June 10 - 16, 2021
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Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay HHHECRWSSHHH Postal Customer
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Captain Vancouver history, page 3
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
BHS recognition night awards, page 6
Against all odds, 2021 BHS graduates triumph Inslee writes letter to federal officials as border reopening appears likely By Grace McCarthy
(See Border, page 16)
s Blaine High School class of 2021 graduates celebrated the coming end of their high school days during a drive-by parade Sunday, June 6. Through a tumultuous year of remote learning and canceled events, the Blaine seniors will close a unique year during an outdoor graduation ceremony Friday, June 11. Photo by Olivia Karling
State, county using prizes as vaccine incentive The private and public sector, both statewide and locally, are banning together to incentivize higher vaccine rates among people. To encourage Washington residents to get vaccinated, the Washington State Lottery is giving out prizes to anyone who has received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine. No application is necessary. If you’ve already received a dose, you are already entered to win. The prizes for participants ages 18 and up consist of four drawings of $250,000
and one drawing on the fifth week of $1 million. The Tuesday drawing dates are June 8, June 15, June 22, June 29, and July 13. For youth ages 12-17 with at least one dose of the vaccine, 30 Guaranteed Education Tuition plans (GET) will be awarded that amount to one year of college tuition. About $1 million will also be given to higher education to run drawings for free tuition and expenses. Fifteen GET awards will be announced on June 15 and 15 GET awards will be given on June 22.
Drive-in movies and kites for kids coming up From kites to drive-in movies, expect a fun, family-filled weekend in Birch Bay June 18 and 19. Drive-in movies at Birch Bay Waterslides, with the humorous word play “divein movies,” are back for a second year. Gates at 4874 Birch Bay-Lynden Road will open 8 p.m. and the movie will start around 9:30 p.m. Friday, June 18. Angry Birds 2 will take over the big screen for $20 per vehicle that covers all passengers. If movies weren’t enough excitement to kick off summer, free kites will be avail-
able to children during Kites for Kids Day on Saturday, June 19. Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce and Friends of Birch Bay Library will hand out the kites during the come-and-go event, also a fundraiser for the future Birch Bay Vogt Community Library. The event will go from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday at the site of the future Birch Bay library, 7968 Birch Bay Drive. Families can cool off with Kona Ice’s shaved ice until 3 p.m. Blaine school district superintendent Christopher Granger, Whatcom
County deputy Derek Jones and others will be telling children stories starting at 12 p.m., 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. Blaine-Birch Bay Park and Recreation District 2 will host kids’ activities and crafts, some of which are Angry Birds themed, throughout the day. Masks and social distancing will be required at the event. More than a couple of hundred kites will be available until they run out. For more information on the events, visit birchbaychamber.com.
Alaska Airlines and Seattle sports teams will have ticket prizes for fights and games. Technology companies will be giving away prizes. Microsoft will give out 300 Xboxs and GamePasses, Nintendo will give out Nintendo Switches, Google will give out 25 Google Nests and Amazon will give out 100 Echo Dots, according to the governor’s office. Gift cards to local businesses will be given at vaccine locations through the Washington State Department of Commerce and (See Prizes, page 4)
INSIDE
Governor Jay Inslee sent a letter to federal officials last week asking for the U.S./ Canada border to immediately reopen. In a letter the governor’s office released June 8, Inslee urged U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken and secretary of homeland security Alejandro Mayorkas for a full or, at least, partial border reopening. Inslee listed Point Roberts residents, separated families, affected business owners and cross-border homeowners, in that order, as people who should be prioritized with reopening the border. “If a full border opening is not considered feasible, I would like to recommend that we prioritize the development of specific policies to partially open crossings,” Inslee wrote in the letter. “The hardships being experienced along the U.S./Canadian border are significant, and measurable forward progress is needed.” Inslee also asked that the NEXUS system be used to share vaccine records if users agreed. He also suggested using the ArriveCAN, which the Canadian government currently operates for vaccine records and negative Covid-19 test results. “The state of Washington and our friends in British Columbia stand ready to assist the federal governments in the development of pilot programs to safely open the border,” Inslee wrote. “We share a sense of urgency in meeting the needs of our impacted communities, with more than 60 percent of B.C. residents having received a first dose of vaccination, and a similar percentage of Washingtonians vaccinated, we believe that we can significantly mitigate the health risks associated with reopening our border by continuing to follow a data-driven, science-based approach and the guidance of our public health experts. Following The Northern Light reporting the U.S./Canada border could reopen June 22, national media outlets are suggesting a
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