The Northern Light: March 19-25, 2020

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Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay

March 19 - 25, 2020

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IN THIS

ISSUE

Teen sworn into national guard by his father, page 2

Coronavirus and pets: what you should know, page 15

City of Blaine receives safety citation, page 5

PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230

NORTHERN BORDER TO CLOSE TO ‘NON-ESSENTIAL’ TRAFFIC New coronavirus upends everyday life, commerce and society, with no end in sight

By Northern Light Staff

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Letters . . . . . . . . . 4 Classifieds . . . . . 11 Crossword . . . . . . 14 Police/Sheriff . . . 14 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 14

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Inslee said at a March 16 press conference that the ban would last for two weeks but could be extended. “The reason is quite clear. We represent about two percent of the population of the United States but we represent over 20 percent of the infections,” Inslee said.

In addition to restaurants and bars, Inslee’s order applies to food courts, coffee shops, donut shops, ice cream parlors,

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(COVID-19) since January 31, 2020, may qualify for Economic Injury Disaster Loans of up to $2 million to help meet financial obligations and operating expenses which could have been met had the disaster not occurred,” said Carranza.

“These loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that can’t be paid because of the disaster’s impact. Disaster loans can provide vital economic assistance to small businesses to help overcome the temporary loss of revenue they are experiencing,” Carranza added.

Eligibility for Economic Injury Disaster Loans is based on the financial impact of the coronavirus. The interest rate is 3.75 percent for small businesses. The interest rate for private non-profit organizations is 2.75 percent. SBA offers loans with longterm repayments in order to keep payments affordable, up to a maximum of 30 years.

Governor orders restaurants, bars and other facilities to close All bars, restaurants, entertainment and recreational facilities statewide must shut down, Washington governor Jay Inslee announced on March 15. Additionally, the governor prohibited all gatherings of more than 50 people.

INSIDE

the U.S. and resulted in 97 U.S. deaths as of March 18, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Also at the federal level, legislators were discussing an economic stimulus package that could include cash payments to U.S. taxpayers, in addition to relief for airlines and other industries affected by the pandemic.

SBA offers disaster assistance to Washington small businesses The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) began offering low-interest federal disaster loans for working capital to small businesses in Washington suffering substantial economic injury as a result of the coronavirus, SBA administrator Jovita Carranza announced on March 16. The disaster declaration makes SBA assistance available in Whatcom County.

SBA customer service representatives will be available to answer questions about SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program and explain the application process, said Carranza.

“Small businesses, private non-profit organizations of any size, small agricultural cooperatives and small aquaculture enterprises that have been financially impacted as a direct result of the coronavirus

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s Tyler Rogers, 10, a fourth grader at Blaine Elementary School, received a home lesson on lawn mowing from his mother Angela on March 17. All K-12 schools in Washington state are closed until at least Friday, April 24 in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

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President Donald Trump announced on March 18 that the U.S.-Canada border will close to “non-essential traffic” in an effort to curb the spread of the new coronavirus.

“We will be, by mutual consent, temporarily closing our northern border with Canada to non-essential traffic,” President Trump wrote on Twitter. “Trade will not be affected. Details to follow!”

Those details were not available by press time, but according to comments by Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau reported by The New York Times, the measure will ban travel for “recreation and tourism” but will continue to allow the crossing of trucks and trains carrying goods like food, fuel and parts for manufacturers.

“Our governments recognize that it is critical we ensure supply chains,” Trudeau told a news conference. Canadians and Americans who commute daily to each other’s countries, a category that includes many health care workers, will still be able to cross, Trudeau said.

Canada’s public safety minister, Bill Blair, urged Canadians currently in the U.S. to remain calm. “We know there are very many Canadians who are presently in the United States and are very quickly making their way home, and I want to assure them all, Canadians will always be allowed to return to Canada,” Blair said on March 17.

It was the latest of many steps being taken at the international, national, state, county and local levels to address the new virus, which had infected 7,038 people in

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The Northern Light • March 19 - 25, 2020

Blaine father swears son into same army battalion he commands

By Grace McCarthy A Blaine father and son extended their family’s legacy of military service during a swearing-in ceremony for the Washington Army

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old son, Jeb, into the same battalion that LTC Broyles commands.

“Rarely does a father have the opportunity to swear in his own son,” LTC Broyles said. “Almost never, that I’ve ever heard of, does the son actually get sworn into the actual battalion that his father commands.”

LTC Broyles commands Washington’s 3rd Battalion 161 Infantry Regiment, which is made up of about 700 soldiers. The battalion is comprised of five companies of about 120 soldiers each.

The culture of the Washington Army National Guard is “tremendous” right now under the leadership of Brigadier General Daniel Dent, LTC Broyles said.

Jeb, now a junior at Blaine High School, will complete 10 weeks of basic training at the military base in Fort Benning, Georgia this summer. During Jeb’s senior year, he will start drills in Anacortes one weekend per month. Upon graduation from high school, he will return to Fort Benning where he will complete advanced individual training in the summer to become an infantryman.

When he attends college, Jeb will work at a base near his university one weekend per month and train with the army every summer. When Jeb graduates from college, he expects to be finished with the army and graduate with no student loan debt because of his payments from the army and the G.I. Bill that he will qualify for.

“I think it speaks volumes to the amount of confidence and how much we think of the Washington Army National Guard,” LTC Broyles said. “When you have your own son in your own unit, you’re pretty confident of how good it is.”

The guard is a component of the Washington state government, which can use the guard to serve in a law enforcement capacity or respond to natural disasters like forest fires or the Oso landslide that occurred in 2014.

The guard is regarded as the community’s army because it serves residents of Washington and is comprised only of state residents, LTC Broyles said. “These are the people who would go save the citizens of Washington,” LTC Broyles said.

s Jeb Broyles was recently sworn into the same battalion as his father, LTC Craig Broyles, who commands the 3rd Battalion 161 Infantry Regiment of the Washington Army National Guard.

Photo courtesy of LTC Craig Broyles

Every generation of the Broyles family has served in the military since the Revolutionary War, LTC Broyles said. LTC Broyles started his military career in 1998, enlisting as a Forward Observer in the Idaho Army National Guard. The position was similar to Jeb’s, with LTC Broyles starting as a Private and drilling in Pocatello, Idaho.

After attending Idaho State University, LTC Broyles became an active duty officer for the 10th Mountain Division. He then served in Iraq and Afghanistan before returning to be a border patrol officer in Arizona and Washington. LTC Broyles has been in Blaine as a border patrol agent and national guard member since 2012.

“It was awesome,” Jeb said of the February 18 ceremony. “I’m doing what I always thought was cool and I’m doing what my dad does, which I think is awesome.”

Jeb said he grew up with his father’s influence to be a respectful person and have integrity and good morals. “Since I’ve grown up following all those things, I’ve been able to have all these options for me so I can be able to do

what I want to do,” Jeb said.

LTC Broyles said it feels great to be a role model in his son’s life. As a kid, Jeb would visit his father in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas while his father was attending military school. LTC Broyles was in Fort Leavenworth as a Major where he attended the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and the School of Advanced Military Studies. The family always prioritized observing Veterans Day and attending military ceremonies.

“You’re gone a lot when you’re in the military, so you wonder if you have any kind of positive influence on your children,” LTC Broyles said. “I’ve been gone so much that day-to-day interaction sometimes is missing. But you realize there’s been some value that your children understand where you’re at, and why you’re there.”

Jeb said he is grateful for the help of his recruiter, Staff Sergeant First Class Decker, who helped guide him through the recruitment process. For more information on the 3rd Battalion 161 Infantry Regiment, visit the YouTube channel Dark Rifles #HuntRaceKill.

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March 19 - 25, 2020 • thenorthernlight.com

June 16 - 29, 1995

A Letter to our Readers and Customers This June will mark the 25th anniversary of publishing The Northern Light newspaper. A lot of water has gone under the bridge since that first issue shown above. We have been proud to bring news and useful information to the communities of Blaine, Birch Bay and Semiahmoo. We have attended countless meetings and events and covered city council, sports, fires, notable persons, schools and anything else that we thought would interest or be of concern to our readers.

We know that everyone is worried and concerned about the coronavirus pandemic and its effect on our health and economic security. Our staff intends to work tirelessly to bring you information that will help keep you as safe as possible. In light of this, we are reluctant to ask for your help but ask we must.

From the beginning, we have felt it important to our readers and our advertisers that we mail to every home in the 98230 zip code area. Using the U.S. Postal Service to distribute the newspaper is an expensive endeavor. Last year it cost over $150,000 to print and mail The Northern Light. Salaries, medical, retirement and other benefits cost far, far more than that. Up to now, it has been the advertisers who have paid these costs.

Given the coronavirus disaster, this business model is no longer tenable. Businesses are closing down and advertising is melting away. Our survival is in question.

Over the years, we have received much praise and appreciation from many readers for our coverage.

While the timing may be horrible, we are forced to ask our readers to consider supporting The Northern Light for a suggested contribution of $24 a year. Other weeklies in the county charge around $35 for a subscription while the Bellingham Herald costs $192 a year. If you feel The Northern Light is valuable to you then please consider supporting us. If that’s too much, anything helps. We’d be happy to accept more, too.

It is a privilege to serve our community and we intend to do our best to keep on keeping on. In the meantime, please follow the advice of our medical authorities, practice social distancing, self-isolate and stay well.

To give your support, you may either mail a check with the form below or go to The Northern Light website at thenorthernlight.com and click support.

One final word …

Thanks!

One Full Year of Support

$24

Name: Address: City: State:

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(or whatever you can) Community Newspaper for Blaine & Birch Bay Since 1995

MAIL TO: The Northern Light

225 Marine Drive, Suite 200 Blaine, WA 98230 360/332-1777

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The Northern Light • March 19 - 25, 2020

Opinion

The Northern L ght The Northern Light is published weekly

by Point Roberts Press Inc. Locally owned and managed, the company also publishes the All Point Bulletin, covering Point Roberts, Mount Baker Experience, covering the Mt. Baker foothills area, Pacific Coast Weddings annual guide, and the summer recreation guide Waterside as well as maps and other publications. Point Roberts Press Inc. is a member of the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association, Chambers of Commerce of Bellingham/ Whatcom County, Birch Bay, Blaine and Point Roberts and the Bellingham/Whatcom County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors.

Letters Policy The Northern Light welcomes letters to the editor. Please include name, address and daytime telephone number for verification. Letters are limited to 350 words and may be edited or rejected for reasons of legality, length and good taste.

