• Birch Bay celebrated New Year’s Eve with lights along the shoreline for the Ring of Fire and Hope and then rang in New Year’s Day with the 42nd Polar Bear Plunge.
• The Blaine community hosted its first Fund Schools Now town hall that brought Blaine, Mt. Baker and Ferndale school districts together with state legislators to discuss fixing the state’s K-12 funding model.
• Blaine’s Liam Kapeikis finished eighth in the 2025 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas
• O’Reilly Auto Parts opened its doors in Blaine.
• Birch Bay Community Advisory Committee held its first meeting after being created by Whatcom County Council to represent Birch Bay.
• Bow Wow & Woofs owner Heather Campbell’s cairn terrier, Talisker, won best of breed at the 149th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.
•A growing number of Canadians shunned U.S. travel, destabilizing Blaine businesses and causing layoffs to mailbox stores.
• A planning summit on MERIS was held at Semiahmoo Resort. MERIS (Marine, Econo • my, and Research Institute for Sustainability) was an envisioned Blaine marine center on Blaine Harbor that would be used for marine research, education and tourism.
• Wings Over Water Northwest Birding Festival held its 22nd festival.
• About 100 Blaine High School students walked out to protest the possibility of cuts to theater and band.
• For the third consecutive year, the Blaine school board approved budget cuts to tighten the district’s already barebones budget by $3 million.
• “Peace, Love and a Handshake” rallies were held every weekend to show support for cross-border neighbors and opposition to tariffs and talk about making Canada the 51st state.
• U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) held a roundtable discussion with leaders from Blaine, Surrey and Point Roberts to discuss how the Trump administration’s tariff war and threats to Canada were impacting border towns.
• The Blessing of the Fleet honored local fishers lost at sea during the 41st ceremony.
• Nirwan Law Corporation, a personal injury firm, opened in Blaine.
•Blaine-Birch Bay Park and Recreation District 2 hosted Blaine Borderline 5K Run, which started and ended in Blaine Marine Park.
•Roadrunner Express Car Wash opened in Blaine.
•Birch Bay Carts and Rentals celebrated its grand opening before Memorial Day Weekend.
• The Port of Bellingham commission voted to remove executive director Rob Fix during its June 3 meeting. The commission named director of maritime Tiffany DeSimone as the interim director.
• Mike Hill announced his resignation from Blaine City Council due to personal reasons.
• Ttowa Sushi, an Asian fusion restaurant, celebrated its grand opening in downtown Blaine.
• The Bellingham Scottish Gathering returned to Blaine Marine Park for a second year.
• D’Oldhams opens in the American Legion, serving classic American diner breakfasts.
• Birch Bay Waterslides reopened with over $1 million in renovations.
• Former Sultan superintendent Dan Chaplik was sworn in as interim Blaine superintendent.
• Family Care Network started treating patients at Blaine Family Medicine. It was the first clinic to operate in Blaine since April 2020.
• The Bridge Community Hope Center opened The Way Cafe, with proceeds funding the nonprofit’s services.
• Blaine-Birch Bay Park and Recreation District 2 took over management of the Blaine Community Center/Senior Center and senior programming.
• A home improvement store, 1 Stop Interiors, opened in Blaine.
• Blaine’s Old-Fashioned Fourth of July parade brought thousands of people to Blaine on July 4.
• Blaine Harbor Music Festival took over Blaine, bringing with it free concerts and classes for students.
• Blaine City Council appointed Blaine Bouquets owner Sarbie Bains to an interim position on council.
• Crews started work on Blaine’s Downtown Revitalization Project, which closed sections of Peace Portal Drive through December. The project included sidewalk replacement, tree removal and new lighting.
• Blaine school board paused moving first and second grade classes from the primary school building into the elementary school building, originally set to save $600,000 for the 2025-26 school year.
• Blaine Public Schools Foundation, a nonprofit committed to filling the gaps in local school funding, ramped up fundraising after forming earlier in the year.
• Custer Days made its return after a seven-year hiatus.
• Former Whatcom County Health and Community Services director Erika Lautenbach filed a tort claim against the county seeking $1.5 million in damages, alleging sex discrimination, hostile work environment and retaliation.
• The Borderite Community Block Party welcomed students and families back from summer break.
Blaine postal carrier Dave Hamilton received “National Hero of the Year” from the National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association for saving a woman from a dog attack.
• A Whatcom County Superior Court judge found that a man who filed a public records lawsuit against the city of Blaine in August incorrectly cited the law and warned that practicing it in such a way could potentially be a criminal act and risk the plaintiff being sanctioned by the city.
• Nonprofit Warrior Service gathered hundreds of veterans in the Blaine area for salmon fishing and a crab derby.
• Beach Cat Brewing held its second ‘Catoberfest’ fundraiser for Blaine Food Bank.
• All My Favorite Things opens in downtown Blaine.
• Blaine-Birch Bay Park and Recreation District 2 revived the monthly, free community dinners in Blaine that ended during the pandemic.
•The Blaine Seaside Bash featuring OysterFest celebrated fall.
• Lil’ Sprouts Child Care Center doubled its childcare capacity after finishing a new building that was funded with a $300,000 state grant.
• Blaine officers Trevor Chau, Jeremiah Leland and sergeant Jordan Maphumulo were recognized with life-saving awards.
• A Ferndale Police Department investigation found that a group of individuals known under the banner of Save Blaine intentionally interfered with Blaine city staff and council’s ability to effectively govern the city over the past two years.
• The Blaine school board extended interim superintendent Dan Chaplik’s contract, set to end summer 2026, for another three years.
• Blaine nonprofits, businesses and community members quickly jumped in to help neighbors who didn’t receive food benefits during the federal government shutdown.
• The November 4 general election paved the way for new changes in Whatcom County, with Blaine voters approving the de-annexation of Grandis Pond and county voters approving expanding the Port of Bellingham commission from three to five members.
• Adored Again, selling luxury vintage and second-hand items, opens in Birch Bay Square.
• The Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce was recognized as Tourism Business of the Year by Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism.
• The Northern Light released a multi-part investigative series on the Port of Bellingham that examined its use of contractors and executive sessions, among other topics.
• Blaine and Birch Bay residents banded together to support people affected by the historic flooding that hit Washington state in mid-December, devastating areas of Whatcom and Skagit counties.
• Members of the Blaine Senior Center nonprofit voted to reject a proposal to move its nearly $300,000 investment fund to the Whatcom Community Foundation, instead keeping the money to help Blaine seniors.
• Whatcom County released its draft Birch Bay incorporation feasibility study that depicted a future city that would not have a strong enough sales tax base to keep its budget balanced, drawing criticism from the Birch Bay Incorporation Association.
• The Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce planned to ring in the new year with the Ring of Fire and Hope.
