Dec. 30, 2021 - Jan. 5, 2022
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IN THIS
ISSUE
Inslee requests federal flooding assistance, page 5
B.C. residents have new test exemption, page 3
Blaine beats Lynden in historic game, page 6
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Holiday lights brighten the Peace Arch State Sen. Doug Ericksen dies at 52 By Grace McCarthy
(See Ericksen, page 2)
s International Peace Arch Association’s holiday lights lights up the snow-blanketed Peace Arch at the U.S./Canada border December 28. View more photos from the recent winter storm at www.thenorthernlight.com. Photo by Ruth Lauman
2021
year in
REVIEW
A look back at a year that just was
January • Birch Bay rang in the New Year with its annual Ring of Fire and Polar Bear Plunge events. • Blaine middle and high school students started hybrid learning after winter break. Grades 6-9 started with half-day in-person learning that alternated weekly to online learning, while grades 10-12 began in-person learning on January 6. • Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) deputy Derek Jones began working as Birch Bay’s neighborhood deputy on January 4. • A district judge ordered the release of the January 2020 CBP Iranian detention directive. • Investigations continued into the December 22, 2020 Custer train derailment, but officials declined to give any indication on
what caused the derailment. • Covid-19 cases skyrocketed to the highest they’d been during the pandemic. • A burglary of storage units at Pantec Mini Storage turned into a high-speed chase along I-5 on January 13. Three Whatcom County residents were arrested. • Whatcom County Public Works said the Birch Bay berm upheld well during king tide storms in mid-January. • The Covid-19 vaccine became available for people 65 and older on January 18. • Good Samaritan Society – Stafholt residents received their first Covid-19 vaccine on January 19 after the Blaine nursing home had a Covid-19 outbreak in spring 2020. • Blaine public works director Bernie Ziemi(See 2021, page 7)
INSIDE
Washington state senator Doug Ericksen, a longtime conservative member in the state Legislature representing Whatcom County, died on December 17. He was 52. Although his cause of death has not been confirmed, Ericksen had been battling Covid-19 after testing positive mid-November in El Salvador. Ericksen is survived by his wife, Tasha Ericksen, and their two daughters, Addi and Elsa. He was born and raised in Whatcom County, attending Cornell University for his bachelor’s degree and Western Washington University for his master’s degree in political science and environmental policy. He was elected to the state house of representatives in 1998 and served six terms before being elected to the state senate in 2010, serving the 42nd Legislative District 22 years total. “We are heartbroken to share that our husband and father passed away,” the Ericksen family wrote in a statement. “Please keep our family in your prayers and thank you for continuing to respect our privacy in this extremely difficult time.” Ericksen served as a ranking member on the environment, energy and technology committee in the state senate, as well as the higher education and workforce development committee. The Ferndale senator was known for his fierce pushback on the state’s Covid-19 restrictions and concern for families impacted by the pandemic mandates. In 2017, Ericksen served as the interim director of communications at the Environmental Protection Agency under former President Donald Trump. “Doug was one of the giants of the Washington legislature, a fearless voice for the principles he and his constituents held dear,” state senator Jeff Wilson (R-Longview) said in a statement. “Protection of individual rights and freedoms, preserving the people’s ability to influence their government, and maintaining good-paying jobs beyond the Seattle city limits. He delighted in calling state agencies and elected officials to account whenever they overstepped their bounds, as they so often do.”
Coming Up . . . . . 14 Classifieds . . . . . 11 Letters . . . . . . . . . 4 Police . . . . . . . . . 14 Sports . . . . . . . . . . 6 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 14
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This Week’s FLYER
Celebrate New Year’s in Birch Bay! Ring of Fire & Hope
December 31 • 7 pm
@TheNorthernLightNews
39th Annual Polar Bear Plunge
January 1 • Plunge at Noon
For more details, see ad on page 2 or visit birchbaychamber.com
Rite Aid