Thank-you letters are limited to five individuals or groups. Writers should avoid personal invective. Unsigned letters will not be accepted for publication. Requests for withholding names will be considered on an individual basis. Consumer complaints should be submitted directly to the business in question or the local chamber of commerce. Only one letter per month from an individual correspondent will be published. Email letters to letters@thenorthernlight.com.

Publisher & Managing Editor Patrick Grubb publisher@pointrobertspress.com Co-publisher & Advertising Director Louise Mugar lmugar@pointrobertspress.com

To our elected officials: Be bold, be consistent, be honest and be helpful!

B y P a t r i c k G r u bb Governor Jay Inslee has been forceful in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic; rightfully so, our state is the nation’s hotbed of CV-19 infections. Whether he has been forceful enough is open to question; many infectious disease experts are saying more is needed to slow the spread of the disease.

Looking at the reported number of cases isn’t helpful; Mark Lipstitch of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health says the U.S. has been severely underreporting for CV-19 and that the true extent of infections could be 50 times the current count. No one knows for sure because there is a continuing shortage of tests – as of March 8, the U.S. had tested 1,707 people, just five per million people compared to 189,236 people or 3,692 per million in South Korea. Why does the shortage in tests keep persisting? No one seems to know or say.

Be bold We are past containing this disease – the best we can do is to spread infections over time so our health system doesn’t get overwhelmed. The state prohibition against gatherings of 50 or more people should match the federal recommendation of 10 people.

Social distancing and self-quarantining efforts must increase as well as continually educating everybody about proper hygiene.

Be consistent Why do we continue to see our poli-

ticians and public health experts standing right next to each other on TV when they’ve been telling us to keep six feet apart? Why are they still shaking hands?

Be honest A study just released from Imperial College London estimates that up to 82 percent of Americans will contract CV-19 and as many as 2.2 million Americans will die if stringent quarantine requirements aren’t put in place soon. It also says these restrictions will need to remain until an effective vaccine is produced and rolled out in massive numbers. That’s 12-18 months away.

Don’t tell us it will just be a few weeks.

Be helpful The Families First Coronavirus Response Act which mandates paid sick and family leave has a “big box store” exemption for companies with 500 or more employees. Companies like McDonald’s, Target, Walmart and Amazon – you know, all the companies who pay their chief executives million-dollar salaries. With exemptions for companies with 50 or fewer employees, it is estimated that less than a quarter of American workers would benefit. For those companies who do pay, they would receive a payroll tax credit.

Tax credits are no good to companies facing an existential crisis. The economy is tanking before our very eyes – it could be worse than the Great Depression. What Americans need right now is cash and lots

of it. If 40 percent of Americans can’t handle a $400 emergency expense in normal times, how do you think they will handle the immediate loss of their jobs and businesses?

There needs to be an immediate moratorium on mortgage and commercial loan and credit card and installment debt payments.

President Trump is apparently in favor of giving a cash payment directly to Americans – how much is the question. People will have rent payments due in two weeks – will they have enough money? Unemployment benefits must be immediately activated and directed through company payrolls to employees.

The homeless, the gig economy workers and the undocumented must all be taken care of and quickly. We are facing this pandemic together – we’ll get through it together.

And now a plug for the home team. Local newspapers have an important role to play in this crisis. We educate, we inform, and we help readers in our communities as they navigate this unprecedented crisis. Right now, our advertising is melting away and many newspapers will not live through this experience. Governments at all levels, federal, state, county and city should seek every opportunity to support all newspapers through informational and public service advertising. Every dollar will help.

Good luck and good health!

Patrick Grubb is publisher of The Northern Light and president of the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association.

Editor Jami Makan jami@pointrobertspress.com Copy Editor Aly Siemion aly@pointrobertspress.com Reporter Oliver Lazenby oliver@pointrobertspress.com Reporting Intern Grace McCarthy prpintern@pointrobertspress.com Creative Services Ruth Lauman, Doug De Visser production@pointrobertspress.com Office Manager Jeanie Luna info@pointrobertspress.com Advertising Sales Molly Ernst, Kristin Siemion sales@pointrobertspress.com General Editorial Inquiries editor@pointrobertspress.com

The Northern Light 225 Marine Drive, Suite 200 Blaine, WA 98230 Tel: 360/332-1777 Vol XXV, No 39 Circulation: 10,500 copies

Circulation Independently Verified by:

The City of Blaine, WA | 435 Martin, Blaine, WA 98230 | Phone: 360-332-8311 | Fax: 360-332-8330 | www.ci.blaine.wa.us

March 17, 2020 To the Blaine Community: As your mayor, I’m fully committed to your safety. Along with the City Council and City management, it is our responsibility to safeguard your health and to provide you with the information you need to keep you, your families, and your fellow citizens safe as well.

As you are no doubt aware, COVID-19 has become a local issue. Here is what we know about this virus: There are currently five confirmed COVID-19 cases in Whatcom County. This virus is spreading in our region, and we expect more cases in the coming weeks. As testing becomes more available we are certain more cases will be confirmed.

HERE’S WHAT TO EXPECT FROM US: We will be open and transparent and will continue to share critical information and updates. Our overriding goal is to do all we can to keep as many people safe as possible.

Our City Manager is in daily contact with County Health Department authorities and other public agencies. All the cities in the county are learning together and collaborating on best practices and protocols. Many of these plans have been in place for years, but are being updated in response to this crisis.

HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO DO: You have the power to keep our community safe. The choices you make in the next few weeks can literally save lives.

While most of us may not be at risk for adverse health complications, many Blaine citizens are vulnerable through age or underlying health conditions. What might seem unnecessary to you may be saving someone’s life.

If you fail to take precautions and follow the advice of health officials you are putting others at risk. We all need to watch out especially for those most vulnerable and help our neighbors in any way we can. Please take all precautionary measures.

These can be found on the Whatcom County Health Department’s website - www.whatcomcounty.us/360/Health-Department Even in trying times, Blaine folks pull together. Your city government and elected leaders are right here with you, right now, and for the duration. Thank you for helping to protect yourself and your family and the most vulnerable among us.

Next issue: March 26 Ads due: March 20

In community, Bonnie Onyon, Mayor

March 19 - 25, 2020 • thenorthernlight.com

City updates safety procedures following L&I citation assignment, and whenever a new chemical hazard the employees have not previously been trained about is introduced into their work area.”

Jones said that the city provided updated GHS training to all of its employees who needed it on February 19, February 26 and March 10. In addition to public works staff and police officers, Jones said participants included janitorial staff who work with common household cleaners and water treatment facility employees who are exposed to chlorine.

The citation also noted the city’s failure to document its workplace hazard assessments, in which each job title is evaluated for the personal protective equipment (PPE) it requires – such as earplugs or bulletproof vests.

“Each job title needs to be evaluated for what PPE is appropriate, and those were not up to date for all employees,” Jones said. “The paperwork for each job description hadn’t been up to date in every case.” The city has since contracted with Evergreen Safety in order to make the required edits.

An additional violation was the city’s lack of a city-wide safety committee. “The employer did not establish a safety committee that includes employee-elected and employer-selected members,” said the citation. Jones said that a committee has since been established. The committee’s first meeting was on March 9, and its members include police chief Tanksley, assistant public works director Castro and five other city employees who volunteered or were nominated by their peers.

At this time, the committee plans to meet monthly.

The final component of the citation was an advisory about a small ceiling mold patch and roof leak in the police department’s evidence room. The city has already addressed the mold issue and hired a contractor to evaluate the leaky roof, Jones said.

While the city has a bid for the roof repair that is about $16,000, no action will likely be taken at this time.

“We are not acting on that, because we intend to move out of that evidence storage room and implement a temporary storage

Council Meeting

Thursday, March 26 7pm – Planning Commission Meeting Public Hearing for the Gateway North General Binding Site Plan

Monday, April 13 6pm – Regular City Council Meeting

Monday, April 27 6pm – Regular City Council Meeting

Effective March 18, 2020 Police Department and Public Works offices will be closed to the public.

City Hall offices will remain open.

Call (360) 332-8311 or visit our website.

www.cityofblaine.com

NOTICE OF FLUSHING The City of Blaine Water Division started flushing the City's water distribution system. This is accomplished by opening hydrants along the system (starting at the well fields) to move fresh water throughout the distribution system.

The purpose of flushing the system is to remove any grit and debris in order to improve water quality through the distribution system.

During the city flushing program city water customers may experience a temporary low water pressure and/ or cloudiness when flushing is going on. The cloudiness condition (caused by air) should be only temporary, and can be cleared by running a cold water tap for a few minutes to clean and flush your service line. If the condition continues for an extended period of time please contact the Blaine Public Works.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation. If you have any questions, feel free to call Public Works at (360) 332-8820.

Blaine Public Works.

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solution” consisting of modified cargo containers, Jones said. The entire building where the evidence room is located – old city hall and the adjacent fire station – will be demolished, and a new police department annex will eventually be constructed on the site.

Jones said the city of Blaine has taken the Labor and Industries citation very seriously. “Safety is important, so any failure to meet the state standards is a significant thing to me,” he said. “It’s been a very useful process.” Jones will soon be preparing a formal response to the citation in order to notify Labor and Industries that its concerns have been fully addressed.

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The city of Blaine recently updated some of its safety procedures following a citation from the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries’ Division of Occupational Safety and Health.

Following a safety and health inspection that took place on December 23, the city of Blaine received a citation from Labor and Industries dated January 31. The citation found five violations of the Washington Administrative Code, and one of the violations – a lack of annual blood-borne pathogen training for at-risk city employees – was deemed “serious,” resulting in a $900 penalty.

“The employer did not ensure that workers, who have known or potential exposure to blood and other potentially infectious materials based on their job assignments, received annual bloodborne pathogen training,” said a copy of the citation, which was required to be posted for viewing by city employees for three working days or until all violations had been corrected.

While the city was required to correct the pathogen training violation by May 3, city manager Michael Jones said that the city has already implemented the required training. “We have some city employees who had been routinely trained, but others had been missed,” Jones said. “We have since implemented a training for all the employees that needed to be trained.” The city’s bloodborne pathogen training for police officers was done online in January and February, while public works staff were already current, having completed an in-person course on November 6, 2018.

The Labor and Industries citation followed a process that included an opening conference on December 20 and a closing conference on January 8 with the Labor and Industries inspector.

The opening conference was attended by Blaine’s assistant public works director, Sam Castro. The closing conference was attended

by Jones, Castro and police chief Donnell Tanksley. “At the closing conference, we got a debriefing on what the inspector expected his findings to be,” Jones said. “We

listened and asked questions and he provided us with some information on what the issues were.”

