November 10 - 16, 2016
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Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay HHHECRWSSHHH Postal Customer
IN THIS
ISSUE
Blaine students donate Halloween candy, page 7
Donations needed for Thanksgiving meal program
Post 86 Legion Riders honor veterans, page 8-9
Election 2016: Coverage of state results, page 15
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Finally, the election is over
B y S t e fa n i e D o n a h u e Thanks to the annual campaign led by the Community Assistance Program (CAP), hundreds of families throughout Blaine and Birch Bay looking forward to turkey and all the trimmings this Thanksgiving will get to fulfill the craving at no cost. For the past five years, CAP has taken on the task of bundling baskets filled with ready-to-cook meals for families without the means or ability to muster up a Thanksgiving dinner of their own. Families who have previously registered can pick up their meals from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 23 at Cost Cutter, located at 1733 H Street, in unit 280. Project director Rhyan Lopez said CAP expects to provide for 325 families this year – last year, the crew handed out 324. In all, about 2,000 people are served through the program, Lopez said. All baskets are fit to the size of each family. Program staffers are expecting to see 30 families with more than 11 members, and about 50 with an estimated 8 to 10, he said. “When it comes to the [companies donating the] food, we have been very fortunate over the past few years,” Lopez said in an email. Lynden-based Edaleen Dairy donates milk, Darigold donates butter and Bedlington Farms donates potatoes. Turkeys, yams, onions, canned goods and other food stuffs are purchased from nearby grocery stores. As of November 3, CAP had collected $1,500, which Lopez said was far less than what’s required to cover costs. However, he expects to see more donations roll in closer to the holiday. Those wishing to donate can send a check to P.O. Box 1067, Blaine, Washington 98231 payable to CAP with the memo line “Thanksgiving Baskets” or by donating online at blainecap.org. While volunteer staffing is already accounted for, the public can also get involved by helping with dessert. (See Food, page 5)
s A local voter drops off a ballot at a drop box at the Blaine Library on 3rd Street. For a list of results, see page 15.
Photo by Kara Furr
Voters approve raising the minimum wage, gun restrictions but not carbon tax, campaign finance reform B y P at G r u bb Despite numerous polls and pundits predicting that Hillary Clinton would become the first female President of the United States, Republican nominee Donald Trump won a decisive number of electoral college votes to become the next leader of the United States on January 20, 2017. The iconoclast businessman helped down ballot Republicans get elected to solid majorities in both the Senate and the House of Representatives for full control
of all three arms of the federal government for the first time since 2008. Nationally, the move to legalize marijuana took a huge step forward with voters in California, Massachusetts, Nevada and Maine approving the recreational use of the drug. The entire West Coast is now a legal marijuana zone. Arizona voters narrowly turned down a recreational use measure while North Dakota, Arkansas, Florida and Montana voters passed laws to legalize medical marijuana. In Washington state, incumbent Dem-
ocratic Governor Jay Inslee won handily over Republican Bill Bryant with 56 percent of the votes cast. Current Secretary of State Kim Wyman, Republican, also led her opponent Tina Podlodowski with 53 percent of the votes. U.S. Senator Patty Murray will be returning to Washington after a convincing win over Republican Chris Vance with a nearly half-million vote lead, or 61 percent. U.S. Representative Suzan DelBene will be sharing the plane ride with Murray after (See Election, page 2)
B y S t e fa n i e D o n a h u e It’s been 10 years in the making, but Birch Bay will soon get a much awaited emergency warning siren, which would be used in the event of an impending tsunami. The All Hazard Alert Broadcast (AHAB) siren will accompany signage located throughout Blaine and Birch Bay that identify tsunami evacuation routes and hazard zones. Officials with the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office are hoping to see the struc-
ture installed sometime around the New Year. Energy conglomerate Phillips 66 provided a $50,000 grant for the project last year. The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office division of emergency management and the Whatcom Community Foundation partnered to install the system. The AHAB siren will be mounted on top of a 65-foot-high pole to be located north of the Birch Bay Visitor Information Center at 7954 Birch Bay Drive, the location of
the new Birch Bay Park, said John Gargett, deputy director of the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office division of emergency management. “It’s the most ideal location in all of Birch Bay,” he said. As of late last week, staff with the division of emergency management were waiting for final approval from the county to schedule the installation, Gargett said.
INSIDE
Birch Bay on track to receive tsunami warning siren Coming Up . . . . . 14 Classifieds . . . . . 11 Letters . . . . . . . . . 4 Police . . . . . . . . . 14 Sports . . . . . . . . . . 6 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 14
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