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Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay
August 21 - 27, 2025
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IN THIS
ISSUE
Men plead not guilty to murders, page 3
Birch Bay survey on service levels opens, page 5
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Whatcom County to host open house, page 6
Jury finds Birch Superheroes stroll through downtown Blaine Bay man guilty of attempted murder By Grace McCarthy
Back to Back to BaSchoo ck to Schoo l l Pull-out Schoo Pull-out l section on Pull-out section section Pull-outon pages 9-12 pages 9-12 on pages 7-10 section on pages 9-12
s Spiderman (or Matteo), and Batman led the annual character stroll with Blaine resident Greg Nuzum’s Sightings of Blaine group on August 16. Nuzum invited community members of all ages to walk through downtown Blaine in their best costume. For more information on future events, visit @Sightings_of_Blaine on Facebook and Instagram. Photo courtesy of Sightings of Blaine Washington Fan Group
Family raises questions into U.S. Coast Guard rescue of deadly drowning near Point Roberts By Grace McCarthy The family of a 38-year-old Lummi Nation member who died after the commercial fishing vessel he was on sank off Point Roberts is questioning the U.S. Coast Guard’s delayed response. Kevin Charles Finkbonner, 38, was aboard the 25-foot skiff with his brother, Brad, when it began taking on water just before 4 p.m. south of the U.S. exclave. Steve Strohmaier, a public affairs specialist at the U.S. Coast Guard, said one of the brothers called his wife, who called 911. The U.S. Coast Guard received the information from 911 dispatch at 3:52 p.m. The U.S. Coast Guard called the Canadian Coast Guard, which deployed a hovercraft
from Richmond, and issued an urgent marine information broadcast requesting assistance from any nearby boaters. The U.S. Coast Guard sent personnel from Bellingham and its Port Angeles air station. Weather was reported to be two-foot seas and 15-knot winds. A Canadian search and rescue vessel was the first to arrive at 4:18 p.m., Strohmaier said. At 4:38 p.m., a good Samaritan found the brother, who was wearing a life jacket. Several minutes later, the good Samaritan located Finkbonner unconscious, who was not wearing a life jacket, Strohmaier said. The Canadian Coast Guard recovered Finkbonner and attempted lifesaving measures. Strohmaier declined to say when the U.S. (See Fishing, page 3)
INSIDE
A Whatcom County Superior Court jury delivered a guilty verdict on August 18 against a 44-year-old Birch Bay man for attempting to kill a woman he had dated. Clayton Edward Dubois, 44, was found guilty of attempted first-degree murder with a domestic violence enhancement and unlawful firearm possession in the second-degree. Dubois’ guilty verdict stems from his arrest nearly a year before on August 20, 2024, when he tried to leave the woman at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham. According to the police report, Dubois told police that he had consumed methamphetamine, marijuana and tequila before attempting to murder the then-41-year-old woman at his home in the 4500 block of Lincoln Road. Dubois told police he was going to “mercy kill” the woman and said she had put a spell on him. Dubois hit her twice with propane tanks in his garage. In response to being asked why he was trying to hit her, Dubois replied to “kill her.” Dubois then told police he had a “change of heart” and took her to the hospital, according to court records. Hospital staff and police wrestled with Dubois when he tried leaving. The woman was transported to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where she received treatment in the intensive care unit. The woman filed a personal injury lawsuit against Dubois in late March that requested compensation for medical and counseling expenses, loss of wages and attorney fees. The lawsuit states the woman was treated for multiple fractures, including on the face, eye, ribs and elbow, among other injuries. Dubois responded to the complaint in April denying liability. The litigation is ongoing. Dubois, who has been held in Whatcom County Jail since his arrest, will be sentenced in September for the criminal charges.
Coming Up . . . . . 14 Classifieds . . 12, 13 Letters . . . . . . . . . 4 Police . . . . . . . . . 14 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 14
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