FREE
Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay
January 23 - 29, 2020
HHHECRWSSHHH Postal Customer
IN THIS
ISSUE
Birch Bay residents report surge in incidents, page 3
Report released on road usage charges, page 7
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Local dog receives new cancer treatment, page 10
School board passes gender inclusivity and sex offender policies By Oliver Lazenby
(See School board, page 2)
s Snow blanketed all of Whatcom County last week, including the boats in Blaine Harbor. The winter weather brought high winds, below-freezing temperatures and school closures.
Photo by Ruth Lauman
Border crackdown on Iranian travelers was a local initiative, CBP whistleblower says B y P a t r i c k G r u bb A Blaine-area Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer says the recent “extreme vetting” of travelers with Iranian backgrounds occurred under the direction of Blaine port managers. The allegation was revealed by local immigration attorney Len Saunders, a frequent commentator on border issues. As earlier reported by The Northern Light, more than 60 U.S. citizens and permanent residents of Iranian heritage were subjected to enhanced screenings on January 4 and 5 as they entered the U.S. at the Peace Arch border crossing. Many were returning home from an Iranian pop concert that had taken place in Vancouver. Following a U.S. airstrike on an Iranian military commander in Iraq, some of the travelers reported being detained for up to 12 hours, while others said they were turned away and refused entry due
to CBP’s lack of capacity to handle them. Border security was enhanced nationwide during the period of escalating military tensions with Iran. At the time, it was thought that the detentions were limited to the Peace Arch crossing, but the CBP whistleblower said Iranian-born travelers were detained at other border crossings in the Blaine sector as well. Saunders told The Northern Light that the CBP officer asked not to be identified due to concerns about retribution, with the officer citing the existence of a “blacklist” of officers blocked from career advancement. Travelers were selected for counterterrorism inspections based solely upon their national origin, the officer said, adding that there were no immigration or customs reasons to detain them. Once the detentions became national news, Blaine port director Kenneth Williams put out a directive on January 5 at 1 p.m. saying
the operation was suspended, the CBP officer said. According to the source, officers have been told not to talk to the press about the matter. (See Crackdown, page 2)
INSIDE
The Blaine school district board of directors held a special meeting on January 13 to discuss updates to several policies – one relating to treatment of transgender students and others that govern access to school property for sex offenders. The board held a special meeting for the first readings of the policies because the district hopes to approve the policies by the end of the month. The board will hold a second reading and vote on the policies at its January 27 regular meeting. Gender inclusivity policy Under a new state law, school districts in Washington have until the end of the month to adopt a transgender student policy that incorporates language from the Washington State School Directors’ Association’s (WSSDA) model policy. The Blaine school district already has a gender inclusivity policy aimed at making sure students are not discriminated against based on gender. The school board considered several updates to the policy to comply with WSSDA’s recommendations. School district policies are often based on WSSDA’s model policies. Updates to the policy include: • The district will include information about how a student wants to be addressed in class and in correspondence with their parent/guardian in the student’s electronic record to inform school staff of the student’s preferred name and pronouns. • Blaine schools will allow any student, regardless of gender identity, to be given access to an alternative restroom if they request more privacy. • Schools will provide accommodations to allow the student to keep their gender status private. • The district will designate one person to be the primary contact regarding policy and procedure relating to transgender or gender expansive students. The primary contact must participate in at least one training opportunity offered by the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. Sex offender policies The district also approved a first reading of several policies relating to convicted
Sports . . . . . . . . . . 6 Classifieds . . . . . 11 Coming Up . . . . . 14 Police . . . . . . . . . 14 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 14
TheNorthernLight.com TheNorthernLight
@TNLreporter
@TheNorthernLightNews
We have sold virtually all of our inventory, so for boats listed in January or February, we will reduce our commission from 10% to 8% if we don’t sell your vessel within 90 days of listing.
If we don’t sell your boat within 90 days, you pay less. As boat owners and enthusiasts, we understand the urgency to sell your vessel. We know as long as your boat is unsold, you still have to pay for moorage and maintenance. -Captain Randall Parten, USCG 100-Ton Master
dreamboatcompany.com | 360-383-6191 | office@dreamboatcompany.com