June 15 - 21, 2023
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Westman Marine cleanup public comment, page 3
Blaine City Council news, page 5
BHS Class of 2023, page 8
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Jorgensen remembered for service to Blaine community By Ian Haupt
(See Jorgensen, page 3)
s Que Onda Fusion Cuisine opened at 442 Peace Portal Drive on June 10. The co-owners of Bordertown Mexican Grill opened the restaurant to offer global cuisine in downtown Blaine, including Mexican, French, Italian and Thai food. Photo by Grace McCarthy
Que Onda Fusion Cuisine opens downtown By Grace McCarthy A restaurant offering a variety of dining options just opened in downtown Blaine. Que Onda Fusion Cuisine celebrated its grand opening at 442 Peace Portal Drive on June 10. The Northern Light previously reported that Bordertown Mexican Grill co-owners Nelly Santiago and Abi Garcia owned the restaurant. The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner from across the world from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, according to a Facebook post from
Bordertown. A sampling of the breakfast menu includes crepes, a T-bone steak platter, bagel sandwich and sausage burrito. The lunch menu has 20 offerings that include spaghetti, chimichanga, asada fries, pork barbeque, pad Thai, pizza, hot dog, tuna melt, chimichurri sub, potatoes flautas, salmon platter and fish and chips. Que Onda serves beverages, including beer and soda, as well as a few desserts and appetizers. In January, Santiago and Garcia purchased the former Rustic Fork building
Motorcyclist dies from Birch Bay crash injuries By Grace McCarthy A Blaine motorcyclist succumbed to his injuries less than a week after he was hit by a truck whose driver didn’t see him at the intersection of Blaine and Anderson roads in Birch Bay on June 6. William R. Fleischer, 58, died at St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham on June 11, Washington State Patrol (WSP) trooper Kelsey Harding said. The driver of a gray 1998 Ford F150 failed to yield at a stop sign as he turned
from the eastbound lane of Anderson Road onto northbound Blaine Road around 3 p.m. June 6. The truck hit the front of a black 2004 Harley Davidson motorcycle driving southbound on Blaine Road, according to the WSP report. WSP initially told The Northern Light in an email that the truck’s driver had failed to stop at the stop sign. However, the WSP investigation found the truck’s driver stopped at the stop sign but failed to see Fleischer. The truck’s driver will receive a ticket for failing to yield, Harding said, adding that
the driver’s actions don’t meet the criteria for a criminal charge of negligent driving. Fleischer was not wearing a helmet that complied with U.S. Department of Transportation regulations, according to WSP. The truck’s driver was not impaired and both he and his passenger were unharmed, according to the WSP report. Both vehicles were totaled. The truck’s driver was booked into Whatcom County Jail on an unrelated warrant after the accident and was released June 7.
to become Que Onda, their first brickand-mortar restaurant. The remodeled space has garage doors at the front of the building that open during nice weather. In 2016, Santiago and Abi opened Bordertown Mexican Grill as a taco truck under another name in the parking lot of Hill’s Chevron and later moved into Bordertown’s current location between Starbucks and the Blaine Visitor Information Center in 2019. Santiago previously said Bordertown will remain open. Santiago and Garcia couldn’t be reached by press time.
INSIDE
Former Port of Bellingham commissioner, Blaine science teacher, fisherman and community leader Jim Jorgensen died June 8. He was 83. During his 60 years in Blaine, Jorgensen initiated the building of Blaine Marine Park, oversaw Whatcom County development, co-founded a birding festival and taught science to thousands of middle and high schoolers. Jorgensen was born in Spokane and graduated from Enumclaw High School. He graduated from Western Washington State College with a bachelor’s degree in education. In 1963, he started teaching at Blaine Middle School. After five years, he moved to Blaine High School where he taught various high school science courses, including geology, ornithology and astronomy, for 25 years. Jorgensen ran his own salmon charter business during the summer for 40 years out of the Blaine marina. He took former professional golfer Arnold Palmer – who was in town for the dedication of Semiahmoo Golf and Country Club – out in 1987 to catch a 27-pound Chinook salmon. He also taught classes to local fishermen around the same time. In the same year, Jorgensen proposed the idea to build a park in the area that is now Blaine Marine Park to Blaine City Council. He organized a committee and secured grant funding for its construction. Jorgensen ran for Port of Bellingham commissioner in 1994 after retiring from teaching. He was elected and served three fouryear terms, where he oversaw Bellingham International Airport’s expansion project and helped secure funding to clean up Bellingham’s waterfront district. Port executive director Rob Fix said in a statement that Jorgensen’s love for learning and teaching made him a great leader. “He cared deeply for the environment and served on the commission during a critical time period when generational decisions were being made in Blaine and Bellingham about how to best overcome a legacy of heavy in-
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