Jan.

Chief Petty Officer Richard Fleischer and Gunner’s Mate Douglas High received Bronze Stars at NAS Whidbey for their service in Iraq with Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 11.

Rudy the skeletal Dahl’s porpoise joined Rosie the skeletal gray whale on display at the Coupeville Wharf.

Oak Harbor hired Tom Beckwith for $135,000 over 18 months to consult on the downtown Windjammer Project.

The Oak Harbor school board approved sending a $54 million high school bond proposal to voters in the spring.

The Whidbey Camano Land Trust spearheaded a successful effort to protect 355 acres of prime bird habitat at Crockett Lake.

Many days of continuous rain started out 2006, prompting complaints from Oak Harbor merchants that it was dampening the shopping spirit.

“Eco-terrorists” were blamed for burning to the ground a Camano Island mansion that was under construction.

Kids started designing their own playground for Fort Nugent Park.

Island County lost one of its two remaining dairy herds when Oak Harbor’s Muzzall family sold off its 150 cows, partly because of increasing environmental regulations.

The Coupeville Town Council doubled Mayor Nancy Conard’s salary to $59,012 as she became a full-time employee.

De Dennis announced he would run for Island County Sheriff, joining Lenny Marlborough, Jay Wallace and Mark Brown in the race.

A 50-year-old Seattle man, Kevin Li, died while scuba diving at Keystone.

Feb.

The city council approved spending $225,000 to extend a road, paving the way for Bob’s Burgers to come to Oak Harbor.

Oak Harbor’s first Youth Services director was fired, leaving the future of the new program in doubt.

An automobile accident on Highway 20 near Monkey Hill Road claimed the life of Seldon Hazelo, 17, an Oak Harbor High School student.

Thousands lost power when a storm packing 61 mph hour winds hit Whidbey.

Theresa St. Pierre of Oak Harbor lost her son to a sniper in Iraq. Kyle Brown, 22, was a U.S. Marine.

Deputy Jay Wallace, a candidate for sheriff, came under criticism and was later fired over how he responded to a 911 call.

Jana Ellen Lee, 39, died when a fire consumed her apartment on Whidbey Avenue.

Salley Berger and Peggy Minnich, both of Oak Harbor, shared a $680,000 Washington lottery jackpot.

Molly Rice, 29, was thrown from the passenger seat and killed in an auto accident on Reservation Road.

March

Four crew members in an EA-6B Prowler ejected safely before their aircraft crashed in a remote area of northeast Oregon. The Whidbey Island Naval Air Station aircraft with VAQ 135 was on a routine training mission.

VAQ 141 returned from six months in Iraq where, for the first time, they were divided into land-based and sea-based operations.

The Legislature made individual farm plans private information, stopping the Whidbey Environmental Action Network from acquiring more of the plans.

City crews were still cleaning up Windjammer Park from the effects of the Super Bowl wind storm.

Sophomores took the WASL test which, for the first time, they have to pass to graduate.

The campaign for the $54 million high school bond kicked off.

The ferry system aired plans for major projects at Keystone and Mukilteo.

A $154,000 grant assured Oak Harbor’s waterfront trail will be completed.

Island County embarked on an effort to slash the number of homeless by 50 percent.

Island County began preparing a plan for a bird flu epidemic.

Oak Harbor City Council tightened its Accident Potential Zone to further protect the base from encroachment.

More than 2,000 runners were expected for the Whidbey Island Marathon.

Island County’s Juvenile Detention Center, funded by a local sales tax, opened for business.

April

The 37th annual Holland Happening drew throngs to Oak Harbor for Dutch excitement.

Ballots were mailed out for the May election. Some voters received two, others received none.

The stomach flu was making the rounds on the island.

An Oak Harbor teenager jumped to his death from the Deception Pass Bridge.

Under a cloud of controversy, Laura Blankenship resigned after five years as the Greenbank Farm manager.

Kenmore Air announced it would resume service from Oak Harbor to Seattle.

Prosecutor Greg Banks fired Chief Criminal Prosecutor Steve Selby after the latter announced he would run for the elective position.

Construction started on the new Coupeville High School.

Sheriff Mike Hawley fired Deputy Jay Wallace over a 911 incident allegedly mishandled by Wallace, who was running for sheriff.

The historic Oak Harbor theater on Pioneer Way caught fire, putting a halt to a renovation effort.

Whidbey Island Naval Air Station was rated the best Navy base in the world in an announcement by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.

may

Thirteen-year-old Matthew Hubner of Oak Harbor died when he fell from a cliff at Deception Pass as he and friends tried to explore a cave.

Gasoline topped $3 a gallon, prompting complaints from Oak Harbor businesses and others.

Two scuba divers, Francis and Zane Malloy, saved a baby whose buggy was blown off the dock at Oak Harbor marina.

Urologist Dr. Benjamin Hu threatened to quit unless Whidbey General Hospital purchased his practice and paid him a salary of $325,000.

Something called the Washington Tidal Energy Company applied for a permit to build turbines at Deception Pass.

Kenmore Air’s first flight to Seattle took off from the Oak Harbor airport.

A resounding 65 percent of voters approved the $54 million Oak Harbor High School bond.

Long-time Oak Harbor pastor Gary Prisk died suddenly while on a trip to Canada.

june

Hot, dry weather dictated a county-wide burn ban to take effect.

The National Park Service announced the Engle Farm would be returned to private ownership.

Oak Harbor approved a $30,500 study to look into moving the sewer plant from Windjammer Park.

A developer proposed a mixed-use, 226,000 square foot building on the long-vacant Copeland lumber site downtown.

