June 13 - 19, 2024
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Childcare tax repeal heads to November ballots, page 5
Blaine High School awards, page 6
Ann Balfour retires from BHS with legacy, page 15
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Blaine High School seniors celebrate graduation Swimming advisory issued in Birch Bay By Grace McCarthy
(See Swimming, page 3)
s More than 100 Blaine seniors threw their caps in celebration for completing their high school careers in an outdoor ceremony at Borderite Stadium on June 7. See more photos on page 10. Photo by Nolan Baker
Blaine City Council approves parking changes By Grace McCarthy Blaine City Council recently approved a proposal that will give developers the option to have reduced downtown residential parking requirements in exchange for paying the city a fee for transportation improvements in the central business district. City council voted 5-2 on the parking text amendment during its June 10 meeting, with councilmembers Richard May and Sonia Hurt in opposition. Council then unanimously approved a one-time fee of $8,500 per parking stall that developers
who opt for minimum residential parking will pay. The fee would likely fund for new striping, city staff said, and council has the option to adjust the fee annually. “It’s my opinion that we won’t see a huge boom in development based off of this code change,” said Alex Wenger, the city’s Community Development Services director. “These are going to trickle in.” City staff has spent the past two years working on reducing residential parking requirements and increasing building heights for developers, who told city staff the city’s zoning code was making it difficult to re-
Gap in switch points caused train derailment By Grace McCarthy A train that derailed in Custer late at night June 4 appears to have been caused by a gap in switch points, according to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). Warren Flatau, FRA deputy director of public affairs, wrote in an email to The Northern Light that Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway reported to the federal administration that the 26-car train traversed a previ-
ously run-through switch when six of its cars derailed. “It appears the previous train left a gap in the switch points, causing this train to derail,” Flatau wrote. The train did not release hazardous materials nor were hazardous materials compromised, according to the FRA. The FRA is not formally investigating the derailment, but BNSF Railway is required to submit its depiction of the incident to the FRA. The administration is expected to publish the information
to its website, railroads.dot.gov/safety-data, in a few months. The train derailed near the 7700 block of Portal Way, between Arnie and Valley View roads, about 10:45 p.m. June 4. No loss of life or injury was reported. BNSF railroad officers had full control of the derailed train by 1 a.m. June 5 and the main railroad was operational during cleanup later that day, according to previous reporting from The Northern Light. BNSF Railway did not respond to questions for more information.
ceive a return on investment, especially on the west end of Peace Portal Drive. The city formed an ad hoc downtown advisory committee that met for the first half of 2023 before making a recommendation on building height and parking regulations to Blaine Planning Commission. Planning commission paused its review of the building height proposal as it mulled through its parking recommendation to city council. Commission ultimately recommended allowing parking relief for (See Council, page 3)
INSIDE
Whatcom County Health and Community Services Department (WCHCS) has put a swimming advisory in place for Birch Bay beach and tidelands north of Birch Bay State Park after high levels of fecal matter were found in the water during routine water sampling. WCHCS issued a no-contact advisory on June 6 for people and animals near Birch Bay waters and sand. Signs have been set along the area to warn people to swim at their own risk, as high bacteria levels may cause illness. Joshua Leinbach, WCHCS environmental health supervisor, said water quality results will be updated after more sampling is done later this week. Birch Bay is one of several Whatcom County beaches where county health officials have recently issued no-contact advisories for the water and sand. Health officials are also recommending people and animals stay away from Taylor Dock at Boulevard Park, Larrabee State Park and Wildcat Cove, and Little Squalicum Beach, all in Bellingham. “Look for signs before you participate in any beach activities because we don’t want people getting sick,” said Ron Warner, communications specialist at WCHCS. Leinbach said there are several possible contributing factors to higher levels of fecal matter in the water. Heavy periods of rain, which increase stormwater runoff, often increase water pollution, and sources of fecal contamination could come from wildlife, pets, septic systems or sewage, he said. Fecal contamination can cause stomach flu, skin rashes, upper respiratory infections and other illnesses, according to the Washington State Department of Ecology (DOE). DOE recommends people who’ve been in contact with contaminated water shower after swimming and wash their hands after being in the sand as illness-causing bacteria can survive
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