News briefs: notable stories from Blaine and beyond

The Washington State Liquor Control Board has issued Blaine’s first marijuana grower/processor license. Zenta Gardens was approved for a tier 2 operation at 2750 Peace Portal Drive, Suite E.

The Sandcastle Resort in Birch Bay has sold 17 units to Worldmark Resorts for $2.4 million.

Jesse Swickard, an Oregon-based artist featured in Peace Arch State Park’s International Arts Festival, has offered two of his pieces to the city of Blaine as a donation. Community developer Michael Jones said the city is considering accepting one of the pieces, “Sun Flight,” and is looking into places to install it, possibly along H Street. Jones said the city probably wouldn’t accept the second piece, called “Decommission the Almighty War Machine,” which is made from welded-together bits of firearms.

The Blaine Parks and Cemetery board decided to further talks with a motorcycle club interested in constructing a monument in Blaine. Blaine is one of the stops on the national USA Four Corners Tour, in which riders travel to each of the farthest corners of the country in a weeks-long trip. Representatives from the club expressed interest in building a monument using their own money. The question the parks board will have to answer is where to put the statue.

A recent study shows that Blaine ranks 16 out of 80 Washington cities for cost of homeowner’s insurance. Homeowners pay an average $944 annual premium for home insurance, 5 percent less than the state average of $990. The cheapest city in the state is Spokane, at $832, and the most expensive is Vashon, at $1,150.

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected BP’s appeal over payouts for the company’s massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. BP’s lawyers argued that the lower courts misinterpreted many of the terms of the settlement, and the company was being forced to pay for inflated or bogus claims. The court rejected the appeal, and BP is expected to pay out upwards of $7 billion to families and businesses affected by the spill.