Aug. 29 - Sept. 4, 2019
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Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay HHHECRWSSHHH Postal Customer
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5k run to benefit Nature’s Path employee, page 6
Rep. Shewmake to host listening session, page 7
Food bank changing its hours of operation, page 15
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Birch Bay man tried to burn down the same home twice By Jami Makan
(See Arson, page 3)
s Kids received free haircuts at a back to school fair that was hosted by the Blaine School District on August 21. The event also featured free vaccinations, $20 sports physicals and an array of community resources and services. This was the first back to school fair hosted by the school district, and organizers Julie-Anne Butschli and Jodi Greene plan to make it an annual event.
Photo by Molly Ernst
Annual winter clothing drive takes place in September By Jami Makan As fall and winter draw near, the number of people in need of warm clothing will start to grow. That’s why volunteers with the Community Assistance Program and the Interfaith Coalition are sponsoring the annual winter clothing drive, which lasts from Sunday, September 1 until Monday, September 30. New and gently used winter coats, gloves, scarves and hats, as well as socks for men, women and children are being accepted. Volunteers are requesting good quality clothing in clean condition, and the demand is especially high for XXL and XXXL sizes as well as infant and toddler sizes. There is also a great need for warm winter socks. “Everyone deserves to be warm in the winter, but there is a huge population in our town that does not have that capability,” said Amee Nelson, director of the winter clothing drive. “Please donate – the
warmer the better – so that everyone can be warm.” Last year, nearly 500 coats were donated through the program. Any extra donations are distributed to other communities in Whatcom County. Drop-off locations include the Blaine library, Blaine Senior Center, Pacific Building Center, Windermere Realty at Birch Bay Square, Blaine-Birch Bay Park and Recreation District 2 office, Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce office, Birch Bay Village Clubhouse and office and most local churches. At each location, there will be a marked bin or barrel in which donations can be placed. Distribution of donated items will take place in mid-October in unit 200 of the Cost Cutter shopping center (the old Blockbuster space), where those with financial need will be able to select free clothing. The distribution is scheduled for Monday, October 14, Tuesday, October 15 and Friday, October 18 from 10 a.m. to 2
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p.m., and on Wednesday, October 16 from 5 to 8 p.m. Volunteers are needed to help sort, organize and distribute the donated clothing. To volunteer, or for more information, please visit blainecap.org or contact Amee Nelson at 360/319-0269.
INSIDE
A local 30-year-old is suspected of making two attempts to burn down a home under construction near Birch Bay. Landon Larson, 30, was booked into Whatcom County Jail for two counts of second-degree arson, after he allegedly tried to burn down the same unoccupied house twice. On the first attempt, he used Molotov cocktails – glass bottles filled with gasoline – and on the second attempt a few days later, he sprayed gasoline onto the same building and tried to light it on fire. “I’m not sure why I did it,” Larson allegedly told Whatcom County sheriff’s deputies who investigated the incident. On August 12, the owner of Carlson Homes LLC, Tyler Carlson, reported an attempted arson at 5309 Ocean Cove Lane near Birch Bay. Carlson’s company is currently constructing 15 new homes in the development. Over the weekend, someone had thrown two glass bottles that contained an accelerant against the structure. One bottle was thrown against a covered concrete patio of the newly constructed home, and one bottle was thrown against the structure’s south plywood exposed wall, leaving minor burn marks. A WCSO deputy investigated, but no suspects could be identified. There were no footprints in the soil due to heavy rainfall over the weekend, and the only pieces of evidence recovered were the remnants of a broken glass vodka bottle and a piece of cloth in the mouth of the vodka bottle. The second bottle had shattered completely and had no evidentiary value. A few days later, on August 15, there was another attempted arson at the same address. The new damage was to the covered porch area, where the back wall was burnt and there were fresh scorch marks. Pipe insulation had melted from overhead and fallen to the patio floor. A fire marshal attended the scene and confirmed that this was new damage and was not caused in the earlier incident. This time, one of Carlson’s security cameras had captured the image of a thin male on the property at 1:52 a.m. The male was wearing a backpack, but the pictures were not clear enough to establish identification. The next day, Carlson forwarded another image from his camera of a male
Letters . . . . . . . . . 4 Classifieds . . . . . 11 Coming Up . . . . . 14 Sheriff . . . . . . . . . 14 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 14
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