Following the closing conference, the city provided follow-up paperwork to Labor and Industries and began addressing the inspector’s findings right away. “We began addressing those issues at that time because there was no reason to wait for the citation, which came out January 31,” Jones said.

“There were things we were able to start addressing immediately.”

In addition to the lack of documented blood-borne pathogen training, the Labor and Industries inspector found several other violations, which were categorized as “general” as opposed to “serious” violations. The general violations were required to be corrected by March 19 and did not result in any financial penalties against the city.

One general violation was that the city did not have Hepatitis B vaccination declination forms on file. “The Hepatitis B declination option must be made available to all police officers and others that collect and handle evidence that is potentially contaminated with blood or other potentially infectious materials,” said the citation.

“We have been making Hepatitis B vaccinations available to employees who may encounter the disease through contact with blood or bodily fluids,” Jones said. “For those who opt not to get the vaccine, we need to have a form that says they declined it. We had neglected to keep a record of those forms.” The city made the forms available to city employees on February 26.

Another violation was the city’s failure to provide up-to-date training to city employees who work with hazardous chemicals.

The Globally Harmonized System (GHS) for Hazard Communication is an international standard for informing workers about hazards in the workplace.

“The employer did not train employees on the details of the hazard communication program developed by the employer,” said the citation. “Employers must provide employees with updated information and training on hazardous chemicals in their work area at the time of their initial

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The Northern Light • March 19 - 25, 2020

Birch Bay Budz aims to promote local cannabis producers

By Jami Makan A new retail cannabis store, Birch Bay Budz, plans to set itself apart by promoting products sourced from local farmers and growers in Whatcom County.

Birch Bay Budz, which opened on March 1 in Birch Bay Square near Woods Coffee, was started by co-owners Josh Sammeli and Eric Chan. The store sells a wide range of joints, flower, topicals, cartridges, concentrates, drinks and CBD products. Many of the store’s offerings originate in Whatcom County. “We’re really embracing the local farmers,” said Chan. “A lot of Whatcom growers aren’t selling in Whatcom County, and we want to change that.”

To help promote local growers, Birch Bay Budz offers a 15 percent discount on products from Whatcom County growers on Wednesdays.

Sammeli and Chan started Birch Bay Budz after selling a pest control business in Spokane. The pest

control business began as a threeman operation, but quickly grew into a sizeable company with 13 employees servicing 3,000 homes per year. “We turned it into an absolute monster,” said Sammeli.

“Every year we would buy another truck and add a guy.”

One of the clients of the pest control business was the founder of one of the state’s top-grossing cannabis companies. Inspired by their client’s success, Sammeli and Chan started researching the cannabis industry. They first found a state license for sale on the “grow side” of the market, but discovered that many growers had shut down in recent years due to market saturation.

Around the same time they sold the pest control business, Sammeli and Chan found a state license for the retail side of the market. It was for sale online on Craigslist, and they snapped it up. “We wanted to get into the industry,” said Chan. “This is a passion for us.”

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8627 Semiahmoo Drive, Blaine

$667,125 (Building Only)

1-story house with 1,828 SF, 2,146 SF basement, 3 BD, 3 BA, 320 SF built-in garage, 576 SF attached garage, 1,002 SF patio, built in 2007; marine view, .18 acres land.

5770 Nakat Way, Blaine

$725,000

Sunrise Road, Blaine

$210,000

Tsawwassen Loop, Blaine

$375,000

DESCRIPTION HIGHER END HOUSES: 1-story house with 2,438 SF, 1,468 SF basement, 3 BD, 3 BA, 600 SF attached garage, built in 2007, waterfront; marine view, 2.15 acres land.

LAND: 38.57 acres residential land.

Residential lot, waterfront; marine view.

MikeKent.com Sponsored by:

I-5 Exit 270 at Birch Bay Square 360-527-8901 • mike@mikekent.com

The license was restricted to Whatcom County, so they moved here from Spokane and started looking for a location. It was a struggle to find the right spot, due to zoning requirements and rules requiring cannabis stores to be some distance away from schools, public parks, arcades, daycares and other places where children gather.

A lot of landlords also turned away their business due to its very nature. Cannabis is illegal at one level of government but legal at another. “Nobody would lease to us,” Chan said. “I basically got told ‘no’ for a year straight. An automatic ‘no.’ I ate my humble pie that year.”

After eventually finding a suitable location in Birch Bay Square in November, the next step was for them to fill the store with products. “I emailed almost everyone this side of the state,” said Chan. “I sent out about 900 emails.” But some producers were “full and done” and could not supply products to the new store. Others didn’t get back to Chan at all – “a bunch of stoners,” Chan joked.

The duo eventually put together an assortment of high-quality products from companies like Fleek Leaf, Cannabis King Gardens and Canndo. They also installed TV screens, shelves, glass cases and an ATM machine. Chan’s wife, Julie, designed the store’s logo, artwork and promotional materials. Four employees were hired, and Sammeli even got a new French bulldog, Bud, to keep ev-

s The team at new retail cannabis store Birch Bay Budz, from l.: French bulldog Bud, Josh Sammeli, Eric Chan and Julie Chan.

Photo by Jami Makan

eryone company in the store.

Since opening on March 1, business has been steady and about half of the store’s clients have already come back for return visits. The store soon plans to add a selection of glassware, as well as edible products like THC-infused Ramen noodle packets.

“We’re a little late to the game, but we’re really early in the grand scheme of things,” Sammeli said.

“After being demonized for so long, this industry has exploded,” Chan added. “It’s a very fast-moving industry and I’m excited to see how it turns out for the country.”

Birch Bay Budz is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. in Birch Bay Square just off I-5. The hours may expand further this summer. For more information, visit birchbaybud.com.

City accepts bid for wellhouse rehabilitation

By Jami Makan Blaine city council accepted a bid for the rehabilitation of one of the city’s wellhouses, ahead of the hot and dry summer months when water will be in high demand.

At their March 9 regular meeting, councilmembers voted 6-0 (Garth Baldwin was excused) to accept the lowest responsive bid and authorize the city manager to enter into a unit price contract with Larry Brown Construction Inc. in the amount of $312,802.

“I’m pleased to bring forward the results and a request for council award for Wellhouse 5,” said Blaine public works director Ravyn Whitewolf, introducing the action item to councilmembers.

“This is one of the projects that I mentioned would be coming down the road to you at our last project update. The wellhouse is actually in severe disarray, with aging electrical, controls and so forth. This is a project we’ve been working on for a couple of years.

We want to get it built before we get into our peak water season.”

The project’s improvements will consist of well capacity improvements, construction of a precast concrete wellhouse, site grading and drainage and driveway construction. In addition, the contractor will furnish and install wellhead piping and valves, a well pump, electrical and control systems and about

40 feet of eight-inch ductile iron pipe with eight-inch gate valves, connecting into the existing transmission line.

“It includes furnishing a new pump as well as all the electrical and controls,” Whitewolf told councilmembers. “We call it a VFD or variable frequency drive that enables us to use the well with different speeds and different horsepower of the pumps.”

After inviting bids from contractors, Blaine public works staff opened four sealed bids on February 26. The lowest responsive bid was from Larry Brown Construction, whose bid was in the amount of $312,802, above the engineer’s estimate of $289,870.

The next lowest bid was from J. Ritter Dirt & Asphalt LLC in the amount of $312,814 – just $12 more than Larry Brown’s bid.

The proximity of the two lowest bids prompted further council discussion. “The bids were very, very close,” Whitewolf observed.

“It was rather shocking. We don’t see a whole lot of that. I will say that when we do see bids that are that tight or that close together, we as engineers look at that and think, ‘Wow, the bid package must be pretty good’ because it’s got two bidders that well aligned from different houses.”

After some councilmembers inquired about the city’s discretion to accept bids other than the lowest bid, Whitewolf and city

s One of the city of Blaine’s wellhouses.

Photo courtesy of Ravyn Whitewolf

attorney Jon Sitkin confirmed that the city is almost always required to award a contract to the lowest responsive bid.

Whitewolf said that the contract bidding and award process is governed by very specific laws.

“It’s a really fact-dependent situation in every bidding, and you don’t look at it in retrospect, because you’ve set the bid specifications on the front end before you receive the bids,” Sitkin added.

After the bid was awarded, a formal award and tabulation was sent to the contractor and other interested parties. The project is budgeted in the capital program for the city’s water fund, Fund 410.

March 19 - 25, 2020 • thenorthernlight.com

7

Biden beats Sanders in state primaries

s On March 16, Canada barred entry to all travelers who are not Canadian citizens or permanent residents. There were exceptions for air crew, diplomats, immediate family members of Canadian citizens and, “at this time,” U.S. citizens, prime minister Justin Trudeau said.

Further restrictions were subsequently introduced.

Photo by Jami Makan

Former U.S. vice president Joe Biden has beaten Vermont senator Bernie Sanders in Washington state’s Democratic presidential primary that took place on March 10, according to unofficial results from the Washington secretary of state.

As of March 16 at 6:49 p.m., Biden had received 575,291 votes (37.8%) statewide compared to 553,930 votes (36.4%) for Sanders.

In Whatcom County the picture was different, with Sanders leading Biden by a significant

margin. According to the Whatcom County auditor’s office, Sanders had received 26,698 votes (45.9%) in the county, compared to 18,436 votes (31.7%) for Biden, as of March 13 at 4 p.m.

A total of 81,629 ballots had been counted in Whatcom County so far, with an estimated 50 ballots left to count. The next ballot count was scheduled for March 19 by 5 p.m. With 149,114 registered voters in the county, local voter turnout stood at 54.7

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percent. Statewide, voter turnout stood at 48.8 percent, lower than the turnout in Whatcom County.

On the Republican side, President Trump received 668,128 votes (98.4%) at the state level and 22,984 votes (98.4%) in the county, with write-in candidates receiving the remaining Republican votes.

Election results are certified by each county on March 20, and the secretary of state certifies final results by March 27.

PRESENTED BY

Charge up your car battery knowledge with these helpful tips Vehicles consist of many essential components to keep them running efficiently and effectively. Car and truck owners should have an understanding of how their vehicles function so they can diagnose and address problems as they arise.

Car batteries are an important component of any vehicle. Even though engines are the powerhouse of any car or truck, without a battery, the engine wouldn’t be able to work. According to Firestone Complete Auto Care, car batteries work by providing a jolt of electricity necessary to power all the electrical components of the vehicle. This is achieved through a chemical reaction that changes chemical energy into the electrical energy needed to deliver voltage to the starter. In addition to initially starting the car, the battery also keeps electric current steady to keep the engine running.

