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Thursday, November 22, 2012
VOL. 18, NO. 16
Town plans budget Science takes flight hearing Tuesday By Elisabeth Murray Staff Reporter
Winter is fast approaching and that means two things. The weather is getting colder and the Town of Coupeville is close to adopting its budget for next year. Coupeville Mayor Nancy Conard said the proposed $4.9 million budget for 2013 is balanced and maintains staffing and services at their current levels. “In these economic times, this is good news,” Conard wrote in her 2013 budget message, adding that “the numbers are tighter each year.” Conard thanked the town staff, who she said “have made it possible to maintain most services with no real increases in funding.” For town employees, this means that they will go another year without salary increases – the fourth year in a row. Instead, in 2011 and
2012 employees received a one-time additional payment in lieu of a pay increase. Yet, pay may be contributing to employee turnover – at least in the Marshal’s Office. Three of the town’s four deputies recently left the force. Two of them accepted higher paying jobs outside of Coupeville. The 2013 budget will keep in place the same amount of money it would take to pay the salaries of the four deputies, plus that of the Town Marshal, said Conard. However, as the town moves towards finding a staffing solution to continue to provide 24-hour coverage, the allocation of that money may change. The money may be spent on a different staffing arrangement, Conard said. Among the Capital Fund expenditures, $50,000 has been allocated for improvements to the See Budget, page 11
Former ER director stripped of privileges By Elisabeth Staff Reporter
The Board of Commissioners of the Whidbey Island Public Hospital District terminated the medical staff membership and clinical privileges of Dr. Mark Borden last week. The decision went into effect immediately effect. Borden is the former emergency department director at Whidbey General Hospital. Borden declined to comment about the resolution stripping him of membership and privileges at the present time. He said he wished to speak with his attorney to determine what his next step would be before speaking with the press. The newspaper received a copy of the resolution following a public records request. According to the resolution, Borden engaged in a pattern of unprofessional behavior, which violated hospital bylaws and policies. The resolution also stated that
the “behavior persisted despite direct and repeated admonition.” “Dr. Borden’s conduct was unprofessional in that it was disproportionate, public, excessive and threatening and undermined the trust of the community and goodwill of the hospital,” said the Resolution. The hospital’s Medical Executive Committee recommended the termination. “The board took action to uphold the decision of the medical staff,” said Anne Tarrant, board president. Borden’s name will be added to the National Practitioner Data Bank, a database created in the 1980s so that hospitals and managed care plans could access a centralized database of all adverse actions on a provider. Information in the database is one of several factors that medical facilities use when deciding to hire a doctor.
Elisabeth Murray photo
Matt Klope of Oak Harbor, right, evaluates the condition of dead birds. Klope and Whidbey Audubon Society members will prepare the birds for use in educational settings.
Dead birds destined for D.C. By Elisabeth Murray Staff Reporter
Driving along Boon Road, Matt Klope spots a large, dead bird on the side of the road. He pulls his truck over, steps out to take a closer look, then grabs his gloves and a plastic bag to scoop the barred owl up. Once tagged, he puts it in his truck. Back at his home south of Oak Harbor, Klope puts the carcass
into a large freezer filled with dead birds, where the owl will remain frozen in time until he has a chance to pull it out and put his taxidermy skills to work. “People don’t want dead birds in their freezer,” said Klope, “But I do.” Klope sends processed bird specimens to museum and education institutions far and wide. Birds he has collected have been sent to nearby destinations such
as the Burke Museum of Natural History in Seattle, or across the country to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. Some of his specimens have then been traded by the Smithsonian in international exchanges. Other birds brought in and prepared by Whidbey Audubon Society members may stay closer to home and get used in Audubon educational activities, or sent on See Birds, page 11