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Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay
January 2 - 8, 2025
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IN THIS
ISSUE
Blaine man arrested for burglary, page 2
‘Murder hornet’ eradicated, page 2
Applications being accepted for Birch Bay Advisory Committee
Arts council brings new events in 2025, page 5
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Birch Bay rings in New Year’s Day 2025
By Grace McCarthy
s People braved the cold waters of Birch Bay for the annual Birch Bay Polar Bear Plunge on January 1. See more photos of how Birch Bay celebrated New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day on pages 8 and 9. Photo by Ruth Lauman
2024 year in
REVIEW
A look back at the year that was ...
By Grace McCarthy January • Blaine City Council reappointed Mary Lou Steward as mayor and appointed Rhyan Lopez as deputy mayor. • Former Blaine police chief Donnell Tanksley was ceremonially sworn in as Whatcom County Sheriff. • Joel Douglas started his first shift as Birch Bay neighborhood deputy for the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office. • Longtime school board member
Charles Gibson left Blaine school board after 17 years. • Bens Market Travel Plaza held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its opening off of State Route 543. The plaza contains a mini-market with Carl’s Jr, Cinnabon, Jamba Juice and Pizza Hut as well as a 76 gas station. • A design concept was unveiled to Blaine City Council for two buildings that would house a new Blaine library, affordable condominiums, parking and potentially a child care facility at the location of Blaine
High-speed rail project receives $50 million By Nolan Baker Washington state members of Congress announced the Cascade High-Speed Rail project has received $49.7 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Railroad Administration to begin planning the long-awaited project. The proposed railway would connect the Pacific Northwest’s major cities with high-speed train service running up to 250 mph. The funding, announced December 18,
comes from part of the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that was co-authored by Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA). The funding will go toward route planning, identification of capital projects and community outreach. The Cascadia corridor – a 345-mile stretch roughly following I-5 from Portland through Seattle, Bellingham, Blaine and into Vancouver, B.C. – is home to 10 million people and is expected to grow by 3-4 million people before 2050, according to the Washington State Transportation Commission.
According to a U.S. Census Bureau study, single-occupancy vehicles in the Cascadia Corridor emit 4.1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide each year. Roughly 900,000 people used Amtrak’s Cascades Route in 2024, a significant rebound after the only passenger rail service in the region drastically cut service during the pandemic. Representative Rick Larsen (D-WA), the lead Democrat on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee whose dis(See Train, page 5)
Public Library. The project was led by Kulshan Community Land Trust and Madrona Community Development in partnership with the Whatcom County Library System and city of Blaine. • Blaine Police Department hired new officers Travis Campbell and Reagan Ritzer. • The Birch Bay Beach Park moved up on the Whatcom County Parks and Recreation District’s priority list to request grant funding from the state. The 4.1-acre park (See Review, page 3)
INSIDE
Whatcom County is accepting applications to its newly formed Birch Bay Advisory Committee until Tuesday, January 7. Whatcom County Council approved the committee on December 3, 2024 to create an official group for Birch Bay residents to bring their input to the county. The group will be similar to the longstanding Point Roberts Community Advisory Committee, which provides advice and recommendations on behalf of its community to the county executive and county council. The committee will be made up of members who are appointed by executive Satpal Sidhu with a chairperson presiding over the committee. The term length is three years with two consecutive terms allowed. The committee will consist of representatives from the Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce, Blaine Birch Bay Park and Recreation District 2, North Whatcom Fire and Rescue as well as someone who lives or works in Birch Bay and three people who live within the Birch Bay urban growth area. The meetings will occur quarterly and include an open session for public comment. The meetings will be subject to the Open Public Meetings Act, with meeting minutes and recordings available on the county’s website. Appointments will be made either at the January 14 or 28 Whatcom County Council meetings, said Jed Holmes, spokesperson for the Whatcom County Executive’s Office. The term begins February 1. For more information on the Birch Bay Advisory Committee, visit the county’s website at bit.ly/4fuLUjK. To apply for the committee, visit the county’s website at whatcomcounty. us/1584/how-to-apply.
Coming Up . . . . . 14 Classifieds . . 11, 12 Letters . . . . . . . . . 4 Police . . . . . . . . . 14 Sports . . . . . . . . . . 6 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 14
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