Baylor Larrabee sets sights on big tournaments, UCLA
Northwest Loggers Rugby Club hosts Canadian club
Former Ferndale golf sensation’s busy summer. — Sports, B1
Ferndale senior Jacob Gandy and Loggers knock off BC team, 33-25. — Sports, B1
AUGUST 14, 2024
SINCE 1885
FERNDALE, WASHINGTON • $1.50
Ferndale City Council talks youth sports, building amendments
IN MEMORY
Owen’s Day in the Dirt celebrates life of Ferndale boy By Luke Seymour Staff Reporter
Ferndale focuses on community By Racquel Muncy For the Record
FERNDALE — The Ferndale City Council heard a presentation during the Aug. 5 meeting regarding Ferndale Youth Sports, wayfinding and a public hearing on the EAGLE Program. Ferndale Youth Sports, an entirely volunteer-run organization, first came before the Ferndale council in 2022 for $150,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding, according to City Administrator Jori Burnett. At the time it was agreed to give the funding in three installments over three years after a presentation updating council on how the previous year went. Stefani Erickson, president of Ferndale Youth Sports, said the goal three years ago was to provide more access and opportunities for the youth in Ferndale. “We’ve been working really hard
The Ferndale City Council heard a presentation during its Aug. 5 meeting regarding Ferndale Youth Sports, wayfinding and a public hearing on the EAGLE Program. (Racquel Muncy for the Record) and growing in lots of different areas,” she said. The program was sustainable off of registration fees, but keeping the
cost low for families made it difficult to have enough funds for new See City Council on A2
FERNDALE — On Aug. 18, Hannegan Speedway will hold Owen’s Day in the Dirt. The memorial event will be held in honor of the life and memory of Owen Benjamin Morton, a 14-yearold Ferndale resident and dirt bike enthusiast who passed away after a fatal dirt biking accident at Hannegan Speedway on May 17. According to his obituary, Morton “embraced every bit of falling down and getting back up at the track, supported by his best friends Rhyder and Elliot. Owen was silly, witty and charming to be around. He was kind and sensitive. He Owen Morton loved playing percussion in jazz band and enjoyed all different kinds of music. Owen looked forward to his bass guitar lessons.” In collaboration with the Skagit Community Foundation, a nonprofit based out of Mount Vernon, Morton’s father, Benjamin, created the Owen’s Injured Riders and Gear for Kids Foundation. According to the SCF website, the foundation will provide financial assistance to the families of injured young motocross riders for medical bills. Additionally, it will provide good quality riding gear for kids who forgot theirs on race day or cannot afford it, to promote safe practices within the sport. Entry to the event is $10, registration is $30. Riders will be allowed access to the track from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. with gates opening at 7 a.m., a free shirt will be given to the first 200 riders who register. Meridian School District students and their families will be allowed free admission. The event will also be selling food and refreshments and will be holding a silent auction. Hannegan Speedway is at 4212 Hannegan Road, Bellingham. The event is open to entries of all ages and experience levels. For more information, visit skagitcf.org/ owen. -- Contact Luke Seymour at luke@lyndentribune. com.
Ferndale School Board considers changes to cell phone policy By Luke Seymour Staff Reporter
The Ferndale School Board recently reviewed potential changes to their policy regarding cell phone usage in class. (Luke Seymour/Ferndale Record)
FERNDALE — The Ferndale School Board recently reviewed potential changes to their policy regarding cell phone usage in class. The board’s July 30 discussion was accompanied by an agenda item that included an updated version of the district’s cell phone policy submitted to the board for review. The potential updates came in the midst of nationwide concerns over the impact cell phones in the classroom could have on student learning. Updates to cell phone policy were first brought up during District Superintendent Kristi Dominguez’s sharing segment of the board meeting. Dominguez said a theme that often recurs during her conversations with staff regarding cell phone
policy is the need to consider how phones might affect both student health as well as their ability to learn. Dominguez even compared current cell phone access to the way smoking used to be allowed in high schools. “Something that has come up in everything that I’ve read and everyone that I’ve been talking too is the need to educate,” Dominguez said. “Somebody used a really good analogy where they talked about how in high school campuses there used to be smoking corners where kids used to be allowed to smoke cigarettes on the property until we realized the damage that smoking could have on a student’s lungs.” According to the board’s July 30 agenda, many of the revisions made to cell phone policy include adjustments to the language regarding what kind of electronic devices will likely be
Weather
16 pages • Volume LIII • Number 25
Thursday 56°/73° Friday 55°/71° Saturday 55°/72° Sunday 54°/71°
Calendar • A3 Classifieds • B6 Forum • A4
Legal Notices • B4 News • A2 Obituaries • A5
Puzzles • B7 Sports • B1
used by students today. This means the elimination of references to “pagers, beepers and cellular phones.” The revisions also differentiate between the amount of screen time allowed to different grades in the school system, with the policy now saying that grades 9-12 will be allowed to use their phones “before and after the regular school day and during student’s lunch break,” while students in preschool to eighth grade programs will only be allowed to use their phones before and after regular school hours or in case of emergencies. Dominguez ended the discussion segment by sharing conversations that she has had with students and teachers regarding phone usage in school. “I’ve talked to one student in particular who has yet to graduSee Cell Phones on A2
Exclusive online content: News throughout the week www.ferndalerecord.com