I started reading the Whidbey News-Times Wednesday edition on my way back from the mailbox. How could I resist? There, on the front page, was a picture of a man writhing in rhetorical pain. Wait, I recognize him, it’s Bill Massey: Purveyor of profit, mouthpiece and icon of the “uber rich” in Oak Harbor. Person to be despised because he wants to build something.
I applaud those Island County commissioners who voted to support the secure medicine take-back program now under consideration in the state Legislature. Thanks should go to our 10th District Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, for co-sponsoring this bill.
Whidbey Island’s Roller Girls competitive roller skating team is off to a good start. Their first home match last month drew a sizable crowd to Oak Harbor’s venerable Roller Barn. The Saturday night event also attracted a crew of Oak Harbor High School video students who filmed the contest for the entire community, and play-by-play broadcaster Jerry Oliver did an admirable job of filling air time with commentary about a little-known sport. Those with access to OHHS Channel 21 have been watching the rolling women elbow and push past their competitors for days. Channel 21 probably doesn’t have ratings, but if it did the Roller Girls might well outdraw the lip sync contests.
Though many students were relishing last week’s snow days, those relaxing weekdays spent at home are quickly causing a problem for Oak Harbor School District.
A jackknifed semi truck blocked both lanes of Highway 20 near Coupeville for about a half hour Wednesday afternoon.
OLYMPIA – Fishing prospects look bright this year for chinook in Washington’s ocean waters and the Columbia River, according to preseason salmon forecasts released today at a public meeting in Olympia.
Hours after high winds and rough seas prompted officials to cancel sailings, the Chetzemoka returned to service Wednesday afternoon.
A proposed change to Oak Harbor’s development rules has a member of the city council and a former state representative crying foul.
Claiming that the proposal is inherently linked to a property dispute that’s raged for nearly 10 years – a squabble in which both are involved as property owners – City Councilman Bob Severns and former state Rep. Sue Karahalios have been outspoken critics of the plan at a series of recent planning commission meetings.
It’s time for boaters to touch up their knowledge and skills for the summer season.
Members of a task force dedicated to protecting Whidbey Island Naval Air Station have uninvited two Island County commissioners from a trip to the Pentagon following a turf war among commissioners over who will represent the base.
Whidbey General Hospital’s strategic plan calls for replacing the hospital’s 40-year-old inpatient wing with proceeds from a $50 million bond issue in May, if voters approve a property tax increase.
Soroptimist International of Oak Harbor announced its two Ruby Award winners this year, naming winner Marjorie Scribner and runner-up Georgette Anglum. Both women will receive a check for $500 to the charity of their choice and Scribner’s application will go on to region for a possible $1,500 donation.
Ten years ago, Rachael Hardin, now a junior in high school, got a very special Valentine’s gift. It was Feb. 14, 2001, when the then-6-year-old met her Big Sister Carolyn Brady. For the 10 years that followed, Brady and Hardin stuck together through good times and bad, explored the island and beyond together and formed a friendship that will last a lifetime, they said.