NEWS-TIMES WHIDBEY
Sports: OH grad plays pros in Germany. A9
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2011 | Vol. 112, No. 105 | WWW.WHIDBEYNEWSTIMES.COM | 75¢
201 1 in review
A fiery plane crash, tragic murders and Native American bones halting a major project were some of the news-makers on Whidbey in 2011.
Missing woman’s body found floating
January
By JUSTIN BURNETT
Oak Harbor hired Langley’s planning chief, Larry Cort, giving him the title of project specialist. Cort is also a former Coupeville planner and sits on the Coupeville Town Council. Republican County Commissioner Kelly Emerson, representing District 3, was sworn in, replacing Democrat John Dean, whom she defeated in the election. Land use violations against Commissioner Kelly Emerson and her husband, Ken, totaled $37,000, county records showed. An archeologist hired by Oak Harbor found Native American artifacts near the city’s drainage outfall replacement project, causing a delay. Coupeville Town Council banned the sale of guns on South Main Street due to the proximity of schools. The action was in response to a rumored sporting goods store that never materialized. A lawsuit filed by Commissioner Kelly Emerson and her husband was called “frivolous� by attorneys defending Island County and former Commissioner John Dean. At issue were county enforcement procedures and campaign statements. The popular Miriam’s Espresso shop in Coupeville closed due to business and family concerns. Oak Harbor’s plan to sell $2.9 million in revenue bonds for marina improvements fell through when the sale attracted no interest. Later, general obligation bonds were sold. Due to budget cuts, the Island County Sheriff’s Office became the lowest staffed in the state, based on deputies per 1,000 popula-
Staff reporter
Joshua Lambert is arrested by Oak Harbor police after he allegedly killed his two grandfathers.
A firefighter battles a blaze that destroyed a home in Coupeville in March.
A single-engine plane burns after crashing into Ebey’s Bluff in early December.
tion, according to Sheriff Mark Brown. A computer problem that resulted in the loss of county emails was described as “a catastrophe� by Prosecutor Greg Banks. Inmates in Oak Harbor’s jail were given the opportunity to work off their sentences outdoors rather than sitting in their cell all day. Oak Harbor officials changed subcommittee meeting rules to comply with advice from the Washington State Attorney General’s Office.
responding to a number of civilian bomb scares on the island. Oak Harbor Mayor Jim Slowik signed a $3.86 million contract with Strider Construction of Bellingham to complete the bulk of the work for the SE Pioneer Way Improvement Project. The Oak Harbor Arts Council considered public input for prospective works of art to go with the downtown revitalization project. Particularly favored was a bronze topless mermaid by Oak Harbor artist Larry Marcell. Oak Harbor Marina Harbormaster Mack
February Explosive Ordnance Disposal Detachment Northwest, at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station, was featured in the News-Times for
The search for a 31-year-old Oak Harbor woman who has been missing since November ended tragically this week when her body was discovered in the water off Port Townsend. According to Oak Harbor Police Detective Sgt. Teri Gardner, Melissa Christine Ellis was found just before 3 p.m. We d n e s d a y floating just offshore of a constr uction site. Her body has been positively identified and a Jefferson Melissa County coroner Christine Ellis determined her cause of death as salt water drowning. “There is no indication at this time that there was foul play,� Gardner said. Ellis disappeared Friday, Nov 25, the day after Thanksgiving. She was
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