May 9 - 15, 2024
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Sidhu and Elenbaas to attend incorporation meeting, page 2
Sexual harassment investigation, page 2
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Blaine clinic gets closer to construction, page 9
New Birch Bay Blessing of the Fleet holds 40th ceremony coffee shop provides unique offerings with waterfront views By Grace McCarthy
(See Baywood, page 5)
s Gary Farrow, a member of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, lays a wreath in Semiahmoo Bay to honor local fishers who have lost their lives at sea. The laying of the wreath concluded the 40th annual Blessing of the Fleet ceremony on May 5. More photos on page 10. Photo by Ruth Lauman
Ecology officially begins Nooksack adjudication By Nolan Baker After years of preliminary work, the Washington Department of Ecology (DOE) filed for a general adjudication of the Nooksack watershed in Whatcom County Superior Court on May 1, officially starting the lengthy legal process for water rights. The Nooksack watershed, or Water Resource Inventory Area 1, as DOE refers to it, covers western Whatcom County, with the exception of two small areas south of Bellingham, and parts of north Skagit County. Water adjudication is the process of determining, through
the courts, who has priority of rights. The DOE expects the adjudication process to involve claims from 30,000 unique water users including local governments, the Lummi Nation and Nooksack Indian Tribe, and anyone who uses surface or groundwater outside of municipal services. Those who use water through a municipal utility such as Blaine or Birch Bay Water and Sewer District will not need to make a claim. Affected water users will not have to act until DOE issues a legal summons in the summer, sent via certified mail to every person claiming a water right, according to a May 2 DOE press release.
Man’s death downtown Blaine ‘likely drug related’ By Grace McCarthy Blaine Police Department (BPD) closed a section of Peace Portal Drive as it investigated a death the morning of Friday, May 3. No foul play is suspected, according to the department. Blaine officers were dispatched at 9:23 a.m. and found a 31-year-old white man dead in a portable toilet at the intersec-
tion of Peace Portal Drive and Boblett Street, BPD sergeant Tim Richardson wrote to The Northern Light in an email. The man was identified as Austin D. Davis of Wenatchee. Richardson wrote that the death was likely drug related, and didn’t know how long the man had been dead before officers were called. Debbie Hollis, operations manager at
the Whatcom County Medical Examiner’s Office, said the cause and manner of death was pending further studies and results could take up to three months. Law enforcement in another jurisdiction notified the next of kin, Richardson wrote. The police department closed Peace Portal Drive from Cherry Street to Clark Street for about 30 minutes while it conducted the investigation.
After receiving the summons, water users will have one year to return the claim form with supporting evidence. “The legal process is a necessary step to resolve water management issues so that we can plan for future water supply needs of this growing region,” wrote Robin McPherson, DOE’s adjudication manager, in a statement “Ecology is committed to providing a variety of ways to help people understand and participate in the process.” The Nooksack River has never had such a demand, which is why DOE deter(See Water, page 13)
INSIDE
A new Birch Bay coffee shop with beachside views and the goal of becoming a community hub has opened just in time for summer. Baywood Coffee celebrated its grand opening May 3 in the former Birch Bay Teriyaki building at 8036 Birch Bay Drive. “There’s so much potential in this area, having it so close to the water and a center spot of Birch Bay,” owner Antonie Inthavong said. “I really envision this being a place where everyone hangs out.” For the 27-year-old, owning Birch Bay businesses runs in his family. His grandfather, Young Kim, moved to the U.S. from Korea after serving in the Vietnam War and saved until he could open Birch Bay Teriyaki in 1996. Inthavong’s parents took over the teriyaki restaurant and then sold it in 2011 to open Nami Asian Bistro in Lynden. They then purchased his grandfather’s business, Beachwood General Grocery Store, and opened Skai Sushi inside in 2019. When Birch Bay Teriyaki went up for sale a few years ago, Inthavong’s family repurchased it to provide him the chance to run his first business. The coffee shop will have an expansive menu, serving both in-house items, such as baked goods and breakfast sandwiches, in addition to bagels from Otherside Bagel Company in Bellingham, specialty cookies and other baked goods from L&L Bakery in Blaine and Hammerhead Coffee Roasters in Bellingham. The cafe will scoop up 12 flavors of Umpqua ice cream and four flavors of gelato, with an option for affogato, an Italian espresso-gelato dessert. Baywood will also serve a dessert not found elsewhere in Birch Bay: Bingsu, Korean shaved ice made with milk and topped with sweets. More in-house food will be introduced
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