FREE
Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay
June 16 - 22, 2022
HHHECRWSSHHH Postal Customer
IN THIS
ISSUE
New BPD officers are sworn in, page 5
Impact of Egbert v. Boule ruling, page 5
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
New director joins BBBPRD2, page 7
Lots of fun Class of 2022 celebrated at commencement around the corner in Blaine, Birch Bay Birch Bay Kite Festival, Splash Days and a new outdoor concert series By Grace McCarthy
(See Events, page 2)
s Blaine High School seniors were celebrated during a June 10 commencement ceremony in the high school gymnasium. Of the 140 students who received their diplomas, 40 graduated with honors and 10 were valedictorians. View more graduation photos on page 10. Photo by Janell Kortlever
City council appoints former manager David Wilbrecht as interim city manager By Grace McCarthy Blaine City Council voted unanimously 7-0 during its June 13 meeting to appoint David Wilbrecht as the interim city manager following Michael Jones’ resignation. Wilbrecht served as Blaine city manager from 2013 to 2018 and previously served 35 years as city manager for the town of Mammoth Lakes in California. He currently serves as chairman of Blaine-Birch Bay Park and Recreation District 2’s board of commissioners.
Councilmember Eric Davidson said he was pleased with Wilbrecht’s appointment. “I feel like it was a gift that we have someone in place here who can fill the seat of Michael Jones in such a quick manner,” Davidson said. “The city is as busy as it’s been in 20 years and to have someone with this kind of experience is quite frankly a godsend to us.” Other councilmembers echoed Davidson’s sentiments. Mayor Mary Lou Steward said city officials will not take their eyes off of development concerns while searching
Blaine man with 14 prior felonies arrested for Birch Bay drive-by shooting Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) deputies arrested and booked a Blaine man into Whatcom County Jail June 8 suspected of firing multiple gunshots in the 4600 block of Alderson Road June 7 around 10:30 p.m. Shawn Dale Noisey, 38, of Blaine, was arrested on suspicion of drive-by shooting and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, WCSO spokesperson Deb Slater told The Northern Light. Noisey has 14 pri-
or felony convictions. Residents in the Alderson Road area reported hearing four to five gunshots in rapid succession and observed a silver Subaru Impreza speed away westbound on the road after stopping and firing another shot, Slater wrote. The vehicle was later spotted near the intersection of Parkland Drive and Alderson Road while deputies were interviewing witnesses. Deputies stopped the vehicle in the
8100 block of Harborview Road and learned that Noisey, who was in the front passenger seat, was the shooter, Slater said. Deputies located a loaded semi-automatic handgun under the driver’s seat and a box of ammunition on the front seat passenger floor. According to Slater, the driver told deputies Noisey handed them the gun to stash under the driver’s (See Drive-by, page 2)
for a permanent city manager. “By appointing Dave, we are sending a message that we are working with Dave and he understands our concerns,” she said. “He is going to continue the good work we’ve been doing to improve our infrastructure and make it ready for development.” Jones announced on June 1 that he was resigning from the position at the end of the month after being hired as Island (See Wilbrecht, page 8)
INSIDE
Summer is just days away and that means a full slate of family-friendly activities. First on the agenda is Splash Days, Birch Bay Kite Festival, and a new downtown Blaine concert series and beer garden the weekend of Friday, June 24 to Sunday, June 26. The city of Blaine and Blaine-Birch Bay Park and Recreation District 2 (BBBPRD2) will host Splash Days at 3rd and Martin streets 12:30-2:30 p.m. on Friday, June 24. Sprinklers will cool down children running around the blocked-off street and Sugar Shack’s ice cream truck will be at the event. On Saturday, June 25, the city and Blaine Chamber of Commerce will host a 10 a.m. volunteer work party to clean up downtown. Volunteers should meet at 10 a.m. at G Street Plaza and gloves, tools and mulch will be provided, wrote Alex Wenger, the city’s tourism and economic development coordinator, in an email to The Northern Light. The Blaine by the Sea Market will also run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the last art studio tour of the year will run from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Starting at 3 p.m. June 25, the Blaine chamber will hold the first outdoor concert and beer garden event on G Street Plaza. Gateway 1890 Taphouse & Grill will provide brews, with a portion of sales going to the city’s Fourth of July fireworks. Mike and Skye Hill are sponsoring live music from Whisky Minstrels, a Celtic group from Vancouver. Alex Britton Band will perform Irish music during an outdoor Blaine concert Saturday, July 9 and Nick Vigarino will play blues during a Saturday, July 23 outdoor concert, Wenger wrote. Blaine’s fun will only carry into the weekend with Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce’s Kite Festival June 25 and Sunday, June 26. Families can enjoy vendors, yard games,
TheNorthernLight
Coming Up . . . . . 14 Classifieds . . . . . 11 Letters . . . . . . . . . 4 Police . . . . . . . . . 14 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 14
@TNLreporter
@TheNorthernLightNews
TheNorthernLight.com
ThisFLYERS Week’s
Rite Aid