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September 25 - October 1, 2025 Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay HHHECRWSSHHH Postal Customer
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ISSUE
Upcoming fall festivals, page 2
State coalition writes letter to city, page 4
School board looks at new cell phone policy, page 7
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Free community dinners return to Blaine Registration opens for Guinness World Records polar bear dip attempt By Grace McCarthy
s After more than five years, free community dinners returned to the Blaine Senior/Community Center on September 18, thanks to the Blaine-Birch Bay Park and Recreation District 2 and supporting volunteers. Blaine Senior Center operations instructor Celine Mauger said the first dinner served about 100 people. Dinners will be held 6-8 p.m. the third Thursday of each month at the center, 763 G Street. Donations are accepted. Photo by Celine Mauger / Blaine-Birch Bay Park and Recreation District 2
Business continues as usual after heated debate last Blaine City Council meeting By Grace McCarthy Blaine City Council and department heads convened September 22 in council chambers to discuss downtown construction, a new lineman apprenticeship program and rankedchoice voting for appointed positions. The meeting concluded without follow-up discussion on councilmember Eric Lewis’ personal emails that prompted mayor Mary Lou Steward to request his resignation during the last council meeting on September 8. No discussion on Lewis The mayor’s request, which wasn’t publicly backed by any other council mem-
bers, came after an anonymous public records request revealed Lewis had been communicating in what Steward believed to be a questionable way with members of the Blaine Water Coalition from mid-February to early March. Lewis used his personal email to communicate with the coalition, which has hurled accusations at local leaders for the past two years and has filed a lawsuit against the city. The coalition requested Lewis bring two motions to council to update the city’s stormwater manual and create a code of ethics. Neither motion passed as the city’s stormwater manual was already to state
Blaine seeks input on long-range planning By Grace McCarthy The city of Blaine will share its plan to grow over the next 20 years and accept feedback from the public during its comprehensive plan open house 6-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, September 30. Planning staff will start with a 20-minute presentation at the open house, which
will be held in council chambers in Blaine City Hall, 435 Martin Street. After the open house, Blaine planning director Alex Wenger will present the proposal to Whatcom County Planning Commission on Thursday, October 9 at the Northwest Annex building and remotely. The commission will hold a public hearing on the plan during the same meeting.
The city and county will submit their comprehensive plans, which are updated every decade, to the state by the end of the year. Smaller changes to the plans are made annually between the decennial updates. For more information on the Blaine comprehensive plan, visit the city’s website at bit.ly/3Khbejx.
standards and the ethics would have been voluntary in addition to state laws. City manager Mike Harmon previously said he was consulting the city attorney about whether Lewis violated the state’s appearance of fairness doctrine surrounding his communication on a decision from the city’s hearing examiner. Calling him a “traitor” during the September 8 meeting, Steward expressed concern Lewis could potentially leak information from executive sessions discussing the coalition’s lawsuit against the city. Steward (See City council, page 13)
INSIDE
The Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce is seeking help to put Birch Bay on the map as world record holder for the polar bear plunge. The chamber has opened registration for its Birch Bay Polar Bear Plunge on January 1, 2026, when it will attempt to beat the Guinness World Records’ largest polar bear dip. Chamber events coordinator Sacha Sanguinetti encouraged anyone wanting to make history to sign up early. “We want an idea of how many people will be there,” Sanguinetti said. The world record is currently frozen at 2,461 people who plunged into chilly waters in the Czech Republic in March. Sanguinetti hopes the community will rally together to beat that record as the New Year’s Day celebration in Birch Bay typically brings out about 1,500 to 1,800 people, though only about a third of those actually register. Chamber coordinators hope to have early registration finished by Christmas Day. Day-of registration will be available as long as there aren’t more than 5,000 early registrants. Additionally, attendees will be required to sign in the morning of the event for their plunge to count. Early registration will be encouraged with prizes including a two-night stay at Semiahmoo Resort with a $200 resort credit. Registrants prior to Thanksgiving Day will be entered twice, while people who register between Thanksgiving and Christmas will be given one entry. Sanguinetti said the idea for the record attempt came about two years ago, when Beach Cat Brewing owner Jake Gobeille realized the record was within reach. The chamber spent $38,500 to use the Guinness World Records’ marketing and licensing and to pay for a representative to certify the event. Sanguinetti said the chamber will be regularly updating its social media and newsletter, the Birch Bay Buzz, with new information about the plunge. For more information, visit the chamber’s website at bit.ly/3VyhINk.
Coming Up . . . . . 14 Classifieds . . 11, 12 Letters . . . . . . . . . 4 Police . . . . . . . . . 14 Sports . . . . . . . . . . 6 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 14
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