Whidbey News-Times, May 18, 2013

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SPORTS: Leetes shoots new record, wins district crown

News-Times Whidbey

SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2013 | Vol. 114, No. 40 | www.whidbeynewstimes.com | 75¢

McDonald’s scouts 3rd location on N. Whidbey JESSIE STENSLAND Staff reporter

Justin Burnett / Whidbey News-Times

North Whidbey Fire and Rescue Firefighters Chris Turner and Matt VanGiesen fight a mobile home fire on Central Whidbey early Thursday morning. No one was injured, but the structure was completely destroyed.

Cause of morning blaze undetermined By JUSTIN BURNETT Staff reporter

A fire of unknown origin claimed a mobile home on North Whidbey Thursday morning. The blaze is believed to have started sometime after midnight in a single-wide trailer at the back of an undeveloped lot on Van Dam

Road. Firefighters worked to extinguish the flames for at least an hour, but the building was completely destroyed. By first light, the home was a smoking ruin of scorched appliances, warped metal and melted plastic. Fire officials said they believe the home

was unoccupied at the time, but the site was still being searched as of Thursday morning, according to Marv Koorn, fire chief for North Whidbey Fire and Rescue. “It doesn’t look like anyone was in it, but we haven’t totally pulled it apart yet,” Koorn said. See morning blaze, A8

Staff reporter

Island County Recovery Services was on trial before the county commissioners Wednesday. A contingent of Drug Court officials lobbed weighty allegations of sexual misconduct, abusive language and repeated errors, some of which nearly led to clients being sentenced to undeserved jail time. Appearing before the board Wednesday, Drug Court leaders — Superior Court Judge Vickie Churchill, Prosecutor Greg Banks, Court Administrator Brooke Powell and others — laid out a litany of alleged mismanagement and poor performance from the treatment

center. They asked the commissioners to seek proposals from outside firms. “At this time, we believe Island County Recovery Service is unable or unwilling to achieve an acceptable level of service and we have no other recourse but to bring this to the attention of the board of county commissioners,” said Powell, reading from a written statement. Recovery Services, located in Oak Harbor, is a branch of county government under the umbrella of Island County Human Services. Neither organization had a representative at Wednesday’s meeting. Recovery Services Manager Mark

See property, A10

City of OH asks court to toss fired chief’s suit JESSIE STENSLAND Staff reporter

MacNaughton was in the hospital and Human Services Director Jackie Henderson was attending a conference in Mount Vernon.

An attorney representing the city of Oak Harbor is asking a judge to dismiss a lawsuit from the former police chief. The city’s attorney filed the motion for summary judgment in Island County Superior Court May 3. The hearing on the motion is set for July 2. Rick Wallace, the former police chief, filed a lawsuit against the city last year, claiming wrongful termination and breach of contract. Mayor Scott Dudley fired Wallace last June after he refused to retire. Dudley, who campaigned for mayor as a reformer, fired a series of people in administrative positions after entering office last year. Dudley asked Wallace to retire in June, and initially Wallace agreed. Later, he revoked his agreement to

See drug court, A10

See wallace suit, A8

Drug Court officials: Recovery Services needs to be replaced

By JUSTIN BURNETT

The greater Oak Harbor community may soon have three McDonald’s restaurants. An architect and a construction manager for McDonald’s Corp. submitted a pre-application to the city of Oak Harbor earlier this year proposing to build a 4,386-square-foot restaurant on the site of a former Ford dealership. The 2.5-acre property is at the corner of Barrington Drive and State Highway 20. It has been empty since the dealership building was demolished in 2011. Whidbey Island Ford closed its doors in 2008.

Justin Burnett / Whidbey News-Times

Superior Court Judge Vickie Churchill addresses Island County commissioners Wednesday. She was among Drug Court representatives asking that the county seek proposals from outside firms.


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