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Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay
April 29 - May 5, 2021
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ISSUE
Covid cases are up in Blaine, page 3
Annexation public hearing delay, page 5
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Blessing of the Fleet on May 2, page 9
Council includes greenhouses in county cannabis moratorium By Ian Haupt
(See Cannabis, page 13)
s Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Nathan Goldschmidt, l., and Northwest Straits Commission’s Johnathan Hallenbeck during their first week trapping for the invasive European Green Crabs in Drayton Harbor. Photo by Allie Simpson/Northwest Straits Commission
European Green Crab trapping season starts By Grace McCarthy Washington scientists are using information learned last year as they gear up for trapping the European Green Crab in Drayton Harbor this year. A team of researchers from Washington Sea Grant, Northwest Straits Commission and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) started setting traps the week ending April 16. As researchers were setting up 364 traps and preparing for the upcoming year, WDFW European Green Crab lead Chelsey Buffington said they caught a total of five green crabs at their three main
sites this year – two crabs were captured near the old Cherry Street pier, two at the mouth of Dakota Creek and one at the mouth of California Creek. Since trapping didn’t begin until late May last year, scientists say they are excited for the longer trapping season to better understand the crabs in Drayton Harbor. “It’s nice to get out on time and even if it’s not the peak season. It’s valuable information,” Buffington said. “Starting earlier helps us paint a picture of what the crab is doing seasonally.” Washington scientists first discovered the invasive species in the muddy shorelines of Drayton Harbor in fall 2019, near
Blaine man sentenced for drug distribution in Alaska By Ian Haupt A Blaine man was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for possession of more methamphetamine and heroin doses than the entire Ketchikan area population. Spencer Hill, 24, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison and five years of parole for possession with intent to distribute 3.7 pounds of methamphetamine and 1.78 pounds of heroin, according to an April 22 press release by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska.
In November 2019, Ketchikan Police Department officers searched Hill’s Alaska residence as part of a drug investigation, and found 228 grams of methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, a money counting machine, a stolen Kel-Tec .22 caliber pistol and keys to a safety deposit box. In the safety deposit box, officers found an additional 1,485 grams of methamphetamine and 815 grams of heroin, according to the attorney’s office. Hill had more than 8,000 doses of each drug, which the attorney’s office says is
more than the entire population of the Ketchikan Borough, about 12,000 people. Hill traveled to Ketchikan in September 2019 to direct the possession and distribution of large amounts of methamphetamine and heroin, records show. Hill used other dealers’ money to purchase more of the substances from his supply in Washington through the U.S. Postal Service. Hill is also wanted on a felony warrant in South Dakota for trafficking 22 pounds of marijuana, according to the attorney’s office.
the end of the trapping season. If left unchecked, the European green crab could threaten native habitats and species such as Dungeness crabs, oysters and clams in Washington, where the crab has started settling along the shorelines in recent years. Washington Sea Grant marine ecologist Emily Grason said Drayton Harbor has a lower crab population density than other coastal estuaries in the state like Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor near the Olympic Peninsula. Still, she says it remains a concern, especially as scientists trapped Eu(See Crabs, page 2)
INSIDE
Following a six-month ban placed two weeks before on accepting permit applications for outdoor cannabis growing operations, Whatcom County Council expanded the moratorium to include greenhouses in its April 20 meeting. Council voted 5-2, with councilmembers Ben Elenbaas and Kathy Kershner opposed, to place a six-month ban on accepting new applications or changes to marijuana-growing operations that are outdoor or in greenhouses. The now all-encompassing interim moratorium was proposed after confusion on what qualifies as an outdoor growing facility was brought up in council. Many cannabis growers use hoop houses, also used for growing grapes on vineyards, that can offer a hybrid indoor and outdoor growing environment. With the debate still ongoing as to whether hoop houses are considered outdoor or indoor growing, council added language to the ordinance to prevent further confusion. Under the new substitute ordinance, the moratorium applies to the licensing of any cannabis production in: Open or cleared ground, a non-rigid greenhouse, a greenhouse with rigid walls, a roof and doors, or similar greenhouse structures. The action by council comes after rural residents have complained about the light pollution, smell, noise and water usage of these operations. The moratorium does not affect any preexisting grow operations but prevents anyone who wants to grow cannabis from obtaining a permit and any growers from expanding their current operations. The county’s planning department will use the six months to look at possible zoning code adjustments so grow farms are less of a disturbance to their neighbors. Mark Personius, Whatcom County planning and development services department director, said during the meeting that other counties in Washington have banned all outdoor cannabis growing but
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