January 9 - 15, 2025
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IN THIS
ISSUE
Whatcom Hospice to hold bereavement series, page 3
Washington State Parks free days, page 5
Keeping watch on diabetes this winter, page 9
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Boys basketball win cross-border clash
2024
year in
REVIEW
City of Blaine By Mike Harmon, Blaine city manager
(See Blaine, page 2)
s Senior guard Josiah Weeda goes up for a layup in the first half of Blaine’s 66-44 win over Surrey Christian on January 6. The win snapped a six-game losing skid for the Borderites. Read more game coverage on page 7. Photo by Nolan Baker
2024
year in
REVIEW
A look back at the year that was ...
By Grace McCarthy (This is the second of a two-part Year in Review. January-June was published in the previous issue of The Northern Light.) July • The Washington State Department of Agriculture asked Blaine and Birch Bay residents to monitor and report sightings of the northern giant hornet, also known as ‘murder hornets,’ starting July 1. • Thousands of people descended to downtown Blaine for Blaine’s Old-Fashioned Fourth of July.
• Blaine Arts Council held a soft opening for its new gallery at 922 Peace Portal Drive. • Volunteers picked up 10,640 pounds of trash along the Birch Bay shoreline during the annual July 5 cleanup. • The city of Blaine hired Jennifer Spidle as finance director. • North Whatcom Fire and Rescue chief Jason Van der Veen said Birch Bay Station 63 needed to be replaced due to a slate of problems including structural concerns on the training tower, an outdated building layout and the cost of maintaining an aging building. The levy lid lift in the August primary
Birch Bay Budz among string of marijuana stores burglarized in ‘crash-and-grabs’ By Grace McCarthy The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) is asking the public for information on three recent ‘crash-and-grab’ burglaries of marijuana dispensaries, one of which occurred in Birch Bay. A black sedan with no license plates that Redmond Police Department verified as stolen backed into the front of Birch Bay Budz in Birch Bay Square just before 6 a.m. December
28, 2024, WCSO public information officer Amy Cloud wrote in an email to The Northern Light. The WCSO was unable to provide how much money was stolen or lost from damages. Four people, including the vehicle occupants, fled on foot after raiding the store. “We welcome any information from others who may know anything about the theft or the suspects involved,” Cloud said. “Please phone 911 with your information.” Two other marijuana dispensaries have
been targeted over the past couple of weeks. Dank of America’s location just north of Bellingham was burglarized in a similar incident on December 24, 2024, according to KIRO 7, and Between the Ferns in Deming was burglarized about 2:30 a.m. January 3, 2025, Cloud said. In all cases, the suspects backed stolen vehicles into the businesses during the early (See Burglary, page 2)
election would, in part, provide kick-starter funds for replacing the station. • Blaine Harbor Music Festival brought a week of live music to Blaine with its music camp, free noon concerts, street fair and more. • Kroger and Albertsons announced the store locations across the country it planned to sell if the two grocery giants merge, including six in Whatcom County. • The latest Covid-19 variants “FLiRT” and LB.1 created a summer surge nationwide, though Covid-19 remained under control (See Review, page 3)
INSIDE
As we reflect on the year 2024, it is clear that our city has made significant strides across a variety of departments, demonstrating commitment to growth, efficiency and community engagement. This year, the City of Blaine has experienced many milestones, each contributing to the continued success and development of our community. The City Clerk’s Office had a year of achievements, beginning with the successful recruitment and hiring of key personnel. Notably, we welcomed a new finance director and police chief to our team. Additionally, the clerk’s office processed a record number of public record requests, reviewing approximately 50,000 emails to maintain transparency and public trust. This past year also marked a significant milestone for our electrical division, which is now fully staffed for the first time in several years. A fully staffed electrical utility is vital for the ongoing maintenance of our power grid and ensures the reliable delivery of electricity to Blaine residents. In addition, phase one of the city’s policy manual overhaul was completed, with phase two expected by mid-2025. The finance and IT departments saw a year of significant change and progress. In July, we welcomed Jennifer Spidle, CPA, as the new finance director. One of the major initiatives of 2024 was the successful implementation of phase one of the city-wide transition to a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. This transition, which will consolidate three software programs into one, promises to significantly streamline financial processes by spring 2025. The city also completed the 2022-23 financial audit with a clean audit opinion and we updated our purchasing policy
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Coming Up . . . . . 14 Classifieds . . 11, 12 Letters . . . . . . . . . 4 Police . . . . . . . . . 14 Sports . . . . . . . . . . 7 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 14
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