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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2015 | Vol. 91, No. 88 | WWW.SOUTHWHIDBEYRECORD.COM | 75¢
Veterans honored during holiday
Thomas pleads ‘not guilty’
By EVAN THOMPSON and KATE DANIEL South Whidbey Record Tom Keltner was just 17 when he forged his parents’ signatures to join the United States Marine Corps in 1965. Kelter’s service eventually led him to spend 28 months in Vietnam, where he fulfilled a role as a crew chief and gunner in a CH-46 helicopter. Fifty years later, Keltner, a member of Maj. Megan McClung Marine Corps League Detachment 1210, led a Veterans Day service on Nov. 11 at Bayview cemetery alongside retired Marine Ed Donery. The ceremony saw a turnout of about 40 people and began with an introduction by retired Navy veteran and Commander of South Whidbey American Legion Post 141 Kevin McDonald, followed by a prayer by Post Chaplain Darrell Wenzek. Greg Stone, retired Army colonel and president of the Whidbey Veterans Resource Center, was the keynote speaker. Stone talked about the importance of remembering the extraordinary sacrifices made by ordinary individuals who served a greater power than themselves. SEE VETERANS, A11
By JUSTIN BURNETT South Whidbey Record
mentoring and promoting younger children’s and especially girls’ interest in science. A few of the students said their favorite part of the day was eating the marshmallows used in the engineering segment. All of them were looking forward to the dry ice experiment. One lady scientist said she was pleased to expand her collection of baubles. “I just got my ears pierced last
Clinton resident Linda Thomas has pleaded not guilty in a California court to murder and other charges for the slaying of her sister last month. Thomas, 71, appeared in Richmond Superior Court Tuesday morning facing a slew of charges, including murder with three s p e c i a l Thomas enhancements, attempted murder and two counts of elder abuse. She waived her right to a speedy trial and entered not guilty pleas to all the charges, according to the Contra Costa Times. The newspaper also reported that though Thomas is eligible for the death penalty under California law, prosecutors will not seek it. Calls to Deputy District Attorney Rachel Piersig, the state’s prosecutor in the case,
SEE STEAM, A10
SEE THOMAS, A11
Ben Watanabe / The Record
Josephine Chia, Jocelyn Nichols (front), Kjersti Ringsrud (back), Macie Vande Werfhorst, Naomi Atwood, Madelyn Smith (only shirt), Laci Pihlman (forehead only), Maddy Racicot (hands only) and Robyn Pihlman blow out the vapor created by a chunk of dry ice, frozen carbon dioxide, being dropped into a bowl of water, during a one-day science class led by Atlantis STEAM.
Rising STEAM
Girls in Clinton get crash course in physics By BEN WATANABE South Whidbey Record Marshmallow-and-toothpick engineering, balloon physics and propulsion, binary jewelry, marble gravity vs. mass, and bubbling dry ice were all part of a day of science for a group of South Whidbey girls Wednesday. Gathered around a table on a day off of school in observance of Veterans Day, a dozen girls between 8 and 13 years old in a Clinton basement could have chatted about anything — homework, friends,
One Direction, sports. Their focus Wednesday was on a bubbling cauldron, chemistry in action, as part of a special one-day class led by the Atlantis Inc. underwater robotics team on science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics (STEAM, an added play on the common acronym STEM). Atlantis ROV (remotely operated vehicle), a robotics club, previously won state, regional and international underwater robotics competitions. These days, its focus has shifted to
Port looks to private investor to fund marina expansion By JUSTIN BURNETT South Whidbey Record Hungry to continue its expansion of the Langley marina but with little resources to do it, the Port of South Whidbey is now looking at a private/public part-
nership to fund additional phases of the project. The board invited Lighthouse Properties, a regional investment property management firm with holdings in Washington and Montana, to a meeting at China
City on Thursday, schmoozing key company leaders with lunch and dazzling them with visions of what could be at South Whidbey Harbor. Though an agreement is far from secure, the luncheon seemed to be a success as the
firm’s representatives left enthusiastic about the potential for a deal. “This is a great spot,” said company president Robin Rosauer, about Langley and the possibilities for expanding the small harbor further.
Port commissioners also left the meeting optimistic that the two groups might hammer out a plan that would serve both group’s interests — Lighthouse SEE MARINA, A24