The battery also works in conjunction with the alternator to power the electronics in the car, according to the automotive information blog Autosessive. While the car is running, the alternator reverses the current produced by the battery, recharging it as a result. This happens during long journeys, so people who drive for short bursts of time may find

that their batteries will not have a chance to recharge and may not have the longevity desired.

There is quite literally a lot riding on a functioning battery. No one wants to be caught stranded by a dead battery, so drivers may wonder if there are any indicators that may signal the battery needs replacement.

• Slow turnover: If a vehicle does not immediately start or if the cranking is sluggish and takes longer to start, it may mean the battery is starting to fail.

• Frequent, short trips: Drivers

who make frequent, short trips may find their car batteries do not have time to fully recharge. This, coupled with overtaxing thanks to a lot of accessory use, may cause the battery and the alternator to have shortened life spans.

• Low battery fluid levels: If the fluid level is below the energy conductor inside, it is often indicative of overcharging and excessive heat.

• Corrosion: Corrosion buildup, dust, dirt, and grime on battery connections may cause performance problems. Inspecting and cleaning the terminals can

prolong the battery life.

• Odors and leaks: Battery leaks can produce a sulfur odor similar to the smell of a rotten egg. This can become problematic over time, and leaks may indicate an aging or damaged battery.

• Age: Most batteries have a finite life span. A well-maintained battery can last up to five years.

Neglect can reduce that life expectancy considerably.

• Bloated or cracked battery case: Replace the battery immediately if the case is cracking, as it could be because excessive heat is swelling the battery.

Understanding how car batteries work can help drivers keep their cars running smoothly.

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The Northern Light • March 19 - 25, 2020

We’re open!

In light of the changing situation of COVID-19, we complied a list of local eateries who remain open with changes to their hours and ordering routine.

Jack in the Box 360-366-3869

Blackbird Coffee

Sun-Thurs 6am-2am • Fri-Sat 24 hours

DRIVE THRU

360-325-6007

Mon-Sat 6am-6pm • Sun 7am-5pm

DRIVE THRU

Lizzie’s Diner

360-332-9400 Thurs-Sun 11am-8pm TAKE OUT & DELIVERY through Viking Foods

Burger King 360-332-7440

Sun-Thurs 6am-10pm • Fri-Sat 6am-midnight

TAKE OUT & DRIVE THRU

Loomis Trail Golf Club

360-332-1725 x4 • Daily 8am-5pm;

Birch Bay Teriyaki

TAKE OUT

Mon-Sat 11am-9pm

Packers Kitchen + Bar at Semiahmoo Resort

360-371-7499

TAKE OUT & DELIVERY through Viking Foods

360-318-2090 • Daily 12-8pm

Bob’s Burgers & Brew

360-366-3199 11:30am- 8pm TAKE OUT & DELIVERY through Viking Foods

Bordertown Mexican Grill

360-441-7661 • Daily 8am-8pm

TAKE OUT

Paso del Norte

360-332-4045 • Daily 11am-8pm TAKE OUT & DELIVERY through Viking Foods

Peace Arch City Cafe

TAKE OUT

360-332-5212 • Peacearchcitycafe.com Daily 8am-4pm

Border Town Pizza

TAKE OUT

360-703-3996

Railway Cafe

Mon-Sat 11am-8pm • Sun 12-8pm

TAKE OUT & DELIVERY

The C Shop

360-371-2070 • Thecshop.com EASTER CANDY - ONLINE ORDERS, may be open next weekend for curbside

360-332-2448 • Daily 8am-2pm TAKE OUT & DELIVERY through Viking Foods

Skai Sushi

360-220-8123 • skaisushi.com Daily 11am-2pm, 4-9pm

TAKE OUT AND ONLINE ORDERS

Chada Thai

360-332-3267 • chadathaiusa.com Sun-Thurs 11am-8:30pm • Fri-Sat 12-8:30pm

TAKE OUT

Starbucks

360-594-7050 • Daily 6am-4:30pm

TAKE OUT & DRIVE THRU

Curb Shots

Steamers Espresso

360-332-2056 Mon-Fri 5:30am-5pm • Sat & Sun 6:30am -12pm

360-332-5714 • Daily 7am-3pm

DRIVE THRU

DRIVE THRU & CALL AHEAD ORDERS

Subway

Dominos Pizza

360-366-4200 • dominos.com Mon-Thurs 10:30am-11pm Fri-Sun 10:30am-midnight

Subway.com • Daily 10am-8pm

TAKE OUT - ORDER IN-STORE, ONLINE OR ON APP

TAKE OUT & DELIVERY

Edaleen Dairy

360-366-8760 • Mon-Sat 8am-10pm

TAKE OUT

Teriyaki secret

360-332-2780 • teriyakisecret.com Daily 11am -8pm

TAKE OUT, ONLINE ORDERS & DELIVERY through Viking Foods

Great Blue Heron Grill 360-371-7015 x 4

The Vault Wine Bar & Bistro 360-961-3987 • thevaultwine.com

Wed-Sun 11am-6pm

TAKE OUT, LIMITED MENU

HOURS & MENU ONLINE FOR TAKE-AND-HEAT ENTREES.

Support your local businesses.

An updated list will be available online at TheNorthernLight.com Listing information subject to change.

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY community newspaper for Blaine, Birch Bay and Semiahmoo.

COVID-19 ...

From page 1

wine and beer tasting venues, breweries, distilleries, beauty salons, barbershops and nail salons, tattoo shops, theaters, bowling alleys, gyms, fitness centers, museums, art galleries, youth sports and youth clubs.

Restaurants will still be allowed to provide takeout and delivery.

The order does not apply to grocery stores and pharmacies.

While some restaurants in downtown Blaine had closed by March 16, others stayed open as long as they were allowed.

“We’re just coming out for one final hoopla before everything shuts down,” said Blaine resident Lucille Donaldson, on March 16, outside the Wheelhouse Bar and Grill.

Donaldson works at Tony’s Tavern in Custer, and after her last day of work for at least two weeks, she wanted to support local businesses and see friends for one last time. Donaldson’s hands were dry from all the cleaning and disinfecting she had done in recent weeks at Tony’s, a tavern that never closes even for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

“It’s going to be hard. It’s going to be tough not seeing regular customers,” she said.

Blaine city manager issues emergency proclamation On the afternoon of March 13, Blaine city manager Michael Jones issued a proclamation declaring a state of emergency related to the COVID-19 outbreak.

The proclamation allows the city to modify policies and procedures so that the city can move more quickly and efficiently to address issues presented by the outbreak as they arise.

“Issuing the proclamation is a technical administrative step,” Jones said in a March 13 press release posted to the city’s website, cityofblaine.com. “It might sound alarming because it uses the word ‘emergency,’ but really it just allows the city to be more responsive to the needs that may arise over the next few weeks.

Under a declaration, we can take steps such as expediting purchasing or changing rules related to the use of sick leave.”

According to the release, Jones consulted with city councilmembers in advance of the declaration.

At a special city council meeting on March 16, councilmembers voted 6-0 (Eric Davidson was excused) to affirm Jones’ proclamation. The city’s new draft pandemic plan was also discussed; among other topics, the plan addresses the essential functions of various city departments and how authority can be delegated in the event of mass absenteeism.

School district begins meal service for all 18 and under When the new coronavirus outbreak in Washington state began, health officials cautioned that the decision to close schools, then a distant and unlikely possibility, required weighing the pros and cons. It might be effective in slowing the virus’ spread, officials said, but for the large percentage of kids from families that qualify for free and reduced lunch, it could be devastating.

When the unthinkable became reality on March 13, the day

Washington governor Jay Inslee ordered all K-12 schools statewide to close from March 17 to at least April 24, school districts scrambled to make plans to continue taking care of their communities.

On March 18, the Blaine school district began providing breakfast and lunch to all kids 18 and under in its district. At press time, the district planned to have a food collection station on its campus for drive-through pick-up from 11 a.m. to noon, and delivery service for those who live along bus routes, according to an announcement from the district. The drive-through pick-up location is behind the new grandstands.

Families can pick up lunch and breakfast for the next day.

School bus drivers and food service staff are delivering food to every single normal bus stop in the district, including in Point Roberts. Parents should check the district’s website, blainesd. org, for route maps and estimated delivery drop-off times.

Drivers and walkers are welcome at the district campus and all drop-off locations. Walkers are encouraged to bring a backpack to carry meals home. Per legal requirements, the child must be present for a meal to be distributed for them, according to the district’s website.

In addition to food, Inslee also ordered school districts to provide childcare for health care workers, emergency personnel and low-income families. “We simply cannot have nurses leaving hospitals when they become deluged with patients, to do childcare, and same with first responders,” he said at a March 13 press conference.

The Blaine school district released a survey last week to get an idea of how many people in the district with critical jobs would need childcare. Currently, the district is waiting for more instructions from the state regarding who to provide childcare for and other details, said district public relations specialist Lisa Moeller.

District officials are also working to offer some non-required online educational “enrichment” resources. Learn more about the Blaine school district’s food program and its response to the new coronavirus at blainesd.org.

Meals on Wheels program continues for seniors The Blaine Senior Center closed indefinitely starting on March 12. “While we have not been instructed to close, we feel it is our responsibility to protect our at-risk population by limiting interaction at this time,” said senior center director Kathy Sitker in a March 12 email.

In her email, Sitker said that there are currently no changes to the Meals on Wheels program.

“The daily hot meal delivery will continue, Monday through Friday, and frozen weekend meals for Meals on Wheels clients if staffing and volunteer capacity allows,” Sitker said. If you are age 60 or older, homebound and in need of meals, please call 360/746-6480 or complete a request form online at whatcomcoa.org/request-meals.

The center’s congregate lunch program (in-house lunch service) will also continue Monday through Friday with to-go meals.

March 19 - 25, 2020 • thenorthernlight.com

ADVICE FROM THE PROS

Q:

A Special Section of published monthly on the 3rd Thursday of the month

A:

Q: What’s the difference between

Q: Can I still buy or sell real

A: The main difference is the documentation required

A: Yes. We worked all weekend preparing for

pre-qualification and pre-approval for a loan?

Loren Adkins Senior Real Estate Loan Officer NMLS# 643779

Office: (360) 647-4425 Cell: (360) 303-8599 loren.adkins@peoplesbank-wa.com

by the bank. Pre-qualification is a non-documented process where we ask about your financial status, such as your last two years of employment, residency, annual income, and general banking information. We use this to produce an approval letter which shows sellers that you are a serious buyer. When you have an accepted offer, we’ll request the documents required to close the loan. For pre-approval, we’ll gather the required documents up front to obtain loan approval before you even start looking for a home.

estate despite COVID-19?

