Year in Review: A look back at the year that was (January–June 2020)

January

• Hundreds of people braved the chilly Birch Bay water for the 37th annual Polar Bear Plunge.

• The Birch Bay berm project started construction at the beginning of the new year. The project will add 210,000 tons of sand and gravel to a 1.6-mile stretch of beach between Lora Lane and Cedar Avenue.

• More than 60 travelers with Iranian backgrounds were held for hours at the Peace Arch border crossing on January 4 and 5 and received extra questioning, following a U.S. airstrike that killed an Iranian military figure on January 3 in Baghdad, Iraq. Systematic enhanced screenings appear to have been limited to the Peace Arch border crossing, which suggested that the decision was made locally by CBP’s Seattle Field Office, which is based in Blaine, rather than at the national level.

• Blaine school district hired Craig Baldwin as the Blaine Elementary School principal after former principal Nancy Bakarich moved to the district office to provide administrative support.

• Blaine city councilmembers Richard May, Mary Lou Steward and Garth Baldwin were sworn into office after being elected in the November 2019 general election.

• Whatcom County executive Satpal Sidhu was sworn into office on January 11.

• The Northern Light broke international news after sources revealed a bulletin in which U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers were instructed to conduct enhanced vetting on individuals who had traveled to Iran, leading to up to 12 hours of questioning for up to 200 American citizens and permanent residents returning home.

• The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office increased its patrols of Birch Bay after residents reported a recent surge in suspicious incidents including vehicle prowls, mail and package thefts, home and vehicle break-ins and burglaries.

• The Washington State Department of Agriculture asked beekeepers on January 13 to report Asian giant hornet sightings after the first hornet detections appeared in fall 2019.

February

• The city of Blaine hired two new community planners, Allison Tompkins and Stacy Clauson, to assist with community development, including regulating construction and managing park and recreation facilities. 

•During their February 10 meeting, city council unanimously voted for city staff to draft amendments to Blaine Municipal Code to address vacant storefronts in downtown Blaine.

• The architects designing a new Blaine Library unveiled a 8,620-square-foot final design concept on February 11 nearly twice the size of the current library and was informed by three community meetings and an online survey.

 • No bomb charges were filed against a 19-year-old whose vehicle trunk contained a nearly operable explosive device, which was discovered by Blaine officers in late December while executing a drug-related search warrant.

• SuperTrack providers notified Dr. David Allen of Bay Medical Clinic that the SuperTrack acquisition of the clinic would not go through and Bay Medical Clinic would permanently close at the end of April.

• Voters approved a Blaine school district replacement levy in a February 11 special election. This meant property tax money continued to fund daily operations like teacher and staff salaries and classroom materials. The levy will cost property owners $1.26 per $1,000 in assessed value in 2021 and rise incrementally to $1.31 per $1,000 in 2024. This is a lower rate than the levy it replaces, which was $1.39 per $1,000 of assessed value.

• Blaine city councilmembers voted unanimously during their February 10 meeting to contribute $550,000 to the large stormwater pond being constructed on the Gateway parcel. Businesses that owned property on the parcel asked for council’s help with the total cost of construction at the site, formerly the location of the old airport.

• Gabe Epperson became the Whatcom Land Trust executive director after serving as conservation director. Epperson replaced former director Rich Bowers, who retired after working as executive director since 2015.

• Blaine high school senior Gavino Rodriguez finished in fourth place at the state wrestling tournament on February 22. 

• Whatcom County councilmember Ben Elenbaas compared RE Sources, a Bellingham environmental nonprofit organization, to domestic terrorists at a February 11 county council meeting.

• The Blaine school district hosted the 38th annual Whatcom County Middle School Math Championship that hosted over 400 students on February 29. U.S. congresswoman Suzan DelBene, state representative Luanne Van Werven, Whatcom County executive Satpal Sidhu and school district officials awarded the winners. 

March

• Bernie Sanders beat former U.S. vice president Joe Biden by a significant margin in Whatcom County’s presidential primary election. Biden beat Sanders in the state primaries.

• Life Impact Church held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on March 9 for the new Youth Center at the church, located in the Cost Cutter plaza. The center has a 65-inch TV, foosball and air hockey tables, along with a stocked pantry with toiletries, hygiene products and a shower for homeless youth.

• The first confirmed case of Covid-19 was announced March 10 and the Whatcom County Health Department declared a state of emergency.

• Governor Jay Inslee said March 12 that he would close all K-12 schools in the state on March 17 due to Covid-19. The closure was set to last until at least April 24. The Blaine Senior Center also closed indefinitely on March 12.

• Blaine city manager Michael Jones declared a state of emergency for Covid-19 on March 13. That same day the school district was planning to provide food and childcare services, as mandated by the governor. B.C. provincial health authorities also asked B.C. residents to not travel to the U.S. unless it’s essential. 

• Canada restricted entry from travelers who are not Canadian citizens or permanent residents on March 16, but U.S. citizens remained exempt.

• Governor Jay Inslee ordered restaurants, bars and entertainment facilities to close on March 16. That same day, the U.S. Small Business Administration said it would offer disaster assistance to Washington small businesses impacted by the pandemic.

• President Donald Trump announced March 19 that the U.S./Canada border would close to non-essential travel.

• On March 23, governor Jay Inslee issued a stay-at-home order for the state that he said would last a minimum of two weeks.

•Two residents and two medical professionals at Good Samaritan Society – Stafholt tested positive for Covid-19, a Good Samaritan Society spokesperson told The Northern Light on March 30.

• Unemployment insurance claims in Whatcom County skyrocketed to 4,428, compared to 238 the week before. Prior to the pandemic, the most initial claims filed in a week was 474.

•The Bridge Community Hope Center in Birch Bay starts distributing food to those in need.

