March 5 - 11, 2026
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IN THIS
ISSUE
Daylight saving begins March 8
42nd Legislative District races, page 3
Borderites winter sports wrap-up, page 7
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
PeaceHealth’s Advance Care Planning program cut draws criticism By Grace McCarthy
(See Cuts, page 6)
s Blaine Harbor is one of the many great viewing spots for birds in Blaine and Birch Bay, as seen by the cormorants at the breakwater. Wings Over Water Northwest Birding Festival will provide hands-on learning about local wildlife during its 23rd annual festival Photo by Eric Ellingson March 13-15.
Wings Over Water NW Birding Festival to return for ‘un-fowl-gettable’ weekend By Grace McCarthy Just as birds migrate to the Blaine and Birch Bay area, birders across the region are expected to flock to Blaine for the 23rd annual Wings Over Water Northwest Birding Festival Friday, March 13 through Sunday, March 15. This year’s festival will have a full slate of events, from a Skagit County field trip to an all-day birding exposition and photography lessons. Kids activities have also expanded this year, creating more hands-on experiences for children this year.
Festival Coordinator Debbie Harger said the festival is a volunteer-run nonprofit focused on providing free events to share the love of bird-watching, with ticketed events priced only to cover expenses. “It’s a happy place,” Harger said of the festival. “Being with the birds, being outside, being in our beautiful area, it doesn’t get any better.” FRIDAY The festival kicks off at 8 a.m. March 13 with the chartered bus trip to Skagit County. A few $50 tickets are still available for last-minute bird-watchers who want to learn
Arts and Jazz fundraises for Blaine arts students By Grace McCarthy The community will get a sneak peak at what Blaine art students are working on during the 29th Arts and Jazz Fundraiser at 6 p.m. March 14 in the Blaine High School cafeteria. The evening will be filled with performances from the high school jazz band, chamber choir and drama program, while visual arts students offer caricatures of attendees and display their artwork. Culinary students will also serve appetizers and dessert.
Blaine Fine Arts Association (BFAA), a community-run nonprofit, hosts the annual event to raise money for Blaine middle and high school students’ art supplies, band equipment, scholarships and field trips. Last year, the event raised $16,000, said Kim Shea, lead event coordinator and treasurer of BFAA. “With cuts to funding at schools, the arts department often experiences loss of funding,” Shea said. “Our organization allows us to supplement a need that unfortunately cannot be met by the school district at this time.
The arts are so important to student growth.” Money will be raised through admission tickets and auctions. A live auction will offer a certificate to the Nelson Driving School and a cabin rental, among other items, while a silent auction will include gift baskets and certificates from local businesses, handmade items and jewelry. BFAA will accept auction items through March 13, though donors need to provide them by Monday, March 9 for the items (See Arts, page 11)
about avians found in Wiley Slough and Hayton Reserve on Fir Island. An opening dinner and artist reception will ring in the festival at 6 p.m. at Blaine Community/Senior Center, 763 G Street. Tickets cost $45 for the event including a catered dinner. Festival Artist Rebecca Ledger, who shows her nature-inspired watercolor at the Ebb Tide Gallery in Gig Harbor, will display her art during the opening reception. Author and Bird Photographer Peter Cavanagh will give (See Festival, page 11)
INSIDE
PeaceHealth eliminated its Advance Care Planning (ACP) program in recent layoffs, canceling scheduled patient appointments with only a few days’ notice. The free program helped patients complete and update advance directives and end-of-life care preferences with trained coordinators embedded in the healthcare system. The program had four coordinator positions and several supporting social workers across the healthcare system, including Whatcom County. PeaceHealth clinicians flagged patients they believed would benefit from creating advance directive documents or having that paperwork updated. Coordinators would then meet with patients and their families, equipped to notarize documents and have difficult conversations that clinicians didn’t have the time for, program advocates said. Former PeaceHealth employee Hilary Walker, who was the ACP program’s first coordinator, said the program provided a holistic approach to patient care. “These are patient-facing programs that help a patient’s story be part of their medical plan,” Walker said. LAYOFFS PART OF ‘TRANSFORMATION’ The positions were among PeaceHealth’s layoffs announced Feb. 11 that eliminated 94 positions across the state, with 27 in Whatcom County. These layoffs trailed cuts last October, when 241 positions were eliminated across the state, 55 of those in Bellingham. Walker, who spoke with former colleagues, said the coordinators only had a few days after the February layoffs to cancel as many appointments as they could with patients, leaving the remaining cancellations to other employees. PeaceHealth spokesperson Amy Drury wrote in an email to The Northern Light that, as the healthcare landscape rapidly shifts, PeaceHealth is focused on keeping core ser-
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