AROUND THE POINT

The Point Roberts community van, the Blue Heron Express, got a one month breather as discussion of the program’s fate was bumped from September to October by the Whatcom Transportation Authority (WTA). The board was scheduled to decide whether or not to keep the van running at their September meeting but postponed the discussion until the October 13 board committee meeting, at the WTA headquarters and the October 19 meeting of the full board at 8 a.m. in the Whatcom County Council meeting room in Bellingham.

Blaine high school principal Dan Newell was scheduled to go to trial September 27 for obstructing a police officer and rendering criminal assistance in connection with marijuana smuggling on the Point Roberts school bus. Prosecution and defense agreed to postpone the trial, with pre-trial now set for Novemebr 15 and the trial to go ahead November 29.

The state public disclosure commission assessed fire commissioner Susan Brownrigg a penalty of $100 for failure to file a statement of financial affairs within two weeks of becoming a candidate to keep her seat. “The reports required under the public disclosure laws give the public access to meaningful information about a candidate,” commission chair Earl Tilly said. “The Public Disclosure Commission holds all candidates to the same standard. A monetary penalty is an appropriate consequence when reports are not timely filed” The form was filed on September 3 after Brownrigg received a letter with an opportunity to pay the $100 fine and forego an enforcement hearing

The Point Roberts hospital district will meet the first and third Monday in October and chairman Margery Biery hopes that they will be able to set a levy rate for next year. “We’re very close,” Biery said. “We only have two pieces of the puzzle missing.” Biery said the district board had decided to have Interfaith Community Health Center continue to run the Point Roberts Aydon Wellness Clinic, and are waiting to get a contract amount from that agency. They are also waiting for information about insurance costs. The district board is required to set the levy by November 30.

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