WHIDBEY NEWS-TIMES: The Port of Coupeville has installed a
$600,000, storm-hardened open-water dock at the Coupeville Wharf, finishing years of rehab work as Executive Director Chris Michalopoulos prepares to retire.
Allyson Ballard
WHIDBEY NEWS-TIMES: The Coupeville Town Council debated—but postponed decisions on—new rules allowing permitted A‑frame signs, balancing accessibility, aesthetics, free‑speech limits, and businesses’ desire for attention‑grabbing sidewalk marketing.
WHIDBEY NEWS-TIMES: Whidbey officials, alarmed by recent ICE violence, debated how to protect residents, ultimately urging cautious compliance during encounters while stressing legal recourse, documentation, and the limits on local law enforcement.
WHIDBEY NEWS-TIMES: Coupeville’s insurer paid $285,000 to settle former clerk treasurer Jennifer Carpenter’s harassment and discrimination lawsuit against Mayor Molly Hughes, which was dismissed with prejudice; Hughes and the town admitted no wrongdoing.
WHIDBEY NEWS-TIMES: Coupeville will replace 1920s water-sewer lines on Sixth Street, add stormwater fixes and a pedestrian-bike lane in a $148K project planned for completion by spring 2026.
WHIDBEY NEWS-TIMES: Coupeville may elevate the historic Cash Store to address sea level rise, but high costs, unclear responsibility, and the need for a coordinated waterfront strategy complicate broader over-water building protections.
WHIDBEY NEWS-TIMES: Cheryl Engle retired from the Central Whidbey Island Fire and Rescue board of commissioners, concluding a 36-year long tenure on the board.
WHIDBEY NEWS-TIMES: Coupeville seated new council members Kristo Allred and Evan Henrich, honored outgoing member Pat Powell’s legacy on housing and climate, and appointed Jenny Bright Mayor Pro Tem with new planning commissioners.