Two kayakers were relatively unscathed after capsizing in the dangerous waters of Deception Pass Thursday afternoon.
Personnel from Deception Pass State Park and the United States Coast Guard worked to pull the two stranded men from the water before their situation worsened.
The two kayakers left Bowman Bay on Fidalgo Island and were paddling around Lighthouse Point when they got caught in the current and started drifting into Deception Pass, said Jack Hartt, manager of Deception Pass State Park.
“These are hazardous waters that are cold and swift,” Hartt said.
Thursday marked the 38th annual St. Patrick’s Day parade in Oak Harbor hosted by the Irish Wildlife Society. The small procession enthusiastically wound its way down Jensen Street and Pioneer Way carefully avoiding construction.
The Coupeville High School tennis team started the season by steamrolling a combined Chimacum-Port Townsend team 5-0 Thursday, March 17, in Port Townsend.
Oak Harbor residents Rick and Julie Davies finally got to hear their daughter’s voice again Thursday morning.
Bethany Davies was teaching at a Japanese school in a town hard hit by the 9.0-magniture earthquake and flooded with tsunami waters. Her parents were frantic to hear from her after days of waiting, but got their wish when the call miraculously went through to her cell phone.
“It’s a really big relief to actually get to talk to her and find out she’s really OK,” Rick said.
A basement fire that nearly claimed the Roller Barn in Oak Harbor earlier this month may have been the result of arson.
Detective Sgt. Teri Gardner with the Oak Harbor Police Department confirmed that a criminal investigation has been opened following a fire expert’s determination that the cause is “suspicious” in nature. She declined to say whether police know how the fire started or if any suspects have been identified.
“I can’t release any details at this time,” Gardner said.
After saying he was forced out of his Emergency Services Director position, Mark Borden is still trying to make a difference at Whidbey General Hospital.
Borden, who was contracted through Northwest Emergency Physicians, attended Monday evening’s board of commissioners to talk about the situation that he said forced him to leave the position he held for five years.
“My striving to provide the best care for patients here on Whidbey Island has, in a large measure, resulted in my termination as director,” Borden told the board members.
17-17. That was the final score of a contest between Oak Harbor and visiting Mount Vernon Tuesday, March 17. By the way, the sport was baseball.
The owners of 337 properties in Island County will receive notices soon that they are three years delinquent in paying property taxes and are at risk of foreclosure.
A recent decision by county officials, however, will make it easier for the delinquent taxpayers to avoid losing their homes or properties, at least in the short term.
Instead of paying all three years of taxes, plus interest and fees, now the property owners who receive certificates of delinquency will only have to pay one year’s worth of missed taxes, fees and interest to avoid foreclosure this year.
“It’s an effort to help homeowners redeem their property in hopes that next year they will be able to make themselves whole,” Island County Treasurer Ana Maria Nunez said.
Nearly 200 Whidbey Island Naval Air Station sailors are participating in relief efforts off the east coast of Japan.
Electronic Attack Wing VAQ-139, the Cougars, deployed aboard the USS Ronald Reagan in January. The ship, which serves as the core of the Navy’s 7th Fleet carrier strike group, was in the area when a huge 9.0 earthquake, followed by a devastating tsunami, rocked western Japan Friday afternoon.
Speaking from the Reagan by telephone Tuesday morning, ship spokeswoman Lt. Cmdr. Kate Meadows said the strike group was now in its third day of operations, delivering items such as food, blankets and personal hygiene products to victims of the disaster.
A Facebook message provided an Oak Harbor family with some comfort early Tuesday morning.
Rick and Julie Davies have been anxiously awaiting any word about their daughter, Bethany, since the earthquake and tsunami hit Japan last Friday. She was teaching kindergarten at a town that was among the hardest hit.
After days of worry, Bethany’s friend in Tokyo finally posted a message on her Facebook page stating that he had received a text from her and that she’s OK.
Island County Commissioner Angie Homola recently attended the National Association of Counties Conference in Washington D.C. While there, she and Commissioner Ron Wesen of Skagit County met with the Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead, Sen. Maria Cantwell, and Sen. Patty Murray’s aid Shawn Bills.
A portion of SE Pioneer Way was closed to all vehicle traffic Monday and the disruption is expected to continue throughout the week.
Eastbound traffic on the road, which is now a one-way street, is being detoured left on Ely, right on Fidalgo, then right again on Dock Street.
The Whidbey Gardening Workshop, Saturday, March 19, at Coupeville High School, features seven classes on cooking and preserving food you grow.
Noted Chef Vincent Nattress will explain “Great Greens for Dining.” Nattress, recently relocated to Whidbey, was executive chef at two award-winning properties in Napa Valley, Roux and Meadowood Napa Valley.
“In my five years at Meadowood,” Nattress said, “one of the things I’m proudest of is the development of a large, year-round garden.” He worked closely with the gardeners and chefs to assure that menus prominently featured produce from the garden. As a chef, he always looks to local sources for fresh vegetables, meat and fish.