October 12 - 18, 2023
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Manufactured home park debate, page 6
VFW Post 9474 looking Harbor Harvest for gravesite help, page 13 Festival photos, page 15
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Borderites celebrate homecoming win Blaine man arrested on suspicion of killing neighbor By Nolan Baker
(See Homicide, page 3)
s Junior running back Colby Shipp, c., celebrates a fourth-quarter score with senior receiver Justin Minjarez, r., during Blaine’s 29-28 homecoming win over Meridian on October 6. Read more on page 7. Photo by Nolan Baker
Voters asked to consider new county jail By Nolan Baker For the monumental task of financing construction for a new jail in Whatcom County, voters will be asked to consider increasing the county sales tax from 8.8 percent to 9 percent to fund in-part what the county estimates to be at least a $39.5 million one-time investment, with more than $21 million in annual operating costs. Major capital investments include: • $12 million (with $3 million from proposed sales tax) in funding for construc-
tion of a 23-hour crisis relief center. • $8-10 million annually in capital expenses for the new jail and $8 million in one-time expenses for a behavioral health treatment center. • $6 million in capital investments to fund re-entry support services. • $4 million to maintain and expand recovery and supportive housing programs. County voters have twice rejected similar ballot measures, in 2015 with 51.4 percent rejecting the measure, and more vocally in 2017 with 58.6 percent voting no. When ballots are filled out by November 7, propo-
Motorcyclist charged with vehicular homicide on Blaine Road hit-and-run earlier this year By Grace McCarthy A Ferndale man has been arrested on charges of vehicular homicide in connection to a hit-and-run crash on Blaine Road in March that killed a 33-year-old Blaine woman. Washington State Patrol (WSP) booked Colby Jon Gunderson, 22, into Whatcom County Jail on October 6. Gunderson was being held in lieu of $250,000
bail as of October 10, according to jail booking data. Around 5:30 p.m. on March 7, Ashleigh N. Woodward, 33, was driving a 2007 Mazda with her daughter, 13, in the passenger seat. The Mazda was headed south on Blaine Road, near the intersection of Drayton Harbor Road, when Gunderson’s motorcycle attempted to pass the Mazda. Witnesses told WSP investigators that the motorcycle was driv-
ing erratically, according to the affidavit of probable cause (APC) filed in Whatcom County Superior Court. The motorcycle attempted to pass the Mazda on the two-lane road and then moved into the Mazda’s lane as oncoming traffic approached the motorcycle, according to witness statements cited in the APC. The Mazda initially moved to the right to (See Crash, page 3)
nents of Proposition 2023-04 hope a third time could be the charm to green light construction on a replacement of the current jail. The tax would also fund an in-person behavioral health facility and diversion, housing and re-entry programs. The current jail, located in downtown Bellingham adjacent to the county courthouse, was built in 1983 to accommodate 148 inmates. According to booking data by the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO), as of October 9, the jail is hous(See Jail, page 10)
INSIDE
A Blaine man was booked into Whatcom County Jail on suspicion of first-degree murder on October 4. Wayne Harold Mahar Sr., 76, was arrested around 4 p.m. October 4 after Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) deputies and Blaine Police Department (BPD) officers responded to calls of a shooting at 4612 East Street #12 in the Maple Leaf Mobile Home Park. According to the affidavit of probable cause, Mahar claimed his neighbor was threatening and harassing him but Mahar was unable to give specifics to detectives. The victim, identified by WCSO as Vincent Reames, 67, of Blaine, was pronounced dead on the scene after deputies attempted CPR, but were unsuccessful. Mahar fired a shotgun from his porch at Reames, who was standing on his own property, according to court records. Another neighbor called 911 after hearing the shotgun blast and saw Mahar “standing on his front porch holding a gun,” a WCSO release stated. “She noticed the victim lying face down on the ground in front of his residence. She asked Mr. Mahar if he had shot Reames. He replied ‘Yeah.’” According to WCSO public information officer Deb Slater, sheriff deputies had responded to at least four separate neighborhood disputes between Mahar and Reames since November 2021. None of the four previous disputes resulted in criminal activity or arrests, Slater said. The day prior, Mahar had reportedly told his other neighbor he was upset at the landlord for increasing rent, and said he threatened to shoot the landlord’s girlfriend. He also said he was going to shoot and kill Reames because Reames was harassing him. The neighbor said she had never seen Reames threaten or harass the Mahars. Following the shooting, Mahar admitted in an interview with detectives that he had wanted to kill Reames and claimed Reames “deserved to be dead.” Mahar didn’t pro-
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