Sports
Scene
Wolverines close out 2011 with 7th straight win
Friday Harbor High School students perform the classic — “Little Women”
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Editorial Did the sentence fit the crime? Time will tell if the ‘Barefoot Bandit’ makes the most of a second chance PAGE 6
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Journal
The 75¢ Wednesday, January 4, 2012 Vol. 105 Issue 1
of the San Juan Islands
www.sanjuanjournal.com
Justice Citizen of the Year: Lilo Rustmann Because of her motivation, on the dedication and optimism — Lilo Rustmann has made a ropes difference in the community By Cali Bagby
Prosecutor vows to trim caseload to offset pending budget cut By Scott Rasmussen
Not all misdemeanors are created equal. And the prosecution of some misdemeanor charges might just fall by the wayside beginning this year, as the San Juan County prosecuting attorney’s office shifts priorities in anticipation of a Randy Gaylord $30,600 cut in its 2012 budget. That’s according to Prosecuting Attorney Randy Gaylord, who, in a prepared statement released Dec. 20, said to offset that pending $30,600 cut he will be forced to reduce the hours of the attorney assigned to handle misdemeanor cases by half. Gaylord said the department will take the first two months of the year to trim down the District Court caseload, where most misdemeanors are prosecuted, and to implement new See BUDGET, Page 4
Journal photo / Cali Bagby
Since Lilo Rustmann moved to the island in 2005 — she has been an integral part of the Friday Harbor community through her kindness, generosity and dedication as a volunteer.
See CITIZEN, Page 5 At right, former Friday Harbor Mayor Jim Cahail (1985 — 1993) chauffeurs cousin Al Sundstrom, 2010 Fourth of July Day Parade grand marshal, along the streets of Friday Harbor. Cahail died Dec. 23.
Gone — not forgotten Former mayor Jim Cahail passes away at age 76 By Scott Rasmussen
Odds are good that many will remember Jim Cahail as a man who refused to take the ups and downs of day-to-day life too seriously. In fact, Cahail would cultivate a light-heartedness later in life that proved for many to be both infectious and inspiring.
She sells cinnamon rolls at the Senior Services’ Parking Lot Sale, scrambles eggs for the Mullis Center’s pancake breakfast, greets visitors at the Chamber of Commerce, visits with elderly at the Islands Convalescent Center and does odd jobs at the San Juan Community Theatre — all for free. But no one can quite calculate how many hours of volunteering Lilo Rustmann has contributed to the island. “Oh gosh, longer than I remember,” said Bonnie Sliger assistant at the Senior Services about Rustmann’s time there. Rustmann doesn’t keep track of her hours either, she just volunteers for as long as she’s needed. “I like to keep busy,” she said. “It’s very rewarding working with other people all the time and
Journal file photo
“When things would get kind of stressful around here Jim would remind me that what we’re doing is supposed to be fun,” recalls Kevin Loftus, director of the San Juan Island Historical Museum, where in recent years Cahail became a
fixture. “He was a salt-of-the-earth kind of guy. No pretense. What you see is what you get. I’ll remember him as the ‘voice of reason’.” But there was more than just an easy going nature. An engineer See CAHAIL, Page 4
2011 Special Award; Second Place: General Excellence from the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association
Snowy Owls on the islands? Read more about Arctic snowy owls popping up not only in Washington, but across the country. Full story is on page 11.