November 18 - 24, 2021
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IN THIS
ISSUE
Canada expected to stop Covid-19 testing, page 2
City brainstorms east Blaine financing, page 3
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Chuckanut Bay Foods has new owners, page 5
Border businesses receive $2.6 million By Grace McCarthy The state department of commerce awarded Covid-19 relief grants to over 100 Whatcom County businesses impacted by the U.S./Canada border closure, accounting for more grants than any other county. The Border Business Relief Program was the latest round of funding from the Washington State Department of Commerce’s Working Washington grant series to help businesses suffering from Covid-19 economic impacts and is the first specific to border town communities. Only businesses in Whatcom and nine other counties reliant on Canadian customers could apply. The total $2.6 million statewide award amount was announced on November 10 after the two-week application window closed mid-October. Whatcom County had the highest number of businesses receiving grants of any other county, 107, which was more than half of the total number of businesses, 206, to receive grants throughout the state, according to data the department of commerce provided to The Northern Light. In total, Whatcom County received $1,479,386 in grants, which means the average business award was $13,826. This is about $1,200 more than the average grant award statewide of $12,680. Skagit County had the second highest number of grants given, 29, and Clallam had the third highest, 23. With three each, Ferry and Stevens counties had the least number of grants awarded. Twenty percent of applicants received the grant, said Penny Thomas, spokeswoman for the state department of commerce. “Clearly, the need is great,” she said. Thomas said the agency won’t release the names of businesses that applied and businesses that were awarded until the program closes December 31. Although the program closes at the end of the year, Thomas said the agency is working to distribute grants before then. “We are working hard to get as many
s Gail Morgan of Birch Bay Village leaves her flooded home after rescuing her two cats. Heavy rains caused flooding of Birch Point Road which runs parallel to Morgan’s home. Photo by Ruth Lauman
(See Grants, page 2)
(See Flood, page 6)
County crews grapple with devastating flood East county is forced to evacuate, while roads like Birch Bay-Lynden are washed out
Devastating floods that hit Whatcom County earlier this week forced hundreds of evacuations for residents along the Nooksack River and have emergency responders scrambling to understand the extent of damage to homes and tattered roads. After heavy rainfall over the weekend, governor Jay Inslee declared a severe weather state of emergency on Monday, November 15 for 14 counties, including Whatcom and Skagit, which bore the brunt of the storm. While Blaine and Birch Bay saw record-setting amounts of rain-
fall that allowed people to kayak through downtown streets, low-lying areas near the Nooksack River such as Everson, Nooksack, Sumas and Ferndale were hit the worst, displacing over 300 in emergency shelters. Whatcom County emergency responders from the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) Division of Emergency Management, Whatcom County Public Works Department, Washington State Department of Transportation and city of Bellingham gathered in a quickly-assembled media briefing Tuesday, November 16. Emergency personnel were still responding to the historic event and couldn’t give much de-
Boule civil case goes to U.S. Supreme Court, could expand First Amendment rights By Ian Haupt A civil case between Smuggler’s Inn owner Bob Boule and a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent has made it to the U.S. Supreme Court. Boule sued border patrol agent Erik Egbert for harassment after the agent suspected Boule of smuggling a Turkish immigrant through the U.S./Canada border. After Boule reported Egbert to his supe-
riors following the incident, the agent reported Boule to the IRS and other government agencies. The case could expand the court’s precedent to claims filed against border patrol agents under the Fourth and First amendments. Smuggler’s Inn is only steps away from the U.S./Canada border and 0 Avenue. The bed and breakfast has allegedly been used for illegal border crossings and drug traf-
ficking. According to the court petition, Egbert had previously gone to the inn to apprehend people illegally crossing the border, and repeatedly stopped at the inn on his patrols. The petition also says Boule had served as a paid government informant whose information prompted multiple arrests of his guests but, more recently, been suspected (See Boule, page 3)
tail to the flood damage during the conference, emphasizing they needed more time to assess. But they said water levels were receding as the rain stopped Tuesday. “This event was larger than our recent historical high of 1990, and that is the standard we’ve used for most of our gauging,” said county public works director Jon Hutchings, referring to severe flooding in November 1990. “It will be interesting as we monitor and assess the high water marks to really understand how much water actually moved down the Nooksack River, came from lowland flooding and
INSIDE
By Grace McCarthy
Coming Up . . . . . 14
Classifieds . . . . . 11 Letters . . . . . . . . . 4 Police . . . . . . . . . 14 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 14
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