Record South Whidbey
INSIDE
Falcons fight on See...A8
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2014 | Vol. 90, No. 14 | WWW.SOUTHWHIDBEYRECORD.COM | 75¢
Jet critics promise to shut down OLF School board OKs new track
By CELESTE ERICKSON South Whidbey Record
includes The Goose Grocer and a Valero gas station. Fernandez’s vehicle struck Hutchinson’s, a 1990s Geo, which was in the intersection and preparing to merge onto the state route. The cause of the accident was unclear Thursday and remained under investigation, Trooper Chris Merwin said. “It was probably inattention,” he speculated. “Speed was definitely a factor.” The impact was so hard that both vehicles came to rest on the east side of the intersection. Hutchinson was extracted by South Whidbey Fire/EMS and Whidbey
The South Whidbey School District Board of Directors are off and running to resurface the South Whidbey High School track. The board agreed to move forward with a revised list of first-year levy priorities provided by the administration at a workshop on Feb. 12. “The bottom line is you need the surface, not a stopgap surface,” Superintendent Jo Moccia emphasized during the meeting. Along with the track, the list includes 31 other projects to complete by the beginning of November on school district properties. The projects are funded as part of the $6 million capital/technology levy for 20132020. The track resurfacing is the big-ticket item for the first year at an estimated $250,000. First-year projects are estimated to total $689,081. Also planned for year one are installation of a keyless entry system at the high school, carpeting for Langley Middle School, South Whidbey Elementary School and South Whidbey Academy, HVAC — heating, ventilation and air conditioning — controls at the middle school, and a new roof at the Bayview school property. Two projects already completed include the middle school football field drainage issue and cafeteria flooring.
SEE ACCIDENT, A2
SEE TRACK, A5
Ben Watanabe / The Record
Michael Monson, a leading member of Citizens of the Ebey’s Reserve, speaks during a presentation the group made in Langley on Thursday.
COER makes presentation to small but attentive crowd By BEN WATANABE South Whidbey Record Citizens of the Ebey’s Reserve, the group that filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Navy for excessive flights and jet noise around Central
Whidbey, found a bit of support Thursday on South Whidbey. Though the boost it got in Langley was smaller than other visits, such as one to Port Townsend earlier this year that drew 100 people, a handful of the group’s members empha-
sized the validity of their fight, which COER officials estimate has cost between $30,000 and $40,000 in legal fees and noise studies. SEE COER, A11
Crash sends one to Harborview By JUSTIN BURNETT South Whidbey Record
Justin Burnett / The Record
First responders work to stabilize Daniel Hutchinson, 57, of Clinton following a two-car wreck Thursday afternoon on South Whidbey.
A Clinton man was transported to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle Thursday after sustaining injuries in a two-car collision on South Whidbey. A hospital official confirmed Daniel Hutchinson, 57, was in satisfactory condition Friday morning. According to the Washington State Patrol, the accident occurred at about 4 p.m. Julio Fernandez, 18 and also of Clinton, was southbound on Highway 525 in a 1997 Infiniti sedan when his car veered off the right shoulder about 100 feet before the intersection at Bayview Center, the shopping complex that