September 22 - 28, 2022
FREE
Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay HHHECRWSSHHH Postal Customer
IN THIS
ISSUE
Cherry Point awaits permit decision, page 2
Bellingham man struck, killed near Portal Way
LWV to host Sweet Road house fire intentionally started, page 3 candidate forums, page 5
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
BPD officers take virtual use-of-force training
By Grace McCarthy
s Blaine Police Department officers Devin Cooper, l., and Jordan Maphumulo stand outside of the Clear Risk Solutions trailer after virtual use-of-force training. Read more about the use-of-force training on page 15. Photo by Ian Haupt
Council to review voting ward boundaries By Grace McCarthy The city of Blaine is beginning to evaluate whether or not it will need to shift its voting ward boundaries to accommodate population changes in the 2020 U.S. Census. During its September 12 meeting, Blaine City Council unanimously authorized interim city manager Dave Wilbrecht to enter into an agreement not to exceed $21,000 with a consulting firm to manage the redistricting process. The money will likely come from the city’s remaining federal Covid-19 stimulus funds, according to a city memo, which totaled around $900,000 in August. After the meeting, the city hired Redmond-based Sammamish Data Systems
Inc., the same company that Blaine school district hired last fall for redistricting review, deputy city clerk Naomi Soulard said. The city hired an outside firm because it lacked the staffing capacity and redistricting experience to evaluate the ward boundaries on its own, according to the city memo. The city initially considered Flo Analytics for the redistricting process, but went with Sammamish Data Systems because the company offered less expensive services and the school district had a good experience with them, Soulard said. Blaine is divided into three voting wards: The first ward runs west of 6th Street to the city limits and between the U.S./Canada border and H Street; the second ward
Nearly $2 million of meth seized near border By Ian Haupt U.S. Border Patrol agents seized nearly 450 pounds of methamphetamine, estimated to be worth nearly $2 million, in a Blaine residential area near the U.S./Canada border. Around 10 p.m. September 9, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Blaine sector agents found an abandoned 2006 Hummer H3 with multiple large duffle bags containing a white crystalline sub-
stance. The substance was tested and determined to be methamphetamine. Based on Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) street value estimates, 450 pounds of methamphetamine is worth over $1.7 million. “Vigilant and steadfast, Blaine sector Border Patrol agents secure and protect our nation from those who wish to do us harm,” said Blaine sector chief patrol agent David S. BeMiller in a statement. “This seizure is an excellent example
of their commitment to this honorable mission by taking nearly 450 pounds of methamphetamine off the streets.” Special operations supervisor Guillermo Selva-Wuensch said an investigation to identify the suspects responsible is ongoing. He declined to comment on which residential area the vehicle was found. People can call 360/332-9200 to report suspicious activity in Blaine to the U.S. Border Patrol.
encompasses the downtown core west of Odell Road and runs south near the Bell Road intersection; and the third ward has Semiahmoo, a section west of Peace Portal Drive downtown, and Blaine Harbor to 6th Street. The city has two city councilmembers for each ward and one at-large councilmember for the entire city. Councilmembers Richard May and Kerena Higgins represent the east Blaine area, Garth Baldwin and Rhyan Lopez represent central Blaine, mayor Mary Lou Steward and Eric Davidson represent Semiahmoo and Mike Hill sits in the atlarge position. (See City, page 3)
INSIDE
A 49-year-old Bellingham man was struck and killed by a truck at the Portal Way and Loomis Trail Road intersection in the early morning of September 15. Dennis Genrich, 49, of Bellingham, died at the scene after he was hit walking in the road, wearing dark clothing in an area without street lights, Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) spokesperson Deb Slater wrote in an email to The Northern Light. WCSO, Blaine Police Department and fire personnel responded to a report of a person hit by a truck around 5:30 a.m., Slater wrote. The driver was traveling southbound on Portal Way while on his way to work when he hit Genrich. The driver faces no criminal charges, and WCSO deputies do not believe he was impaired. Washington State Patrol troopers arrived to investigate the accident, and Bellingham Police Department assisted with identifying Genrich through fingerprint scanning. Sections of Portal Way and Loomis Trail Road were closed until 9 a.m. that day. Whatcom County has had seven fatal pedestrian or bicyclist accidents in 2022. The Blaine accident and a September 10 accident on Lakeway Drive in Bellingham have yet to be added to the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) data, which currently reports five pedestrian or bicyclist accidents. There have been 13 fatal crashes so far this year in Whatcom County, according to the WSDOT data. There were three accidents involving a pedestrian or bicyclist in 2021 and 15 car accident fatalities. There have been 79 pedestrian fatalities and six bicyclist fatalities throughout Washington state in 2022. The WSDOT data shows there were 144 pedestrian fatalities statewide last year and 14 bicyclist deaths.
TheNorthernLight
Coming Up . . . . . 14 Classifieds . . . . . 11 Letters . . . . . . . . . 4 Police . . . . . . . . . 14 Sports . . . . . . . . . . 6 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 14
@TNLreporter
@TheNorthernLightNews
TheNorthernLight.com
ThisFLYERS Week’s
Rite Aid