Articulate, smart, motivated. The group gathered around the conference room table exude a sense of capability and calm. These are people you would love to share a cup of coffee with, or invite home to meet your mom.
However, they are not ones who you want to meet during their work day.
Encountering them most likely means that something has gone terribly wrong and you are in danger of losing life, limb or sight in a remote, wilderness location.
An accident on Hwy. 525 between Houston Road and Race Road in Central Whidbey would shut down north and southbound traffic, essentially cutting the island in two.
With no alternative route to bypass the highway, north-south traffic would be brought to a standstill.
Parents trying to get their kids to soccer practice would be stuck waiting for the wreckage to be cleared. Island Transit passengers would be delayed as they wait aboard their buses.
Every morning at 8 a.m., come rain or shine, Jack Marian dutifully records the precipitation from the past 24 hours and the current temperature at his home on West Beach Road.
And he has done so for at least the past 15 years.
A 7-foot interactive mural recently appeared on Front Street – a new addition to complement Coupeville’s autumn celebrations.
The festive painting depicts two scarecrows standing by a fence surrounded by pumpkins, sunflowers, a black and gray tabby cat, and a “Welcome to Coupeville” sign.
Within moments of arriving at Crockett Lake, the two birding enthusiasts spot several interesting winged Whidbey residents.
Nearby, an eagle has perched at the top of a tree. Even closer, a kingfisher sits on a telephone wire, then makes its distinctive call as it swoops away.
The Town of Coupeville has settled a lawsuit with New Cingular Wireless PCS LLC.
The town is one of more than 100 municipalities in Washington to have been sued by the mobile Internet service provider. The settlement provides Cingular Wireless, formerly AT&T Mobility, with a credit of about $5,300 against its future local utility taxes.
Jane Ditton of Oak Harbor shows up three times a week for up to four hours at a time. It sounds like a perfect schedule for a part-time job or volunteer position, leaving plenty of time for other activities.
But the visits to the Puget Sound Kidney Centers of Whidbey Island are not for financial gain or for personal enrichment. These trips to the medical center are the only thing keeping her alive.
Ditton is one of more than 30 patients who rely on the center for kidney dialysis. The tri-weekly procedures flush waste products out of her body, regulate water in her blood and help control her blood pressure.
And now, she has a bigger, brighter facility to go to for care.
The drill whines as it pierces decay and chunks of rot are ripped from the gaping wound.
The volunteer laborer lifts his mask and peers inside the void. Some wood rot remains.
He shutters his mask and presses the tool into the crumbling structure. More saw dust flies into the air and bits of wood fall onto the grass below the scaffolding he is perched upon.
The Coupeville School District recently purchased iPads to make it easier for school board members to access board documents via the Internet. But the board is now having second thoughts, and wondering if the purchase was a good idea.
The Coupeville School District recently purchased iPads to make it easier for school board members to access board documents via the Internet. But the board is now having second thoughts, and wondering if the purchase was a good idea.
The digital devices would allow the board members to access documents for their semimonthly meetings online – a service that would carry an additional cost.
Rick Castellano, executive director for the Island County Historical Society and Museum has just met with each of the Island County commissioners to talk about next year’s budget – and the future could look grim for the institution that preserves local history.
With her lifelong depression deepening, Hayley turned to alcohol and drugs to numb her pain. Then she tried to bring her pain to a permanent end.
But Hayley’s very serious attempt at ending her life failed.
Now, after weekly counseling and monthly psychiatric appointments, Hayley (not her real name) says she is more content with her life. This vivacious woman has been sober and clean for eight months.
“Coupeville is the best.”
That’s how Mayor Nancy Conard began her annual State of the Town address last week in which she covered topics such as town staffing, the local business environment and plans for the future.
She spoke before an audience of local residents, government officials and business owners at an event hosted by the Coupeville Chamber of Commerce.
She first recognized the townspeople’s volunteer service and commitment to the community, and proceeded to weave aspects of what makes the town great – such as a small, nimble government, commitment to the environment, and a strong business community – throughout her speech.