• A local group named the BBSP Covid-19 Community Helpers started to help people in Blaine, Birch Bay, Semiahmoo and Point Roberts meet needs like picking up groceries and sewing masks.

• On March 21, Sukhwant Singh Gill and his son Gury Gill started giving away milk at their Shell gas station at 360 D Street in Blaine. They also started giving out free bread.

April

• Governor Jay Inslee extended the stay-at-home order until May 4.

• Governor Jay Inslee and state superintendent Chris Reykdal announced April 6 that Washington K-12 schools would close for in-person learning for the remainder of the school year.

• A man was arrested in Blaine in connection with the investigation of a vehicular homicide that allegedly took place on April 4 in Acme, Washington. On April 6, sheriff’s deputies took 47-yearold Brent Gerber into custody on investigation of first-degree murder.

• On April 8, Whatcom County law enforcement and fire service agencies performed a “Salute to Medical First Responders.” Organized by the Blaine Police Department (BPD), the agencies drove in formation from a staging area in Bellingham to the PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center.

• Horseshoe Coins and Antiques celebrated its 25th anniversary on April 15.

• A man in a black 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle led law enforcement officers on a high-speed chase that ended with his arrest in Blaine. The man was booked into Whatcom County Jail for felony charges including second-degree assault, attempting to elude a police vehicle, hit and run, possession of a stolen vehicle and theft of a motor vehicle.

• Two 19-year-olds, including one from Blaine, were injured and transported to PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center following a single-vehicle collision in the early morning hours of April 17.

• Bay Medical Clinic closed permanently on April 30.

• The city of Blaine began looking for a new public works director after the current director, Ravyn Whitewolf, was appointed to the newly created position of engineering program director. Bob Hammond, whose held previous jobs including city manager and public works director for the city of Kennewick, was hired as an interim director.

• The city of Blaine anticipated a minimum $700,000 drop in a $7.1 million general fund budget based solely on the immediate impact of border restrictions and the governor’s “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order.

• Alcoa Corporation announced on April 222 that the company would shutter its Intalco Works smelter located in Ferndale, which employs approximately 700 people. Alcoa said it planned to fully curtail the smelter in July because of the decrease in aluminum prices. 

• In a survey of 765 Whatcom County businesses taken from March 26 to April 14, about half reported being closed, 405 said they laid workers off since the coronavirus outbreak began and 195 said that they will need to do layoffs in the next two to four weeks under current conditions.

May

• Governor Jay Inslee extended the state’s stay-at-home order through May 31 and announced a four-phase plan to re-open the state, beginning Tuesday, May 5.

• Washington lawmakers, including U.S. representatives Suzan DelBene (WA-01) and Rick Larsen (WA-02) and senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell urged President Trump to address policies with China in a letter on May 1. The letter came after Alcoa announced the closure of the Intalco Works smelter in
Ferndale.

• Covid-19 cases rose in Whatcom County as the state opened its four-phase reopening plan on May 5. In the week ending May 2, 29 people tested positive for the virus, up from 11 and 15 in the previous two weeks.

• As of May 6, Good Samaritan Society – Stafholt in Blaine hadn’t had new confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the previous two weeks. In total, 17 residents and six workers at the skilled nursing facility have tested positive, and one had died.

• The state started its contact tracing program on the week of May 12. The contact tracing force, made up of 1,371 National Guard members, state department of licensing employees and state and local health department professionals.

• Birch Bay resident Kelvin Barton called for a USPS collection box to be installed locally in order to prevent mail theft and make life easier for Birch Bay’s sizable population.

• Blaine mailbox stores suffered from the loss of Canadian customers, who made up about 95 percent of the stores’ customer base. Stores decreased employees and hours, while forwarding packages to Canadians. Package pickups accounted for 11 percent of local border crossings in 2018.

• The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board announced May 6 that restaurants with liquor licenses could sell pre-mixed cocktails to go. Local restaurants like Bob’s Burgers and Brew, Paso Del Norte and The Vault Wine Bar and Bistro immediately took advantage of this new rule.

• Late interim police chief Michael Knapp was honored for his service during the candlelight National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C. on May 13. Knapp was serving a Lynden’s interim police chief when he passed away at 79 after being struck by a vehicle in downtown Lynden.

• U.S. border agents arrested a 41-year-old Ajitpal Singh Sanghera at the Pacific Highway Truck Crossing on May 9 as he headed to Canada with $3 million in cocaine.

June

• Whatcom County was approved June 5 to move to phase 2 of the state’s four-phase Safe Start reopening plan.

• On June 9, Blaine city manager Michael Jones issued an emergency order allowing businesses to use plaza space, with a special permit.

• Blaine High School seniors graduated in a pre-recorded ceremony of students receiving their diploma on June 12.

• Whatcom Unified Command (WUC), the multi-jurisdictional group that assembled to respond to Covid-19 in Whatcom County, distributed more than 100,000 single-use face masks to help businesses with re-opening requirements. 

• Under restrictions, immediate family members separated by the U.S./Canada border were allowed to enter Canada on June 9. Blaine City Council approved the order at its June 22 regular meeting.

• Hands Across the Border, an annual event that celebrates the peaceful relationship between U.S. and Canada, celebrated online on June 14.

• Blaine City Council designated June 19, 2020 as Juneteenth Independence Day, to celebrate people who had been enslaved in the U.S., at its June 22 council meeting.

• Blaine musician Gina Williams hosted a June 25 forum on race in a Facebook live video.

• A statewide mandate that required people who are in public and cannot distance more than six feet to wear cloth face coverings went into effect on June 26. 

• The Blaine-Birch Bay Park and Recreation District 2 (BBBPRD2) reopened following its closure during phase 1 of the state’s four phase re-opening plan.