June 30 - July 6, 2016
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Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay HHHECRWSSHHH Postal Customer
IN THIS
Estonian choir to perform in Blaine, page 6
R CELEB
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ISSUE
Blaine Soccer Club Camp, page 7
Home and Garden special section, pages 12-13
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
A run under the Peace Arch
BAY BIRCH & E IN A IN BL & 11
GES 10 SEE PA
County sheriff’s office testing body cameras By Oliver Lazenby
s Runners from Blaine and White Rock met up at the Peace Arch to pass the torch for the Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run on June 26. The international relay race passed through Blaine during the International Arts and Music Festival. See more photos on page 14.
Photo courtesy International Peace Run
Drayton Harbor Music Festival to host public concerts By Steve Guntli Some of the best and brightest musical talents in the Northwest will bring their skills to Blaine to help teach a new generation. The Drayton Harbor Music Festival, previously known as the Blaine Jazz Festival, returns for its 14th year from July 10 to 16. The festival features a weeklong music camp, where teenage musicians get a chance to hone their
craft with a faculty of renowned musicians from around the country. Courses of study include jazz, vocals, a cappella choir, songwriting, rock and roll and more. This year’s faculty includes saxophonist Nick Biello, singer/songwriter Camille Bloom, jazz singer Greta Matassa and pianist (and Ferndale mayor) Jon Mutchler. Monday through Friday, students and teachers will perform noon concerts in G Street Plaza. The concerts are open to the public and free to attend. Additionally,
City approves LID rollout for East Blaine neighborhood At the June 27 city council meeting, Blaine City Council approved the final assessment for local improvement district (LID) charges in the Vista Terrace neighborhood in east Blaine. The LID will charge $15,704.54 per property for access to city sewer services. The LID was formed in 2011 and completed in 2015. The first charges for the LID
will begin with one year. The LID has been a source of contention for residents of the neighborhood, who protested the steep charges levied against their homes for access to city sewer services. At the time the LID was approved, the city had issued a moratorium on general facility fees (GFF), which represent the
cost of existing infrastructure that new connections are required to pay for in order to join, or buy into, the system. The council had issued a moratorium to help encourage developers to build in Blaine, but reversed its decision in 2012 after the moratorium had not inspired the growth (See LID, page 5)
faculty members will perform shows each night in the Performing Arts Center. On Thursday, July 14, the faculty will perform at the Big Band Benefit in the Blaine Pavilion. The concert doubles as a fundraiser for next year’s festival. Tickets are $50 and can be purchased at draytonharbormusic.org. The Drayton Harbor Arts Festival was founded by Blaine’s Pacific Arts Association. For more information, visit draytonharbormusic.org.
INSIDE
The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office is nearing the end of a 30-day period of testing body-worn cameras. Whatcom County undersheriff Jeff Parks said law enforcement officers began voluntarily wearing cameras on June 8. The agency has six cameras, borrowed for free from Taser International, that are currently being used by patrol and corrections officers. The department is testing two cameras, the Axon Flex, which mounts on glasses, and the chest-mounted Axon Body. Parks called the pilot program “very preliminary,” saying the sheriff’s office doesn’t have plans to purchase body-worn cameras or use them beyond this trial period. “We’re just trying to assess it,” Parks said. “There seems to be a lot of different approaches right now and we’re just looking at where we might want to go with it.” After the pilot program, officials will report on the cameras based on feedback from the officers who are using them. Parks said he didn’t have any initial impressions of the program. Administrators are concerned about the logistics of handling public records requests for body camera footage, as well as the time and resources it will take to run and maintain the program, he said. Nationally, many police departments struggle with how to deal with requests for body camera footage in a way that complies with public records requirements that also takes into account the need to redact footage of murder victims, private homes, sex crimes, faces of undercover officers and other sensitive images. Washington state legislators passed a bill in March that lays out some guidelines for records requests and general (See Cameras, page 6)
Letters . . . . . . . . . 4 Classifieds . . . . . 16 Police . . . . . . . . . 18 Coming Up . . . . . 18 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 18
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