A teenage girl was shot and killed in the Columbia Valley area early this morning. Her mother is injured and currently at St. Joseph Hospital. A man, believed to be the shooter, is dead.

According to the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office, a call came in around 3 a.m. from the 600 block of Sprague Valley Drive in Peaceful Valley. The mother had run to a neighbor’s home for help. The incident is believed to be a murder – suicide.

Authorities have not publicly identified the victims or the shooter. The Foothills Gazette has learned the shooter was Sean Wilson. The mother, Rebecca Boonstra, remains in the hospital. Her 14-year-old daughter was pronounced dead early this morning.

Boonstra, the coordinator of the Mt. Baker Chamber of Commerce’s visitors center in Maple Falls, has ties within the community and has worked with several groups.

Wilson, a member of the Whatcom County Planning Commission, was also a Columbia Valley representative on the Foothills Subarea Committee.

Authorities have been to the home before on a domestic violence call.

Officials have called a press conference for 10:30 a.m. today at the Whatcom County courthouse. Additional information will be posted as details are confirmed.

Noah Wilhelm

COUNTY – The 21-year-old Acme man suspected in the shooting of another man in Bellingham turned himself into police on Thursday morning, Dec. 31. Formal charges were filed against him on Dec. 30.

Noah Wilhelm had been on the run for 10 days, following the Dec. 21 incident stemming from a domestic issue in which Wilhelm allegedly shot a man three times in the 3200 block of Racine Street in Bellingham.

Following a hearing on Jan. 1, Wilhelm is being held at Whatcom County Jail on $1 million bail. Wilhelm has been charged with first and second degree assault, and is being represented by Bellingham lawyer Jeff Lustick.

Authorities say Wilhelm, who has no criminal history, is the only suspect in the shooting. The victim, indentified as Kyle Brown, graduated from Mount Baker High School in 2007, and has been living in Bellingham. Wilhelm allegedly went to Brown’s Racine Street apartment, where Wilhelm’s ex- girlfriend, Samantha Muhlbach, was visiting Brown. Reports state Wilhelm asked to speak with Brown, and the men went to the sidewalk to talk. During the court hearing, County Prosecutor Elizabeth Gallery stated Wilhelm pointed a .357 revolver at Brown and told him twice to get into the trunk of his car. Brown

refused both times and backed away. Wilhelm, who allegedly pointed the weapon at Muhlbach as well, then fired three shots at Brown and fled the scene.

Brown arrived at St. Joseph Hospital shortly after the incident. Meanwhile, Wilhelm drove to the Acme area and was being pursued by Bellingham Police and Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office deputies, as well as U.S. Customs Border and Protection (CBP), which initially located Wilhelm’s vehicle in the Acme area. His car was spotted by a CBP helicopter, but later discovered ditched along Wild Rose Lane. He fled on foot and was not located.

Authorities believe Wilhelm then allegedly took an Acme resident’s truck, which was reported stolen shortly after Wilhelm fled. Police say the truck, a 1963 Willys Jeep half-ton pickup truck with wood side paneling painted white (license plate number B20274D), has not been located.

Police declined to discuss other details of the case due to the investigation. Gallery stated during the hearing

it is believed Wilhelm fled as far as Nevada, where ATM records show money was withdrawn.

Brown, who was shot in the throat and shoulders, is recovering from his injuries and was released from the hospital last week. Speaking with the Foothills Gazette via e- mail on Dec. 30, Brown said he was doing great in his recovery, and wanted to thank friends, family and the community for their support. Brown’s family lives in the Maple Falls area.

“I just want to thank the town of Maple Falls for gathering together in this season of giving and creating great food for my family which was in the hospital with me all week,” he said. “I definitely believe there’s a God and thank him for saving my life.”

Brown said the first shot was straight to his throat and stopped directly in front of a main artery. The other two bullets landed in his back shoulders. The bullets remain in his body.

Brown said as soon as he was shot “there was a gut feeling that I would not die. It was almost like I knew I was gonna live to tell this story.”

Several sources could not be reached as of press time. Additional details will be published in the next Foothills Gazette.

Photo by Pat Savatgy

VAN ZANDT – The South Fork Valley rock ‘n’ roll group bandZandt helped ring in the new year at the Van Zandt Community Hall on New Year’s Eve. Residents danced and ate the night away, with some of the admission proceeds benefiting the Hall. Band members are Kent Rogers, Robin Wallbridge, Gregg McClaran, Chuck Loos, Diane Leigh, Joe Hawley and Doug Sutton. Other New Year’s Eve events in the east county area included live music at the Deming Log Show Grounds and a private performance by Helle’s Belles at Graham’s Restaurant in Glacier.

Evergreen Water-Sewer District #19 (serving Paradise Lakes) meets the fourth Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m. at the water district office, Azure Way. Call 599-1699 for more details.

Everson City Council meets the sec- ond and fourth Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 111 W. Main St. Call 966-3411 for agenda.

Everson Lions Club meets the first and third Tuesday of the month at the Everson Senior Center. Dinner served at 6:30 p.m.

