• 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 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 on Birch Bay Drive is planned to have a restroom, shelter and parking.
• The first major snowfall of winter blanketed Whatcom County on January 17.
• After years of working to secure funds for a library in Birch Bay, Whatcom County Council gave the Whatcom County Library System the remaining $315,000 it needed for a library express.
• Family Care Network CEO Dr. Rodney Anderson announced that the healthcare system was preparing to construct its Blaine facility and would close its Birch Bay clinic once the new clinic was built.
• Tokyo Monster Sushi held a soft opening in Birch Bay Square on February 1, bringing an expansive menu of Japanese and Asian cuisines.
• State lawmakers for the 42nd Legislative District held a town hall in Ferndale to discuss the short legislative session.
• Blaine-Birch Bay Park and Recreation District 2 hosted its first adult prom.
• Mayor Mary Lou Steward banned oral public comment during Blaine City Council meetings on February 12 after council meetings were disrupted by a small group hurling accusations against council members and city staff.
• Blaine and Birch Bay voters approved the property tax levies for Blaine school district and Blaine-Birch Bay Park and Recreation District 2, but rejected the bond measure for Blaine school district.
• Catholic Community Services Recovery Centers opened in Birch Bay Square on March 4 to provide outpatient treatment and other support for people experiencing substance use disorders.
• Bella Boutique and Consignment welcomed its first customers in downtown Blaine.
• East Blaine developers Skip and Katie Jansen unveiled their proposal for Creekside at The Ridge, a luxury manufactured home park in east Blaine during a community meeting. The meeting followed over a year of debate on whether large manufactured home parks should be allowed in east Blaine, which was ultimately approved by council.
• Whatcom County Health and Community Services released a report stating Birch Bay Waterslides had incomplete and missing maintenance records following an August 2023 incident that seriously injured a man going down the Hairpin slide. The waterpark had promoted season tickets despite the health department suspending its operating permit after not receiving the inspection reports. The report noted that health investigators discovered missing and corroded fasteners where the slide failed. The waterpark submitted the records later that spring.
• The Washington State Legislature passed Initiative 2113, which allowed police to determine whether they needed to engage in a vehicular pursuit, similar to state law prior to 2021.
• Wings Over Water Northwest Birding Festival drew bird-lovers to Blaine, Birch Bay and Semiahmoo for its 21st festival.
• Longtime Blaine residents Ryan Swinburnson and Steve Galbraith were appointed to the Blaine school board.
• Blaine and Birch Bay had no shortage of Easter activities for families, with children hunting for eggs across north Whatcom County.
• Blaine City Council unanimously authorized city manager Mike Harmon to write a letter of intent for the potential sale of the city’s 2.65-acre property at 1721 Fern Street in Blaine to Eugen and Edith Klein of North Vancouver, B.C. The property abuts the Klein’s 45-acre Blaine industrial park property that was listed for $9.8 million. The Klein’s property, made up of four ready-to-build lots between I-5 and SR-543, was advertised as the largest manufacturing/industrial property parcel within city limits.
• A Whatcom County Superior Court judge ruled a 77-year-old Blaine man charged with first-degree murder for shooting his neighbor in October 2023 was incompetent to stand trial.
• The regular Blaine City Council meeting on April 8 began with seven people participating in a silent protest by taping their mouths and holding signs in opposition of the new city council rules that barred the public from speaking during public comment.
• State representative Joe Timmons and state senator Sharon Shewmake, both Democrats representing the 42nd Legislative District, held a community meeting on the legislative session at the Birch Bay Visitor Information Center.
• The once-hopping old Chuck’s Drive-In on Peace Portal Drive was torn down on April 15.
• The Blaine High School Theatre Arts Program premiered its “Mamma Mia!” performance.
• Blaine police chief Rodger Funk was sworn in during the Blaine City Council meeting on April 22. Funk had nearly 30 years of law enforcement experience, including high-ranking positions at the sheriff’s office.
•A Cascade PBS investigation uncovered that Whatcom County officials paid $225,000 in November 2023 to settle claims that former public works director Jon Hutchings sexually harassed a female employee for more than two years. County leaders never formally disciplined the director and wrote him a glowing letter of recommendation.
• Whatcom County Superior Court approved a settlement between the two children of Murray Church and Gail Amundsen and three out of five defendants accused of negligence in the Point Roberts couple’s deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning on Thanksgiving Day in 2021. Andgar Mechanical, Optimum Contracting and Shoreline Electrical Services agreed to settle for $8 million total. The lawsuit against Whatcom County and Triangle Tube/Phase III Company, New Jersey continued.
• Southwest Airlines announced it would no longer operate out of Bellingham International Airport on August 4, citing capacity and financial constraints.
• The Lynden Heritage Museum opened the Whatcom County History of Country Music exhibit that featured the “Singing Sisters,” the late country music star Loretta Lynn and her friend Darlene “Peachy” Little. The two sang in Blaine taverns and granges in the mid-20th century.
• Blaine school board unanimously approved a $2.5 million budget reduction for the 2024-25 school year. The reduction was set to cut roughly 30 staff positions in the district with 11 percent of administration, 12 percent of classified staff and 11 percent of the teaching staff laid off.
• Whatcom County Council unanimously decided to hold an independent investigation into Whatcom County’s handling of sexual harassment reports involving its former public works director Jon Hutchings.
