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Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay
June 2 - 8, 2022
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IN THIS
ISSUE
Lots going on in city council, page 5
Faulkner places first at state track meet, page 7
Community meeting on Inverness, page 10
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Blaine city manager Michael Jones resigns By Grace McCarthy
(See Jones, page 6)
s U.S. Border Patrol agents assess the threat situation on Blaine school district’s main campus the afternoon of May 25 after a female student received text messages threatening to kill her and shoot up the school. Blaine Police Department officers arrested a juvenile boy suspected of sending the texts May 28. No one was injured and no weapons were found. Photo by Molly Ernst
Blaine police arrests boy suspected of making school threats that rattles community By Grace McCarthy Blaine Police Department (BPD) officers arrested a Blaine Middle School student who is suspected of making anonymous threats serious enough for school district administrators to put the main campus in lockdown on May 25. The boy was arrested after sending additional threatening text messages that he said were meant to be a prank, according to BPD. No weapons have been found. BPD officers were notified of threatening text messages sent to three Blaine students on May 27, similar to the messages sent
May 25 that threatened to kill a female student and shoot up her school, according to a BPD statement. Police learned of another threatening text at 12:45 a.m. May 28 and contacted the male student who received it by phone. BPD officer Jon Landis questioned the student about inconsistencies in his story and the boy admitted he had sent all of the text messages as a prank, according to BPD. The suspect used a third-party app to send the messages anonymously. Police initially tracked the messages to a city in Alabama because the app allows the user to select phone numbers from a list, making the
Sheriff’s office uses less-lethal tactics to arrest Blaine man for firearm endangerment, eluding deputies By Grace McCarthy Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) deputies arrested a Blaine man who attempted to elude deputies after firing a gun unsafely on May 30. Around 6:30 p.m. on May 30, Ferndale residents in the 3800 block of Bay Road reported that someone was firing a firearm unsafely and bullets were going over their heads, according to a WCSO report. WCSO spokesperson Deb Slater said the
suspect was unsafely shooting through an abandoned barn. A resident wrote down the license plate of the silver 2018 Dodge 1500 owned by the suspect, who sheriff’s deputies identified as 31-year-old Michael Robert Gubser of Blaine. Deputies attempted to stop Gubser in the 8400 block of Harborview Road but he drove away. State law prevented deputies from pursuing Gubser but they observed him get his truck stuck in mud after he drove into a grassy field. WCSO deputies
set up containment between Harborview, Anderson, Shintaffer and Lincoln roads and tracked him with K-9s. A resident in the 5000 block of Lincoln Road reported a man on their property around 1:15 a.m. May 31, and deputies found Gubser hiding in a lean-to shed. WCSO deputies used a FN 303, a less-lethal projectile launcher, on Gubser after he refused to cooperate, according (See Firearm, page 3)
messages anonymous. Landis arrested the boy in Bellingham and booked him into Whatcom County Juvenile Detention Center around 1:22 a.m. on May 28. The boy was arrested on felony charges of cyberstalking, harassment and threats to bomb or injure property, BPD lieutenant Michael Munden said. Police are in the process of obtaining a search warrant as of June 1. Munden said the boy doesn’t have previous incidents with BPD where he was a suspect but had previously been listed as (See Lockdown, page 2)
INSIDE
City manager Michael Jones resigned on June 1 after 15 years working for the city of Blaine, nearly four of which were as city manager. Jones will start a position as county administrator for Island County, which includes Whidbey and Camano islands. “It has been an honor to serve as the city manager and community development director for the city of Blaine,” Jones wrote in his departing announcement. “Although I’m sad to leave this team of employees, I’m excited for the opportunity with Island County.” In 2007, Jones began as the city’s permit manager before becoming the community development director. He served as interim city manager when former manager David Wilbrecht retired and was appointed city manager in September 2018. Jones’ resignation letter marked the sale of the city’s Gateway property, east Blaine development and leading the city through the pandemic and U.S./Canada border closure as his biggest accomplishments as manager. Jones studied hospitality management in college and worked in resorts across the country before his civics career, according to a previous article in The Northern Light. Jones earned his bachelor’s degree from Western Washington University in geography and environmental resource management in 1998. He worked as a GIS analyst and environmental analyst in California before working as a senior planner for the city of Ferndale. “As I grew up, I started to realize I really like to be involved in making places and being a contributor to the world around me,” Jones said. “It’s the idea of making a difference in people’s lives and the places we live.” Blaine mayor Mary Lou Steward thanked Jones for his work to the city. “Michael Jones has been a very, very dedicated city manager and has accomplished a lot for the city of Blaine,” Steward said. “We wish him all the best in his new position and
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