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Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay
June 8 -14, 2023
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IN THIS
ISSUE
Stage one burn ban starts June 9, page 2
New Burger King traffic revision, page 3
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Whatcom County labor market update, page 15
Birch Bay stop signs installed near Horizon
Class of
2023
page 7
Motorcyclist hospitalized after Birch Bay crash By Grace McCarthy
(See Accident, page 5)
s Whatcom County Public Works Department employees installed two stop signs at the intersection of Birch Bay Drive and Birch Point Road on June 6 despite Birch Bay residents having voiced strong opposition to the signs earlier this year. The signs were put up for southbound traffic exiting the new Horizon development on Birch Point Road and westbound traffic on Birch Bay Drive, at the top of the curve near the intersection. Eastbound traffic on Birch Bay Drive will have the right-of-way. Photo by Ruth Lauman
Blaine school board candidate, former camp director arrested on suspicion of child abuse By Grace McCarthy Records filed June 5 in Whatcom County Superior Court provide more detail on a Blaine school board candidate who was arrested on suspicion of child rape, assault and possession of a controlled substance. Tana Perkins Reneau, 51, was booked into Whatcom County Jail on June 2 on charges of child rape in the first, second and third degrees; four counts of assault of a child in the second degree; and possession of a controlled substance, Whatcom County Sheriff’s
Office (WCSO) spokesperson Deb Slater wrote in an email to The Northern Light. Slater stated that Child Protective Services reported the child abuse to WCSO on May 19. According to the affidavit of probable cause (APC) filed in Whatcom County Superior Court, four children, ages seven to 14 who were known to Reneau, reported they had been physically and sexually abused by Reneau as punishment. The children also told investigators that Reneau called them racial slurs, accord-
City council presented with more affordable downtown revitalization project By Grace McCarthy Blaine is expected to receive downtown improvements but possibly not to the extent once planned. Blaine City Council is reviewing a more affordable version of the downtown revitalization project it was presented last fall, after asking city staff to slim the multi-million dollar project in light of an anticipated $1 million shortfall in the city’s general fund.
The project is aimed to beautify downtown Blaine through improvements such as streetscaping and a newly designed Martin Street parklet, all of which city staff hopes will grow tourism and economic development. Improving ADA accessibility will also be a large project component. Council was presented the revised project during its May 22 meeting and the Blaine Public Works Department has solicited project bids. Interim public works
director Gary McSpadden said after the meeting that he didn’t have an estimate on how much money the revised project would save. Last September, council was asked to vote on a $620,000 engineering design contract with Seattle-based KPG Psomas for the project, which was initially estimated to be $2.83 million. The project was (See Downtown, page 3)
ing to court documents. During an interview at Brigid Collins Family Support Center, the children reported that Reneau sexually assaulted them. One child was sexually assaulted as punishment for perceived stealing and another child was sexually assaulted after being beaten, according to the APC. Court records show the physical abuse included Reneau forcing some of the children to sleep nude in the shower, pinching (See Reneau, page 2)
INSIDE
A Blaine motorcyclist is being treated at the hospital for injuries sustained in a car accident at Blaine and Anderson roads on the afternoon of June 6. The driver of a gray 1998 Ford F150 failed to stop at a stop sign as he turned from the eastbound lane of Anderson Road onto Blaine Road around 3 p.m. June 6, according to a Washington State Patrol (WSP) release. The truck hit the front of a black 2004 Harley Davidson motorcycle driving southbound on Blaine Road. The motorcyclist came to rest on the truck’s hood, with both vehicles blocking the intersection. The motorcyclist, 58, was transported to St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Bellingham. PeaceHealth spokesperson Beverly Mayhew said the patient was in critical condition as of June 7. Though both vehicles were totaled, the WSP memo showed the truck’s driver and passenger were wearing seatbelts and unharmed. No drugs or alcohol were involved in the accident, according to WSP. WSP trooper Kelsey Harding said in an email that the truck’s driver will be cited for the cause of the collision because he failed to stop at the stop sign. Harding said it was unlikely that the driver would face criminal charges because he was not impaired nor driving recklessly. Harding said failing to stop at a stop sign is negligent but reckless driving would require more unsafe driving behavior that
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