Suspicious fire destroys Oak Harbor outbuildings
Justin Burnett / Whidbey News-Times
A team of Oak Harbor Fire Department firefighters hose down one of two outbuildings that were destroyed by fire Tuesday afternoon. The blaze is considered suspicious and is under investigation.
Clinton woman takes plea in shotgun murder case
A 41-year-old Clinton woman accused of being an accomplice in the shotgun murder of her boyfriend's wife pleaded guilty to a lesser charge today in Whatcom County Superior Court.
Kara Jo Buchanan confessed in a phone message to shooting the Bellingham resident last July. She attempted to kill herself by slitting her wrists, but deputies found her wandering the beach at Double Bluff on Whidbey. She was transported to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for treatment.
Sunken fishing boat prompts closure of shellfish harvesting in Penn Cove
Divers have successfully plugged the hole in the fuel tank of a 128-foot crab boat that caught fire and sank in Penn Cove this past weekend, but enough diesel leaked out that the state has closed the bay to shellfish harvesting.
According to Mark Toy, an environmental engineer with the state Department of Health, more diesel was in the boat than earlier thought and photos from the air have shown just how far the resulting sheen has spread.
May 16, 2012
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Two boats to Coupeville
For the first time in nearly five years, the Port Townsend-to-Coupeville ferry route will enjoy two-vessel service for the entire tourist season.
Two ferries, the Salish and the Kennewick, started sailing to and from Keystone Harbor May 13, and will continue until early October. The additional ferry means another five round trips daily.
May 16, 2012
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Hang the cost, burned, sunken boat to be raised | Corrected
No matter the cost, the 128-foot crab boat that caught fire and then sank in Penn Cove this weekend will be raised and removed, according to officials with the state Department of Natural Resources.
Toni Droscher, spokeswoman for the agency, confirmed that the huge steel fishing vessel is not too big to pluck from the bottom, but it will be expensive and it’s a cost that will be borne by taxpayers.
Port discusses Greenbank Farm
The commissioners for the Port of Coupeville will meet this week to discuss several issues pertaining to the Greenbank Farm.
The meeting will take place from noon to 3 p.m. Thursday, May 17, in the Coupeville Library located on Alexander Street.
May 15, 2012
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Navy seeks comments
The Navy is preparing an updated Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan for Whidbey Island Naval Air Station and would like the public to comment.
The INRMP is a broad-scoped strategic management plan that sets goals and objectives for managing natural resources on NAS Whidbey. A news release states the current plan was signed and approved in 1996 and must be updated to comply with Department of Defense and Navy policies. It must also be consistent with current natural resource and military training uses of the installation.
May 15, 2012
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Oak Harbor School Board picks higher levy rate to restore cuts
The Oak Harbor School Board unanimously approved asking voters to support a levy to collect $7.35 million at a meeting Monday evening. This proposal will be presented to voters in February 2013.
As the board members supported the larger of two levy rates they discussed at the meeting, the audience gave them a standing ovation.
May 15, 2012
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Alleged Oak Harbor child molester was always close to kids
Detectives investigating a former church youth ministry leader accused of child molestation have found that he’s been in close contact with children through a number of entities in Oak Harbor over the years.
Ronald Asplund, a 57-year-old Oak Harbor resident, was accused of molesting and raping two teenage boys. He met one of the boys through Oak Harbor Lutheran Church, where he had been the middle school ministry coordinator until a couple of months ago.
May 14, 2012
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Sunken boat in Penn Cove boat is leaking diesel by the minute
A 128-foot crab boat that started on fire and then sank to the bottom of Penn Cove over the weekend is leaking one to two gallons of diesel fuel per minute, according to a press release from the Coast Guard.
May 14, 2012
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Oak Harbor mayor’s kidney successfully removed
Oak Harbor Mayor Scott Dudley is out of surgery and doing well after doctors removed one of his kidneys to donate to a stranger.
Dudley’s wife, Christine, reported from Vancouver, B.C. just after noon on Monday that the three-and-a-half hour surgery was a success.
May 14, 2012
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