November 8 - 14, 2018
FREE
Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay HHHECRWSSHHH Postal Customer
IN THIS
ISSUE
Blaine Library staff celebrate Volleyball team heads to A special tribute to our 30-year anniversary, page 4 state tournament, page 6 nation’s veterans, page 10
Public is mixed about relocating skate park
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Real squeakers – best way to describe local races
Park board meets on Nov. 8 to vote on a recommendation B y S t e fa n i e D o n a h u e
(See Skate, page 7)
s Doug Ericksen (R) and Pinky Vargas (D) awaited initial vote counts at separate events in Whatcom County on November 6. Ericksen came out .74 percent ahead of Vargas with an additional 451 votes. See more election results on page 13. Photos by Oliver Hamlin and Oliver Lazenby
B y P at G r u bb By the time the much-heralded blue wave hit Washington state on Tuesday, it was more like a ripple than a wave, especially in Whatcom County. Incumbents on both sides of the aisle were returned to Washington D.C. while Democratic challengers in local state races just managed to come close with no races
determined after the first election count. U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D) won handily over Republican challenger Susan Hutchison with 58.6 percent of the vote while U.S. representatives Suzan DelBene and Rick Larsen cruised to victory with 58.6 and 72.4 percent of the vote, respectively. In all, seven of Washington’s 10 congressional districts will be represented by Democrats; the remainder are Republicans
Blaine Police Department wants to hear from you B y T ay l o r N i c h o l s Ever wonder how to spot a counterfeit hundred dollar bill? You can find out by watching a video tutorial just released by the Blaine Police Department. In it, officer Jake Farrer gives Rawganique general manager Christy Lonquist a lesson on how to verify a bill is real and what to do if someone gives you a fake. The video, which is posted to the ‘Blaine City Government’ Facebook
page, is part of an outreach project the police department recently launched. In the coming months, officers will create educational videos that answer questions submitted by community members. Police chief Allen Schubert said the project is a way to foster dialogue between the police department and the community. “My whole philosophy is more community engagement between the police department and all the entities in this city, and that includes not only the citizens but
the business leaders,” Schubert said. He’s seeking questions from community members for upcoming videos, because chances are if someone has a question, they’re not the only one, he said. “Rawganique really jumped at the opportunity because they saw this was a great chance to work with the police department and get to know the police officers,” he said. “That’s our whole goal. We want (See Police, page 7)
including the eastside District 5’s Cathy McMorris Rodgers whose campaign was thought to be in trouble. Democrat Kim Schrier in District 8 beat perpetual Republican candidate Dino Rossi 53 to 47 percent. Closer to home, the results are much more ambiguous. District 42 state senator Doug Ericksen’s race against challenger (See Election, page 13)
INSIDE
Curious about the prospect of relocating Blaine Skate Park to make way for potential redevelopment, a mix of parents, skaters and other interested residents packed into the Blaine Library this week to ask questions and express concerns to city staff. The city is considering making the $292,000 skate park property on 4th Street available for sale to spur growth downtown. During the November 6 meeting, acting community development director Alex Wenger floated the idea of relocating the skate park to Lincoln Park, near the H Street entrance, or Marine Park. Right off the bat, residents expressed concerns about perceived lack of safety and accessibility of the proposed locations. Neither are within walking distance from the Blaine school campus, police or Blaine Library, one resident pointed out. “Most of [Lincoln Park] is not appropriate to fit a skate park” Wenger conceded, noting the park is mostly forested and contains an 18-hole disc golf course. However, “this is in our east Blaine planning area where we really are expecting to see some growth,” he said, referencing the more than 1,400 lots that have been approved for residential development, and await sewer and power infrastructure. Despite that, some residents said the proposed location at Lincoln Park is unsafe, citing its proximity to State Route 543. Instead, attendees seemed more open to relocating Blaine Skate Park to Blaine Marine Park, down across from the harbor. “We should be appreciative that they want to give us a new park,” said Birch Bay resident Kenny McCown, 20, who said he uses Blaine Skate Park at least three times
Letters Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Sports . . . . . . . . . . 6 Classifieds . . . . . 11 Classifieds . . . . . 14 Coming Up . . . . . 14 Coming Up . . . . . 17 Police . Police . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 17 Tides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 14 Tides .
TheNorthernLight.com TheNorthernLight
@TNLreporter
@PointRobertsPress