January 16 - 22, 2025
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Woman arrested for child exploitation, page 2
Man arrested for homicide after shooting in Custer home
Emergency shellfish harvest closure, page 3
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Blaine figure skater heads to U.S. Championships, page 10
Paso del Norte reopens after nearly a year
By Grace McCarthy
s Owner Miguel Ramos stands in front of Paso del Norte, 758 Peace Portal Drive, ahead of it reopening on Thursday, January 16 after a kitchen fire closed it late last March. The Mexican restaurant will start with its regular hours, open seven days per week. Ramos asked customers to have patience as new employees have joined the restaurant. “We’re super happy and excited to get back to work,” Ramos said. “It’s going to be tough in the beginning. Have patience and don’t judge us too much.” Photo by Grace McCarthy
School funding town hall held in Blaine By Nolan Baker Students, staff and community members from Blaine, Mt. Baker and Ferndale school districts asked legislators to fix the state’s K-12 funding model during a town hall meeting at Blaine Middle School on January 7. A crowd of a few hundred packed into the Performing Arts Center to hear first-hand accounts of how budget restraints have worsened education for students, decreased working conditions for teachers and staff, and created ten-
sion among the community. The town hall was organized by Fund Schools Now, a grassroots advocacy organization that Blaine parents created after two consecutive years of budget cuts caused dozens of teachers and staff to lose jobs and numerous programs ended. State senator Sharon Shewmake (D-Bellingham) and state representatives Alicia Rule (D-Blaine) and Joe Timmons (D-Bellingham) listened to students and staff tell stories of libraries without full-time librarians, role model teachers being cut due to budget restraints, electives and activities
City leaders provide update to Blaine projects By Grace McCarthy Two Blaine city leaders provided updates on some of the city’s largest projects during a meeting with the Salishan neighborhood at Christ Episcopal Church on January 8. City manager Mike Harmon started the presentation, which he co-led with Alex Wenger, director of Community Development Services Department, and discussed the city’s priorities for 2025, reopening Yew Avenue, the Vehicle and Cargo In-
spection System (VACIS) project, a new library and other items of interest. Yew Avenue: Harmon said Yew Avenue repair designs are in the works over four years after historic flooding closed the roadway in November 2021. Construction will likely begin in 2026. “With FEMA dollars attached to it, we’re on their timeframe,” Harmon said. “We have to march to their drum.” Bell Road Grade Separation Project: Blaine City Council will likely vote on a
design contract for the Bell Road Grade Separation Project in mid-February. In 2023, the city of Blaine received $9.5 million in federal funding to pay for one-third of design work for the Bell Road Grade Separation Project, which will build an overpass above train tracks near Bell Road and Peace Portal Drive. Harmon said if the federal government fully funds the project, at an $80 million price tag, the proj(See City, page 3)
taken away, and the strain of underfunding landing on districts, teachers and parents forced to make up for the gaps. School funding gaps aren’t just a local problem, and state legislators are being asked to act during this year’s legislative session in Olympia. The state budget hit a high-water mark for education funding as a percentage of the entire budget in 2019, when 52.4 percent of state funding went toward K-12 education. In 2024, that figure was down to (See School, page 15)
INSIDE
A 43-year-old man was booked into Whatcom County Jail for second-degree murder after a fight broke out in a Custer home the night of January 11. Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) deputies were responding to a 10:27 p.m. call about a physical domestic incident in the 8300 block of Valley View Road in Custer when a ‘shots fired’ follow-up report was made, according to WCSO spokesperson Deb Slater. Deputies found Angel Rodriguez, 52, dead from multiple gunshot wounds when they entered the home. WCSO deputies learned both Rodriguez and Valentin Rivera, 43, were intoxicated and had been in a verbal argument. Witnesses told deputies that Rivera attempted to stop Rodriguez from driving under the influence, which led to Rivera allegedly shooting Rodriguez. The witnesses also said Rivera was known to carry a gun in the house, and he had consumed four shots of tequila and a beer, according to the affidavit of probable (APC) cause filed in Whatcom County Superior Court. WCSO also found Rivera had allegedly assaulted two other victims in the altercation, one of whom was transported to the hospital for stitches, according to the APC. Rivera was transported to PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham, where he was medically cleared, before being booked into Whatcom County Jail early on January 12 for second-degree murder. Rivera was also charged with second-degree assault and fourth-degree assault, both with domestic violence enhancements. Rivera’s preliminary appearance was January 13 in Whatcom County Superior Court. As of January 15, Rivera is being held in jail in lieu of $2 million bail. A search of state court records shows Rivera does not appear to have been arrested for a previous felony in Washington state. If you or someone you know is affected by domestic or sexual violence, the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services (DVSAS) 24-hour hotline is available at 360/715-1563 or 877/715-1563. Lummi Victims of Crime has a 24-hour helpline at 360/312-2015.
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