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Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay
October 14 - 20, 2021
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IN THIS
ISSUE
Blaine City Council candidates, page 3
Blaine High School homecoming, page 7
Brooks gets six months in prison, page 10
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Election ballots are in the mail By Grace McCarthy
(See Election, page 2)
s The Borderite football team led Blaine to a 36-13 homecoming victory game against Shorewood on October 8.
Border announcement brings an early Christmas present B y P a t G r u bb Following months and months of increasing pressure from federal, state and local politicians as well as business and civic groups, the Biden administration has announced the northern and southern U.S. borders will reopen to vaccinated, non-essential travelers early next month. The measure includes ferry travel between the nations. Essentially, the move will harmonize air, land and sea travel between countries. The announcement was made October 12 by Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, who said, “In alignment with the new international air travel system that will be implemented in November, we will begin allowing travelers from Mexico and Canada who are fully vaccinated for COVID-19 to enter the United States for non-essential purposes, including to visit friends and family or for tourism, via land
and ferry border crossings,” said Secretary Mayorkas. “Cross-border travel creates significant economic activity in our border communities and benefits our broader economy. We are pleased to be taking steps to resume regular travel in a safe and sustainable manner,” he concluded Previously, air travelers from Canada were allowed to enter regardless of vaccination status. Once the new rules for air, land and sea travel are implemented in November, the border will be effectively closed to non-vaccinated travelers. Travelers at land borders will be asked their vaccination status but will not need to produce documentation unless they are directed for secondary examination. Unlike current Canadian measures, they will not be required to provide a negative Covid-19 test result taken within the last 72 hours. As long as travelers have taken a
Drayton Harbor no-shooting zone established By Grace McCarthy In a narrow 4-3 vote, Whatcom County Council voted October 12 to create a no-shooting zone in Drayton Harbor within 1,000 feet of the shoreline. The vote concludes a two-year battle between the city of Blaine, waterfowl hunters and tribal representatives to find an agreement in the dispute, and was decided just days before hunting opens in Drayton Harbor on October 16. Councilmembers Ben Elenbaas, Kathy
Photo by Ian Haupt
Kershner, Rud Browne and Tyler Byrd voted in support; while Carol Frazey, Barry Buchanan and Todd Donovan were in opposition. County council voted on the no-shooting zone during their October 12 meeting, following a public hearing where three speakers gave their comments on the issue. The vote was continually delayed as council tried to bring all parties together for compromise. Council’s vote will amend Whatcom County Code 9.32 to create a no-shooting
zone in Drayton Harbor that will either be 1,000 feet from the high-tide mark of the shoreline or Blaine city limits. The previous buffer was 300 feet. Council was originally considering a total ban on shooting in Drayton Harbor, but as a compromise, introduced a 1,000foot buffer in June to align with Lummi Nation rules that don’t allow tribal members to use firearms within 1,000 feet of an occupied house, according to the re(See Drayton, page 13)
WHO-approved vaccine, they will be eligible for admission. It is not known if travelers who have taken mixed vaccines eg. one dose of Moderna and another dose of Pfizer will be considered fully vaccinated. The CDC is currently studying whether mixed-dose regimes are effective. In January, the vaccination requirement will be extended to previously exempt cross-border essential workers and students. “For 19 long months, our border communities have lived in a state of hardship and frustration, waiting month-to-month for news that the northern border would reopen and they could begin to move past this crisis,” said Congresswoman Suzan DelBene in a statement released October 13. “In that time, families have moved elsewhere, businesses have closed, and some communities are unrecognizable (See Border, page 15)
INSIDE
November general election ballots should be arriving shortly in voters mailboxes, now that the Whatcom County Auditor’s Office mailed them October 13. Ballots need to be postmarked by November 2 if returned by mail (no stamp needed) or dropped in one of the 21 ballot boxes in Whatcom County by 8 p.m. November 2. The nearest ballot boxes for Blaine, Birch Bay and Custer residents are the Blaine library at 610 3rd Street, North Whatcom Fire and Rescue station at 4581 Birch Bay-Lynden Road and Custer Elementary at 7660 Custer School Road. “These races and measures are really important because they impact [residents] in their day to day lives,” Whatcom County auditor Diana Bradrick said. “It’s an important election so we hope people vote.” People may also vote by visiting the auditor’s office in suite 103 at 311 Grand Avenue in Bellingham. The auditor’s office is open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Walk-in appointments are welcome, but people must wear their masks regardless of vaccination status. Ballot drop boxes open October 13, as well as the voting center in the auditor’s office. Voters should wait until Wednesday, October 20 to contact the auditor’s office about not receiving a ballot, Bradrick said. The deadline to register to vote online and by mail is Monday, October 25. After then, people will need to register to vote or change their voter registration at the auditor’s office. Bradrick recommends voters don’t mail their ballots after Thursday, October 28 if they want their ballots to arrive by Election Day. If voters wait until Election Day to mail ballots, Bradrick said people should know the last pick-up time for their mailbox or post office. The security sleeve is optional, but ballots must be signed and returned in its
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