RECORD SOUTH WHIDBEY
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VOLLEYBALL GOES TO STATE SEE...A8
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2013 | VOL. 89, NO. 91 | WWW.SOUTHWHIDBEYRECORD.COM | 75¢
A ‘charmed’ life
Emerson sues planning dept. for second time By JANIS REID South Whidbey Record
1974-79. This was the first Veterans Day ceremony put on by the Legion, he said. Members of the Marine Corps League supplied the Honor Guard and Langley Mayor Fred McCarthy spoke to the crowd. McCarthy conveyed the importance about recognizing the service of local veterans and shared his own experience being a veteran transitioning back to civilian life. Freeland resident Gene Berg attended
Island County Commissioner Kelly Emerson has filed a second lawsuit against the county, claiming the planning department is still refusing to grant her a building permit for her deck. “I think that my husband and I have shown a sounding level of tolerance,” Emerson said Tuesday. “The actions of the county staff are unacceptable.” The Emersons are seeking a court injunction directing the planning department to issue the permit. In late 2010, the couple began building a patio at their Camano Island home without a permit. Neighbors and constituents complained that she neglected to follow the permitting process, and the controversy has dragged out for nearly three years. The Emersons sued the county early on, but most of the time has been spent debating the existence of a wetland on the property which would prevent the new construction. A settlement was reached in June, which absolved the Emersons from all but a fraction of an initial $37,000 fine. Island County was to return $2,000 in filing fees to the Emersons and, in return, the couple agreed to pay $5,000 in acknowledgement of mistakes made in the permitting process and submit a new wetlands report within 60 days. According to court
SEE CEREMONY, A15
SEE EMERSON, A28
Ben Watanabe / The Record
Herb Bacon poses next to a photo of himself as a serviceman in World War II. Bacon recently traveled to Washington D.C. to visit veterans memorials through the Honor Flight Network, a non-profit group aimed at honoring veterans and getting them to the nation’s capital.
Langley veteran recalls service, trip to D.C. By BEN WATANABE South Whidbey Record His military service was short and provided Herbert “Herb” Bacon, 95, with a lifetime of memories. Bacon, a retired Boeing mechanic and
23-year South Whidbey resident, recently was flown to Washington, D.C. to visit the veterans memorials there. Honor Flight Network is a nonprofit that sends veterans to the capitol of the United States of America to see monuments dedicated for their service. The group selected Bacon, who had a short service in the U.S.
Navy of three years and three months. Bacon said he was most touched not by the towering Lincoln Memorial or the National World War II Memorial, but by the welcome he and several dozen others found upon their SEE BACON, A15
Ceremony salutes, honors veterans By CELESTE ERICKSON South Whidbey Record
Celeste Erickson / The Record
Jim Knott, president and commander of American Legion Post 141 South Whidbey, salutes the American flag held by Dick McClellan at Bayview Cemetery.
A day to honor America’s veterans drew more than 60 people to the Bayview cemetery on Veterans Day, Monday, Nov. 11. They attended the event with relics of the past and poppies made by veterans of the American Legion Post 141 South Whidbey. Jim Knott, president and commander of American Legion Post 141, was happy with the turnout of the event. Knott, a Vietnam-era veteran, served from