News-Times
LIVING: Sister act on display again at Whidbey Playhouse. A11
Whidbey
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12, 2013 | Vol. 114, No. 47 | www.whidbeynewstimes.com | 75¢
WGH putting bond request back on ballot By Nathan WhaleN Staff Reporter
Photo by Ron Newberry/Whidbey News-Times
Taking on the world
Ever since Oak Harbor High School’s graduation ceremony moved outdoors in 2008, the weather has stayed dry. That streak continued Monday night when blue skies and sunshine made for a beautiful evening on a festive occasion at Wildcat Memorial Stadium. In all, 344 members of the Class of 2013 went on stage to receive diplomas, creating memories that left parents both happy and sad. Story, A8
In November, voters will be asked to increase property taxes to fund a $50-million expansion of Whidbey General Hospital. Hospital commissioners voted Monday to place the bond proposal on the general election ballot. The bond will pay for construction of a new wing at the hospital’s Coupeville campus. The proposal is the virtually the same as Tomasino the ballot measure that failed to pass by the necessary 60 percent supermajority in May 2011. Nearly 56 percent of Whidbey Island voters voted in favor of the measure. If approved, property owners will pay an additional 29 cents per $1,000 assessed property value on their property taxes. The new hospital wing will comprise single rooms, which hospital officials say provide a healthier environment, improves See on the ballot, A4
Ledgewood slide declaration dissolved By JUSTIN BURNETT Staff reporter
More than two months after the Ledgewood and Bon Air communities on Central Whidbey were rocked by a natural disaster that made headlines across the country, the dust is finally starting to settle. On Monday, the Island County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to dissolve a declaration of emergency enacted just OAKES: after the massive landslide occurred March “As far as I know, 27. we aren’t required On the surface, the action would seem to to provide access to be good news and signify a return to noran area (isolated) malcy, but that is not the case, according to by an act of God” Bill Oakes, director of Island County Public
Works. What it does signify is the end of the county’s initial steps to ensure the safety of residents … the road to recovery is only just beginning, he said. “Recovery can take a long time,” Oakes said. “New Orleans has never recovered,” he added. Ending the declaration will have other ramifications as well and while residents from both communities are grateful for the county’s help so far, several attended Monday’s meeting to object. They said they are concerned the commissioners’ action is premature. The geotechnical firm hired to determine a cause for the disaster has not released its findings, but Oakes confirmed no “smoking gun” was found. With no clear answers, many believe it’s too soon to proclaim an See SLIDE, A8
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Ledgewood residents Frank Shriver, Ralph Young and Paul Morris walk down an emergency road built to access homes on Driftwood Way. The county has declared the emergency over but residents still have concerns.
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