Many Island County property owners were alarmed when they opened their property tax statements this week and discovered two bills instead of one.
But taxpayers shouldn’t worry, Island County Treasurer Ana Maria Nunez said. They don’t have to pay twice and the double-printing won’t cost the county anything extra.
Two door-to-door magazine salesmen accused of burglarizing an Oak Harbor home Feb. 22 are facing charges in Island County Superior…
A Central Whidbey couple who care for many unwanted and disabled animals are in danger of becoming homeless because they say they were swindled out of tens of thousands of dollars by former Freeland attorney Peter Moote.
Moote is currently under investigation by the FBI and the Island County Sheriff’s Office for allegedly stealing millions of dollars from clients over the years, according to the sheriff’s office. He resigned from the Washington Bar Association in lieu of disbarment last November after being accused of stealing from clients.
When Whidbey Island officials have concerns, they go to the top.
Island County Commissioner Angie Homola and a contingent of Oak Harbor officials went on separate trips to Washington D.C. in the past couple of weeks and met with some of the most important people at the Pentagon, as well as the top elected officials from Washington State.
The main topic of discussion was the siting of the new P-8A Poseidon aircraft. Whidbey officials became alarmed after hearing reports that the aircraft may not be coming to Whidbey Island Naval Air Station as originally planned.
Don’t worry if you haven’t received your property tax bill from Island County yet.
Island County Treasurer Ana Maria Nunez announced this week that 2011 property tax statements should be mailed out by Monday, March 21. It’s later than previous years due to the implementation and procedural changes associated with the county’s new property tax software.
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.
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.
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.
A 37-year-old Oak Harbor man accused of raping a small boy in 2007 faces a third trial after the Court of Appeals reversed his conviction.
A motorcyclist accused of leading a deputy on a high-speed chase on South and Central Whidbey last year is facing charges in Island County Superior Court, court documents indicate.
A 22-year-old Oak Harbor woman charged in an accident on North Whidbey that killed three people is asking for a change of venue based on newspaper coverage and inflammatory online comments.
Samantha Bowling, who was a front-seat passenger in the Sept. 3 accident, is facing three counts of vehicular homicide and one count of vehicular assault. Bowling’s co-defendant, 20-year-old Jordyn Weichert, is facing three counts of vehicular homicide and two counts of vehicular assault.
Things are looking up for Oak Harbor resident Nancy Dehn, thanks to volunteers from the Home Depot and many anonymous Good Samaritans.
There’s probably no one who had more influence over how Oak Harbor grew than Arnold Freund.
Freund, whose friends knew him as “Arnie,” was a descendent of Whidbey pioneers, a farmer and then a no-nonsense sheriff before becoming an unlikely, but astute land magnate in Oak Harbor. Today, much of the commercial business on the south end of the city is built on Freund land.
