September 1 - 7, 2022
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Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay HHHECRWSSHHH Postal Customer
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Semiahmoo golfers donate to food bank, page 4
Whatcom County Council roundup, page 5
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Discover Birch Bay Days, page 7
Blaine schools welcome back students West Coast leaders gathering in Semiahmoo Christine Gregoire to keynote Peace Arch community event By Grace McCarthy
(See Conference, page 3)
s Blaine Elementary School staff greet students outside school doors as they return for the first day of school on August 31. Photo by Ian Haupt
City to kick off inaugural oyster festival By Grace McCarthy Blaine is about to have an oyster festival. The Blaine Tourism Advisory Committee (BTAC) recently approved a motion for the city to start planning a downtown oyster festival for Saturday, October 8. The festival will bring attention to Drayton Harbor’s water quality and oyster farm and will feature an oyster cook-off, shucking contest, outdoor beer garden, family-friendly games and live music. “This is all pretty new still so details are
still coming together,” said Alex Wenger, the city’s tourism and economic development coordinator. “I’m excited to have a festival this fall. Hopefully, it will be good weather and we can really connect with the community and talk about clean water, clean harbors and celebrate our local oyster farm.” Drayton Harbor Oyster Company (DHO) will work with a team of judges to put on an oyster cook-off at H Street Plaza from local restaurants, Wenger said. DHO will host an oyster slurping and shucking contest where competitors will try to
Blaine man arrested in Yakima for kidnapping and attempted murder charges across state By Ian Haupt A Blaine man with multiple felony warrants was reportedly arrested in Yakima County August 3. Months prior, he allegedly shot a man in Ferndale and then shot at Lynnwood police who identified him as having a warrant out for his arrest. Lane Scott Phipps, 26, of Blaine, was wanted on felony warrants for first-degree kidnapping, first-degree assault and unlaw-
ful possession of a firearm in Snohomish County and second-degree attempted murder in Whatcom County. He was booked into Snohomish County Jail August 8. Several witnesses reported seeing Phipps argue with a man at a residence outside of Ferndale June 14 before shooting him in the chest, according to an affidavit of probable cause (APC) filed in Whatcom County Superior Court. Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office depu-
ties responded to a report of a male who was shot in the 6000 block of Aldrich Road around 7 p.m. June 14. Witnesses at the scene said a black car pulled into the driveway and the driver, later identified as Phipps, started arguing with a man who he had a “beef” with, for about 15 minutes, video surveillance showed. The black vehicle then started pulling out of the drive(See Phipps, page 3)
down as many oysters as they can in a limited time. H Street Plaza will have a beer and wine garden and DHO will sell raw and BBQ oysters. Kids activities and educational booths on water quality will be set up at G Street Plaza. The newly-established Blaine Arts Council is expected to have nautical-themed fine arts exhibits and sales, Wenger said. He also encourages festival-goers to arrive early to receive t-shirts.The Bilongo quintet, whose lead singer is Blaine’s very own Sabrina Go(See Festival, page 2)
INSIDE
Leaders in cross-border West Coast government, business and academia will meet at Semiahmoo Resort for a climate action conference Monday, September 12 and Tuesday, September 13. A free community gathering will follow at Peace Arch Park on September 13 to honor the historic landmark’s symbol of allied cross-border relations. Microsoft and the Cascadia Innovation Corridor (CIC) are hosting the sixth annual CIC conference, “Cascadia 2050 Vision: Moving to climate action.” Governor Jay Inslee, B.C. premier John Horgan, Oregon governor Kate Brown, California governor Gavin Newsom and Microsoft president Brad Smith are expected to attend. CIC is an initiative that focuses on connecting business leaders, academics and government officials to strengthen ties from Portland, Oregon to Vancouver, B.C. CIC is led by the Business Council of B.C. and Challenge Seattle, a group of over 20 of the Seattle area’s largest CEOs – from Costco to REI – to address civic issues. The initiative focuses on topics such as sustainable agriculture, higher education, technology, cross-border movement, housing and transportation, according to its website. Conference featured speakers will include Bob Keefe, executive director of E2, a company promoting clean energy policy; Sherri Goodman, senior fellow at the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program; Tamara Vrooman, president and CEO of Vancouver Airport Authority; Steve Metruck, Port of Seattle executive director; and Curtis Robinhold, Port of Portland executive director. Chief sustainability officers from large companies and leaders
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