January 22 - 28, 2026
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IN THIS
ISSUE
Protests in Blaine, page 2
New members join Blaine City Council, page 3
Meet the newspaper’s new publisher, page 4
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Creydt makes Downtown Blaine improvements celebrated run for state senate seat By Nolan Baker
(See Creydt, page 2)
s Blaine mayor Mary Lou Steward, l., and Kristen Gomes, executive director of the Blaine Chamber of Commerce, cut the ribbon during the grand reopening celebration of Peace Portal Drive on January 17. The event, hosted by the chamber, marked the official end of the city’s downtown revitalization project. The project closed sections of downtown’s main thoroughfare for the second half of 2025 as the city added new sidewalks, replaced trees and improved ADA compliance. Photo by Ruth Lauman
Blaine woman killed in I-5 car accident By Grace McCarthy Washington State Patrol (WSP) is investigating the cause of an accident that killed a 22-year-old Blaine woman after another vehicle crossed the Interstate 5 median in Ferndale, striking the woman’s vehicle on January 20. Momina Khan, 22, of Blaine, was driving a 2023 white Tesla Model 3 on southbound
I-5, just south of Main Street in Ferndale, around 3:52 p.m. January 20 when a gray 2003 Chevrolet Silverado on northbound I-5 crossed the median, according to WSP. The truck, driven by Eduardo Nievesaponte, 27, of Blaine, came to a rest on southbound I-5. A 2024 Hyundai Tucson traveling on southbound I-5 subsequently hit the Chevrolet. Khan, who died on scene, was wearing a
Birch Bay Polar Bear Plunge misses mark for Guinness World Record By Nolan Baker Despite a valiant effort that drew thousands of frigid participants – and even more cozy onlookers – Birch Bay’s attempt to break the Guinness World Record for largest polar bear dip was unsuccessful, according to the Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce. Guinness informed the chamber that two technicalities kept the record from being officially broken: non-participants in
the plunge zone and some participants not being fully submerged for the entire duration of the dip, the chamber announced on January 14. In order to break the Guinness World Record for largest polar bear dip, Guinness laid out specific requirements for both participants and onlookers. Those plunging into Birch Bay had to go waist deep, and remain waist deep, for at least one minute simultaneously. Those watching were in-
structed to stay out of the water and nearby beach to avoid miscounts. The number to beat was 3,134 participants after the record was set in Norway on December 13, 2025. While it is likely that there were enough participants to break the record, Guinness could not verify the exact number due to non-participants being in the designated plunge zone (See Plunge, page 7)
seatbelt, according to WSP. Khan was driving one passenger, a 22-year-old woman who was transported to St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham. All three passengers of the Hyundai – a 37-year-old man, 20-year-old woman and eight-year-old boy – were not injured. Drugs or alcohol are not suspected to be involved in the crash, according to WSP. Khan attended Blaine High School.
INSIDE
Erika Creydt, Blaine school district’s currently longest serving board member, is running for a seat in the Washington State Senate. Creydt, running as a Republican, announced her campaign for the 42nd Legislative District on January 17. She will look to replace Democrat Senator Sharon Shewmake, who announced in December that she would not seek reelection. Port of Bellingham director Michael Shepard announced late last year he would run as a Democrat for the senate seat. In a social media post announcing her campaign, Creydt said her work as a clinical psychologist helping children inspired her to run for office. “I hear the quiet struggles that many families carry,” Creydt wrote. “I’ve sat with children who are hurting long before anyone notices, and with parents trying to navigate systems that weren’t built to support them. When a child’s mental health is ignored, their education suffers, and so does their future.” Creydt is clinical director of TouchStone Counseling in Blaine and has a doctorate in clinical psychology from the Adler School in Chicago. She has worked in youth mental health for more than 20 years, according to her campaign announcement. Creydt also mentioned heavy tax burdens affecting families throughout the state. “We live in one of the highest-taxed states in the nation,” Creydt wrote. “When the system fails the people in our community, it hurts twice. First because so many families who have paid those taxes are themselves struggling to afford groceries, gas, and housing. Second, because the people that are supposed to be helped with those funds end up going without.” Creydt has served on the Blaine school board since 2021, currently representing district 1 which includes downtown Blaine and Point Roberts. Her term is set to expire in December 2027. The 42nd Legislative District represents most of Whatcom County save for the southern half of Bellingham, Sudden Valley
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