February 22 - 28, 2024
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IN THIS
ISSUE
Open house on downtown revitalization set, page 3
Three Blaine wrestlers medal at state, page 6
February special election precinct results, page 8
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Presidential primary ballots to be mailed across Whatcom County By Nolan Baker
(See Primary, page 9)
s From l; Blaine Chamber of Commerce executive director Jacquee Sovereign, mayor Mary Lou Steward and store owner Martha Bermudez celebrate the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Bella Boutique and Consignment at 625 Peace Portal Drive, next to G Street Plaza, on February 18. The business sells clothing for juniors, men and women, as well as accessories and small home decor.
Photo by Ruth Lauman
Bella Boutique and Consignment opens By Grace McCarthy The recent opening of a new boutique and consignment store means clothing retail is back in downtown Blaine. Bella Boutique and Consignment held a ribbon-cutting ceremony during the February 18 grand opening of its Peace Portal Drive location. The store sells clothing for juniors and adult men and women, accessories and small home decor. Owner Martha Bermudez opened the first Bella Boutique and Consignment in Ferndale in 2021. Bermudez said she
thought Blaine was a cute town and liked that the building was on the city’s main street, making it a nice location to open a second store. “I hope that it can thrive and we can be here for a really long time,” she said. “I hope that we can offer good-quality clothes at affordable prices to everybody locally, and for us to be established as part of the business community.” The store is about 90 percent consignment and has a small boutique section. The second-hand clothing prices average about $10-15 per piece, with brand
Catholic Community Services Recovery Centers opens in Birch Bay Square By Grace McCarthy A center providing outpatient treatment and other support for people experiencing substance use disorders is set to open in Birch Bay Square in early March. Catholic Community Services Recovery Centers (CCSRC) will hold an open house of its facility from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, March 1 before opening for patients Monday, March 4. The center is located
at 8115 Birch Bay Square Street, building 1, suite 138, across from the Windermere Real Estate office. “We have, for a long time, wanted to be more central to north county so that people needing treatment services had a closer place to get treatment,” said Donna Wells, director of CCSRC Northwest. The Birch Bay Square center will be the fifth location for CCSRC, which already has centers in Bellingham, Burlington,
Marysville and Everett. At its Birch Bay location, CCSRC will offer assessments available first-come, first-serve to walk-in patients from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Upon assessment, center staff will determine whether someone needs treatment and, if so, to what level. The center offers outpatient care one to two times per (See Treatment, page 2)
name items costing more. Downtown Blaine was left without a clothing store when Mulder’s Fundraiser Charity Boutique closed last February. Bella Boutique and Consignment is currently accepting light winter and spring clothing, and will accept summer clothes in late March. The store takes any brand, as long as the clothing is in good condition and recently washed. The store is not taking children’s clothing right now, but Bermudez said she may (See Boutique, page 2)
INSIDE
Ballots for the upcoming presidential primary were scheduled to be mailed to all 160,021 registered Whatcom County voters starting February 21, with an election day deadline set Tuesday, March 12. Voters will be asked to choose who they want in the race for the nation’s presidency, in what is appearing likely to be a rematch of the 2020 election with incumbent Joe Biden to face former President Donald Trump in the November general election. Presidential primary elections in Washington state require voters to declare an affiliation with either the Democratic or Republican party in order for their primary vote to count. Voters do not have an option to identify as unaffiliated or independent, and their party choice will not affect how they can vote in future elections. Minnesota congressman Dean Phillips will appear alongside Biden on the Democratic ballot, while former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley joins Trump as the only two actively campaigning Republican candidates on the ballot. A number of candidates who announced the suspension of their campaigns after Washington state submission deadlines will also be on the primary ballots. Democrat candidate Marianne Williamson, and Republicans Chris Christie, Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy will appear on the primary ballot, despite all dropping out of the race in recent weeks. Ballots can be returned as soon as they are received, and will be accepted by mail or in official ballot drop boxes by 8 p.m. March 12. Stamps are not needed to mail a ballot, but must be postmarked by March 12. Blaine’s ballot box is located at the Blaine Public Library parking lot at 610
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