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Oak Harbor Marina staff member Neil Ketchum assists in the delivery of 30

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Oak Harbor Marina catches its last load of baby fish

Thirty-thousand coho smolt splashed into holding pens at Oak Harbor Marina for perhaps the last time Wednesday.

Oak Harbor Fire Department firefighters investigate the remnants of a fire that broke out on a deck at Villa Marina Apartments Saturday as complex owner Joe Franssen walks underneath.

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Oak Harbor firefighters avert disaster

An Oak Harbor apartment complex faced disaster Saturday when a mysterious fire broke out on the deck of…

Central Whidbey Fire and Rescue junior firefighters ride on the back of a firetruck sometime in the 1980s. The program is no longer active but fire officials hope to revive it to drum up new volunteers.

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Central Whidbey voters will decide fire future

For more than a century, fire services on Central Whidbey was handled by a single group of people…

Central Whidbey Fire and Rescue volunteer Brad Sherman

News

Searching for firefighters

The number of volunteer firefighters serving in the U.S. has declined 14 percent over the past 28 years.…

News

Bone costs top $1 million for Oak Harbor

The cost of finding Native American remains on S.E. Pioneer Way in downtown Oak Harbor has surpassed the…

A Central Whidbey Fire and Rescue firefighter douses the flames of a burning Coupeville home in 2011. The district is running a levy lid lift this month in hopes of addressing a decline in volunteer levels.

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Volunteer firefighter tradition strained by modern Whidbey Island living

So you want to be a firefighter, huh? Great, here’s a helmet and a slicker. Sorry we don’t…

Oak Harbor Mayor Scott Dudley speaks with new City Attorney Bill Hawkins and interim City Administrator Steve Powers before a special meeting Monday. Hawkins confirmed Wednesday that the selection of four finalists in a closed session during the meeting violated the state's Open Public Meetings Act. The entire process is now expected to be redone.

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Oak Harbor admits open meetings law violated, will make amends

The Oak Harbor City Council's selection of four finalists for an open council seat was a violation of…

The Salish sails by a breakwater as it ventures into Keystone Harbor. Washington State ferries continual funding problems prompted officials to come up with a scenario that would eliminate the Port Townsend-to-Coupeville route to help make ends meet.

News

Doomsday scenario would ax ferry run

Washington State Ferries’ funding problems are now so dire that without additional revenue the state agency would need…

Political hopeful William (Skip) Pohtilla speaks with Oak Harbor City Councilman Jim Campbell after a special meeting Monday. Four finalists were selected for position 5 on the council.

News

Oak Harbor City Council hopefuls trimmed to four

Chosen in secret, four candidates have been selected as finalists for an open seat on the Oak Harbor…

As the U.S. defense strategy shifts toward Asia

News

Turn toward Asia may secure NAS Whidbey

President Barack Obama’s plan to keep a closer eye on Asia may mean good things for Whidbey Island…

Scott Dudley

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Dudley firings cost thousands for Oak Harbor, ‘stay tuned’ for more changes

The firing of Oak Harbor City Administrator Paul Schmidt and City Attorney Margery Hite will cost taxpayers at…

Longtime Oak Harbor resident Beatrice Morgan sits at a public beach access on West Beach Road. She recently donated 16.5 acres of beach and tidelands near there to the Whidbey Camano Land Trust.

News

Woman, 90, donates quarter-mile Oak Harbor beach for public use

An Oak Harbor woman with an eye for public access has donated a beach to a land conservation…

News

Police chief, fire chief fall as mayor adds to Oak Harbor’s purge

The close of newly elected Oak Harbor Mayor Scott Dudley’s second week on the job has resulted in…