Julia Mullenix 978 Peace Portal Drive Blaine, WA 98230

(360) 922-0102

listings and showing homes. Some behaviors have changed, but the fundamental need of having shelter has not. Buyers and sellers are still active but more clients are preferring to use remote technology. For example, more are using electronic signing and wire transfers instead of in person signings and deposits. Most buyers want to see homes alone and not at open houses. In one case, we live streamed video so that the buyer didn’t have to get out. Even though we want to, handshakes or hugs are temporarily gone. We follow health department guidelines to keep working for you and be as safe as possible.

julia@peacearchrealestate.com

www.peacearchrealestate.com

Bellingham Real Estate Loan Center • 3100 Woburn St. • Bellingham WA, 98226

Q: What measures are Capstone clinics

taking to ensure safety during COVID-19?

A:

Jeannett Penner, DPT,OCS, GCS Director of Rehabilitation Capstone Physical Therapy

1733 H Street, Suite 400 Blaine, WA 98230 360-332-5111 www.capstonept.com

We have increased our sanitization practices in all of our clinics and all Capstone providers and support staff are required to complete daily health and temperature checks.

Any patient that has experienced flu like symptoms will call our office and place their therapy on hold for 2 weeks. We know how important it is to continue to make progress with therapy. We will be offering limited remote therapy and home programs for patients with specific diagnoses.

All patients will be required to wash/sanitize their hands when entering and leaving our facility and during therapy.

People with mild symptoms should stay home and rest.

People who are severely ill or at high risk for severe illness should stay home and call their health care provider.

Thank you for helping us to keep Capstone a safe place for therapy.

Q: How is the sale of a main home taxed?

A: If you have capital gain from the sale of your main home, you may qualify to exclude up to $250,000, or up to $500,000 of that gain if you file a joint tax return with your spouse. To qualify for the exclusion, you must own and live in your main home for at least two of the previous five years.

You don’t need to meet both the ownership and residency tests at the same time, but you do have to meet both tests within a five-year period prior to the sale. Members of the uniformed services and foreign service or intelligence community in the United States may choose to suspend the five-year test for up to ten years. Others who do not meet the ownership and residency tests, might qualify for a partial credit if you moved due to unforeseeable events. To be sure you qualify for the exclusion or partial exclusion, you should consult with a tax advisor prior to selling your home.

Cynthia Polley, Enrolled Agent 8105 Birch Bay Square St. • Suite 102

825 Birch Bay Square Street, Suite 248 Blaine, WA 98230

360-366-5511

Blaine

Cordata

Lynden

Ferndale

Barkley

360-393-3658 • BirchBayTaxAndAccounting.com

Your opportunity to voice your expertise!

Advice from the PROS

You are the expert and you have the answers for our readers...Your Potential Clients This monthly feature provides you an opportunity to speak to the Blaine, Birch Bay and Semiahmoo community and answer some of their specific questions or some general questions from your business that almost every new client wants to know.

Your ad will be 5” wide x 4” tall, in full color with your photo and contact information plus your question and answer.

EXCLUSIVITY - Each business category is limited to one advertiser.

Community Newspaper for Blaine, Birch Bay & Semiahmoo

To reserve space call 360-332-1777

9

10

The Northern Light • March 19 - 25, 2020

The Vault updates name to highlight new menu of PNW cuisine

By Jami Makan The Vault Wine Bar is now The Vault Wine Bar & Bistro, a name change that highlights the wine bar and restaurant’s new emphasis on its evolving menu of Pacific Northwest cuisine.

The Vault has always had a full menu since opening almost three years ago, but co-owner Alan Finston said that he now wants “to emphasize the food side of the business” in order to attract more people looking for fine dining options in downtown Blaine.

“We are a wine-centric restaurant that wanted to connote the idea that we do offer food,” Finston said. “The word ‘restaurant’ was too clunky, so we added ‘bistro’ to our name, to let people know that we serve awesome food in a reasonable amount of time.

Our quality speaks for itself.”

Under the direction of new head chef Mark Johnson, The Vault is in the process of refining its menu, which has gone from four pages to two. Johnson said that while many customer favorites will be kept, other dishes are being reworked and amplified.

“We’re trying to go more composed,” Johnson said. “We’re looking to refocus on seasonality and on layering flavors to create new depth to the food.”

Updated dishes include the pan-seared salmon, which is now

accompanied by spring vegetable ragout, cauliflower soubise and pickled fennel. Another change is the new beet salad, which features roasted and pickled beets with goat cheese mousse, seasonal fruit, yogurt vinaigrette and a dukkah nut blend.

Meanwhile, the cote de boeuf will be a larger cut with new sides: potato gratin, wild mushroom conserva and demi-glace.

The scallops are now accompanied by zucchini basil puree, red onion marmalade and brown butter roasted cauliflower. The crab cakes will also be reworked, and the stuffed poblano peppers will be replaced by a vegetable risotto dish finished with an herbed compound butter.

More vegetarian and vegan options will eventually be added, and the daily flatbread will also change to be a bit doughier and chewier, using the recipe from Anna’s @BreadinBlaine, a sourdough business that Johnson recently started with his wife Anna.

“Here at The Vault, we want to find our own niche, something that makes us special,” Johnson said. He emphasized that some favorites, like the garlic and herb-crusted rib eye sliders and the Washington mac and cheese, will stay the same. Future menu changes will be guided by customer feedback, he said.

Johnson has been cooking for

20 years. After graduating from San Francisco’s Le Cordon Bleu culinary school at the age of 21, he spent seven years working with chef Gary Danko, who mentored Johnson and taught him skills like classical French cooking, leadership and management, consistency in a kitchen, sourcing fine products and creating menu items utilizing culinary byproducts.

After a stint with Mediterranean restaurant Odeum, Johnson then joined the Leal Hospitality Group, which grew from two to seven properties and catered 225 weddings per year. As executive chef of the group, Johnson worked 16 to 18 hours a day, six days per week with two young children at home.

In the summer of 2018, Mark and Anna Johnson relocated from northern California to Blaine, Anna’s hometown. Mark took a brief hiatus from cooking in order to remodel their house and spend more time with the kids. Around November, he dipped his toes back into the water, helping The Vault with food prep and production one day a week. In February, he started working there three to four days per week, assisting with Valentine’s Day events and the annual Bite of Blaine fundraiser at Semiahmoo Resort.

Since becoming The Vault’s head chef earlier this month, Johnson has been assisted by chef de cui-

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s The Vault’s new beet salad is well-paired with Dance, a 2016 Chardonnay, said Joni Finston, co-owner of The Vault. The full-bodied white wine is a modern Washington Chardonnay, she said.

s The Vault’s updated salmon dish can be paired with Quincy, a light-bodied Sauvignon Blanc. It is an old-world French wine that stands out for its minerality and brightness, Finston said. sine Kenny Florczak, who previously worked for Bellingham’s Hundred North and Lummi Island’s Willows Inn. Together, they have collaborated on menu development, execution of recipes, organization and ordering. Also in the kitchen is Andrew Oppliger, who started as a dishwasher and is now in culinary school at Bellingham Technical College.

“We’re doing it together as a team, taking on this opportunity to help grow the business and show the town what this place is all about,” Johnson said. “It’s like a family. We want to continue to push the envelope for the town of Blaine.”

As spring and summer approach, Johnson hopes to use local farms as much as possible.

He also hopes to partner with local fisheries, including tribal fisheries and Blaine’s Kaisacole

Seafood, to source the freshest, highest quality seafood for The Vault’s evolving menu of Pacific Northwest cuisine.

“The stuff that I’ve been doing, it just comes,” Johnson said.

“There is nothing else I’d rather be doing.”

Note: In response to the state’s current prohibition on in-person dining at restaurants, The Vault will be offering a special take-out menu of dishes that can be heated and enjoyed at home. The cost will be $18 per person, with 15 percent off bottled wines and other beverages. People can place an order by calling 360/961-3987 at least 36 hours in advance and providing their payment information over the phone. On the day of pickup, you can visit The Vault from 3 to 6 p.m., and a staff member will run your order out to your car. For more information, visit thevaultwine.com.

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s The Vault’s culinary team, from l.: chef de cuisine Kenny Florczak, head chef Mark Johnson and kitchen assistant Andrew Oppliger.

Photos by Jami Makan

March 19 - 25, 2020 • thenorthernlight.com

NEXT ISSUE: March 26 AD DEADLINE: March 23

MARKETPLACE Announcements

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Legal In the Superior Court of the State of Washington In and for the County of Snohomish In the Matter of the Estate of: WILLIAM FRANK PEPPEREL, Deceased. NO. 20-4-00422-31 PROBATE NOTICE TO CREDITORS. RCW 11.40.030 THE PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE NAMED BELOW has been appointed as Personal Representative of this estate. Any person having a claim against the decedent must, before the time the claim would be barred by any otherwise applicable statute of limitations, present the claim in the manner as provided in RCW 11.40.070 by serving on or mailing to the Personal Representative or the Personal Representative's attorney at the address stated below a copy of the claim and filing the original of the claim with the court in which the probate proceedings were commenced. The claim must be presented within the later of: (1) Thirty (30) days after the Personal Representative served or mailed the notice to the creditor as provided under RCW 11.40.020(1)(c); or (2) four (4) months after the date of first publication of the notice. If the claim is not presented within this time frame, the claim is forever barred, except as otherwise provided in RCW 11.40.051 and 11.40.060. This bar is effective as to claims against both the decedent's probate and non-probate assets.

Date of first publication: SANDRA LYNN McMILLAN Personal Representative Attorneys for Personal Representative/ Address for mailing or service: Mark A. Jelsing, WSBA #46398 JELSING TRI WEST & ANDRUS PLLC 2926 Colby Ave, Everett, WA 98201 IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON IN AND FOR THE COUNTY OF WHATCOM In re the Matter and Estate of: CHARLES MARTIN HAMMOND II, Deceased. No. 20-4-00026-37. PROBATE NOTICE TO CREDITORS. RCW 11.40.030 THE ADMINISTRATOR NAMED BELOW has been appointed Administrator of this estate. Any person having a claim against the decedent must, before the time the claim would be barred by any otherwise applicable statute of limitations, present the claim in the manner as provided in RCW 11.40.070 by serving on or mailing to the Administrator or the Administrator's attorney at the address stated below a copy of the claim and filing the original of the claim with the court in which the probate proceedings were commenced. The claim must be presented within the later of: (1) thirty days after the Administrator served or mailed the notice to the creditor as provided under RCW 11.40.020(1) (c); or (2) four months after the date of first publication of the notice. If the claim is not presented within this time frame, the claim is forever barred, except as otherwise provided in RCW 11.40.051 and 11.40.060. This bar is effective as to claims against both the decedent's probate and non-probate assets.

