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Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay
August 8 - 14, 2024
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BLI director of aviation fired, page 2
Drayton Harbor Maritime Festival, page 10
Sand Sculptures and Rollback Weekend, page 15
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Aloha Cafe brings new food to downtown Blaine County looks for new medical examiner after investigation By Grace McCarthy
s The Aloha Cafe opened its doors at 684 Peace Portal Drive in downtown Blaine on August 2. The new cafe serves sweet and savory topped mochi waffles, Hawaiian and Korean shaved ice, milk tea and other specialty drinks. Read more on page 2. Photo by Louise Mugar
Preliminary August primary results tallied By Grace McCarthy
Preliminary results for the August 6 primary election have clearly established which candidates will be on November general election ballots. The election is a top-two primary, meaning the two candidates with the most votes advance to the November general election, regardless of party. About 22.8 percent of the county’s 162,390 registered voters turned in their ballots by 8 p.m. Election Day. There were 37,070 ballots counted election night and the Whatcom County Auditor’s Office estimated another 15,530 ballots were left. The auditor’s office expects to receive more ballots that are still in the mail or from late arriving ballot boxes before the election is certified on August 20. Proposition 2024-17, authorizing a property tax levy lid lift for Fire Protection District 21, also known as North Whatcom Fire and Rescue, was failing by a wide margin. The ballot measure was failing with 56.4 percent (3,411 (See ME Office, page 3) votes) of Whatcom County voters in opposition and 43.6 percent (2,633) in support. tjohnson;Seattle;Clean Air Heating & Cooling;C33432-154586;10x2-4C (24Su-B1)
The fire district measure would increase the property tax collected for the fire district from its current $0.76 per $1,000 to $1.10 per $1,000 in assessed home value. The funds would go toward hiring more personnel, upgrading fire engines and replacing the aging Station 63 in Birch Bay. The fire district twice went out for levy rate increases in 2021, failing both times. For 42nd Legislative District Representative Position 1, incumbent Alicia Rule (D) was barely ahead of fellow Blaine resident Raymond Pelletti (R). Rule, who had 46.8 percent (11,662) in support, will face Pelletti in November, who had 46 percent (11,481). Democrat Janet Melman came in third with 1,751 votes. For 42nd Legislative District Representative Position 2, incumbent Joe Timmons (D) will go against Kamal Bhachu (R) in November. Timmons received 52.8 percent of the votes so far (13,121), while Bhachu received 47.1 percent (11,721). Public Utility District No. 1 Commissioner District 2 will have incumbent Atul Deshmane and Dan Johnson facing each
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other in November, with Deshmane receiving 45.2 percent support (5,134) and Johnson 41.4 percent (4,705). Incumbent Maria Cantwell (D) and Dr. Raul Garcia (R) will be on the November (See Election, page 6)
INSIDE
Whatcom County executive Satpal Sidhu has terminated the medical examiner’s contract following the receipt of a report by an outside attorney that found deficient practices in how the medical examiner’s office handled remains. Medical examiner services had been contracted with Dr. Allison Hunt of Hunt Forensics. The Whatcom County Executive’s Office released the 24-page investigation report from Bellingham-based Bundy Law Firm on August 5. Kris Bundy, the attorney leading the investigation, found the incident to be an isolated event. The report can be viewed online at bit.ly/46AFf51. “The report does not provide certainty to the exact facts of this situation, and such certainty may not be attainable. However, the report shows that the Medical Examiner’s Office had gaps in protocols which could have mitigated risks of operations while they were in a temporary, rented morgue facility (Moles Farewell Tributes & Crematory) during the county’s morgue renovation,” according to the county news release. The county’s investigation did not uncover any evidence that Moles was at fault in this incident. Sidhu has asked staff to search for a new medical examiner. Last spring, two bodies were found severely decomposed after being kept in an uncooled garage at Moles Farewell Tributes and Crematory Center during the hot weekend of May 10, a violation of state law that initiated investigations from Whatcom County and the Washington State Department of Licensing, according to previous reporting from The Northern Light. While undergoing construction, the medical examiner’s office had been renting an area for a morgue and autopsies at Moles’ Bayview Chapel in Bellingham, with additional refrigeration space in Ferndale. The funeral home discovered no one had picked up the bodies after staff returned to work that Monday. Company president John Moles had previously stated the funeral home was not
Coming Up . . . . . 14 Classifieds . . 11, 12 Letters . . . . . . . . . 4 Police . . . . . . . . . 14 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 14
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