Letters to the Editor

Name change won't change economy
The Editor:
I am writing in response to Joel Douglas� letter to the editor in the April 24 edition of The Northern Light. The last person who wanted to change our name no longer lives here. Blaine�s name may lack imagination to you, but your name does to me, so why don�t you change your name?
Do you really think calling us another name will change the economy in Blaine? It�s been a struggle because of the Canadian dollar and the freeway that by-passes us, among other things. The businesses here haven�t failed because of the name of our city. Changing our name will change the way the city does business?
Please explain that so we can do it now without the expense of changing our name. You bet it will cost money to do that � our school, city hall, fire department, police department, our businesses, post office and our personal IDs, etc. Your $1,000 won�t cover that. Get real.
Patty Croft
Blaine

Thanks for your support
The Editor:
We would like once again to thank all of the kind people who donated to the Christopher Walsh memorial funds. Due to your donations, a beautiful stone will be placed at Blaine Cemetery (hopefully) by Memorial Day.
He brought so much joy to our lives. He was truly an angel. He was so precious.
We will always love and miss him, though, we know he is now with God.
The Walsh Family
Blaine

Vote said no, house and senate say yes
The Editor:
We, the voters of this state, have just been given the middle finger by both the house and senate when they passed the gas tax. Last November, we as voters said a loud no to any form of a gas tax, not a five cent tax, nor a four cent tax, no tax period.
This should show the people of this state how much you can or cannot trust your representatives to act on your wishes. These people have no regard for the expressions of the people, but only what lines their pockets.
Don�t become brain dead over this issue and remember when they try to retain their seats at the next election vote them out as fast as your little finger can pull the lever.
David White
Blaine

Here we go again
The Editor:
Here we go again! Regarding Mr. Douglas� letter (The Northern Light, April 24 issue), where was he in November 2000 when we resolved this issue?
Mr. Douglas� suggestions that the Blaine city council �establish a renaming committee� and �that a list of the best selections could be made available to the voters in a poll � if the council chooses to do so� makes no sense to me. Is Mr. Douglas hinting that the city council should ignore the vote that decided this already and just force the residents of Blaine to accept a name change anyway?
The cost of changing over to a new name for Blaine is still prohibitive. It is even less financially feasible now than it was two and a half years ago. A cash prize for the person with the winning name doesn�t help with the costs for businesses and residents to change every thing over to that name.
And where did this figure of �nearly 110 businesses in 60 months closing their doors� come from? Times may be tough, but we haven�t lost that much. Some businesses may have closed, but more than a few have opened and seem to be doing well. We have several new restaurants, a new home decor store, a Shell station, and a new tax accountant, as well as another attorney just added to a local practice. Blaine Marine Services has opened another location in Semiahmoo. And the famous Bordertown Tavern has relocated and is better than ever.
When Mr. Douglas signed his letter, he listed his residence as Bellingham. Why should he care what name our town has? The people of Blaine made it clear once already that we like our name. It�s part of our history, whether it�s imaginative or not.
If Mr. Douglas and his friends want to do something good for Blaine, why don�t they donate that money to the Family Service Center or the Blaine Boys & Girls Club or the skate park that will hopefully be built soon. Then our kids will sparkle, like Blaine and the waters it sits beside! Stephanie G. Pierce
Blaine

New home for fitness nuts
The Editor:
I want to thank all the people of Blaine, Custer and Birch Bay who have encouraged me to open Harbourside Fitness Club. They have come to my classes, encouraged friends to come, moved with me from site to site and spent six months outside at Marine Park exercising.
We have had a great time as vagabond fitness nuts, but now we have a home for our classes and programs. We have a full weight room, showers, massage, daycare and tanning. And we have great kids� programs developing as people in the community step up to the plate with their skills to share with the kids of our community through quality programs. Thanks to the Blaine school district for getting me started here three years ago, Joanne Freeman in particular and to the city of Blaine for their great part. It�s worthy of using in an �on location� aerobics video. Thanks to the Blender for letting us use their space and to Randy at the Boys and Girls Club of Blaine for all his help to keep classes going when we had no place to meet.
We hope to become a hub for wholesome lifestyle activities in Blaine, a social hot spot, and an educational facility to help all members of the community develop and maintain good health and a positive outlook on life through our kids programs, yoga, pilates, aerobics and strength training, as well as senior classes, weight loss programs, competitive cycling clinics and Drayton Harbor Running Club. We hope to have an impact in the community. This has been my dream for over a year, as the desire of the community became known to me.
The old Sign Post building was a pleasant surprise, as it almost seems built just for our club. Come in and have a look. Membership discounts remain through May 4, at only $25 per month. Pick up a class schedule.
We officially open Friday May 2, 4 � 8 p.m., Saturday, May 3, 10 � 4 p.m., and Sunday, May 4, 1 � 4 p.m. Monday May 5 we start Monday through Friday from 5:30 a.m. � 8:30 p.m., Saturdays 7:30 a.m. � 7:30 p.m., and Sundays 10 a.m. � 6 p.m.
Mary MacDonald
Blaine

Run to the Border a community success
The Editor:
I would like to thank the many volunteers, sponsors and organizations that made this year�s second annual Run to the Border a great community success!
Special thanks again to the Blaine school district for use of their facilities, Blaine public works for their support, and the Blaine police department for their assistance on race day.
I�d also like to thank local businesses for their support of sponsorship and prize donations. Among many businesses, supporters included Cost Cutter, Coast Physical Therapy, Whatcom Physical Therapy, Blaine Chiropractic Center, Nature�s Path, Beachwood Resorts, Mike Kent of Windermere, People�s Bank, and Harbourside Fitness Club.
Other Whatcom county businesses deserving recognition for their support of the Girl�s on the Run are Bob�s Burger and Brew, Bellingham Athletic Club, Jazzericise, Bikram Yoga, Fairhaven Runners and Runningshoes.com.
Mark your calendar for the third annual Run to the Border April 24, 2004!
Dan Persse
Blaine, WA

Letters Policy
The Northern Light welcomes letters to the editor; however, the opinions expressed are not those of the editor. Letters must include name, address and daytime telephone number for verification. Letters must not exceed 350 words and may be edited or rejected for reasons of legality, length and good taste. Thank-you letters should be limited to 10 names. A fresh viewpoint on matters of general interest to local readers will increase the likelihood of publication. Writers should avoid personal invective. Unsigned letters will not be accepted for publication. Requests for withholding names will be considered on an individual basis. Only one letter per month from an individual correspondent will be published.

Please send your letter to:
225 Marine Drive, Blaine, WA 98230 or fax 360/332-2777.
E-mail:editor@thenorthernlight.com

Letters Policy

The Northern Light welcomes letters to the editor; however, the opinions expressed are not those of the editor. Letters must include name, address and daytime telephone number for verification. Letters must not exceed 350 words and may be edited or rejected for reasons of legality, length and good taste. Thank you letters are limited to five individuals or groups. A fresh viewpoint on matters of general interest to local readers will increase the likelihood of publication. Writers should avoid personal invective. Unsigned letters will not be accepted for publication. Requests for withholding names will be considered on an individual basis. Only one letter per month from an individual correspondent will be published.

Please email letters to letters@thenorthernlight.com