DATE OF FIRST PUBLICATION: March 12, 2020. VERONICA NICHOLE HAMMOND Personal Representative PRESENTED BY: Law Offices of Roger L. Ellingson, P.S. by: Roger L. Ellingson, WSBA #19292. Attorney for Personal Representative. PO Box 1258 / 289 H Street. Blaine, WA 98231-1258 (360) 332-7000; Fax: (360) 332-6677

Legal IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON IN AND FOR THE COUNTY OF WHATCOM. In re: Estate of MARGARET R. THORSEN, Deceased, Cause No. 20-4-00131-37.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS. The person named below has been appointed as Administrator of this Estate.

Any person having a claim against the Decedent must, before the time the claim would be barred by any otherwise applicable statute of limitations, present the claim in the manner provided in RCW 11.40.070 by serving or mailing a copy of the claim to the Administrator, or to her attorney at the address stated below, and by filing the original of the claim with the court. The claim must be presented within: (1) thirty days after the Personal Representative served or mailed the notice to the creditor, as provided by RCW 11.40.020(3); or (2) four months after the date of first publication of the notice, whichever is later. Any claim not presented within this time is forever barred, except as provided in RCW 11.40.051 and 11.40.060. Such bar is effective as to claims against both probate and nonprobate assets of the Decedent. Date of First Publication: March 12, 2020; Administrator: Rosanna Lee Dougan; Attorney for Administrator: David J. Britton, WSBA # 31748; Address for Mailing / Service of Claims: Britton Law Office, PLLC, 535 Dock Street, Suite 108, Tacoma, WA 98402.

DATED this 6th day of March, 2020. /s/ David J. Britton, Attorney for Administrator.

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT Chapter 18.27.100 of the Revised Code of Washington requires that all advertisements for construction services include the contractor’s registration number in the advertisement. To verify a contractor’s license, call the Dept. of Labor and Industry’s contractors registration at 1-800-647-0982.

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$16 for 15 words

WE ACCEPT:

11

Legal IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON IN AND FOR THE COUNTY OF WHATCOM No. 20-2-00464-37 SUMMONS BY PUBLICATION JAMES LAWRENCE CLARKE, in his individual capacity and as Co-Personal Representative of the ESTATES OF RICHARD BONIFACE CLARKE and ELLEN BERYL CLARKE, Deceased; GERARD JOSEPH CLARKE, in his individual capacity and as Co-Personal Representative of the ESTATES OF RICHARD BONIFACE CLARKE and ELLEN BERYL CLARKE, Deceased; RICHARD JAMES CLARKE, in his individual capacity; PAUL ANTHONY CLARKE, in his individual capacity; PATRICK JOHN CLARKE, in his individual capacity; JOHN TIMOTHY CLARKE, in his individual capacity; FRANCES ALVIN CLARKE, in his individual capacity; ANDREW THOMAS CLARKE, in his individual capacity; and ELLEN MARIE FAIRN, in her individual capacity, Plaintiffs v.

ETHELWYN A. TURNBULL and JOHN DOE TURNBULL, in their individual capacities and marital estate, if living, and if deceased the unknown heirs of ETHELWYN A. TURNBULL and JOHN DOE TURNBULL; ETHELWYN A. MERCER and ARTHUR F. MERCER, in their individual capacities and marital estate, if living, and if deceased the unknown heirs of ETHELWYN A. MERCER and ARTHUR F. MERCER; and ALSO ALL OTHER PERSONS OR PARTIES UNKNOWN CLAIMING ANY RIGHT, TITLE, INTEREST, ESTATE, OR LIEN IN THE REAL PROPERTY DESCRIBED IN THE COMPLAINT HEREIN, Defendants.

TO THE DEFENDANTS: ETHELWYN A. TURNBULL and JOHN DOE TURNBULL, in their individual capacities and marital estate, if living, and if deceased the unknown heirs of ETHELWYN A. TURNBULL and JOHN DOE TURNBULL; ETHELWYN A. MERCER and ARTHUR F. MERCER, in their individual capacities and marital estate, if living, and if deceased the unknown heirs of ETHELWYN A. MERCER and ARTHUR F. MERCER; and ALSO ALL OTHER PERSONS OR PARTIES UNKNOWN CLAIMING ANY RIGHT, TITLE, INTEREST, ESTATE, OR LIEN IN THE REAL PROPERTY DESCRIBED IN THE COMPLAINT HEREIN. YOU, AND EACH OF YOU, ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to appear within sixty (60) days after the date of first publication of this summons, to wit; within sixty (60) days after the day of March 19, 2020, and defend the above-entitled action in the above-entitled court, and answer the Verified Complaint of the Plaintiffs JAMES LAWRENCE CLARKE, ESTATES OF RICHARD BONIFACE CLARKE and ELLEN BERYL CLARKE, Deceased, GERARD JOSEPH CLARKE, RICHARD JAMES CLARKE, PAUL ANTHONY CLARKE, PATRICK JOHN CLARKE, JOHN TIMOTHY CLARKE, FRANCES ALVIN CLARKE, ANDREW THOMAS CLARKE, and ELLEN MARIE FAIRN, and serve a copy of your answer upon the undersigned attorney for Plaintiffs, Mark W. Stowe of Stowe Law PLLC at their office stated below; and, in case of your failure to do so, judgment will be rendered against you according to the demand of the Verified Complaint in this action, which has been filed with the Clerk of said Court.

The object of this action is to quiet title in the Plaintiffs to real property located in Whatcom County, Washington, described as: LOT 7 AND THE EAST ONE-HALF OF LOT 8, BLOCK 6, MAPLE BEACH ADDITION, POINT ROBERTS, ACCORDING TO THE RECORDED PLAT THEREOF ON FILE AND OF RECORD IN THE OFFICE OF THE COUNTY AUDITOR OF WHATCOM COUNTY, STATE OF WASHINGTON, RECORDED IN VOLUME 6 OF PLATS, PAGE 22.

SITUATE IN WHATCOM COUNTY, WASHINGTON. against any and all claims of the Defendants and any one of them, and as otherwise stated in said Verified Complaint.

DATED this 6th day of MARCH 2020.

Stowe Law PLLC By: Mark W. Stowe, WSBA# 16655 Attorney for Plaintiffs Stowe Law PLLC P.O. Box 129, 276 Boundary Bay Road Point Roberts, WA 98281 Phone (360) 945-0337 Email: stowelawpllc@outlook.com

FIND IT IN THE CLASSIFIEDS! THENORTHERNLIGHT.COM

12

The Northern Light • March 19 - 25, 2020

Real Estate

FOR ALL REAL ESTATE, RESIDENTIAL OR COMMERCIAL SERVICES PLEASE

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CFP Board owns the CFP® marks in the United States. Securities offered through Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through Raymond James Financial Services Advisors, Inc. Redwood Investments is not a registered broker/dealer and is independent of Raymond James Financial Services. 20-BR8RN-0010 TA 1/20

March 19 - 25, 2020 • thenorthernlight.com

City council considers next steps for two city-owned properties

By Jami Makan Blaine city councilmembers recently had a discussion about what to do with two city-owned properties located in downtown Blaine.

On February 24, councilmembers participated in a study session exploring next steps for the city properties located at 665 Peace Portal Drive and 344 H Street.

The former is vacant land that was transferred to the city after the city incurred costs to demolish a dangerous building there and placed a lien on the property owner. The latter is Blaine’s old city hall and adjacent fire station.

344 H Street At the study session, city manager Michael Jones explained the recent history of 344 H Street. He said that in 2018, council established a subcommittee to prepare a request for proposals (RFP) and evaluate the feasibility of selling old city hall and the adjacent fire station for development. At the time, council’s goal was to “jumpstart” the construction of residential units, with public or commercial use on the ground floor.

Council’s focus soon shifted to selling the property outright.

City staff surplused the property pursuant to Resolution 1761-19, and later developed an RFP that was released last autumn. The RFP laid out a variety of different parameters guiding potential buyers’ plans. However, the city did not receive any responses to the RFP. More recently, council has been considering a more traditional sale process, involving hiring a real estate agent, determining an asking price and offering the property for sale. A future purchase and sale agreement could put some conditions on the sale, such as requiring development within a certain timeframe, but would not contain the “laundry list” of items that were included in last year’s RFP. “The person wouldn’t need to develop an entire proposal before they bought the property,” said Jones.

The study session followed comments by some councilmembers reconsidering whether the property should be sold. Despite the resolution having already been enacted, Jones wanted to revisit the matter, “just to be sure we’re headed in the right direction,” he said. At the study session, several councilmembers reiterated their desire to see the city retain the property for future public use.

“From my standpoint, the city’s been here for 130, 140 years,” said councilmember Charlie Hawkins. “We had a lot of land, the airport and all that. We’re down to not having much stuff.

This core down here, we have nothing else … We need to think about what’s for the future in this

13

OBITUARIES James A. Mustappa

June 6,1946 – March 10, 2020 Jim Mustappa, age 73, passed away at home in Bellingham on March 10, 2020. He was born June 6, 1946, in Bellingham to Dominic and Hazel Mustappa. Jim grew up in Fairhaven and graduated from Bellingham High School in 1964. He married Marcia Moena on April 19, 1965. Jim worked in management for UPS for 35 years, 7 of those in Alaska, before retiring in Birch Bay in 2001. After retirement he had the privilege of babysitting his grandkids full time. In 2003 he went to work for Semiahmoo where he got to enjoy his love for people and golf for 12 years. He enjoyed crabbing and fishing at Birch Bay, golfing in Arizona, and spending time with his grandkids. Jim and Marcia enjoyed wintering in Sun City, Arizona. They also travelled many places including Hawaii, Mexico, Florida and Louisiana. Jim was outgoing, fun, and had a humor that didn’t quit. He dearly loved his family and was an amazing husband, dad and Papa. He was preceded in death by his son Pat in 1991. He is survived by his loving wife Marcia, sons Jim Jr. and Bob (Debra), and daughter Tricia (Matt) Milstead, grandchildren Patrick (Cristina), Hanna, Jason, and Justin. He is also survived by his father-in-law Clifford Moena and sister Judy Schrey, and many loving relatives and friends. A celebration of Jim’s life will be held at Westford Funeral Home on Friday, March 20 at 12 Noon. You may share memories with the family at www.westfordfuneralhome. com. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance Pancreatic Cancer Clinic by going to www.seattlecca.org/ Pancreatic/Cancer. Arrangements by Westford Funeral Home and Cremation Bellingham.

