News-Times Whidbey
SATURDAY, MAY 10, 2014 | Vol. 124, No. 38 | WWW.WHIDBEYNEWSTIMES.COM | 75¢
INSIDE
DRIVE H W IDBEY
A guide to everything on wheels
Spring 2014
A11
Your ultimate guide to everything on wheels
Whidbey Cruzers share their love of cars... page 3
the A supplement of
es and South Whidbey
Whidbey News-Tim
Record
Merchants taking 2nd look at Main Street idea By RON NEWBERRY Staff reporter
Oak Harbor merchants are exploring a new strategy to revitalize downtown. Business owners are revisiting the idea of the national Main Street program designed to attract attention to a city’s historic downtown core. The coordinator of the Washington State Main Street program, along with a Main Street representative from Ellensburg, made a presentation before City of Oak Harbor officials and members from Oak Harbor’s Downtown Merchants Association this past July. The presentation was made at the request of Mayor Scott Dudley. But no attempts to pursue the program were made. That could change after a dialogue was resurrected recently between downtown merchants. “We brought it up at the merchants’ meeting,” said Margaret Livermore, president of Garry Oak Gallery and former president of the city’s downtown merchants association. “We want to start revisiting Main Street.” Main Street is centered around promoting, preserving and embracing a city’s SEE MAIN ST., A20
Photo by Michelle Beahm/Whidbey News-Times
Yuji Caballero, Dominic Dean, Miles Mumper, Paula Seaman, Chandler Gisvold and Hayden Neff each hold one of the Hillcrest chickens. These chickens, about five weeks old, are six of the thirteen Seaman purchased as a school-wide project.
THE CHICKEN KING
Hillcrest-fifth grader is ruling the roost By MICHELLE BEAHM Staff reporter
An Oak Harbor elementary school is lucky enough to have fine-feathered royalty. Miles Mumper, a fifth grader at Hillcrest, was appointed as the “chicken king” about a month ago, after Paula Seaman purchased 13
baby chicks for the school. Mumper was placed in charge of the chickens from day one, according to Seaman, principal of Hillcrest. “I get to take care of the chickens and choose people to come along,” Mumper said. “I tell people what to do for the chickens, and tell them, show them which is which and how
they behave. “When I come out every day, I check the water and I check their feed.” Seaman said she purchased the chickens with her own money after deciding to do something about the smaller of the school’s SEE CHICKENS, A10
Anti-noise group protests near Coupeville field Touch-and-gos canceled before scheduled rally By JANIS REID Staff reporter
A rally protesting jet noise at Outlying Field Coupeville Friday was quieter than expected.
While the event was staged to occur during Field Carrier Landing Practice, or touch-and-gos, a last-minute schedule change eliminated their noisy backdrop. More than 125 people with signs gathered along Highway 20 at the entrance to OLF, some coming from across the region. “They’re not flying because we’re here even though, of course, they will say dif-
ferently,” said Michael Monson, president of Citizens of Ebey’s Reserve, the group that scheduled the event. “Our concern is for the health and well-being of the region’s inhabitants.” The touch-and-gos were performed Wednesday instead of Friday, said Mike Welding, public information officer for
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Photo by Janis Reid/Whidbey News-Times
Anti-noise group member Paula Spina, left, and others protest Friday near OLF Coupeville.
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