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Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay
April 9 - 15, 2020
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IN THIS
ISSUE
Local group sewing masks and helping seniors, page 6
How to stay connected with the arts, page 7
Gateway property deal amended by city, page 10
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Blaine schools gear up for months of remote education after new state order By Oliver Lazenby The Blaine school district anticipated governor Jay Inslee’s April 6 decision to extend the state’s K-12 school closures for the rest of the school year. Blaine superintendent Christopher Granger said that while remote learning can’t replace being in a classroom, the district is already planning for the rest of the year. “This is about what we expected,” he said. “It’s not ideal but it’s better to know and be able to move forward and get a plan going for the remainder of the year.” On March 13, Inslee ordered schools in Washington state to close from March 17 until April 24 to slow the spread of the new coronavirus. The Blaine school district’s last day of in-person education was March 13. Since then, the district has offered optional “enrichment opportunities” on its website and many teachers have contacted students and families. On Monday, April 13, the district will start on a more rigorous education plan. Though Inslee and state schools superintendent Chris Reykdal touted the challenge as an opportunity for innovation and stressed the importance of improved internet connectivity in meeting the challenge, (See Schools, page 3)
s Dozens of Blaine residents participated in a drive-by parade on April 4 celebrating Michaela Long’s 16th birthday. The parade included first responders, community members and one of Michaela’s favorite teachers. See our story on page 2.
Photo by Molly Ernst
Coronavirus cases continue to rise in Whatcom County By Oliver Lazenby Over the past week, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Whatcom County grew from 129 on March 31 to 238 on April 7, according to the Whatcom County Health Department. Nineteen in the county have now died from the respiratory illness; 12 of those deaths were reported in the past week.
As of April 6, there were 8,682 confirmed cases in Washington state and 394 deaths from the virus, according to the state department of health. Washington was an early epicenter in the U.S. coronavirus outbreak, but now about 10 states have more confirmed cases than Washington. As of April 7, there were more than 386,000 cases in the United States and 1.4 million around the planet, according to the Johns Hopkins
Coronavirus Resource Center. Recent numbers indicate that new transmissions of the illness may be slowing in Washington, and on April 6 the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) released a new, lower prediction of the total number of COVID-19-related deaths. The new analysis said the state can expect about 632 deaths, down from an earlier (See COVID-19, page 13)
By Jami Makan A man was arrested in Blaine in connection with the investigation of a vehicular homicide that allegedly took place on April 4 in Acme, Washington. At around 8 a.m. on April 4, two dog walkers at Acme’s South Fork Park called 911 after noticing what appeared to be a human body lying in the middle of a gravel access road in the park, according to a Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) news release. WCSO deputies arrived on scene and
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discovered that the victim had suffered significant trauma. They began an investigation and asked for people to contact the WCSO tip line if they had any information about what may have occurred in the park between 6 p.m. on April 3 and 8 a.m. on April 4. After notifying next of kin, WCSO identified the victim as 21-year-old Darian Sather of Sedro-Woolley. “Ms. Sather received serious traumatic injuries after it appears that she was struck by a motor vehicle in a parking area” at the park, said an update provided by WCSO. “Ms. Sather
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and two friends had gone to the park to meet with several other individuals between the hours of 6 and 7 a.m. [on April 4]. During the course of the meeting, the other individuals attempted to steal $250 from Ms. Sather and she attempted to stop them by reaching into the vehicle to grab her money back. The suspects took off at a high rate of speed with the victim clinging to the door. As they attempted to flee, Ms. Sather fell from the door and was struck by the vehicle and killed.” (See Murder, page 3)
INSIDE
Man arrested in Blaine on suspicion of murder
Letters . . . . . . . . . 4 Classifieds . . . . . 11 Crossword . . . . . . 14 Police/Sheriff . . . 14 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 14
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