Donald E. Johnson

January 18, 1938-March 1, 2020 Donald E. Johnson passed away on March 1, 2020 at his home in Blaine. Don was born January 18, 1938 and was a lifelong Blaine resident.

He attended Western Washington University before ultimately spending the next 35 years as an Alaskan Copper River salmon fisherman. Don was among many other things a top notch fisherman, marksman and golfer. He loved being a husband, a dad and a grandfather. He loved to travel and loved spending time with his family and his many friends. Don was a member of Grace Lutheran Church.

He is survived by his wife Caryn, his son Brian (Rita) Johnson, stepdaughter Rachel (Steven) Hrutfiord, brothers Gilbert (Rosetta) Johnson & family, Dick (Ann) Johnson & family, nine grandchildren and numerous great grandchildren. Don was preceded in death by his two daughters Vicki and Michelle.

A celebration of Don’s life will be held at a later date with notification via The Northern Light. Contributions in memory of Don can be made to Grace Lutheran Church, PO Box 1646, Blaine, WA 98231.

city. The city’s not going to get smaller, and there’s no comparative need that I can see to sell this property. After thinking about it, we need to lay off trying to sell it.

We don’t need to sell it. Why do we want to sell it, just to sell it?”

Councilmember Garth Baldwin seemed to agree. “We’ve got that property, connected to the police department, by the library and the skate park, and those are all our properties,” he said. “If there’s something we need to do, again, whatever it might be, just having that core intact is important. That’s my two cents’.”

Councilmember Mary Lou Steward said that she would be open to considering the right proposal from a private developer.

“My feeling is if someone came to us with a very good proposal to buy it, I would be in favor of selling it, depending on what it is,” she said. “If it is something that would benefit downtown devel-

opment, that would be one thing.

Just selling it for selling it, I agree that we should hold onto it. But if someone came along with a proposal to put something in on the ground floor that would bring people downtown, and then have housing up on the second floor to add units that we need, I would say that we should take a serious look at it and not just discard it.”

Mayor Bonnie Onyon said that she is in favor of holding onto the property, and suggested that it could be used for a new senior center. “For years there’s been talk about bringing the senior center downtown,” she said.

“This could be a spot where it could go. There would have to be a fair amount of parking for that facility, and my dream is to have senior housing above it.

That would just be the coolest thing. Maybe we could have a public-private partnership with someone at that point in time.”

Philip Bruce Mosher

July 17, 1927-March 6, 2020 Philip Bruce Mosher “Bruce” passed away peacefully on Friday, March 6, 2020 at the age of 92.

Bruce was born in Greene, New York on July 17, 1927 to Frank and Dorothy Mosher. Much of his childhood was spent in Upstate New York alongside his parents and siblings, Alan and Roberta.

In 1942, at the age of 14 his family relocated to Lake Worth, Florida. There he trained as a Merchant Marine in St. Petersburg, Florida, enlisting in the United States Navy upon completion of his training.

Following his naval service Bruce began serving as a police officer with the Lake Worth Police Department. This began a 35-year career in law enforcement during which he held positions with the U.S. Border Patrol, the U.S. Agency for International Development and the U.S. Customs Service. From 1971 until his retirement in 1984 Bruce served as a U.S. Customs Agent at the Blaine, Washington duty station.

On May 16, 1950 he married Marina Morros, his loving wife of nearly 70 years. Together they raised four children and called many places home including Florida, Texas, California, Virginia, Taiwan and finally Blaine, Washington.

From 1959 to 1965 Bruce competed on the U.S. Border Patrol National Pistol Team, earning numerous accolades for his skill as a marksman. He gained an instructor certificate and a classification of Lifetime Master for both indoor and outdoor pistol competition.

This skill provided him an opportunity to serve as a firearms instructor at the International Police Academy in Washington, D.C. Then, later, as an advisor to the National Police of South Vietnam where he assisted provincial police chiefs in policy implementation and training. While in Vietnam he moved his family from Virginia to Taiwan so they could be together more often.

Bruce was an accomplished artist in many media. From his home art studio, he created striking works ranging from watercolor landscapes to charcoal portraits of his grandchildren. His artwork can be found adorning walls throughout the homes of his family and friends. In retirement he volunteered his time with the Blaine School District teaching enrichment classes in basic cartooning and helping 4th graders improve their reading comprehension.

Bruce was preceded in death by his parents and both of his siblings. His brother Alan was killed in action in France, December 1944 in WWII at the age of 19.

He is survived by his wife Marina Mosher; his children, Cathy Mosher, Carol Mosher, Cindy (Mark) Lervik, Charles (Moki) Mosher, 10 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.

Ronald Schoonover

May 9, 1936- February 23, 2020 The celebration of life has been postponed to a later date.

Councilmember Eric Davidson said that the property, if retained by the city, could eventually be used for police department expansion.

“I don’t see a reason to get rid of it at the moment,” he said. “Financially, it’s [worth about] $400,000 but that can go away quickly – the cost of getting new land to a build a police department, that would go away like that. I’m in favor of just sitting on it for now and contemplating what it would cost to put a new addition to the police department there.”

Indeed, Jones said that part of the property will be used to build a police station annex, which will contain a new evidence room and other needs like a meeting room and training space. He said that city staff will soon be developing different cost estimates for the annex. If more space is reserved and a second floor is needed, it could significantly increase costs due to the need for an elevator, he said.

What is certain, he said, is that the entire structure will first be demolished by the city. “We do presume that we are going to tear down the fire station and old city hall, the whole thing,” he said. “The evidence room will be moved to a temporary facility and then ultimately to the new facility.” Regarding the land next to the future police department annex, the city could potentially install public parking or a green space with benches, he said.

665 Peace Portal Drive The study session then shifted to the vacant land at 665 Peace Portal Drive. “We got it kind of by default because we invested so much money in the teardown of the building that was there, that in order to settle that debt, the property owners said, ‘We’ll just give you the land,’” said Jones.

“This is a prime piece of property (See Properties, page 15)

14

The Northern Light • March 19 - 25, 2020

Games and Puzzles

Sheriff’s Reports March 11, 8:49 a.m.: Impound private on Rob Lee Drive.

March 11, 8:49 a.m.: Harassment cold call on Petticote Lane.

March 11, 10:29 a.m.: Assist agency cold call on Petticote Lane.

March 11, 11:15 a.m.: Property lost cold call on Birch Bay Drive.

March 11, 11:18 a.m.: Mental cold call on Birch Bay-Lynden Road, Custer.

March 11, 2:57 p.m.: Property found on Giles Road.

March 11, 5:25 p.m.: Theft cold call on Birch Bay Drive. One arrest for theft in the second degree and malicious mischief in the third degree.

March 11, 5:44 p.m.: Welfare check on Nakat Way. March 11, 5:44 p.m.: Welfare check on East Street.

March 11, 6:01 pm.: Security check on Fir Way. March 11, 11:11 p.m.: Assist agency on H Street.

March 12, 10:55 a.m.: Suspicious vehicle on H Street and Peace roads.

March 12, 5:53 p.m.: Civil problem cold call, Custer.

March 12, 6:34 p.m.: Neighborhood dispute cold call on Birch Bay Drive.

March 12, 6:39 p.m.: Vehicle recovery on Birch Bay-Lynden Road, Custer.

March 12, 8:04 p.m.: Mental in progress on Outrigger Loop.

March 12, 9:02 p.m.: Welfare check on Birch Bay Drive.

March 13, 4:01 a.m.: Suspicious person on Sunrise Way. March 13, 4:42 a.m.: Assist citizen on Birch Bay-Lynden Road.

March 13, 7:30 a.m.: Motor vehicle accident non-blocking/ non-injury on Grandview and Point Whitehorn roads. One citation for driving with wheels off the roadway.

March 13, 1:40 p.m.: Theft on Blaine Road.

March 13, 3:18 p.m.: Alarm audible on Drayton Harbor Road.

March 13, 7:56 p.m.: Vehicle abandoned on Loomis Trail and Delta Line roads, Custer.

March 13, 10:18 p.m.: Traffic hazard on Kickerville Road.

March 13, 11:08 p.m.: Watch for on Bay Road.

March 13, 11:18 p.m.: Traffic hazard on Portal Way and Custer School Road, Custer.

Crossword Answers at thenorthernlight.com

ACROSS 1. Canadian law enforcers 5. Actor Idris 9. Cut or bruise 11. Vegetables 13. Aircraft delivery 15. To make obsolete 16. Things similar to those already noted 17. Columbus is a famous one 19. Age group 21. Denotes nature of sound 22. Klutz 23. Uninteresting 25. Computer manufacturer 26. 2,000 lbs.

27. Genus of seabirds 29. Emerges 31. Baseball stat 33. Witnesses 34. Observed 36. Satisfy 38. Former OSS 39. Small Eurasian deer 41. Wife of Sparta’s king 43. Ballplayer accessory

44. Temporary cessation of breathing 46. Where construction workers ply their trade 48. Arguments that justify a religious doctrine 52. Thick cloud of tiny water droplets 53. Widens 54. Detection 56. Period of inactivity 57. Tomato and vodka are two 58. Greek war god 59. Urinates DOWN 1. Churned 2. Seal bottles 3. Million barrels per day (abbr.)

4. Meat from a pig (French) 5. Within 6. Walk in a slow pace 7. Cries 8. About Andes 9. Fishermen use it 10. Expresses delight 11. Shouts 12. Feudal agricultural

laborer 14. Sailboat 15. Small Eurasian willows 18. S. American native people 20. Extreme disgust 24. Nonsense (slang) 26. Produce male reproductive cells 28. Computes 30. Pop singer 32. Weds secretly 34. Having two poles 35. Yankee hero Bucky 37. Building 38. Per __, each 40. Six (Spanish) 42. Makes amends 43. Scoundrels 45. Baseball’s best pitchers 47. Some are scrambled 49. Emit coherent radiation 50. Singer Redding 51. Break 55. Institute legal proceedings against

March 13, 11:47 p.m.: Traffic hazard on Delta Line and Jess roads, Custer.

March 14, 3:20 a.m.: Alarm audible on Custer School Road, Custer.

March 14, 3:36 a.m.: Traffic hazard on Behme Road, Custer.

