November 7 - 13, 2024
FREE
Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay HHHECRWSSHHH Postal Customer
IN THIS
ISSUE
BHS theater to hold opening performance, page 4
Football ends postseason run, page 6
Veterans Day, page 8-9
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Morale crisis Windstorm leaves Birch Bay without power rocks sheriff’s office, undersheriff Harris reinstated By Nolan Baker
(See Undersheriff, page 2)
s Puget Sound Energy (PSE) crews work on fixing two power lines that a windstorm knocked down at the corner of Harborview and Birch Bay-Lynden roads on November 4. PSE crews shut off power after discovering live wires on the ground and switched people to other power sources as they worked. About 470 people were without power until 7 a.m. November 5, PSE spokesperson Gerald Tracy said.
Photo by Chuck Kinzer / ckimageart.com
November 2024 election results come in By Grace McCarthy The November 2024 election was a landmark race with many races and measures on the ballot, with everything from the next president of the U.S. to who would serve as state representatives for the 42nd Legislative District. So far, 66 percent of Whatcom County ballots have been counted, or 110,127 ballots, with an estimated 12,000 left to go, according to the Whatcom County Auditor’s Office. State-wide, 53 percent of Washington voters’ ballots have been counted, or
2,643,144 ballots, with another 798,865 ballots needing to be processed, according to the Washington State Secretary of State Elections Division. The next count was scheduled to be tallied at 5 p.m. November 6. To view the latest Whatcom County tabulation, visit results. vote.wa.gov/results/20241105/whatcom. Federal The AP called the 2024 presidential race after Wisconsin’s electoral votes were determined, naming former president Donald J. Trump the next president of the U.S. in the early hours of the morning Pacific
Port rejects tax increase amid revenue challenges B y P a t G r u bb Port of Bellingham commissioners voted Tuesday night to reject a proposed one percent property tax increase for 2025, even as the agency faces significant revenue challenges from the loss of a major airline carrier and ongoing terminal rehabilitation work. Commissioners Ken Bell and Bobby Briscoe voted against the tax increase, while commissioner Michael Shepard
supported it. The decision came during the public hearing for the Port’s 2025 draft budget, which projects operating revenues to decline to $26.4 million from $28.7 million in 2024. The steepest revenue drop comes from Bellingham International Airport, where the departure of Southwest Airlines in early 2024 has led to a 35 percent reduction in aviation revenue, falling from $8.1 million to $6 million. Southwest previously accounted for 40
percent of passenger traffic at the airport. The Marine Terminals division also faces a significant revenue decline, dropping from $4.7 million to $3.3 million due to ongoing rehabilitation work at the Bellingham Shipping Terminal. This temporary setback is part of a larger investment strategy, with $20.3 million budgeted for terminal improve(See Port, page 2)
Time. As for Whatcom County’s support, current vice president and opponent Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz received 61 percent (66,243) of votes, while Trump and future vice president JD Vance received 36 percent (39,679) of the votes. Incumbent U.S. senator Maria Cantwell (D) won re-election against Raul Garcia (R) having received 60 percent of the votes versus 40 percent for Garcia. Incumbent Rick Larsen (D) will retain (See Election, page 15)
INSIDE
An independent investigation has exposed significant morale problems at the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO), stemming from a contentious 2023 election where many deputies and detectives supported a former undersheriff who lost the race, according to a report released to the public on November 4. Whatcom County Undersheriff Steve Harris had been on paid administrative leave since August 30 after WCSO employees made multiple allegations against him. Whatcom County Sheriff Donnell Tanksley reinstated Harris as undersheriff on November 1 and released a report regarding this on November 4. The report was released after little information had been given on the investigation and The Northern Light had filed a public records request for the report. The investigation, conducted by attorney Jeffery M. Wells, found “significant distrust” between Harris and certain WCSO employees, creating a work environment “where benign conduct and or changes in practices are viewed suspiciously.” The report also stated “the distrust runs in both directions” with Harris questioning the motives of certain WCSO employees due to those employees’ perceived allegiances to previous WCSO leadership prior to the 2023 election. The county hired Williams, Kastner & Gibbs, a Seattle-based law firm, to conduct an independent investigation after multiple allegations against Harris were filed by WCSO employees. The report published 32 allegations of Harris fostering a hostile work environment, retaliation, discrimination, code of conduct violations, unprofessionalism and other concerns, according to the report. Some, but not all, allegations were determined to be unfounded by the investigation. One recurring complaint lodged against
Coming Up . . . . . 14 Classifieds . . 11, 12 Letters . . . . . . . . . 4 Police . . . . . . . . . 14 Sports . . . . . . . . . . 6 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 14
TheNorthernLight.com TheNorthernLight
@TNLreporter
@TheNorthernLightNews
Foundation This Week’s FLYERS ChuckanutFSIHealth Save