RECORD D SOUTH WHIDBEY
INSIDE
More fair results...A14
SATURDAY, AUGUST 31, 2013 | Vol. 89, No. 70 | WWW.SOUTHWHIDBEYRECORD.COM | 75¢
No fish stories here
Widow disputes coroner’s ruling By JESSIE STENSLAND South Whidbey Record
Quite a catch Good Cheer staff reported the food bank had 191 pounds of salmon on the shelves Monday morning. Little remained by Thursday. “We were thrilled with the donation,” said Kathy McLaughlin McCabe, Good Cheer’s
The wife of a man who died on South Whidbey two years ago wants a judge or jury to overrule the coroner’s determination that he committed suicide. Rachel P. Anderson, wife of the late Martin Anderson, filed a “petition for judicial review” against Island County Coroner Robert Bishop in Snohomish County Superior Court Aug. 6. The petition, filed by Bellevue attorney John Peick, claims that Martin Anderson’s death “was caused by unlawful or unnatural means, to-wit, homicide, accident or unintended adverse drug interactions.” Island County Prosecutor Greg Banks said state law allows for such petitions, but they are rare and the statute offers little guidance. He said it’s unclear how the official cause of death would be changed — whether by a judge, jury or through a coroner’s inquest — but he will oppose the petition. “My plan is to defend Dr. Bishop’s determination as it is grounded in fact,” he said. “He was very thorough in his investigation.” Bishop said he was advised not to discuss the case in detail. “I’m very comfortable with our determination,” he said. “I stand behind it 100 percent.” A deputy with the Island County Sheriff’s Office discovered Martin Anderson’s body in the backyard of a Clinton home while conducting a welfare check Oct. 17, 2011, according to docu-
SEE DERBY, A20
SEE CORONER, A11
Wayne Furber photo
A proud Cowan Criswell of Freeland holds up his catch, landed at the 2013 Freeland Ace Pink Salmon Derby Saturday, Aug. 24. The annual event took place all over Whidbey Island, resulting in more than 100 fillets donated to Good Cheer Food Bank and a $1,500 scholarship for a South Whidbey graduating senior.
Salmon derby reels in weighty catch By BEN WATANABE South Whidbey Record Bush Point was quite a sight this past Saturday, with near shoulder-to-shoulder anglers casting lines and boats tied three deep to mooring buoys. More than 230 people competed in the Freeland Ace Pink Salmon Derby this year, the third time the hardware store hosted the event with The Fishin’ Club. Ticket sales and donations brought in $2,200, a $600 bump from the previous derby in 2011 and $1,000 more than the first contest in 2009. The Fishin’ Club also awarded a South Whidbey High School graduating senior a $1,500 scholar-
ship this spring, and the derby brought in more than 100 salmon fillets donated to the Good Cheer Food Bank in Bayview. Kevin Lungren, vice president of The Fishin’ Club, said the club put out a notice that volunteers would also take salmon catches other than those from the derby and prepare them for the food bank. “You’ve got to be careful what you wish for,” said Lungren, who added that he and the other nine filleters and packagers finished after 9 p.m. Saturday. Weigh-in ended around 4:30 p.m. “The back of my truck was full of coolers and tubs full of fish.”
A total of 10 people volunteered to clean, fillet, package and transport the donated salmon. Aiding Lungren were his wife Mary Jane, daughter Emma Lungren, Jeff Dodd, Wayne Furber, Laura Canby and the Byrd family.