Oak Harbor adopted a new tag line, “Oak Harbor – Come Ashore.”

Oak Harbor veterans were worried after information on millions of vets was taken during a burglary in Washington, D.C.

Coupeville graduated 79 students and Oak Harbor 340 in the Class of 2006.

Black Jack, a miniature horse measuring 12-inches high at birth, was born at Lymrick Farm near Oak Harbor.

The Island County Farm Bureau was started to give farmers a united voice in the county.

july

So many people turned out for an Oak Harbor Planning Commission meeting regarding a “big box” store proposal south of town, that the fire marshal closed the meeting due to safety concerns.

Islanders sweltered through temperatures that reached 94 degrees.

A proposal on breaking up the Fakkema farm into housing sites stirred controversy.

Harbormaster Dave Williams announced it would take $19.3 million to fix up the Oak Harbor Marina.

The Snohomish County Public Utility District applied for a permit to study tidal power possibilities at Deception Pass, Admiralty Inlet and Agate and Rich passes.

Plans for a new Oak Harbor High School football stadium, approved by voters in the fall of 2005, were unveiled.

Work began by volunteers on the Fort Nugent Playground.

aug.

Scott Cline, a popular figure in the Oak Harbor sailing community, was killed in an auto accident near Freeland.

Inflation put the football stadium $600,000 over budget, forcing several cuts in the project.

Fraser’s Gourmet Hideaway, the first new commercial building to open in downtown Oak Harbor in many years, welcomed customers.

Bikini-clad Wendy Marie Tucker led a protest against KFC in Oak Harbor.

Burglars went on a spree in downtown Oak Harbor.

A Seattle police officer forgot his gun when he checked out of an Oak Harbor motel.

A mobile home park in Coupeville was evacuated after a demented man threatened to blow himself up with a bomb.

An Oak Harbor man, 23, was caught by police after a string of 22 burglaries.

sept.

A state agency predicted Island County’s population would grow by 30 percent by 2025.

Oak Harbor native Brad Viratas gained fame as one of the castaways on the CBS reality show, “Survivor.”

A man wearing no pants stole a dog and dump truck, then drove the truck into oncoming traffic.

The hospital’s Emergency Services levy passed easily in the election, while Mark Brown won the three-man primary race for sheriff.

Hundreds came from miles around for the dedication of the Patrol Squadron Memorial in Oak Harbor.

Angry Greenbank residents opposed a salmon estuary project on land owned in part by the Greenbank Farm.

Coupeville resident Patricia Brooks went on a hunger strike in opposition to the Iraq war.

Protests followed a decision by the city of Oak Harbor to enforce its rule against garage sale signs on public property.

The Growth Management Hearings Board sided with Island County against WEAN in a major land use milestone.

oct.

Kaitlin Rose Richmond, 7, of Coupeville, passed away after a long, courageous battle with cancer that touched thousands of lives on the island.

Property assessments with increases of 30 percent and more raised the ire of island property owners.

A head count showed Oak Harbor schools with 112 fewer students than expected this year.

A dead crow found near Oak Harbor tested positive for the West Nile Virus.

The last football game was played Oct. 20 in Oak Harbor’s War Memorial Stadium.

The Swan Lake Watershed Preservation Group was formed to protect Swantown Lake from excess development.

An Oak Harbor woman was charged with a felony for signing her daughter’s election ballot.

The Oak Harbor Planning Commission unanimously rejected extending boundaries to allow a “big box” development south of town.

Three sailors home from Iraq received the Bronze Star during a ceremony at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station.

Long-time Boys and Girls Club leader Roosevelt Rumble announced he was resigning to become a full-time pastor.

nov.

Greg Banks won reelection as county prosecutor after a heated campaign against Steve Selby, while John Dean won for commissioner and Mark Brown for Sheriff.

Controversy arose over a developer’s plan to severely prune an oak tree dubbed by tree lovers as “the jewel of Fidalgo.”

Oak Harbor officials struggled with a $1 million budget deficit forecast.

Oak Harbor Wildcats’ football team won its second consecutive playoff game in double overtime.

A big windstorm blew out traffic lights while fallen trees blocked numerous county roads.

Walgreens, the giant pharmacy firm, announced it was coming to Oak Harbor.

Wildcat Mania hit Oak Harbor after the football team’s third playoff win, a 26-22 thriller over Skyview.

Thousands enjoyed the Community Thanksgiving in Oak Harbor.

A huge snowstorm shut down the island, with four to 12 inches falling depending on location. It was accompanied by winds that cut power, leaving thousands with no power.

dec.

No one was immune to the Football Virus as Oak Harbor prepared to send its team to the Tacoma Dome and the battle for the state championship.

Complaints arose over the lack of shelters for cold people during the late November snow storm.

They did it! The Oak Harbor Wildcats beat the Bothell Cougars 21-14 for their first state championship trophy.

Island County funded its first Children’s Commission in its 2007 budget.

U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Megan McClung, 34-year-old daughter of a Coupeville couple, was killed in Iraq by a roadside bomb.

Developer Paul Pazooki announced he was shelving plans for a “big-box” development south of town following public protests.

A giant windstorm knocked out power to the entire island for about two days, and considerably longer in some areas. People sought comfort in shelters established in Oak Harbor and Coupeville. Businesses lost valuable hours of holiday shopping.

“Fuzzy” Rodgers, Oak Harbor’s “Mr. Christmas” because of his amazing holiday lighting display, passed away after a battle with cancer.

Oak Harbor school officials started studying the idea of closing an elementary school due to declining enrollment.