• Blaine resident Liz Parker returned home from the Canadian Masters Badminton Tournament near Toronto after winning gold and began preparing for the world championships in Taipei, Taiwan.
• After years of preliminary work, the Washington Department of Ecology filed for a general adjudication of the Nooksack watershed in Whatcom County Superior Court on May 1, officially starting the lengthy legal process for determining water rights.
• Baywood Coffee celebrated its grand opening in the former Birch Bay Teriyaki building at 8036 Birch Bay Drive.
• Whatcom County Council formed a three-member investigative committee to formally review how the county handles sexual harassment claims and legal payouts.
• Several Blaine residents began reporting sightings of a mother black bear and her offspring after a black bear and two cubs were seen around Blaine and Custer in 2023.
• A rare Category Five solar storm gave Blaine residents the opportunity to view a colorful display of northern lights.
• A Skagit County man who spent nearly two weeks in intensive care after being injured going down a faulty slide at Birch Bay Waterslides in August 2023 sued the water park for negligence. The water park also announced it wouldn’t open summer 2024 as its operating permit remained suspended following the incident.
• McFrugal’s Discount Outlet held a soft opening in Blaine.
• The U.S. Centers for Disease Control announced it would require new rules for bringing dogs into the U.S. beginning August 1.
• Blane Primary School’s parent teacher organization held a jog-a-thon fundraiser.
• The Blaine Chamber of Commerce held a spring block party in downtown Blaine, which was held concurrently with Blaine-Birch Bay Park and Recreation District 2’s Picnic at the Park.
• Rosario Pete Vasquez, chief patrol agent for the Blaine sector of U.S. Border Patrol, sat down with The Northern Light for the U.S. Border Patrol’s centennial.
• Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu and state senator Sharon Shewmake spoke publicly for the first time about what it would mean for Birch Bay to become its own city during the May Birch Bay Incorporation Association meeting.
• American Legion Peace Arch Post 86 and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9474 held several Memorial Day ceremonies across Blaine and Birch Bay.
• Ace Hardware celebrated its grand opening in Blaine with a ribbon-cutting ceremony following its soft opening in November 2023.
• Blaine High School student talent was on full display at the Evening of the Arts. The event had choir, jazz band and drama performances as well as art exhibits and awards from teachers.
• The Blaine-Birch Bay Park and Recreation District 2 held its Birch Bay 5K Fun Run.
• The Bellingham Scottish Gathering held its first festival in Blaine with activities that included a highland dance championship, highland strength games and massed band performance.
• FedEx driver David Grayston retired after 39 years serving the Blaine community.
• Political Action Committee Washingtonians for a Sound Economy submitted a petition to the Whatcom County Auditor’s Office to place Initiative 2024-01 on the November 5 election. The measure intended to repeal the Healthy Children’s Fund.
• The U.S. Border Patrol implemented new restrictions for people from Canada visiting the Washington side of Peace Arch Park in response to an increase in people attempting to cross the border illegally at the park. By June 2024, U.S. Border Patrol had 1,732 encounters in the Blaine area sector, compared to 112 encounters in 2021.
• A Burlington Northern Santa Fe train that derailed near Custer did not cause injuries or release hazardous materials. The Federal Railroad Administration determined a gap in switch points caused the derailment.
• Congressman Rick Larsen (D-WA) toured Lister Chain and Forge in Blaine.
• Blaine seniors threw their caps in celebration for completing their high school careers in an outdoor ceremony at Borderite Stadium.
• The Whatcom County Library System and Friends of Birch Bay Library revealed architectural plans for the new Birch Bay Vogt Library Express during a community meeting.
• Retiring Blaine High School Spanish teacher Ann Balfour’s closet of formal wear for high school students continued following Balfour’s retirement by staff members Jen Wheeler and Tom Hinz.
• Blaine City Council approved giving developers the option to have reduced downtown residential parking requirements in exchange for paying the city a fee for transportation improvements in the central business district.
• A line-of-duty memorial service was held for North Whatcom Fire and Rescue firefighter Leslee Smith, who died March 26 at the age of 69 after battling job-related liver cancer.
• Educators of the Year Amanda Dahl and Lindsey Jackson were honored at the Blaine School Board meeting. Vic Wolffis was named Coach of the Year and Bonnie Michel was named Classified Staff of the Year.
• Whatcom County Council approved a rate increase and change to the funding structure in the Birch Bay Watershed and Aquatic Resources Management District, the first rate increase in the district’s 15-year history.
• Lions Camp Horizon celebrated 50 years of providing community for campers of all ages with developmental and physical disabilities.
• The Blaine school board voted unanimously to put a $70 million capital bond initiative before voters in the November 5 general election.
• Blaine-Birch Bay Park and Recreation District 2 held Splash Day at 3rd and Martin streets in downtown Blaine.
• Blaine police chief Rodger Funk recognized officers Skylar Deffinbaugh, Keith Olson and Jeremiah Leland for exemplary work.
• Whatcom County and Washington state started independent investigations into allegations that the Whatcom County Medical Examiner’s Office improperly stored human remains at a Bellingham funeral home in mid-May.
• Borderline Lake, a 105-acre property in Blaine that has hosted the highest levels of water skiing competition for decades, was on the market for the first time in 40 years.
• The first weekend of summer break for school children included Splash Day and the Birch Bay Kite Festival.
(This is the first of a two-part Year in Review. July-December will be published in the next issue of The Northern Light.)
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