RECORD SOUTH WHIDBEY
SATURDAY, JANUARY 7, 2012 | Vol. 88, No. 2 | WWW.SOUTHWHIDBEYRECORD.COM | 75¢
INSIDE: Not in our house, Sports, A8
Accused killer gets new lawyer
Bogota’s best foot forward
BY BRIAN KELLY South Whidbey Record
At top, Nicolas Ortiz and Juanita Suarez Gonzalez smile during a big finish to a salsa dance demonstration during a performance Thursday night by a group of students visiting from Bogota, Colombia. Students from the Gimnasio Fontana school have been visiting South Whidbey in a trip sponsored by the high school’s Spanish program, led by teacher Jennifer Gochanour. At right, Carlos Rojas and Ana Maria Theran participate in a Cumbia dance during the Gimnasio Fontana show, which included storytelling, music and other tastes of the culture of Colombia. Brian Kelly / The Record
COUPEVILLE — The former fugitive accused of gunning down a Langley man more than eight years ago asked a Superior Court judge for a new lawyer during a short hearing Friday. James “Jim” Huden has been charged with firstdegree murder in the death of Russel Douglas, a former Whidbey Island resident who was found shot dead in a wooded area south of Freeland at Christmastime 2003. Police arrested Huden as the gunman in the crime last year in Mexico, where Huden had been hiding out for more than six years under a fake name. In Island County Superior Court late this week, Peter Simpson, Huden’s courtappointed attorney, asked to have himself removed from the case so Oak Harbor attorney Matthew Montoya could take over. Superior Court Judge Vickie Churchill agreed to the switch, which was then immediately followed by a request from Montoya to have the trial pushed back to the fall.
Brian Kelly / The Record
James “Jim” Huden walks into a Coupeville courtroom for his brief hearing Friday. Prosecutor Greg Banks, however, expressed concern. “Boy, your honor, we’ve been working on the assumption we’ll have a March 13 trial. Those dates work for us,” Banks said. Churchill was initially reluctant to move the trial back so far, given that Montoya had not yet reviewed the case file. But Montoya said he knew the case materials were extensive. He also said Huden had agreed to give up his right to a speedy trial. Churchill then agreed to the postponement. Huden’s trial will be pushed back nearly eight SEE LAWYER, A6
South Whidbey worried that state Supreme Court decision won’t help schools BY BEN WATANABE South Whidbey Record
The Washington State Supreme Court ruled today that the state is failing its duty to properly fund basic education. The court, however, failed to say how the Legislature should fix the problem, and that’s left leaders with South Whidbey School District in a wait-and-see mode. “It’s good news, there’s just no definition as to what that ‘good news’ means,” said South Whidbey School District Superintendent Jo Moccia. “It’s good news that we’re actually going to follow through on the decision to fund schools. We’re sup-
posed to be fully funded by 2018; it’ll be a nice change. “I don’t know how the state’s going to meet its obligation, but I’m looking forward to them trying,” she said. After almost two years, the court decided in favor of two families that challenged the state’s support of kindergarten through 12th-grade education. The state Constitution says the state has a “paramount” duty to provide an education to children, but school officials, elected leaders and others have long alleged that Washington state was short-changing students and their families. The debate over state support of
schools is more than academic on South Whidbey. For six years, South Whidbey School District has made staff and faculty cuts in response to declining enrollment and falling state funding. Thursday’s decision, however, didn’t appear to be a light at the end of the tunnel for local officials. “I’m just not that optimistic that we’re going to see anything in the short term,” said School Board Chairman Steve Scoles. “We’re not holding our breath for more funding, we’re bracing for more cuts.” The ruling gives a target year of 2018 for education to be adequately funded. What happens until then is
still a mystery, officials said. “I don’t know how it’s going to affect South Whidbey, because we don’t know what it’s going to mean in terms of dollars,” Moccia said. “2018 is a long time away. The indication is that it has to be fully funded by that time. It’s better than the alternative, which is not upholding it.” “I’m not speculating at all in terms of what dollars we’re going to get,” she added. “There’s always the hope that we’re going to get more than we got in the current year.” Scoles was also doubtful that the impact would be immediate, adding that the state is relying more
on local money to make up for the shortfalls that have stemmed from the state’s ongoing budget woes. “In the meantime, we’re going backwards,” Scoles said. “Over the past year or so, the Legislature has allowed our local funding to go from 24 percent to 28 percent, which is our maintenance and operations levy. They’re basically shifting more responsibility to the local taxpayers.” Gov. Christine Gregoire proposed two ideas to fund education that have gained some traction within South Whidbey’s SEE DECISION, A2