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Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay
March 10 - 16, 2022
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IN THIS
ISSUE
Daylight saving time begins March 13
New cafe opens in Birch Bay, page 2
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Two Birch Bay homes lost to fires, page 3
Boys basketball competes at state tournament Blaine man sentenced to 10 years for 2020 border drug bust By Ian Haupt
s The Blaine High School student section cheers on its boys varsity basketball team in the Yakima Valley SunDome March 2. The boys basketball team ended its season at the state tournament after a 69-51 loss to Quincy. Read more on page 7. Photo by Janell Kortlever
Ukrainian invasion hits home for local residents By Grace McCarthy A 10-hour flight from Kiev, local residents of Ukrainian descent are feeling the heavy impact from Russia’s nearly twoweek invasion of Ukraine. Dolores Jordan, 83, sits in her kitchen on H Street. She holds a photo of her father, who emmigrated from Ukraine in the late 1920s, while above her hangs a photo of her Ukrainian mother, who immigrated to Canada with $10 in her pocket when she was 22 years old. “I used to go to the end of the bed and cry as a little girl, overhearing my dad talk about being captured by the Polish, Russian and German armies,” she said. Jordan remembers her father’s stories of experi-
encing extreme hunger and being so cold he cracked his teeth when drinking tea. “These stories have been in my heart all of my life.’” Jordan’s parents emmigrated to Canada right before the Holodomor, a man-made famine that killed millions of Ukrainians from 1932 to 1933. Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, threatened by Ukraine’s cultural autonomy, led the genocide by surrounding villages that didn’t meet unrealistically high grain quotas and restricting villagers to travel across Ukraine for food. “I want people to get used to hearing the word ‘Holodomor,’” she said. “If you wonder why Ukrainians are so brave and (See Ukraine, page 10)
INSIDE
An Abbotsford Provincial Court judge sentenced Blaine resident Zacchary Marcus Scott Hecock to 10 years in prison for smuggling 436 pounds of methamphetamine into Canada. At the time of the drug bust, Canadian officials described it as one of the largest amounts seized crossing the U.S./Canada border. In July 2020, Hecock and another U.S. citizen illegally crossed the U.S./Canada border near Mt. Lehman Road in Abbotsford, northeast of Lynden between Hammer and Southwell roads, on an ATV with a loaded trailer, according to a RCMP release. Between RCMP officers, the Abbotsford Police Department and U.S. Border Patrol agents, the two suspects were located. Hecock was apprehended on the scene and duffle bags containing 436 pounds of methamphetamine were seized. The second suspect fled the area, but was identified during the investigation. According to RCMP, no charges have been laid on the second suspect yet. Hecock pleaded guilty to charges of importing a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking on February 22. Hecock was sentenced to 10 years in prison, a 10-year firearm prohibition and a DNA order, according to RCMP. “I’m extremely proud of the daily work being done by the men and women of the Integrated Border Enforcement Team who work tirelessly to ensure our borders are secure while limiting the influx of toxic drugs into our communities,” Bert Ferreira, officer in charge of the B.C. RCMP Border Integrity Program, said in a statement. The RCMP statement said this case is an example of the effectiveness of the comprehensive border enforcement team, which continues to focus on proactive enforcement initiatives and intelligence sharing with partner agencies. “Their efforts have resulted in meaningful seizures and apprehensions, which continue in spite of the Covid-19 pandemic.”
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This Week’s FLYER
Rite Aid
19th Annual Wings Over Water Northwest Birding Festival
MARCH 18-20
... w o n e n i l n o R e g i s te r BIRDING
Y- F U N L ALL DAY BIRDING EXPO I M A F PAGE 2 FOR E E S IES l.com SATURDAY MARCH 19 • 10AM - 5PM A C T I V I T OverWaterBirdingFestiva ings Blaine Pavillion • 635 8th Street or visit: W