Everson-Nooksack Chamber of Commerce: For the next meeting time and other information, call 966-3407.

Everson-Nooksack Food Bank

is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursdays at 204 N. Washington Street, Everson. Call 966-4833.

Friends of the Deming Library meet on the fourth Tuesday of the month at the Deming Library. Call 592-2422.

Friends of the Everson Library: For the next meeting time, call 966-5100.

Friends of the North Fork Com- munity Library Board: For meet- ing times, call 599-2020 or email northforkfriends@gmail.com.

Glacier Chamber of Commerce

meets the third Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. For location, call 599-2299 or e-mail info@glacierchamber.org.

Glacier Fire District Commissioners meet every second Wednesday of the month at 7:30 p.m. at the Glacier Fire Hall, 9953 Mt. Baker Hwy, Glacier.

Glacier Water District meets the sec- ond and fourth Monday at 7:30 p.m. at the Glacier Water District Office, 9973 Mt. Baker Highway, Glacier.

Kendall Watch meets Monday, Jan. 11 in the Kendall Elementary School Library at 7 p.m. Visit www.kendallwatch.us.

Maple Falls Neighborhood Watch Group: For next meeting, e-mail info@ maplefallsneighborhoodwatch.com. Visit MapleFallsNeighborhoodWatch.com.

Mt. Baker Chamber of Commerce

generally meets the first Tuesday of the month. Call 599-1518 for information.

Mt. Baker Foothills Food Bank is open Tuesday 9-11:30 a.m. at St. Peter’s Catholic Church Hall, 6210 Mt. Baker Hwy, Deming. Food donations welcome.

Mount Baker Lions Club meets every second and fourth Tuesday at Maple Falls town hall at 7:30 p.m. Visitors and new members welcome.

Mount Baker School District Board:

For the next meeting time, call 383- 2000 or visit mtbaker.wednet.edu/

Nooksack City Council meets the first and third Monday at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 103 W. Madison St. For agenda, call 966-2531.

Nooksack Valley School District Board meets the third Thursday of the month at the district administration of- fice, 3326 E. Badger Rd., Everson. Call 988-4754.

Rome Grange meets the second and fourth Wednesday of the month, 7 p.m., Mount Baker Highway, Rome.

South Fork Heritage Association: For more information, contact 595-2820.

Sumas Chamber of Commerce: For next meeting location and time, call 739-1715.

Sumas City Council meets the second and fourth Monday at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 433 Cherry St. Call 988-5711.

Water District #13 (serving Peaceful Valley) meets the fourth Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. at the Peaceful Valley clubhouse. For more information, call 599-1801.

Whatcom County Council meets the second and fourth Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. in Council Chambers, What- com County Courthouse, 311 Grand Avenue, Bellingham. For agenda, visit whatcomcounty.us or call 676-6690.

Whatcom County Fire District 14

meets the third Monday of the month at 7 p.m. Location rotates between Sumas, Kendall and Welcome stations. Call 599-2823.

Whatcom County Planning Com- mission: For the next meeting time and location, call 676-6690 or e-mail rboxx@co.whatcom.wa.us.

Whatcom TrailNet meets the third Thursday of each month at 6 p.m. at the Nugents Corner Fire Hall. Contact Ellen Barton at 676-6974.

ACME –Whatcom County Planning reissued a SEPA (State Environmental Police Act) determination on Dec. 29 regarding the application by Mount Vernon company Concrete Nor’West seeking a rezone and Comprehensive Plan amendment to allow gravel and sand mining operations near Doran Road south of Acme.

The company’s application requests amending the Comprehensive Plan map from Commercial Forestry to Mineral Resource Lands (MRL) and the zoning map to change the underlying zoning from Commercial Forestry and create an MRL overlay for 280 acres, a special designation.

In September, County Planning initially issued a Determination of Non Significance (DNS), stating “no probable significant adverse environmental impacts are likely.” The Planning Department then accepted public comments through Dec. 15, 2009, and received approximately 120 comments, according to Current Planning Supervisor Tyler Schroeder. “I am not aware of any of the comments received to be in favor of the proposed change,” Schroeder said when asked how many comments are in favor and against the proposal.

On Dec. 28, Whatcom County Planning withdrew its DNS finding and reissued a Mitigated Determination of Non-Significance (MDNS).

“The comments received… focused on site specific impacts that might be caused by a mining operation,” the letter stated. Of the comments, many concerns were about salmon, river quality and smaller-scale farms in the areas, as well as dust and noise. This revised SEPA determination means additional public review is necessary, including public hearings and a decision by the Whatcom County Council.

The application is preliminarily scheduled to be in front of the Whatcom County Planning Commission for a public hearing on Jan. 28 and a work session on Feb. 11, Schroeder said.

The appeal period ended Dec. 30. One appeal had been submitted by David Mann, of the Seattle law offices of Gendler and Mann, however due to the withdrawal of the DNS and the re-issuance of the MDNS, Mann formally withdrew the appeal on Dec. 28.

Several sources could not be reached as of press time. More detailed information about the proposal will be published in the next Foothills Gazette.