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Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay
June 5 - 11, 2025
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IN THIS
ISSUE
Family detained at Blaine border facility, page 2
Class of
2025
Truck with 14 million bees crashes, page 5
Blaine T&F athlete places No. 2 in state finals, page 6
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
page 7
Fix removed as Port of Bellingham executive director By Grace McCarthy
(See Port, page 13)
s Runners dash from the starting line at Blaine Marine Park for the Blaine Borderline 5K Run on May 31. The Blaine-Birch Bay Park and Recreation District 2 hosted the race, which looped through central Blaine before ending at the park. Photo courtesy of BBBPRD2
Kam-Way sued for $2.3 million loan default By Grace McCarthy M&T Bank has filed a lawsuit against Kam-Way Transportation in federal court seeking to recover more than $2.3 million in equipment loans from the Blaine-based transportation company. The east coast bank filed the lawsuit May 28 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut against nine businesses associated with Kam-Way as well as company owners Harneet and Kamaljit Sihota, who are personally liable for the debts. The companies named in the suit include Kam-Way, Kam-Way-acquired Produce Supply Express and five other companies whose addresses are listed as 215 Marine Drive, the same address as Kam-Way. Federal court records show Kam-Way had been borrowing from M&T Bank since at least March 2015. In 2022, the transportation company entered into three master loan agreements with the bank that totaled $6.1 million. The loans had five- to six-year repayment plans.
The first of the three loan agreements was signed in January 2022, allowing Kam-Way the financing to purchase 50 new utility trailers valued at $2.52 million. In April 2022, Kam-Way received financing to purchase 30 new trailers and 30 trailer refrigeration systems for a total value of $3 million. Also in April 2022, Rees Enterprizes, a Sumner, WAbased transportation company that Kam-Way acquired, received a loan to purchase eight new trailers for $598,928. In August 2022, Kam-Way announced that it had acquired Produce Supply Express, Inc., a Spokane-based trucking company. In that announcement, Kam-Way said it had 510 trailers, 226 tractors and 325 employees. In April 2024, the guarantors, all associated with Kam-Way, were added in the loan agreement. Around this time, the lawsuit states that Kam-Way failed to make its monthly payments and defaulted, which led to M&T Bank issuing a default notice last June. In July, M&T Bank entered a forbearance agreement and Kam-Way failed to make those scheduled payments, according to the lawsuit.
M&T Bank has moved to sell the equipment to recover Kam-Way’s current outstanding balance of $2.34 million. The bank is also (See Kam-Way, page 13)
INSIDE
In a 2-1 vote, the Port of Bellingham commission voted to remove executive director Rob Fix during its June 3 meeting. The commission named director of maritime Tiffany DeSimone as the interim director. Fix did not attend the commission meeting. Commissioner Michael Shepard introduced the motion and commissioner Ken Bell voted in support of it, while commission president Bobby Briscoe was opposed to removing Fix. There has been no public indication that commissioners Bell and Shepard were unhappy with Fix and they praised him for the job he has done. They gave no reason why he was being let go apart from offering vague justifications about going in a “new direction” and “new opportunities.” “We have been through some very tough times, including Covid, with the executive director, and he did an amazing job,” Bell said. “We’ve never had a budget that hasn’t met its target … his integrity is beyond reproach.” The separation appears preplanned as the port’s attorney confirmed during the meeting that Fix had already seen a draft of the separation agreement. Shepard’s motion initially was to terminate Fix’s employment, but after being questioned by the port’s attorney, the commissioners amended it to be a mutual separation agreement. Fix could not immediately be reached for comment. Since joining in 2008, Fix climbed the ranks at the port, from chief financial offi-
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