March 14, 3:40 a.m.: Traffic hazard on Custer School Road, Custer.

March 14, 7:09 a.m.: Traffic hazard on Jess and Delta Line roads.

March 14, 7:59 a.m.: Alarm audible on Whitehorn Way. March 14, 10:08 a.m.: Traffic hazard on Birch Bay-Lynden Road, Custer.

March 14, 11:47 a.m.: Hazard on Kickerville Road.

March 14, 11:48 a.m.: Civil problem cold call on Giles Road.

March 14, 2:16 p.m.: Traffic hazard on Jackson and Grandview roads.

March 14, 3:04 p.m.: Parking problem on Seashell Way. March 14, 4:09 p.m.: Traffic hazard on Willeys Lake Road, Custer.

March 14, 4:43 p.m.: Hazard on Stein Road, Custer.

March 14, 4:49 p.m.: Traffic signal/sign on Birch Bay Drive and Morrison Avenue.

March 14, 5:09 p.m.: Domestic physical on Birch Bay-Lynden and Percie roads, Custer.

March 14, 5:53 p.m.: Traffic hazard on Holeman Avenue.

March 14, 8:17 p.m.: Disorderly conduct on Birch Bay Drive.

March 14, 9:01 p.m.: Burglary cold call on Barkers Lane, Custer.

March 14, 10:22 p.m.: Watch for on Portal Way. March 15, 11:03 a.m.: Runaway cold call on Loomis Trail Road, Custer.

March 15, 5:27 a.m.: Watch for Semiahmoo Drive.

March 15, 5:31 p.m.: Alarm audible on Birch Bay-Lynden Road.

March 15, 10:25 p.m.: Suspicious vehicle on Halibut and Rock Crab drives.

Reports provided by WCSO

Police Reports March 7, 10:01 p.m.: An officer on patrol at night noticed a vehicle parked, idling in a city park’s parking lot. The officer turned his spotlight on the vehicle and saw a man passed out in the passenger’s seat.

The officer was able to wake the intoxicated man who claimed to be harvesting shellfish. On the driver’s seat next to the man was a 3/4 full bottle of liquor. The man was released with a warning. The liquor was poured out by officers.

March 7, 10:43 p.m.: Blaine police notified Lummi Law and Order (Fisheries Enforcement) of several fishermen possibly violating game laws within the city of Blaine. The fisheries officer arrived and issued citations to each of the three fishermen for consuming alcohol while fishing. A Blaine officer stood by to assist the other officer. Police cleared without incident.

March 8, 8 a.m.: Blaine officers responded to the 1200 block of 3rd Street for a report of a man asking to use a phone to call 911. Officers arrived and contacted the individual who was exhibiting signs of ill mental health. While speaking to the individual he advised officers he witnessed his phone and pillow levitate and can’t find his phone now.

Officers advised the man to cease knocking on random doors and disrupting the peace. The man walked away on his own accord.

March 8, noon: The school resource officer assisted Bellingham Police Department with identifying two juveniles suspected in shoplifting from a store in Bellingham. Contact information was provided to the officer.

March 9, 8 a.m.: The school resource officer took a threat report at Blaine High School. It was discovered the suspect lives in the jurisdiction of the Sumas Police Department.

March 9, 7:05 p.m.: Blaine Police Department officers took a juvenile problem report in the 200 block of 15th Street. The resident in this area called to complain about a group of juveniles damaging property, knocking over trash cans and breaking fences. Efforts are being made to identify the group juveniles involved.

March 9, 7:48 p.m.: Blaine Police Department officers responded to Lincoln Park for a report of vandalism. City of Blaine public works employees discovered a well station was vandalized with damages estimated around $5,000. No suspects at this time.

March 10, 8:40 a.m.: An officer conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle whose license plate returned expired as of May 2019. The driver returned suspended with a misdemeanor warrant and a male passenger returned with multiple felony warrants. The driver was arrested, cited and released with a mandatory court date and the male passenger was released on scene as his warrants were quashed.

March 10, 3 p.m.: Blaine officers responded to a report of a suspicious person asking for money at the 1000 block of Harrison Avenue. Officers arrived and contacted the individual who was determined to have a warrant for his arrest. Officers arrested and booked the individual into the Whatcom County Jail.

March 10, 4:55 p.m.: Officers responded to an assault where a male punched two other people and left. The people who were punched declined to press charges. Officers did not locate the suspect.

March 10, 8 p.m.: A person reported they lost their wallet while at a business. A police officer checked security camera footage and noticed another person in the business picked up the wallet and then left. The police located the person who picked up the wallet. The person said they thought it was their wallet until they got home. The wallet was returned to the owner with nothing missing.

March 12, 5:24 a.m.: Blaine police were dispatched to a suspicious person in a business parking lot, looking into car windows and businesses. Officers arrived and contacted the suspicious man, who they immediately recognized from numerous past contacts. The man claimed to be waiting for a bus and promptly walked to the bus stop. No crime was found to have occurred.

Reports provided by Blaine Police Department

Weather Precipitation: During the period of March 9–15, 0.1 inches of precipitation were recorded. The 2020 yearto-date precipitation is 15.4 inches.

Temperature: High for the past week was 55°F on March 11 with a low of 29°F on March 9. Average high was 50°F and average low was 34°F. Courtesy Birch Bay Water & Sewer Dist.

Tides March 20–26 at Blaine.

Not for navigation.

49° 0’ 0”N - 122° 46’ 0”W

DATE TIME HEIGHT TIME HEIGHT Fr 20

5:03 am

3:10 pm

7.3

10:13 pm

0.6

Sa 21 5:35 am

8.9

11:22 am

5.0

8.9

10:48 am

5.7

4:10 pm

7.4

10:57 pm

0.9

Su 22 6:01 am

8.9

11:54 am

4.4

5:04 pm

7.5

11:35 pm

1.2

Mo 23 6:23 am

8.8

12:22 pm

3.7

6:45 am

8.8

5:52 pm

7.7

Tu 24 12:11 am

1.7

12:50 pm

3.1

6:38 pm

7.8

We 25 12:45 am

2.3

7:05 am

8.6

1:20 pm

2.6

7:22 pm

7.9

Th 26 1:19 am

3.0

7:25 am

8.5

2.1

8:08 pm

8.0

1:48 pm

s At a special city council meeting on March 16, councilmembers affirmed a local declaration of emergency and discussed a draft pandemic response plan.

Photo by Jami Makan

March 19 - 25, 2020 • thenorthernlight.com

15

Properties ...

From page 13

with water views on our main commercial street. To have it not be developed is inconsistent with our downtown redevelopment strategy and plan.”

Jones said that he believes the property should be sold, but noted that it hasn’t yet been surplused, and that the option still existed for it to be retained for some future public use or investment.

Councilmember Richard May suggested that the property could be used for a multi-story parking facility. “The city could … purposely put in some nice parking there,” he said. “A lot of small towns will have a parking lot so people can do commerce.”

However, councilmember Davidson suggested that downtown Blaine has ample parking already.

“I don’t know how bad parking is downtown,” he said. “I never seem to have an issue of finding parking.” Jones also mentioned that the city has some other sites where it could develop additional parking.

“I think the property on Peace Portal is pretty valuable to put a

s Blaine’s old city hall and fire station at 344 H Street will likely be demolished. A new police station annex will eventually be built on the site, with the rest of the site retained for future public use or sold to a private developer.

s The land at 665 Peace Portal Drive is now vacant, after a decrepit building was demolished there by a city contractor last year. The city of Blaine now owns the vacant lot, which will likely be sold to a private developer to encourage more downtown development.

Photo by Zoe Deal

Photo by Jami Makan

big lot on, frankly,” said mayor Bonnie Onyon, adding that she prefers a sale.

In response to councilmember

input, Jones said that city staff will bring forward a resolution surplusing the property at 665 Peace Portal Drive. “We’ll work on an

appraisal and on finding an agent to market it for us,” he said. “We’ll also have a discussion about what restrictions to impose, such as

timing restrictions” on development, with the property reverting back to the city if certain timelines are not met, he said.

Pet Care Tips and products for a healthier, happier pet!

Coronavirus and pets: What you should know With coronavirus on the forefront of everyone’s minds, pet owners can be reassured that their relationships with their dogs and cats are safe, and can serve as a source of comfort during a crisis.

Best Friends Animal Society’s mission is to end the killing of pets in America’s shelters and to lead the effort to achieve no-kill for dogs and cats nationwide by 2025. So when fear and uncertainty spread through our communities – as is occurring as we follow the spread of coronavirus, or COVID-19 – doubt can disrupt our normal way of life, even affecting the choices we make about our companion animals.

While pets may be impacted by this crisis on several levels, one way they are not affected is by contracting or spreading COVID-19.

“Currently, multiple health organizations, including the Centers for Disease Control, World Health Organization and the American Veterinary Medical Association

have stated that pets and domestic animals are not at risk for contracting COVID-19,” said Julie Castle, chief executive officer for Best Friends Animal Society. “We are obviously concerned about any health risks to our dogs and cats, but we encourage those with pets to steer clear of alarmist messages that might scare them into thinking they can catch this virus from their animals. We are especially concerned that this fear may result in an increase in pets being relinquished to shelters unnecessarily.”

As communities across the country face uncertainty about the spread of coronavirus, some people may consider surrendering their pets to local shelters.

People who are feeling concerned about their health and financial stability for the coming weeks and months may feel overwhelmed caring for their pets.

Some have begun expressing a fear that they will become ill and won’t be able to provide for their

pets. Animal shelters are bracing themselves for the possibility of fewer adoptions and fewer foster homes, as people choose to go out less and less.

Best Friends suggests focusing on what we do know: Right now, people should continue to follow recommended preventive actions, such as thoroughly washing hands and avoiding crowds whenever possible, especially if you are in a high-risk group as identified by the experts.

People can help reduce the impact on local shelters by committing to keep their pets safe at home, adopting a pet from a shelter or rescue group and reaching out to foster or donate to support the animals in their community.

“With so much news circulating about coronavirus, it’s important to seek out updated information from reliable expert sources and avoid speculation and focus on the information we do already know,” Castle added.

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View more about us at www.whatcomhumane.org

16

The Northern Light • March 19 - 25, 2020

Bay Builders From Cherry Point to the Peace Arch

Great Kids Doing Great Things Featuring students of the Blaine School District

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Quality producer of ARCO fuels

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Carrie Carrie Balback, Balback,1st 1stgrade grade Eva Pittman, Carrie Carrie is is a a delightful delightful first first grader! grader!

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