April 30 - May 6, 2026 IN THIS
ISSUE
FREE
Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay
Election filing week May 4-8, page 3
Keller Williams celebrates grand opening, page 4
Girls tennis and golf see wins, page 7
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
BHS drama ready for ‘Legally Blonde: The Musical’ Mail carriers, firefighters team up with food bank for local donation drive By NolaN Baker
(See Food bank, page 3)
Danika Morecombe, who plays Elle Woods, performs the opening number of “Legally Blonde: The Musical” on April 27 in the Blaine Performing Arts Center. Blaine High School drama students are performing 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday this week and next week, along with 2 p.m. Saturday matinees both weekends. Read more on page 11. Photo by Grace McCarthy
Bicyclist and driver hospitalized following two separate Blaine area accidents By Grace Mccarthy
A bicyclist in Birch Bay and a driver suspected of being under the influence in Semiahmoo were transported to the hospital in critical condition after separate accidents within an hour of each other on Saturday evening. The first accident involved a 49-year-old Lynden man who was bicycling about 9:50 p.m. eastbound in
the 4800 block of Birch Bay-Lynden Road, near Birch Bay Waterslides. A driver of a 1995 Geo Prizm struck the bicyclist from behind, which pushed him down into the oncoming lane of traffic, Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Deb Slater wrote in an email to The Northern Light. The bicyclist, who was wearing dark clothing without a helmet, did not have any lights or reflectors, Slater said. The
Lummi Nation files lawsuit over Point Roberts burial site disturbances
By luisa loi la coNNer coMMuNity News
On Monday, the Lummi Nation filed a federal lawsuit against Whatcom County, Whidbey Telecom, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Commerce over a series of “preventable and unlawful failures” that allegedly resulted
in the disturbance of burial sites in Point Roberts during the construction of at least three federally-funded broadband projects. The 52-page lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. It alleges that Whidbey Telecom (a telecommunications company serving Whidbey Island, Point Roberts and Hat Island) dug 1,000- to 2,000-foot-
long trenches that caused permanent damage and loss of ancestral remains and artifacts in an area that the Lummi Nation used for over 5,000 years. The lawsuit states that Whidbey Telecom was or should have been aware of the presence of the cultural resources and burial grounds in Point Roberts, and that the defendants
(See Burial site, page 9)
driver of the Geo Prizm stopped for the bicyclist and tried to alert an oncoming driver of the man, but the driver struck the cyclist with their 1992 Ford Ranger, Slater said. North Whatcom Fire and Rescue (NWFR) Chief Jason Van Der Veen said first responders from Birch Bay Station 63 transported the man, who had a
(See Accidents, page 2)
INSIDE
Amid a steady increase in families coming to the Blaine Food Bank due to the rising cost of living, Whatcom County’s second-busiest food bank is joining the nationwide Stamp Out Hunger campaign on Saturday, May 9. Teaming up with U.S. Postal Service letter carriers — and a few other local organizations — the food bank is asking the Blaine community to leave nonperishable food items at their mailbox on the morning of May 9. The donations will be picked up by USPS letter carriers and eventually brought to the food bank. Stamp Out Hunger is the largest oneday food drive in the country, and next weekend will be the first time in years that the Blaine Food Bank has participated, said Blaine Food Bank Director Lisa Dobbin. “We have a fabulous community of very generous people,” Dobbin said. “If you put the easy way in front of them, they want to help and it couldn’t get easier than this.” Mail carriers will pass out donation bags this week, and those bags can be filled with any unexpired, nonperishable food. There is an acute need for canned vegetables and protein, and especially pet food. Dobbin said contributions taper off after the holiday season, making spring a slow time for donations. Donations spiked after the federal government shutdown in late 2025 resulted in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits being temporarily suspended, but Dobbin said they have since dwindled. The food bank has extended its hours to accommodate an influx of people as grocery prices and the cost of other necessities rise, Dobbin said.
Coming Up . . . . 10 Classifieds . . . . . . 8 Letters . . . . . . . . . 4 Police . . . . . . . . . 10 Sports . . . . . . . . . . 7 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 10
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