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October 17 - 23, 2024

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42nd Legislative District candidate Q&A, page 3 2024

WINNER OF

Thanksgiving Basket program, page 5

PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230

Port OKs another contract under 100K, page 12

Downtown Blaine festivals celebrate fall

62 AWARDS The Northern Light

See page 15

November ballots mailed to voters, ballot processing begins Oct. 18 By Grace McCarthy

s Blaine Oyster Fest and the Blaine Harbor Harvest Festival brought crowds to downtown on October 12 for a celebration of local seafood and fall festivities with live music, a street fair and youth activities. See more photos on page 10. Photo by Ruth Lauman

Blaine City Council appoints new councilor By Grace McCarthy

In a 5-1 vote, Blaine City Council appointed Eric Lewis to step in as the Ward 1 Position 2 councilmember during its October 14 meeting. “I still want to be able to look at Blaine with fresh eyes. I don’t want to make any assumptions about Blaine,” Lewis said after the meeting. “I’m going to be energetic, out and about researching and learning. I want to improve things for the people of Blaine. I’m very excited.” Lewis is filling the vacancy left empty in August by Kerena Higgins, who moved out of the ward. The seat serves east, southeast and part of central Blaine. Lewis said he wanted to maintain the (See Election, page 8) tjohnson;Seattle;Clean Air Heating & Cooling;C33432-154586;10x2-4C (24Fa-B1)beauty and stability of Blaine, while supReceive up to $1,500 in rebates when you purchase the Ultimate Comfort System™*

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porting “common sense” development for the city. He said he wanted to prioritize improving the city’s disaster preparedness and envisioned a centrally located facility for performing arts and artwork that would have a permanent place in the community. Lewis moved to Blaine with his family in 2009 and is a semi-retired electrician. He’s a member of Blaine Community Theater and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9474 in Custer as well as a duty officer for the American Red Cross. Lewis holds bachelor’s degrees in psychology and biochemistry from Western Washington University and a master’s degree in forensic science from Arizona State University, which he obtained in (See City council, page 2)

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INSIDE

November 5 general election ballots will be arriving on Whatcom County voters’ doorsteps any day as ballots were mailed on October 16. Voters may cast their votes immediately upon receiving their ballots, though the official tabulation won’t start until October 18, according to the Whatcom County Auditor’s Office. The auditor’s office asks people contact the office if their ballot is damaged or they don’t receive one by Wednesday, October 23. Ballots may be returned to one of the 24 official drop boxes in Whatcom County by 8 p.m. Election Day, Tuesday, November 5. Ballots may also be returned by mail if postmarked by November 5. In addition to helping with ballot replacements, the auditor’s office is available to help people register to vote and has an accessible voting unit for people needing visual or audio technology aids to vote. Online, people must update their voting address or register to vote at votewa. gov by Monday, October 28. The auditor’s office also needs to receive voter registration forms, which are available on its website, by October 28. No stamp is needed to return ballots either by drop box or by mail. After October 28, people can still update their address or register to vote, but they must do so at the auditor’s office before 8 p.m. Election Day. The auditor’s office scheduled ballot logic and accuracy testing for October 11 and October 17. Ballots will begin being processed daily, including week-

Coming Up . . . . . 14 Classifieds . . 11, 12 Letters . . . . . . . . . 4 Police . . . . . . . . . 14 Sports . . . . . . . . . . 6 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 14

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