ay 4 -22 -2020
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Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay
April 23 - 29, 2020
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IN THIS
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BHS alum graduates from Air Force Academy, page 8
How to drive in golf cart zones, page 13
Local teenagers injured in single-car collision, page 15
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Many summer events canceled following health department’s guidance By Oliver Lazenby
(See Events, page 6)
s On April 14 in Blaine, volunteers for Wildbird Charity prepared weekend food bags for Whatcom County children at risk of food insecurity. To learn more about the charity’s weekend food program for local kids, read our story on page 8.
Photo by Louise Mugar
City of Blaine prepares for steep drop in tax revenue By Jami Makan The city of Blaine is preparing for a significant shortfall in revenue following the sharp decline in economic activity and cross-border traffic caused by border restrictions, governor Inslee’s stay-home order and other COVID-19 response measures. City manager Michael Jones and finance director Jeff Lazenby prepared a memo for governor Jay Inslee and district 42 legislators outlining the city’s anticipated budget
impacts, increased expenses and reduced revenues attributable directly or indirectly to COVID-19. The memo said the city anticipates a minimum $700,000 drop in a $7.1 million general fund budget based solely on the immediate impact of border restrictions and the governor’s “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order. “We modeled the impacts of what we can be virtually certain of: sales tax, lodging tax, border gas tax and local [business and occupation] tax shortfalls based on
Whatcom County Jail sees major population decrease By Grace McCarthy The Whatcom County Jail has seen a drastic decrease in its inmate population over the past several weeks. Between March 1 and April 20, the number of inmates dropped from 303 to 154 between the downtown Bellingham jail, electronic home monitoring and the Interim Work Center, a minimum-security facility that is also in Bellingham and offers alternative corrections programs. Wendy Jones, Whatcom County chief
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corrections deputy, said she’s never seen the jail population decrease so significantly. Fewer arrests are being made, as the county works to reduce the jail population and fewer people go out in public due to COVID-19 social distancing measures, including the “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order by governor Jay Inslee on March 23. The Whatcom County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office is working with the Whatcom County Public Defender’s Office to conduct reviews and evaluations of offenders in custody, Jones said. She said cases
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are being reviewed to reach plea agreements or for possible reductions in bail, contributing to the lower jail population. Jails and prisons nationwide have sought to reduce their inmate populations due to concerns about COVID-19 spreading through densely populated facilities. In Washington, governor Inslee announced that up to 950 nonviolent inmates would be released early, including individuals who were incarcerated for nonviolent and drug(See Jail, page 7)
the April through June border restrictions, combined with the immediate impacts of sheltering in place,” read a three-page draft of the memo circulated to city councilmembers and dated April 9. “Further ripple effects from the closures are assured, but the impact is unclear and we have not modeled these longer-term effects,” the memo said. “Our $700,000 shortfall could easily be double or triple if a recession follows the pandemic.” (See City revenue, page 3)
INSIDE
Hands Across the Border, Blaine’s Old Fashioned Fourth of July parade and fireworks, the Blaine Harbor Music Festival and many other summer events throughout Whatcom County have been canceled this year due to COVID-19. On April 14, Whatcom County Health Department director Erika Lautenbach recommended that summer events throughout Whatcom County be canceled to slow the spread of the new coronavirus. She didn’t mention specific events or give a threshold about event size, but said her recommendation included parades, community festivals and fireworks displays. In the days after Lautenbach’s recommendation, many event organizers canceled their events. “Blaine has been very event-heavy for its whole existence, which is a wonderful thing, but it has made this an especially tough situation,” said Donna Raimey, program and events coordinator for the Blaine Chamber of Commerce. The International Peace Arch Association, which organizes Hands Across the Border, will hold an online version of the event from 1 to 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 14. “We can all dress up in our best U.S./Canada gear, enjoy being friends and enjoy our fellowship as we sing our anthems together,” the organization said on the website for Hands Across the
Letters . . . . . . . . . 4 Classifieds . . . . . 11 Crossword . . . . . . 14 Police/Sheriff . . . 14 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 14
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