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August 30 - September 5, 2018 Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay HHHECRWSSHHH Postal Customer
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Winter coat drive starts Writer Gary Giles releases Hundreds attend the Summer on September 1, page 3 a children’s book, page 10 Fun in the Park event, page 15
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Discover Birch Bay Days kicks off on Saturday B y M at h e w R o l a n d
s Towing backpacks, classroom snacks and fresh flowers for their teachers, Blaine students returned to school on August 29. Photo by Molly Ernst
School year starts with changes at Blaine schools By Oliver Lazenby Students at the Blaine school district returned to plenty of changes on the first day back on August 29. Here’s a quick look: New electronic door locking system New electronic door locking systems that have been installed at the primary, elementary and middle schools will allow all exterior doors to be locked from a central location. The door locking systems include cameras and a “buzz in” feature at main en-
trances. Main doors will be unlocked at arrival and dismissal times and locked during the rest of the day. Those arriving at school after 8:30 a.m. must use the main doors and will get “buzzed in” by office personnel. Teachers and other staff members will have key cards for the doors. “It’s going to take some time for parents in particular to adapt to this change,” district superintendent Ron Spanjer said at the August 27 board meeting.
Police chief worked for the LAPD for 20 years prior to Blaine City swore in Allen Schubert on Aug. 20 at Blaine City Hall B y S t e fa n i e D o n a h u e
“In a lot of ways, there’s really no difference between a big city police officer and a police officer working in a small town,” he said. “We all have the same basic responsibilities and we all have the desire to serve the community.” As Blaine’s police chief, Schubert said he wants to get out in the community to identify and resolve problems that negatively impact residents. “I want to address all of the quality of life issues that affect everyone in Blaine,” he said. “After all, that’s why everyone moved
here and lives here because they want to live in a small town where they don’t have to deal with the big-city problems.” Schubert was sworn in as police chief by city clerk and assistant to the city manager Sam Crawford during a brief ceremony on August 20 at Blaine City Hall. He was offered the position in June after being selected by the city from a pool of highly-qualified candidates, including Bellingham Police Department patrol
Discover Birch Bay Days
After wrapping up a two-decade long career at the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), this month Allen Schubert began what he anticipates will be a seamless transition into his new role as chief of the Blaine Police Department (BPD).
(See Police, page 6)
Blaine High School will also have a system of electronic door locks once the final phase of construction is complete in summer 2019. School resource officer The Blaine Police Department has selected an officer to be the school district’s full-time resource officer. That position is on track to become full-time in January 2019, Spanjer said. (See School, page 5)
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INSIDE
Discover Birch Bay Days is coming up and features a weekend packed with fun events for the whole family. The beachside entertainment is scheduled to take place between 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Labor Day weekend, Saturday, September 1 and Sunday, September 2, at 7930 Birch Bay Drive. Dozens of food and craft vendors will be open throughout the weekend. On Saturday, the Marlon James Band perform from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. and from 4 to 5 p.m. A parade will start at noon on Saturday and feature a wide variety of floats. Leading the parade at 11:30 a.m. will be racers participating in the Discover Days Dash. Both events are still open for registration at birchbaywa.org Chainsaw woodcarving will start at 10 a.m. both days and will be followed by the chainsaw auction from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. A beer garden will be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. A crab derby will feature live crabs competing in multiple contests from 2 to 4 p.m. both days. Crab derby awards will be given out at 4 p.m. To find the s A wood carver crafts rules and regulaa fish with a chainsaw tions, visit birchat Discover Birch Bay baywa.org. Days in 2017. Kids are encouraged to participate in the Kids Olympics for the chance to win prizes. The Kids Olympics will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday. On Sunday Bad Dog Blues will perform from 1 to 2:30 p.m. To learn more, visit birchbaywa.org.
Sports . . . . . . . . . 13 Classifieds . . . . . 15
Police . . . . . . . . . 18 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 18
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10am - 5pm Birch Bay Beach Park, 7930 Birch Bay Drive
September 1 & 2 www.BirchBayChamber.com
Coming Up . . . . . 18
Discover Birch Bay B i r c h B ay, Wa
See ad on page 3 for details