Record South Whidbey
INSIDE
2015 Whidbey Island Almanac
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2015 | Vol. 91, No. 15 | WWW.SOUTHWHIDBEYRECORD.COM | 75¢
Sundberg now last of old Island Transit Guard
South End schools join stand for federal rule change By KATE DANIEL South Whidbey Record The South Whidbey School District Board of Directors is continuing its pursuit of an amendment to the No Child Left Behind Act, also known as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The district is one of 154 across the state that are asking Congress to institute a change, believing the act to be ineffective and detrimental. South Whidbey School District legislative representative Rocco Gianni recently made a trip to the nation’s capital — along with other representatives from Washington State school districts — to discuss the matter with lawmakers. He discussed his trip at a board workshop on Feb. 11, noting that he had the opportunity to meet with representatives such as U.S. Sen. Patty Murray and U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, both Washington Democrats; U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert, a Republican from the Eighth Congressional District, and others. Most representatives concurred that a change is needed in regard to the No Child Left Behind Act, according to Gianni. One of the most prominent concerns, he said, is that the act unfairly penalizes school districts. The act creates a direct link between teacher effectiveness and students’ success on standardized tests, leading to schools incorrectly being labeled as “failing.” The Elementary and Secondary Education Act was created in 1965, and was revised every five years until SEE SCHOOLS, A16
By JESSIE STENSLAND South Whidbey Record
litigation are certainly unusual,” Island County Deputy Prosecutor Jacqueline Lawrence wrote in a motion before the court. “A public hospital district appears ready to use public resources to thwart the publicly funded criminal justice system from administering justice.” Island County Prosecutor Greg
Jackie Henderson’s first meeting on the Island Transit board was an eventful marathon session in which the board adopted new routes, purchased new buses and rejected a headhunting proposal. Henderson replaces longtime Island Transit member Bob Clay on the board of the recovering agency. She is a member of the Coupeville Council and the director of Island County Human Services. The Coupeville Council appointed Henderson to serve on the transit board this week. Both Clay and Henderson asked to be appointed; the council chose Henderson in a 3-2 vote. That means Langley Councilman Jim Sundberg is the only person on the fivemember transit board who was there when financial trouble forced the agency to cut staff and routes last year. Henderson said Clay, the former chairman, did an admirable job on the transit board and her request to be on the board has nothing to do with him. As the Human Services director, she said she can help represent the needs of the vulnerable people in the community who often rely on buses. “I feel like I have a real inside track on that population,” she said. Island County Commissioner Jill Johnson, a fellow board member, said Henderson is a great addition to the board. She said other board members are all about the numbers, but Henderson
SEE HOSPITAL, A10
SEE TRANSIT, A16
Ben Watanabe / The Record
South Whidbey Fire/EMS volunteer Jon Gabelein treks up the steps of the Langley Fire Station to demonstrate the climb he’ll do at the Columbia Tower in Seattle in March. He’s practicing and raising funds Saturday, Feb. 21 at Island Athletic Center in Freeland.
69 flights of stairs? No problem, South End firefighters say
By BEN WATANABE South Whidbey Record A couple of firefighters from South Whidbey have a big climb ahead of them. Will Piepenbrink and Jon Gabelein, both volunteer firefighters with South Whidbey Fire/EMS, are planning to tackle the Firefighter Stairclimb on March 8. The annual event is the largest climb in the world and takes place at Seattle’s Columbia Tower. Before the two South Whidbey men put one foot in front of the other — 1,311 steps total — to take on Columbia Tower’s 69 flights of stairs, they are training at home, at fire district workout rooms and at gyms.
From 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Feb. 21, Gabelein will hit a stair stepper at Island Athletic Center in Freeland for three hours’ worth of training. Most workouts are closer to one hour, or less. Even the Columbia climb, with all 50 pounds of firefighting gear, has only taken Gabelein about 20 minutes to finish. “It’s all uphill, every step of the way,” Gabelein said. “I’m going to have to get in real good shape here in the next few days,” he added. The Coupeville Elementary School teacher has done the Columbia climb for more than five years in a row. So SEE FIREFIGHTERS, A16
Hospital helps fund employee’s criminal defense By JESSIE STENSLAND South Whidbey Record Whidbey General Hospital taxpayers are helping fund the criminal defense of a hospital employee, and it has county prosecutors scratching their heads. Seattle attorney Donna Moniz sits at the defense table in Island County District Court with Linda Gipson, the chief nursing officer
who is facing a fourth-degree assault charge. Gipson has her own defense attorney, Andrew Schwarz of Seattle, but Moniz has been arguing alongside him on many issues before the court in the unusual case. Prosecutors questioned her continued involvement and unsuccessfully tried to limit her participation. “The circumstances of this