INSIDE: Brand name bag lady ... Island Life, A10
RECORD SOUTH WHIDBEY
SATURDAY, JUNE 29, 2013 | Vol. 89, No. 52 | WWW.SOUTHWHIDBEYRECORD.COM | 75¢
South End prepares for Independence Day, big booms Freeland
man, 28, drowns in Anacortes
By BEN WATANABE Staff reporter More fireworks stands than ever are on South Whidbey this year with three in Clinton alone. Coming off the ferry, there’s one near All Island Express Taxi. Further up Highway 525, a tent is on the lawn of Dalton Realty. Then there’s the old mainstay at Ken’s Korner, the TNT fireworks stand run by South Whidbey Kiwanis. Another stand is at the Payless Foods parking lot in Freeland. All of these are designed to part people with their cash in exchange for a flash, a sparkle or a bang. Fireworks are a time-honored tradition for Independence Day on July 4 and the less-explosive New Year’s Eve. Lighting fireworks is far from a universally approved activity, though it is legal in Island County on certain dates. Animal supporters caution against fireworks because the noise and light can startle and disrupt pets and livestock. “It’s horrendous,” said Judy Dewing, who works at WAIF’s Freeland Cat Cottage, near the area’s annual Celebrate America festival and fireworks show.
By JESSIE STENSLAND Staff reporter
Ben Watanabe / The Record
Bob Welch displays the popular TNT “pop its” fireworks at the South Whidbey Kiwanis stand in Clinton. “I have to shut the windows and turn up the radio loud. “We’re practically next door to the fireworks.” Fire protection districts and emergency responders are wary of fireworks, which when handled improperly
can lead to injury. In Island County, however, fireworks are not restricted other than in Coupeville and Langley city limits. Langley does not allow the sale of fireworks and only allows them to be dis-
charged from 9 a.m. to midnight July 4. “Folks need to know two things: They are explosive and they are potentially dangerous,” said Rusty Palmer, chief of South Whidbey Fire/EMS.
“Fireworks are often more powerful than folks understand. Leave lots of clearance from brush.” Last year, South Whidbey’s fire protection SEE FIREWORKS, A9
Cement truck overturns, breaks power pole in Clinton By BEN WATANABE Staff reporter
Ben Watanabe / The Record
Mike Cotton, deputy chief of South Whidbey Fire/EMS, a Puget Sound Energy electrician and a Washington State Patrol trooper inspect a cement truck that rolled over off Humphrey Road in Clinton on Wednesday morning.
A 40,000-pound cement truck rolled off a Clinton driveway and onto its back Wednesday morning. The incident forced the closure of a stretch of Humphrey Road just south of Tiffany Drive and the Cascade View neighborhood and shut off power to area homes. No one was injured, including the driver, who was outside the vehicle when it rolled over. The truck’s engine was off and its reverse indicator steadily beeped, its wheels belly up. “The vehicle was unoccupied when it rolled over, thankfully,” said Deputy Chief Mike Cotton with South Whidbey Fire/EMS. First responders with South Whidbey Fire/EMS and Island
County Sheriff’s Office said the driver, who had a valid Washington commercial driver’s license, was backing into the driveway to turn around. He stepped out of the cabin to check on the truck’s position when the passenger side wheels gave way to the soft earth next to the hard gravel driveway. The weight of the truck made it slide and flip, leaving a massive divot in the ground and fracturing a power pole at about 9:40 a.m. About a square foot of cement spilled out of the drum and onto the bramble and ground. The full load of cement in the loader made for a challenging tow. Simmons Towing owner Gary Peterson, whose shop is just north on Humphrey Road and Highway SEE CEMENT, A9
The body of a Freeland man was recovered from the bottom of an Anacortes lake Wednesday. Cause of death for Jacob Whitaker, 28, is believed to be accidental drowning, but police said they are investigating the circumstances surrounding the tragedy. Anacortes Police Chief Bonnie Bowers said a woman who was with Whitaker when he drowned didn’t report it to police, but drove to Oak Harbor and told another woman who alerted authorities. Anacortes police said they don’t believe foul play is involved, but added they suspect Whitaker may have been under the influence of drugs at the time. “It appears that he drowned while trying to swim across the lake,” Bowers said. Whitaker was at Whistle Lake with a friend, Kaitlynn Raavel, 19, of Oak Harbor, on Tuesday, according to Bowers. Raavel told police she left Whitaker while he was swimming in the lake to walk her dog. She couldn’t find him when she returned but his clothing was still there. “She said she didn’t see him go under,” Bowers said. Raavel searched and yelled for Whitaker. She left and returned to continue searching for him. She reportedly asked others at the lake if they had seen him, but didn’t ask for help, according to Bowers. Raavel eventually drove to Oak Harbor and told a friend about what happened. It was the friend who called 9-1-1 at about 10:30 p.m. Bowers said an officer spoke to the “third-party SEE DROWNS, A9