November 19 - 25, 2015
FREE
Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay HHHECRWSSHHH Postal Customer
IN THIS
ISSUE
Ferndale plant idles production, page 2
Blaine High School wrestling preview, page 6
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Pet care special section, page 10
Local Haggen First of the storms rolls into Birch Bay stores up for auction
(See Haggen, page 2)
s Whatcom County was hit with high winds and heavy rain this week, and Birch Bay was hit harder than most. Part of Birch Bay Drive was shut down from Harborview Road south due to high waves and debris being tossed over the seawall. See more photos on page 12.
Photo by John Gargett
Harbor Lights festival returns to Blaine By Steve Guntli Blaine’s annual Holiday Harbor Lights festival returns next month. The yearly holiday celebration will be marked with lights, music, a parade and plenty of shopping opportunities. The events kick off on Friday, December 4, when the Homemade Arts and Crafts Christmas Bazaar opens
its doors at 9 a.m. The seasonal market, located at the Blaine Community/Senior Center at 763 G Street, features many unique gift ideas and is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The Blaine Harbor Art Gallery is sponsoring the Blaine Holiday Art and Gift Market at 674 Peace Portal Drive. The market will feature one-of-a-kind, handmade arts and crafts from local artists.
Blaine woman killed in collision near Lummi reservation By Steve Guntli A Blaine woman died this week after sustaining injuries in a car wreck near the Lummi reservation. Lillian Moir, 75, was riding in the passenger seat of a Volvo S40, heading east on Slater Road near Haxton Way on November 13. A Subaru turned on to Slater Road and collided with the Volvo head
on at around 1:15 p.m. Paramedics and Washington State Patrol (WSP) troopers arrived at the scene shortly afterwards. Moir told the first responders she was experiencing chest pains, and was transported to PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham. She died shortly after arrival. Shannon Parrish, 44, of Burlington, was driving the Volvo. She sustained an arm in-
jury and was taken to the hospital, but her injuries were not considered life threatening. Bellingham resident Olivia Hamilton, 19, was driving the Subaru. She was not injured in the crash. All of the people involved in the crash were wearing seatbelts. WSP spokesman Mark Francis said charges are pending, but there is no reason to suspect drugs or alcohol were involved in the crash.
The market is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday. The Blaine Library will also be holding its annual Winter Book Sale. Stock up your personal library with discounted used books from the library. The Winter Book Sale runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. On Saturday, Blaine-Birch Bay Parks (See Lights, page 3)
INSIDE
Haggen, the supermarket chain based in Bellingham, is putting its 32 original stores up for auction in what looks to be the final phase of a massive restructuring and bankruptcy process. Six of the stores are located in Whatcom County. On November 9, Haggen scheduled a hearing at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware to propose auctioning off its 32 original stores on January 8. Haggen owns four stores in Bellingham and one in Ferndale. The company also owns a pharmacy on Cordata Parkway in Bellingham. The auction would take place January 8. The sale of the core stores is the latest step in the Haggen bankruptcy process. The company filed for Chapter 11 earlier this year, after its effort to convert 146 grocery stores in western states under its banner fell apart. In November 2014, Haggen entered negotiations to purchase 146 Albertsons supermarkets for $300 million. Albertsons was in the midst of a $9.6 billion merger with Safeway in an ambitious effort to become one of the largest supermarket chains in the country. The Federal Trade Commission required Albertsons to sell off 168 of its West Coast stores to ensure a competitive playing field in those markets, and Haggen executives saw the chance for the company to become a major player. The deal was finalized in February 2015. The company attempted to rebrand the newly acquired stores over 15 weeks, as per the acquisition agreement. Some supermarket industry experts believed Haggen needed a minimum of six months to determine proper pricing and do due diligence. One analyst, David Livingston, founder of DJI Research, described the company as “just clueless from the very beginning. You couldn’t do worse than what they’re doing,” he told the LA Times in a September 8 interview. Most stores were closed for about 48 hours while crews replaced signage and restocked the shelves. Problems began to arise almost immediately. In July, Albertsons filed a $41.5 million lawsuit against Haggen, accusing the
Letters . . . . . . . . . 4 Sports . . . . . . . . . . 6 Classifieds . . . . . 11 Police . . . . . . . . . 14 Coming Up . . . . . 14 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 14
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