November 27 - December 4, 2019
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Radio operators assist Blaine police, page 5
New girls bowling team off to a good start, page 6
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
City council to vote on 2020 budget, page 9
Bus services, Community Thanksgiving Meal returns to Blaine city of Blaine brace for cuts after I-976 passes By Oliver Lazenby Local agencies aren’t yet sure how the passage of Initiative 976, which caps car tab fees at $30, will affect Whatcom County transportation services and infrastructure, but they expect there will be some impacts. The initiative, passed statewide by voters with a 53 percent yes vote in the November election, repeals and reduces certain motor vehicle weight fees, repeals the authority for city transportation benefit districts to impose vehicle fees, reduces electric vehicle fees and repeals the 0.3 percent tax on motor vehicle retail sales, among other things. The Washington State Office of Financial Management told the Associated Press that the initiative could reduce state and local revenues by more than $4 billion over the next six years. In Whatcom County, the measure could potentially mean cuts to Whatcom Transportation Authority bus services, the Lummi Island ferry and funding for rural roadwork and other transportation projects. The city of Blaine has more than a dozen projects in its six-year Transportation Improvement Plan that rely at least partially on funding from state car tab fees, including sidewalks on Peace Portal Drive from F Street to Clark Street, resurfacing Semiahmoo Parkway and building another phase of the community trail along Peace Portal Drive south of Bell Road. The initiative’s biggest impact is to the Bell Road grade separation project, “arguably the most significant public infrastructure project planned in the city for the next decade,” according to a city council draft resolution opposing the initiative. That project would construct an overpass above the train tracks at Bell Road to alleviate traffic backups caused by passing trains. “We have $1.55 million in state funding for that that could be going away,” said (See I-976, page 3)
s Blaine United Church of Christ, Healthy Youth Coalition and American Legion Riders came together to bring back the Community Thanksgiving Meal, after the annual dinner – a fixture of the community for nearly two decades – was unexpectedly cancelled last year. On November 23 at the Blaine Senior Center, over 250 people were served a free turkey dinner. Organizers cooked more than 20 turkeys, and the leftovers were donated to the Lighthouse Mission homeless shelter in Bellingham.
Photo by Kristy Narkunas
‘Tis the season for Holiday Harbor Lights By Jami Makan The Holiday Harbor Lights celebration is sure to draw a festive crowd to Blaine on Saturday, December 7. There will be plenty of activities the whole weekend, including shopping, a Blaine history museum, kids’ activities, a Christmas tree lighting ceremony, horse-drawn carriage rides and – if everyone is on their best behavior – a visit from Santa Claus. The main attraction will take place on
Saturday, December 7 at 4:30 p.m. at the G Street Plaza in downtown Blaine, which will be closed to traffic between Martin and G streets. At that time, there will be a countdown and the city of Blaine’s 20foot Christmas tree will be lit. The Blaine school band and choir will be caroling, and members of the public will be invited to join in the singing. At about 4:45 p.m., Santa is expected to arrive in Blaine from the North Pole. He will arrive on a horse-drawn trolley. After stepping off his trolley and interacting
with the crowd for a few minutes, he’ll invite the kids to follow him down the street to Border Town Pizza, where his winter wonderland will be waiting. From 5 to 6 p.m., kids can line up at Border Town Pizza to meet and take photos with Santa. Free goodies will be distributed, and while they are waiting, kids can attend a petting zoo in the Border Town Pizza parking lot. There will also be free rides on Santa’s trolley, which seats about 10 people, from 5 to 7 p.m. Earlier in the afternoon, Blaine-Birch (See Lights, page 3)
B y P a t G r u bb The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has published a proposal to make substantial increases to U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS) fees. The notice was published in the Federal Register on November 14 and allows public comments until Monday, December 16. USCIS is required by law to fund its adjudication and naturalization services through fees charged to applicants; the proposed fees average 21 percent higher than existing fees. In addition, the department has added new fees for certain benefit requests and eliminated some fee waivers.
The fees, as proposed, could change depending upon comments received and various legal and technical considerations. In order to determine the new fees, the agency was required to determine the costs involved in providing specific services, including the number of labor hours involved. Individuals considering applying for immigration benefits would be wise to do so sooner rather than later. It is anticipated that the new fees will go into effect next spring. As an example, DHS proposes to increase the fee to apply for naturalization from $640 to $1,170, an increase of $530 or 83 percent.
Comments posted on the proposed rule were uniformly negative in character. Anna Serkiz wrote, “A grandson of an immigrant with two immigrant wives ... No wonder he hates immigrants!” Another person, Mary September, posted, “Once again you are proposing policies that would hurt families. Stop it! This is cruelty! If you need more money, grant citizenship quickly so these hard-working people can get on with their lives, focus on building their businesses, buy homes and pay their taxes. That will generate so much more revenue than these ridiculous fee hikes.” To learn more about the USCIS fee hikes or to comment, go to bit.ly/34617E4.
INSIDE
Citizen and immigration service fees set to rise substantially Letters . . . . . . . . . 4 Sports . . . . . . . . . . 6 Classifieds . . . . . 11 Coming Up . . . . . 14 Police . . . . . . . . . 14 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 14
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