Latest Curated Headlines from Oak Harbor and North Whidbey

Two members of the City’s legal department have resigned, citing a “compromised working relationship” with City Administrator Blaine Oborn and HR Director Emma House. City Attorney Grant Weed and Assistant City Attorney and Public Records Officer Anna Thompson both resigned the same day. For the details, see the writeup by...

Oak Harbor’s mayor, Bob Severns, wrote a letter to the editor endorsing two candidates in this year’s city council elections. The mayor’s letter, supporting Shane Hoffmire over incumbent Joel Servatius for position 5 and Stephanie “Fe” Mischo over Dan Evans for the open position 4 seat, was published in the...

Oak Harbor’s growth has impacted the fire and police departments’ abilities to maintain service. See Emily Gilbert’s story for the full details. They said it: Council members voiced their support for the upgrades [recommended by the police and fire chiefs], but Mayor Pro Tem Beth Munns cautioned that the timing...

Whidbey Hospital District board president Ron Wallin responds to a recent News-Times article about a negative report from the State Auditor.

Oak Harbor City Councilmembers Tara Hizon, Erica Wasinger, Millie Goebel, Jeffrey Mack, Joel Servatius, Beth Munns, and Jim Woessner After months of controversy, Oak Harbor City Councilmembers approved two agreements that effectively mean the “Angel de la Creatividad” sculpture will be placed in Windjammer Park. The council voted 4-1 to...

Approx 1 hour, 10 minutes. Link to agenda. Link to full meeting packet.

Future Oak Harbor school board meetings will be held virtually after audience members disrupted two recent in-person meetings where multiple audience members refused to wear masks. Jason Uemoto, who is running for school board against incumbent Erik Mann, questioned the data about masking as well as the constitutionality of the...

Candidates for the Oak Harbor City Council weighed in on the pending City Council vote on whether or not to accept the gift of the bright-red abstract depiction of an angel that will cost the City $35,000 to install. A recent public survey indicated a 70% opposition rate to accepting...

The North Whidbey Pool, Park and Recreation District commissioners voted to authorize Commissioner Jay Cochran to sign a contract with Northwest Thermal Hydronics, LLC to replace the 39-year-old boiler for the Pool. However, the commissioners have not yet figured out how to fund the $152,460 price tag. Commissioner Cochran said...

The State Auditor’s Office issued two findings against the Whidbey Island Hospital District in a just-released audit report covering Jan. 1 2019 through Dec. 31, 2020. The audit found that the hospital district is two years behind in submitting complete and accurate annual financial reports and that the hospital district...