Change keeps coming to Island County planning.
There will soon be three new members of the county’s planning commission and a new planning director, though it remains unclear how this will affect land-use policy.
Some Whidbey Island residents felt the earth move under their feet early Friday morning.
A 4.5-magnitude earthquake rolled through the island from the Kitsap Peninsula at 5:25 a.m. The “light earthquake” shook from a depth of 36 miles and was centered about three miles from Kingston, according to the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network. No damage has been reported.
A Renton man accused of traveling to Whidbey to have sex with a 15-year-old girl is wanted on a $50,000 arrest warrant, according to court documents.
Prosecutors charged 29-year-old Vicente Campos Duenas in Island County Superior Court Jan. 14 with rape of a child in the third degree.
A 22-year-old Oak Harbor man could be in a whole heap of trouble as he faces charges in three separate felony cases involving alleged safecracking, burglary and assault, according to court documents.
On Jan. 12, prosecutors charged Tyson Eubanks in Island County Superior Court in two burglary cases. In one, he was charged with second-degree burglary, first-degree theft and first-degree malicious mischief.
A South Whidbey man is free from King County jail after DNA tests raised doubts about whether he tried to hire fellow inmates to kill his wife.
A judge ordered 51-year-old Anthony Billera to be released Jan. 20 after King County prosecutors dismissed a charge of solicitation to commit murder in the first degree.
Troopers with the Washington State Patrol quickly cleared a small rockslide off of Highway 20 at Deception Pass Thursday afternoon….
A voluntary curbside recycling program may finally be coming to residents of unincorporated portions of Whidbey Island, the town of Coupeville and the city of Langley this year.
The Island County commissioners decided earlier this month to ask for bids from any companies willing to pick up recyclable materials from homes. County officials want to offer a single-stream service, which means people don’t have to sort the materials.
A 23-year-old Oak Harbor woman could end up in prison under new charges filed against her, court documents state.
Prosecutors amended charges against Jade Dent in Island County Superior Court Jan. 20 to first-degree burglary and four counts of assault in the fourth degree. She previously was facing a less-serious charge of residential burglary.
A 22-year-old California resident is going to jail for her part in an assault outside of an Oak Harbor nightspot last October.
Megan Byelick of El Cajon pleaded guilty in Island County Superior Court Jan. 20 to second-degree assault as part of a plea bargain.
In exchange, prosecutors will not file charges against Byelick in a possible extortion case, court documents state.
An expert in water quality and watershed restoration projects will likely become the newest member of the Island County Planning Commission.
But another vacancy remains to be filled as a shakeup of the planning department continues with Planning Director Jeff Tate’s surprise resignation Wednesday.
The Navy is holding an open house and public hearing in Oak Harbor Tuesday night to gather comments on and explain a large document that will guide how the military branch will train in the Northwest for years to come.
Island County Planning Director Jeff Tate surprised the county commissioners Wednesday afternoon by handing in his letter of resignation during a staff session.
“It’s with a great deal of sadness that I approach the board today,” Tate said. “I am tremendously indebted to this county and the commissioners for this opportunity.”
Tate’s resignation will be effective March 2.
Whidbey General Hospital officials hired a Chicago law firm to help investigate and resolve instances in which the hospital may have broken a complicated federal law.
Joe Vessey, the hospital’s chief financial officer, said he’s aware of rumors that the hospital committed Medicaid fraud and may face penalties that could bankrupt the institution, but he said that’s a vast exaggeration. The truth, he said, isn’t so dramatic or cut-and-dry.
