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Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay
May 16 - 22, 2024
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IN THIS
ISSUE
Spring block party comes to Blaine, page 5 INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Guide to Summer Adventures
Borderite sports, pages 6 and 12
Candidates running in 2024, page 5
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Northern lights make rare showing above Blaine
CDC to put tight restrictions on dogs traveling across the border B y P a t G r u bb
(See CDC, page 2)
s A rare category 5 solar storm gave people in north Whatcom County the opportunity to view a colorful display of lights on May 10. The northern lights photographed from Point Roberts show hues of green and pink above Blaine Harbor.
Photo by Pat Grubb
Man sues Birch Bay Waterslides for injury Birch Bay Waterslides to undergo refurbishment, remain closed for 2024 season By Grace McCarthy A Skagit County man who spent nearly two weeks in intensive care after being injured going down a faulty slide at Birch Bay Waterslides last August has sued the water park for negligence. The water park won’t be open this summer as its operating permit remains suspended following the serious injury. A complaint for damages against Birch Bay Jun Yu Waterslides LLC was filed for the injury incident in Whatcom County Superior Court on May 9. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Larry Baker, who was 43 years old when injured, by his lawyers Kyle Drinnon and Stefanie Collins, of Driggs Bills and Day law firm in Seattle.
The complaint alleges that the company was negligent because it had the duty to provide safe and adequate maintenance of the water park; provide customers with warnings regarding unsafe areas; and have a system for inspecting unsafe conditions. Baker’s attorneys also accused the company of negligence for not having a policy for supervising employees and independent contractors to ensure they comply with local and state regulations and failure to inspect the premises for unsafe conditions once employees become aware of or should have become aware of unsafe conditions. They also alleged that the water park failed to comply with Washington (See Waterslides, page 3)
INSIDE
Barring some response from elected federal officials, the CDC will be implementing new rules about bringing dogs into the country by land, sea or air from anywhere in the world. This will include U.S. residents returning from travel to Canada and Mexico with their pooch in their car, boat or RV. It will also apply to non-U.S. citizens traveling to the U.S. to visit their cabins or for tourism. Beginning August 1, bringing dogs into the U.S. will fall under new import rules that will require the dogs to be over 6 months old, be micro-chipped and carry a valid certificate showing the dog has been vaccinated for rabies, and have a completed CDC Dog Import Form. In lieu of a vaccination certificate, the owner must prove that the animal has been in a low- or no-risk country for six months before importation. No dogs under six months can enter the country. Both Canada and Mexico are considered rabies-free by the CDC and have been for years. Previously, dogs under the age of six months were exempt from the requirement that they be inoculated for rabies (puppies can’t be given the vaccine before three months of age and it takes 28 days to reach full effectiveness). According to the U.S. Federal Register, the “CDC removed the exemption for importers to import up to three dogs under six months of age at U.S. land borders if arriving from dog-maintained rabies virus variant (DMRVV)-free or DMRVV low-risk countries.” The CDC originally proposed keeping that exemption to reduce the burden on U.S. travelers who frequently travel across the U.S.’s borders with Canada and Mexico, but removed it in order “to create a uniform standard for all dogs, ensure
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