Record South Whidbey
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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6, 2012 | Vol. 88, No. 45 | www.SOUTHWHIDBEYRECORD.com | 75¢
Council vents on mayor’s loading zones By JUSTIN BURNETT Staff reporter
Tensions between newly elected Langley Mayor Larry Kwarsick and the City Council escalated this week when several council members gave the freshman mayor a tongue lashing over his performance concerning the reinstatement of a controversial truck loading zone on Second Street. “This is taking an inordinate amount of time and it’s causing a very ill-will, negative feeling among the merchants,” City Councilwoman Rene Neff said. “People are really pissed. It needs to be fixed tomorrow but it isn’t and it’s very frustrating for all of us.” “This really upsets me — you’ve put the town in a place where we didn’t need to go.” In March, Kwarsick decided to remove the loading zone between City Hall and the Star Store on the North side of the street without first vetting it before the public. The surprise decision caught many merchants off guard and the resulting firestorm was made clear in an April council meeting where a score of people showed up to complain. Kwarsick promised a quick fix and the matter appeared all but settled. However, that was seven weeks ago and Neff wasn’t the only council member who voiced discontent at the group’s regular meeting See zones, A3
INSIDE: That 70s show, Island Life, A14
aledictorians
South Whidbey High School’s valedictorians this year are the fantastic five of Marina Kovic, Sommer Harris, Holly Huey, Dinah Hassrick and Will Mellish. It’s the largest valedictorian group in a few years. They are the top five students out of more than 120 graduates (almost the entire senior population) from the class of 2012. South Whidbey’s academic aces are musicians, scientists, poets, athletes, trivia titans, high achievers and procrastinators. And they will lead their classmates one last time at the graduation ceremony at noon Saturday, June 9 at the high school gym as they each speak to their parents, peers, teachers and community. The schoolwork wizards have a few traits in common that translate into success: Hard work, good friends and, of course, 4.0 grade point averages.
Marina Kovic, Sommer Harris, Holly Huey, Dinah Hassrick and Will Mellish, Best in 2012
Five Falcons finish ahead of the flock Marina Kovic
Meet Marina Kovic, who has a fitting name given she grew up on Whidbey Island, surrounded by marinas and water. It’s also appropriate she plans to graduate from the University of Washington with a degree in biology and biochemistry, since where there is liquid water, there is life. She is an athlete and an academic who likes light-hearted people and making teachers’ lives easier, which she said was key to her success in school. “There are a lot of kids who don’t care at all about school who would be difficult to teach, so I try not to be one of those people,” Kovic said. “My favorite class at South Whidbey High School was Spanish 1 because there was a lot of singing, fiestas and just overall fun,” she said. “There weren’t a lot of projects or difficult assignments, which made it good for a freshman like me.” Her perfect grades weren’t a product of careful and calculated course planning, however. Kovic also took physics and analytic literature classes like “world classics,” in which she criticized poetry. The people, more than the presentations, lessons and Powerpoint lectures, Kovic met while in South Whidbey’s schools were the defining aspect of her class. “There are a lot of funny and light-spirited people,” she said. “I don’t think anyone takes themselves too seriously, which I like. I can joke around with nearly everyone in my class, whether I know them well or not.”
Will Mellish
Ben Watanabe / The Record
Marina Kovic, Will Mellish, Sommer Harris, Holly Huey and Dinah Hassrick are all smiles close to graduation day. The five are all valedictorians of South Whidbey High School Class of 2012.
As a lifelong South Whidbey guy, Will Mellish relishes his time on Whidbey Island. The Associated Student Body president spent his free time with the Hi-Q and Knowledge Bowl academic competition teams, performing with the high school jazz band and served the community as an Eagle Scout. Keeping his grades immaculate required focus and sacrifice, he said, as well See valedictorians, A6
BY BEN WATANABE | SOUTH WHIDBEY RECORD