WHIDBEY NEWS TIMES: Island County signed a $3.4 million agreement with the state Department of Transportation to widen shoulders on Highway 20, from Race Road to Welcher Road, in 2020. Nearly five years later, the project hasn’t begun.
Sam Fletcher
WHIDBEY NEWS TIMES: The City of Oak Harbor and Oak Harbor Main Street will continue their partnerships for another year.
WHIDBEY NEWS TIMES: The results returned from the state auditor’s office for Oak Harbor’s 2023 finances show sweeping improvements compared to 2022.
WHIDBEY NEWS TIMES: Oak Harbor leaders are considering a new tax on businesses to raise money to fix the aging marina and fund other projects.
WHIDBEY NEWS TIMES: Oak Harbor Mayor Ronnie Wright received a notice of violation for building a fence over a foot above city code limits. Now that fixing the fence has been delayed and the code is set to be reviewed by the city council, Wright’s neighbor feels the mayor is abusing his power.
WHIDBEY NEWS TIMES: The year 2024 saw fewer tourists on Whidbey than the average, but those people spent more money than normal, according to Inge Morascini, marketing and program manager for Embrace Whidbey and Camano Islands.
WHIDBEY NEWS TIMES: Environmental activists are once again ringing the alarm over a loophole in the Department of Natural Resource’s foresting permits that allows developers to forgo environmental impact studies by requesting an additional permit through the county.
WHIDBEY NEWS-TIMES: In a 4-2 vote, [James] Marrow was sworn in as the newest Oak Harbor City Council member.