Vol. 125, No. 70
News-Times Whidbey
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015
Soapbox derby fun
Your hometown newspaper for 125 years
WWW.WHIDBEYNEWSTIMES.COM | 75 CENTS
What a
Body of missing sailor found
blast!
Island sucker-punched by wild August storm
By JESSIE STENSLAND
jstensland@whidbeynewsgroup.com
The body of a sailor who drowned in a boating accident was found on a beach during the windstorm Saturday afternoon. Keiyia T. Jones, a 33-yearold petty officer second class stationed at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station, disappeared in Crescent Harbor Aug. 8 after the small boat he was on sank. His mother, Shawna JonesSmith, has remained on the island over the last couple of weeks. She vowed not to leave until either her son was found or she was satisfied that every
By DEBRA VAUGHN
dvaughn@whidbeynewsgroup.com
Whidbey Island is still mopping up after an unusual late summer wind storm pummeled the area Saturday. The wind gusted to 70 mph at times, snapping trees and flinging branches. By the time things quieted down, thousands of island residents were without power and the ground looked like somebody upstairs pushed about a hundred Douglas firs through a blender. A wind-whipper isn’t unusual for Whidbey, but what is strange is the timing. Storms like Saturday’s usually don’t arrive until October or November, said Victoria Bard, a weather forecaster at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station. The highest winds were recorded on base at just after noon, she said. The storm had sustained average winds of 22 mph. For two minutes during the storm, the winds continually blew at 54 mph. There were no storm-related deaths reported on the island, but all that blowing caused plenty of havoc. Trees came down across roads and fell atop power lines all over the island. The wind snapped one of the blades of the windmill at the Auld Holland Inn in Oak Harbor. It wrecked most of the city’s hanging flower baskets downtown and damaged a few city parks. North Whidbey Fire and Rescue crews were busy all day responding to the 65 calls that came in during the storm — that’s more calls than they normally receive in a week. The wind kicked loose all manner of small items in area yards and delivered them to the neighbors. SEE WILD WEATHER, A28
A4
SEE SAILOR, A27
Photo courtesy of Jenai Bays
Capturing a more light-hearted moment during Saturday’s storm, Robert Coleman tries to take a drink of water at Windjammer Park in Oak Harbor.
Tree comes crashing down on family home dvaughn@whidbeynewsgroup.com
Photo by Debra Vaughn/Whidbey News-Times
Glenda Campbell surveys damage to the home of her fiance, Rick Marti, who was inside when the tree came crashing down Saturday.
Rick Marti was kicked back watching TV in his living room Saturday when Mother Nature delivered a nasty surprise. The Coupeville man later said that heard a “crack” and he knew that he
By JESSIE STENSLAND jessie@whidbeynewsgroup.com
needed to get out of the house. Before he could reach his front door, a gigantic Douglas fir slammed into the Marti home. The force of it knocked him to the ground. His gentle giant of a dog, Marley,
Island County commissioners will be hiring two outside attorneys to defend against a lawsuit over the hiring of an outside attorney, according to Commissioner Jill Johnson. The irony isn’t lost on her. “In no way is this in the best interests of the citizens of Island County,” she said. The commissioners publicly criticized Prosecutor Greg Banks during a meeting last week over his decision to appoint a Snohomish County deputy prosecutor to represent the board on matters related to a lawsuit Banks brought against a private attorney.
SEE FAMILY HOME, A28
SEE IRONIC, A27
Resident survives a close call By DEBRA VAUGHN
Prosecutor, commission engaged in a lawyer battle