February 23 - March 1, 2023
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Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay HHHECRWSSHHH Postal Customer
IN THIS
ISSUE
House fire sends 1 to hospital, page 3
BBWSD receives clean audit, page 4
New curio sells local crafts, page 8
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
BPD receives grant for officer wellness program By Grace McCarthy
(See BPD, page 2)
s Cael Button wrestles Justyce Zuniga of Toppenish High School at the Mat Classic XXXIV in Tacoma February 18. Zuniga won this semifinal match and went on to become state champion. Button won his remaining matches to finish third. Photo by Ryleigh Schmitt
Blaine wrestlers place at state championships By Ian Haupt Blaine wrestling returned from the state championships in Tacoma this weekend with two runner-up finishes and a third and fourth place along with a top 10 finish for both girls and boys teams. Senior Genesis Vazquez and junior Victor Gervol placed second in their respective weight classes. Senior Cael Button placed third after losing to the eventual state champion in the semifinal, and junior Lucyanna Dahl took fourth. Blaine girls wrestling took eighth
overall, finishing the two days of wrestling in the Tacoma Dome with 24 points. Vazquez scored 24 points and Dahl added 20 points to the team total. Toppenish High School won the girls 1B/2B/1A/2A championship with 299 points. White River came in second with 110 points and Royal came in third with 70.5 points. Blaine girls wrestling head coach Damon Higgins said this was the team’s best overall finish at the state tournament. “It’s fantastic,” he said. “The girls tore it up this weekend.”
Car crashes into Birch Bay Family Medicine By Grace McCarthy A man experiencing a medical emergency crashed into the Birch Bay Family Medicine clinic while driving 60 mph on February 19. A 76-year-old man was driving about 20 mph over the speed limit on Birch Bay-Lynden Road when he struck a boulder in front of the medical clinic before hitting the building. The driver was likely experiencing a medical-related incident that caused him to lose control of the ve-
hicle and not stop at the intersection of Birch Bay-Lynden and Harborview roads, said Jon Ahrenholz, North Whatcom Fire and Rescue (NWFR) division chief of operations. NWFR units from Birch Bay, Blaine and Laurel as well at the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office responded to the crash at about 11:45 p.m. on February 19, Ahrenholz said. The man, who was the sole occupant of the vehicle, was transported to St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham under advanced life support. The man sus-
tained a concussion. The car sustained major front-end damage, while the medical clinic didn’t have major damage, Ahrenholz said. Birch Bay Family Medicine was open on February 20. “Birch Bay Family Medicine is open and operating normally. The damage was primarily to the exterior of the building, along with some damage to interior walls in the waiting room and front area,” Fam(See Crash, page 3)
Higgins said Vazquez is a tenacious and gritty wrestler. Vazquez had faced her championship opponent before, he said, and this time she happened to get the better of Vazquez. Vazquez lost by fall at 2:58 to Sophia Torrez of Toppenish. Higgins said Dahl has finally started putting it all together. She has an amazing shot, or takedown, which makes her opponents stay away from her. She left everything on the mat, he said. Dahl lost by fall over three minutes in to both the quarterfi(See Wrestling, page 6)
INSIDE
Blaine Police Department (BPD) received a $50,000 grant for an officer wellness program that will focus on improving officers’ mental and physical health. The grant will provide officers with education courses, therapy sessions and a gym membership. BPD chief Donnell Tanksley, in partnership with TouchStone Counseling, was awarded the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission (WSCJTC) grant in December. “The mental health risk often times goes unaddressed,” Tanksley said. The state legislature gave the WSCJTC a one-time allocation to build up officer wellness programs across the state. WSCJTC grants and outreach program manager Susan Rogel said all 28 police departments and sheriff’s offices that applied received funding. Bellingham Police Department was the only other organization in Whatcom County to apply for the grant, she said. Tanksley said BPD didn’t have a wellness program because it didn’t have the funds or space. While the department had policies in place to address wellbeing, it didn’t have the resources to address mental health other than crisis training. TouchStone director of health Erika Creydt helped Tanksley put together an education class series for officers led by Blaine mental health professionals. The education series, which started February 15 and runs until mid-March, will cover topics such as trauma, critical incidents, substance abuse, family dynamics, burnout, self-care, psychological body armor, support systems and suicide prevention. “I think the first training went well,” Creydt said. “I’m excited to do the others.” Officers have the option to attend five sessions at TouchStone Counseling on Martin Street. “It’s been a really stressful time for law enforcement these last few years and they’ve sacrificed a lot to keep our community safe. It’s important they have the
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