Police say a report of an armed robbery at Oak Harbor Plaza Cinema 3 was actually an attempt to misdirect investigators.
It was really an inside job, according to police, and no armed robbery occurred.
In the end, Island County commissioners raised taxes slightly and cut spending sharply to balance next year’s budget.
A difficult budget process, accentuated with a round of layoffs, quieted culminated Monday with no surprises or pain-free solutions to a $2 million shortfall.
An employee of Island County Juvenile Court Services pleaded not guilty to a felony charge for stabbing her husband in the leg, court documents state.
Prosecutors charged Rachel Irvin in Island County Superior Court Oct. 29 with assault in the second degree, a domestic violence crime.
The holding company for Oak Harbor-based Whidbey Island Bank has received preliminary approval to take part in a federal plan to increase capital in financial institutions and spur lending.
Just after 3 o’clock Tuesday, Helen Price Johnson was sworn in as the first woman to serve as an Island County commissioner.
A crowd of county employees and well-wishers hoping to witness the historic moment overflowed into the halls of the Law and Justice Center and burst into cheers as Price Johnson finished her oath.
The Island County Auditor’s Office is finished with the regular round of ballot counting that began on election day, but a manual recount in an extremely tight commissioners’ race starts Monday.
Angie Homola has a 50-votes lead over incumbent Commissioner Mac McDowell in the election count finished Tuesday. Homola received 19,222 and McDowell had 19,162 votes. The 50-vote difference is 0.13 percent of the votes cast for the two candidates.
Island County elected officials and department heads have until the end of the workday Dec. 3 to identify 25 positions that will be cut from next year’s budget.
The commissioners have to adopt a budget Monday, after struggling to find ways to pare $2 million from the general fund because of declining revenues in a poor economy. The budget forum is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Monday.
The Island County Auditor’s Office is finished with the regular round of ballot counting that began on election day, but…
A South Whidbey environmental group’s challenge to Island County’s new wetland regulations was successful on three issues that must be fixed in the next 90 days.
Nevertheless, members of Whidbey Environmental Action Network, known as WEAN, aren’t thrilled with the 89-page decision from the Western Washington Growth Management Hearings Board, which found in favor of the county on 10 other issues.
A fight outside a popular Oak Harbor nightspot Oct. 29 has resulted in a felony charge against a 22-year-old California woman.
Prosecutors charged Megan Byelick of El Cajon in Island County Superior Court Nov. 17 with assault in the second degree.
The Island County Commissioners are not going to target senior employees or union members for layoffs. They aren’t going to force anyone to retire early.
Commissioners Mac McDowell and John Dean, as well as Budget Director Elaine Marlow, waylaid rumors spreading around the county about an upcoming round of layoffs during a public budget workshop Wednesday night.
Kenmore Air will stop flying out of the Oak Harbor Airport at the beginning of next year and officials say they probably can’t come back without a ridership guarantee from the Navy.
The Whidbey News-Times has a professional proofreader who’s cute as a button, quick with a retort and beloved by all.
Nellie Williams also happens to turn 100 years old today, Nov. 19, possibly making her the oldest living proofreader on the planet.
