Jessie Stensland reports: Voters on Whidbey Island approved a measure in Tuesday’s election to increase the public hospital district’s property tax levy. At the same time, it appears that voters are replacing a hospital commissioner with a candidate new to health care administration. They Said It Candidate James Golder said...
Jessie Stensland reports: Demand hasn’t been as high as anticipated for what Oak Harbor staff call “Poo-Cheetos.” Mick Monken, the city’s interim public works director, told city council members last week that he wanted to move forward with creating a “biosolids sustainability plan” that would offer several specific options for...
Jessie Stensland reports: An Oak Harbor subcommittee charged with reviewing ideas for spending federal stimulus money came up with a $2 million list of expenses, from iPads for council members to new city employees. They Said It Councilmember Tara Hizon, a member of the subcommittee, said the list is for...
Tying into the controversy surrounding the Oak Harbor City Councils vote of no-confidence in City Administrator Blaine Oborn and Mayor Bob Severns subsequent defense of Oborn, the mayor asked city employees for anonymous comments. In the results, there were shots taken at both sides of the issue. The comments covered...
Editor Jessie Stensland wrote an In Our Opinion column in the Oct. 27 edition of the Whidbey News-Times endorsing several candidates for Langely City Council. They Said It Jessie Stensland: Gail Fleming… Harolynne Bobis and Rhonda Salerno are all strong, intelligent and well-spoken women who are knowledgeable about city government...
Island County Commissioners have approved a grant of $70k to the Low Income Housing Institute that will go towards “predevelopment costs” associated with the Institute’s proposal to purchase the Harbor Inn in Freeland and turn it into 10 low-income units. Also, the commissioners approved asking the Washington state Housing Trust...
Oak Harbor Mayor Bob Severns went through a PowerPoint presentation at the City Council meeting that addressed the City Council’s no-confidence vote in City Administrator Blain Oborn. Mayor Severns went through each point raised by the council’s motion of no-confidence to explain the reasons why the complaints were either misleading...
Gov. Jay Inslee has conditionally commuted Rogelio Vasquez’s 46-year sentence after he has already served 22 years. Vasquez was convicted and sentenced following a 1998 crime spree in Coupeville. Island County Prosecutor Greg Banks, who prosecuted Vasquez, recommended approval of the commutation in a statement to the Clemency and Pardons...
