoring weather patterns in the 1890s).The unusually hot, dry summer took a toll on state aquifers and reservoirs, which in turn had a negative effect on the state’s fishing and farming industries. In an example of the toll the heat can take, nearly 5,000 trout were essentially cooked alive in Bellingham’s Whatcom Falls Park hatchery this summer. The weather has also had a role in an increase in forest fires, such as the massive, 1 million acre fire in Okanagan and Chelan this summer. Smoke from that wildfire impacted the air quality in Whatcom County and beyond, reaching as far as Colorado. DOE climatologists say we need a normal snowpack to stave off another year of drought. Experts are concerned, however, that the snowfall will be similar to last year, which would exacerbate the drought conditions. With strong El Nino currents moving in (See Drought, page 2)
s A great blue heron appears to examine his reflection in Drayton Harbor.
State implements new licensing for pot The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB) announced new rules that would license new recreational marijuana retail applicants and allow existing medical marijuana dispensaries to become aligned with the existing retail system. On September 23, the WSLCB issued the emergency rules which would allow applicants to apply for a retail license that may sell both recreational and medical marijuana products. Existing recreational retailers would also be able to apply for a medical endorsement to sell medical marijuana to qualified patients.
Unlike the original I-502 implementation scheme, there will be no initial restriction on the number of retailers licensed. The new rules were instituted in response to the Cannabis Patient Protection Act passed this year to ensure medical marijuana outlets are regulated in a similar fashion to recreational retailers. Medical marijuana outlets, also known as dispensaries, must be licensed by July 1, 2016 or face closure by local authorities. WSLCB chair Jane Rushford said the new laws represent the next phase of legal marijuana in Washington. “If phase one was implementation of the
Blaine invited to help guide new rail stop policy By Ian Ferguson Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT) Rail Division and Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has invited Blaine to appoint a representative to participate in discussions guiding new rail station stop policies. The invitation to join the Amtrak Cascades Station Stop Advisory Committee was shared at the Blaine City Council’s regular meeting September 28. For a community
Photo by Ruth Lauman
that has long desired a passenger rail stop in Blaine, the invitation is a sign that ongoing lobbying efforts are being heard at the state level. Blaine hosted a regional rail workshop in 2013, and has since partnered with communities across the border in Canada to push for a rail stop in Blaine. “We’ve been letting the state know that we want to be part of the discussion when it comes to adding new rail stops,” said Blaine Public Works director Ravyn Whitewolf after the meeting. “This advisory committee is
the next step in the process.” The stop advisory committee will include members from Washington and Oregon, and will be tasked with setting corridor-wide protocols for new rail station stops. The goal is to finalize a fair, transparent process for communities to follow if they want to get a rail stop. WSDOT completed a feasibility study using the city of Auburn as a case study in 2013, and an interim station stop policy was (See Rail, page 3)
recreational marijuana marketplace then today marks the beginning of phase two – the public process of aligning the medical marijuana system with the existing recreational system,” she said. The board will begin accepting applications on October 12. The new rules establish a hierarchy for licensing priorities. Under these new rules, applicants who applied for a retail marijuana license prior to July 1, 2014 will receive first priority. Second priority goes to applicants who owned or operated a (See Pot, page 3)
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