February 18 - 24, 2016
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Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay HHHECRWSSHHH Postal Customer
IN THIS
ISSUE
Bay to Bay trail makes slow progress, page 2
Photos from Bite of Blaine, page 3
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Active Seniors special section, pages 8-9
Blaine’s Totally Chocolate has new owners By Steve Guntli
s Two bald eagles stop by for a brief visit.
Photo by Robert Muse
Wings Over Water festival returning By Steve Guntli One of the county’s most popular yearly events is returning once more to Blaine and Birch Bay. Wings Over Water Northwest Birding Festival will return for its 14th year March 11–13. The area is a popular destination for bird watchers, as Blaine and Birch Bay are a major stop on the Pacific Flyway, a busy migratory route for hundreds of bird species. The event kicks off in the Semiahmoo Resort ballroom on Friday, March
11, with a special exhibition of birding photography and artwork. This year’s featured artist is Bellingham artist Bev Connor, who draws and paints through her studio, Dreaming Otter Arts. The exhibition begins at 6 p.m. On March 12, an all-day birding expo will be held in the Blaine Middle School cafeteria. The expo will feature wildlife exhibits, indoor and outdoor activities, expert speakers and a presentation from the Sardis Raptor Center with live birds of prey. All weekend long, attendees can enjoy
Foster children placed with abuser in Custer win lawsuit By Steve Guntli Two young girls who were placed in a foster home in Custer with a boy accused of sexual assault were awarded an $8 million settlement this week. On February 10, jurors in Whatcom County Superior Court awarded $4 million each to the two girls, who were placed into foster care in 2003 at the ages of 6 and 3. Judge Ira Uhrig ruled
that the state Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) was liable for the damages for placing the girls in the home in which a 12-year-old boy had recently been accused of abusing a 5-yearold relative. The boy, Dillon Lee Lange, now 26, had allegedly been discovered abusing the family member in 2001. The report was filed with the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office, but both the boy and
the alleged victim denied the abuse happened. The charges were dropped, but a the lawsuit alleged DSHS did not properly review those files before placing the two girls in the home in 2003. According to the charging papers, Lange and his younger brother, Colten Lee Lange, now 24, repeatedly raped the girls over the next several years. One of the girls went to police with her story in (See Lawsuit, page 5)
guided bird-watching tours. This year, the festival organizers are introducing a field trip to the Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Ladner, B.C. They are also bringing back the popular Salish Sea Offshore Birding and Wildlife Cruise, a two-hour tour of Boundary Bay and the Strait of Georgia aboard the 50' vessel Salish Sea. The final schedule of events and speakers is still being finalized. For more information on Wings Over Water activities, contact the Blaine Visitor Information Center at 332-4544.
INSIDE
The owner of one of Blaine’s most successful businesses has sold the business, but the chocolate won’t stop flowing. Totally Chocolate, the Blaine-based chocolatier, has been sold to Vancouver corporation Tricor Pacific Founders Capital. Jeff Robinson, founder and CEO of Totally Chocolate, and Derek Senft, managing director of Tricor, announced the sale on February 3. Founded in 1987, Totally Chocolate has been located in Blaine since 1994. The company specializes in custom engraved chocolates, commonly used for corporate gifts. The company has about 35 full-time employees, but the workforce swells to more than 100 around the holiday season. Senft said current Totally Chocolate president Ken Strong and the rest of the management team will remain with the business, with Tricor’s Richard Harris stepping in as executive manager. The change in management won’t affect the company’s business model much, according to Robinson. The business will continue to operate out of its headquarters on Sweet Road in Blaine. “Tricor is a fairly local company, based out of Vancouver, and they’re delighted to stay here and keep all the employees,” Robinson said. “This isn’t like a typical buyout where they pack everything up and take it out of state or out of the country. The appeal for them was what we and the community had to offer.” Tricor, a family-owned investment firm, has a history of investing in food businesses. The company owned a stake in Blaine’s Golden Boy Foods until 2014, and has managed more than 75 businesses in its 25-year history. “They plan to expand on the business and develop further ideas,” Robinson said. “They were attracted by our uniqueness and they want to see what more they can do.” Even though he’s out of the chocolate game, Robinson has no intention of kicking back. “I have other business projects that I’m embarking on, not chocolate-related,” he said. “I’m retiring from chocolate but I’m not retiring.”
Letters . . . . . . . . . 4 Sports . . . . . . . . . . 6 Classifieds . . . . . 11 Police . . . . . . . . . 14 Coming Up . . . . . 14 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 14
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