INSIDE: If the slipper fits ... Island Life, A12
RECORD SOUTH WHIDBEY
SATURDAY, APRIL 20, 2013 | Vol. 89, No. 32 | WWW.SOUTHWHIDBEYRECORD.COM | 75¢
Mourners drawn to beloved girl’s Freeland home By BEN WATANABE Staff reporter Gathering en masse only a few feet from where Rhianna Kinglet Dickson Hobbs died, mourners cried, laughed and sang for the suddenly deceased Freeland girl. She was 10 years old. Rhianna is survived by her father, Rick Hobbs, mother, Lynette Dickson, and twin brother, Ryder Hobbs. It was a fitting ceremony for the young actress, equestrian and “party girl.” “Rhianna would love to be a part of this,” said Annie Thoe, Rhianna’s aunt, at the vigil Wednesday. Briefly joining the gathering, Rhianna’s mother and father addressed the crowd. Her mother agreed that the massive gathering would have thrilled Rhianna, who often asked her parents if her friends could come over. “She was so goofy and crazy,” Dickson said before returning to her home. “It’s all too much. Thank you all.” Rhianna’s father added: “There aren’t enough languages to say, ‘Thank you,’ enough for loving Rhianna and loving us.” With lit candles in hand, a long procession of at least 100 people walked from East Harbor Road up Jubilee Lane. A slow, steady drum chorus echoed as mourners shuffled along the gravel road to the Hobbs’ home. A small shrine with Rhianna’s pictures, flower bouquets, cards, candles and horse figurines stood near a fence. The center piece of the table was a Nevada license plate, “COWGIRL.” Tacked to the fence were cards, a bright pink Western style rodeo shirt and black cowboy hat, and mementos of Rhianna, including a South Whidbey Record story from April 2009. Then 6 years old, Rhianna won money for a drawing she made of President Barack Obama during his presidential campaign. She used that money to buy 50 pounds of dog and cat food for Whidbey Animals’ Improvement Foundation. Rhianna died the afternoon of Monday, April 15 after riding her beloved horse Beauty, shooting at targets with her bow and arrow, Thoe told the crowd. Several times Thoe said the horse is not believed to have injured Rhianna. “It wasn’t the horses, she loved the horses,” Thoe said.
Property tax eyed to fund law, justice By JUSTIN BURNETT Staff reporter Increasingly desperate law and justice leaders are again lobbying the Island County commissioners to sign off on a proposal that may seek more than $2.6 million, possibly in the form of property taxes, from voters this fall. During a presentation to the board last week, a panel of law and justice officials led by Island County Prosecutor Greg Banks laid out their case with a litany of service shortfalls, from overburdened attorneys to officer safety issues and delayed response times.
Ben Watanabe / The Record
Sera Elfrank, 9, writes a card to Rhianna Kinglet Dickson Hobbs, who died April 15 at her Freeland home. The cause of death was not immediately known, but the family said she was near her horse Beauty, seen in the background. Family members were certain the horse was not at fault.
“I’m really concerned how much longer I can go on.” De Dennis Island County Sheriff’s Office
Rhianna Kinglet Dickson Hobbs Her twin brother, Ryder, was nearby and ran for help. Her aunts, Moon Dickson and Thoe, and dad found her on the ground. “Rhianna took a couple of breaths and didn’t breathe again,” Thoe said. “She was, in a way, held by us and we are so blessed.” The child’s many activities included that of an active actress with Whidbey Children’s Theater. Her fellow youth thespians per-
scene with Rhianna in “Sleeping Beauty” at Whidbey Children’s Theater. “She talked loud. She was outrageous.” “On one day of the play, she wore a horse head.”
Banks described law and justice in the county as “woefully underfunded,” saying things are being held together by a thread but that the consensus among leaders is that the system is in the process of “unraveling.” “I feel like we’re one big fish away from the line snapping,” Banks said. Changes in the economy have forced the commissioners to cut about $6 million from the budget over the past five years. Although law and justice, a category that includes police, courts and the prosecutor’s office, still receives over 55 percent of the general fund, the reductions have hit the departments hard.
SEE MOURNERS, A10
SEE LAW & JUSTICE, A11
Ben Watanabe / The Record
Mourners visit a small shrine at the home of Rhianna Kinglet Dickson Hobbs, 10, who died April 15. At least 100 people visited the Hobbs’ home on Wednesday to pay respect to the family. formed “The Candy Man” from “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,” and “A Whole New World” from “Aladdin.” On stage, Rhianna’s vibrant character came to life, said one friend and fellow actress. “Rhianna was really good,” said Sera Elfrank, 9, who had a fight