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Thursday, August 29, 2013
VOL. 19, NO. 4
Students will pay more at lunchtime By Nathan Whalen Staff Reporter
Nathan Whalen photo
Issaquah resident Mike Scoles adjusts his model jet during last weekend’s Jets over Whidbey fly-in that took place at Outlying Field. The event drew jet enthusiasts from as far away at Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Small jets soar over Whidbey Model-plane flyers from western United States and Canada visited OLF for three-day event By Nathan Whalen Staff Reporter
Jets were flying last weekend at Outlying Field. The installation, known as the place Navy pilots practice touch-and-go landings before deployment, became the three-day home for a group of radio-control airplane enthusiasts. They participated in the 23rd annual Jets Over Whidbey, which provided a laid-back environment on the picturesque island.
“We draw people from all over the Western United States and Canada,” said Tom Berry, event coordinator for the Whidbey Island Radio Control Society. Bruce Bender made an 18-hour drive from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, to participate in the fly-in. He controlled a Bandit, ARF, which he has owned for four years. Event organizers expected around 30 pilots to participate in the fly-in, which Berry
Town portrait scheduled
See jets, page 12
Be a part of Coupeville history Saturday, Sept. 7 as The Whidbey Examiner will take the 2013 community portrait. The photo will be taken at noon at the Coupeville Farmers Market located on the community green behind the library. The Coupeville Farmers Market goes from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and continues every Saturday through mid-October.
Two people use a garden blower to cool the turbine of a model jet participating in the flyin near Coupeville.
Students will have to bring a little more cash when buying lunch in Coupeville schools. The Coupeville School Board Monday night approved a 25-cent increase for the lunches offered in schools. With the increase, elementary school students will pay $3 for lunch, middle and high school students will pay $3.25 and adults will pay $5. Superintendent Jim Shank said that food costs have been increasing. “It was necessary to try and offset some of these costs,” Shank said during the meeting. School Board members Glenda Merwine, Kathleen Anderson and Jeff Tasoff voted for the proposal. Board members Don Sherman and Chris Chan were absent. The Coupeville School District recently negotiated a new contract with its food service provider, Chartwells. The school board approved a contract earlier in the summer to pay the company $3.74 per meal it serves. “We’re just trying to close that gap without making it too painful on people,” Tasoff said during the meeting. About half of the students use the school lunch program and 34.5 percent of the students are eligible to receive free-andreduced lunches. Shank added at the end of the meeting that a 25 cent increase seemed appropriate. A larger increase would be difficult for families. He said he would be concerned the school district would see a diminishing return on its lunch program if they implemented a larger increase. That would cause fewer students to buy lunches. The lunch price increase comes a little more than one week before the start of classes in Coupeville. Normally school officials would approve such an increase in the spring; however, Shank said that the negotiations with Chartwells took longer than planned.