NEWS-TIMES WHIDBEY
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2012 | Vol. 113, No. 9 | WWW.WHIDBEYNEWSTIMES.COM | 75¢
Coupeville dancer stars in PNB’s “Don Quixote.” A10.
State law puts brakes on golf cart movement By JESSIE STENSLAND Staff reporter
Justin Burnett / Whidbey News-Times
Central Whidbey Fire and Rescue volunteer Brad Sherman, 26, gets a lesson in the operation of a water tender by firefighter Robbert Sadesky during his first duty shift. The department has seen a massive decline in volunteer levels over the past 20 years.
Searching for firefighters Central Whidbey ranks plummet for volunteers By JUSTIN BURNETT Staff reporter
The number of volunteer firefighters serving in the U.S. has declined 14 percent over the past 28 years. At Central Whidbey Fire and Rescue, it’s worse, having plummeted a staggering 70 percent since 1993. Such statistics suggest the historical model for staffing rural fire departments has seen its day, particularly in Coupeville. But there are examples that indicate otherwise, giving hope that volunteer fire departments can survive. Take two of Central Whidbey’s newest recruits. Brad Sherman, 26, a local farm boy turned legislative aide; and Bob Moore, 66, is a retired small business owner from California. Demographically, they couldn’t be more different. Yet both have given up hundreds
of hours of their time and will give up hundreds more to help people they have never met. Whether it’s during Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas morning, when the pager goes off they will leave their wives and family behind for complete strangers. And they will do it virtually for free.
Tractors to fire trucks Young, strong, honest and with roots in the community, Sherman is the quintessential volunteer firefighter. Unsurprisingly, the former Wolves football captain and quarterback has been interested in the fire service for a long time. But he also admits that he didn’t always dream of being behind the wheel of a fire truck. “I was kinda more into tractors growing up,” Sherman said. “I always wanted to drive a John Deere.” SEE FIRE, A8
Although it was residents of a rural Island County neighborhood who inspired a state law legalizing golf cart zones two years ago, a legal hurdle prevented the county commissioners from following the town of Coupeville’s lead in adopting a golf cart-related ordinance. In fact, the county’s top civil attorney suggested that some jurisdictions, including Coupeville, have acted contrary to law in adopting ordinances for golf cart zones that are more restrictive than allowed by state law. Fortunately, a legislative fix may be coming this summer. The commissioners held a public hearing last week on a proposed ordinance that would have added
golf cart zones to the county code. A state law passed in 2010 allows local governments to create special zones where it’s legal to drive golf carts on public roads. Tom Cahill, a resident of Beverly Beach in Freeland, got the ball rolling a couple of years ago by asking state Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, the Democratic chair of the Transportation Committee, to consider changing the law. She ended up sponsoring the bill. Cahill addressed the commissioners Monday. He said 70 percent of the residents in his neighborhood were in favor of establishing a golf cart zone. He pointed out that the mode of transportation is easy on the environment, helpful to elderly people with mobility SEE GOLF, A4
Charges added in toddler case By JESSIE STENSLAND Staff reporter
Second in a series This is the second story of a three-part series looking at declining volunteer levels at Central Whidbey Fire and Rescue. The problem is beginning to adversely affect the department’s performance with increased response times. The district is hoping to address the issue with a 34-cent levy-lid increase on the Feb. 14 special election ballot. Estimated to garner an additional $510,000 a year. Part three of the series is scheduled to run Saturday and will include alook at the district’s finances, why proponents say the levy is needed, and how its success or failure at the polls will affect the department.
An Oak Harbor man accused of raping a toddler and causing traumatic injuries is now facing more serious charges based upon his confession that he zipped the little girl into a backpack and repeatedly kicked her “soccer style,” court documents indicate. A separate document filed earlier this month alleges that 26-yearold Ryan Stephenson, who calls himself “Lord Sparta,” also admitted to sexually assaulting the child on two prior occasions. Island County Superior Court Judge Alan Hancock authorized the prosecutor’s office to file the third amended information against Stephenson last Friday. SEE RAPE, A4
Jessie Stensland / Whidbey News-Times
Ryan Stephenson, of Oak Harbor, appears in Island County Superior Court Friday for a hearing on several motions.