News in Brief is published online every Friday, and updated throughout the week with bite-sized news from across Whatcom and Skagit counties. Read a roundup of the week’s news in print the following Friday.
Thursday, Oct. 5
Blaine man arrested in connection to fatal shooting
A Blaine man was arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder after he allegedly shot his neighbor to death Wednesday, Oct. 4.
Blaine police responded to a call that Wayne Mahar, 76, had shot his neighbor around 4 p.m. Wednesday in a residential area off of California Trail Road. Deputies found the victim lying face down in his driveway. Efforts to revive the victim were unsuccessful, according to a Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office news release.
WCSO Detectives found that Mahar had allegedly threatened to kill the victim because he was throwing rocks at his house and making “too much noise.” Another neighbor of Mahar’s, who reported the shooting, said she saw him standing on his porch holding a gun, according to the release. She asked Mahar if he had shot the victim, and he allegedly replied, “Yeah.”
Mahar was booked into Whatcom County Jail on a $2 million appearance bond, according to jail records. The victim’s identity has not yet been released.
Bellingham Police Department assisted with the crime scene investigation.
Wednesday, Oct. 4
Lighthouse Mission receives $1 million grant for solar, battery backup power in new shelter
Lighthouse Mission Ministries was awarded a $973,425 Washington State Department of Commerce grant to install solar and battery backup power systems in its new homeless shelter at 910 W. Holly St.
Lighthouse Mission Ministries, a Christian organization that provides shelter and services to homeless people, is building the new shelter to replace Base Camp at 1530 Cornwall Ave. It is expected to be completed in September 2024. The new building will have 300 beds and an overflow occupancy of 100.
The grant will allow for backup power in the new building to support emergency services, health care and shelters, and provide energy cost savings to the facility, according to a Lighthouse Mission Ministries Sept. 28 press release.
“We’re doubling the number of guests we can serve while reducing our grid electricity use by half,” Justin Reeves, Lighthouse’s Chief Infrastructure Officer, said in the press release. “Another great benefit of this solar system is that we’re partnering with Puget Sound Energy to allow them to use a portion of the system’s battery capacity to help during heavy grid use times or support our neighborhood in case of a power outage.”
Lighthouse Mission will install 213 solar panels on the five-story building to support the system.
Tuesday, Oct. 3
League of Women Voters to host 5 school board forums
The League of Women Voters of Bellingham-Whatcom County is hosting five school board candidate forums in the next two weeks.
Ferndale School Board candidates for three different positions will participate in a forum at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 6.
Meridian and Bellingham school board forums take place Tuesday, Oct. 10. The forum for Meridian candidates in two different races begins at 6 p.m. The Bellingham School Board forum, featuring Aran Clauson and Katie Rose, starts at 7:30 p.m.
Eight candidates in four separate races are scheduled to participate in a Blaine School Board forum, 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 12.
Lastly, candidates for Lynden School Board will appear at a forum at 6 p.m. Oct. 18.
League of Women Voters forums for the Mount Baker and Nooksack school districts have been canceled.
All forums will be held over Zoom. Links are provided on the League of Women Voters website.
Ballots will be mailed to registered voters in Whatcom County on Oct. 18. Election Day is Nov. 7.
Monday, Oct. 2
Detour ends on Mount Baker Highway
A four-month detour around a fish-passage project northeast of Bellingham has ended, allowing drivers on Mount Baker Highway to once again travel directly between Bellingham and Nugents Corner.
The highway had been closed since June 5 between Britton and Noon roads, so crews could replace a culvert under the highway with a 150-foot, single-span bridge that will allow salmon and trout species to access an additional 3 miles of habitat up Squalicum Creek. The culvert was acting as an obstacle to migrating salmon.
While the highway will be open, drivers can still expect single-lane closures near the project site beginning Tuesday, Oct. 3, as crews complete stream work, landscaping and other “finishing touches” to the project, according to a Whatcom County news alert. That work should be completed in November.
High levels of biotoxin found in Silver Lake
Whatcom County Health and Community Services is advising people to avoid water contact at Silver Lake after a water sampling showed microcystin above the limit set by the Environmental Protection Agency.
People are also advised to keep their pets from swimming or drinking from the lake. The county has closed Silver Lake swim beach in response to the toxins.
Microcystin is a toxic produced by algae. The toxin is naturally occurring, but can reach an unhealthy level due to animal and human activity that worsens freshwater blooms. Ingesting microcystin can impact the liver and cause abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, headaches, diarrhea and more.
Lynden School District to request $157.5 million bond to rebuild high school
Last week, the Lynden School Board voted to place a Capital Projects Bond on the ballot for the February 2024 special election to generate $157.5 million from local taxpayers for needed repairs and renovations at several schools.
With the funding, the district would rebuild Lynden High School — built in 1980 — creating a more “functional” building to serve 1,200 students. Permanent classrooms would be added to Isom Elementary and Bernice Vossbeck Elementary to reduce portables and prepare for an expected population boost in 2038. Fisher Elementary School and Lynden Middle School would receive cooling and air circulation units.
The bond would increase tax rates an estimated $1.37 per $1,000 of property value. It will be run in conjunction with a replacement Educational Programs and Operations levy, which accounts for 14% of the district’s budgeted revenue.
Friday, Sept. 29
Gillies Road temporarily closed during the day Oct. 2–6
Gillies Road at Bridge No. 309, between Lindsay and Alm roads in rural Whatcom County, will be closed from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 2–6.
Whatcom County Public Works will temporarily repair a pile cap so the bridge can maintain its current weight restrictions.
Drivers should plan to use the detour along Alm Road, North Telegraph and Lindsay Road. Emergency vehicles will be able to access the area during the closure.
The project’s timeline is dependent on weather, according to a public works news release.
