June 27 - July 3, 2019
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Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay HHHECRWSSHHH Postal Customer
IN THIS
ISSUE
Boys and Girls Club has a new director, page 4
Letter of intent received from Family Care Network
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
BBQ fundraiser for future Birch Bay library, page 13
Orca Action Month proclaimed, page 7
Blaine’s new police chief sworn in
By Jami Makan
(See FCN, page 6)
s Donnell “Tank” Tanksley, the new Blaine police chief, being sworn in by mayor Bonnie Onyon at the June 24 city council meeting. Photo by Jami Makan
What to expect at this year’s Fourth of July celebration By Jami Makan It’s almost time for Blaine’s annual Old Fashioned Fourth of July celebration. The Fourth of July festivities are expected to once again attract thousands of people, and here’s what’s on deck. The Blaine Senior Center will be hosting a pancake breakfast from 8 to 11 a.m. The meal price is $6 for adults and $4 for children under six. The menu will include pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausages, orange juice and coffee. After breakfast, festival-goers can visit the Show N Shine Car Show, which features over 200 classic vehicles; the show
goes from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. downtown. The Blaine Library Book Sale will have plenty of books on offer for those who want some good reads for the summer, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Arts and Crafts Street Fair will feature local artists and artisans selling their work from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. downtown. The old-fashioned parade will start at noon along Peace Portal Drive. Parade staging is based on a first-come, firstserved basis. Pre-registration isn’t required to participate, but organizers recommend filling out the registration form ahead of time and bringing it to the line-up. Forms are available at blainechamber.com. Regis-
Retired CBP officer arrested for pulling a gun By Jami Makan A retired U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer was arrested after he allegedly pulled a gun from his waistband while confronting his wife and her boyfriend. On June 17, the Blaine police department received a report that a man had brandished a weapon at Ambiance Coiffure Hair Salon on Martin Street in downtown Blaine. Retired CBP officer Larry Lee Nichols,
70, had allegedly attended the hair salon to confront his wife, the owner, and to tell her she needed to come home. After Nichols began arguing loudly with his wife, her boyfriend, who was also present, sought to intervene. According to Blaine police sergeant Michael Munden, Nichols then reached behind his waist and pulled out a handgun. Nichols allegedly held the gun with his right hand and showed a side profile of the gun to his wife’s boyfriend, who said, “Please don’t shoot me.”
“I just might,” Nichols responded. Moments before officers arrived on scene, Nichols had departed from the location in a vehicle. The incident was then reported to police by his wife and her boyfriend, who reportedly feared for his life during the confrontation. Officers went to Nichols’ residence in the Birch Bay area, and were able to pick him up without incident. “He came out of the residence without any issues (See Gun threat, page 5)
tration starts at 9 a.m. and parade judging is at 11 a.m. Most entries are free, but there is a fee of $25 for political entries and a $10 fee for businesses which are not members of the Blaine Chamber of Commerce. The parade’s grand marshals will be the doctors and staff of Bay Medical Clinic, which has been an integral part of the local community for many years. After the parade, attendees can enjoy a drink in the beer garden, which will be open from 1 to 5 p.m. It will be located in a roped off area at the Pizza Factory parking lot. Plover ferry rides will also be available from Blaine Harbor from noon to 8 p.m. (See July 4, page 7)
INSIDE
The city of Blaine has received a non-binding letter of intent from Family Care Network (FCN) for the purchase of 2.5 acres of the Gateway parcel. According to FCN’s letter of intent, the new development would include a general medical practice, a medical laboratory and an urgent care facility as well as parking, landscaping and the potential for future expansion. The approximately 10,000-square-foot medical clinic would initially be staffed by four or five providers, and would also include radiology facilities. The urgent care facility would be open seven days a week and would be available to anyone, including non-FCN clients. The proposal involves property at the north end of the Gateway parcel adjacent to H Street, SR-543 and Grant Avenue. The Gateway parcel was formerly the site of the Blaine Municipal Airport. It is owned by the city of Blaine and originally consisted of approximately 28 acres of fully serviced, flat, prime commercial, industrial, manufacturing and warehouse property within Blaine city limits. The city has already sold off many of those acres. Price has not been included in the letter of intent, which indicates that the potential buyer may alternatively be interested in leasing the property. An executive session was held at the June 24 city council meeting, in which councilmembers discussed issues related to price and provided input to city manager Michael Jones for negotiations with FCN. “The city manager recommends that the council consider the letter of intent and direct the city manager to develop a counteroffer by amending the letter of intent and proposing it to the prospective buyer,” read a recommendation contained in the request for council action prepared by Jones prior to the June 24 council meeting. Jones recommended amending the letter of intent in several ways. First, he said the 2.5 acres should be subject to a
Letters . . . . . . . . . 4 Classifieds . . . . . 11 Coming Up . . . . . 14 Police . . . . . . . . . 14 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 14
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