News-Times Whidbey
LIVING
Coupeville fisherman returns to TV A11
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2014 | Vol. 115, No. 3| WWW.WHIDBEYNEWSTIMES.COM | 75¢
Sheriff seeking driver of silver SUV By JESSIE STENSLAND Staff reporter
Photo by Janis Reid/Whidbey News-Times
Touch-and-go operations for the Navy’s EA-18G Growler resumed around 3 p.m. Monday, Jan. 6, at Outlying Field Coupeville, part of Whidbey Island Naval Air Station. Operations at OLF have been suspended since May.
Investigators are asking the public for help identifying a man in what they fear may have been a child abduction attempt on North Whidbey Monday afternoon. A man in a silver SUV offered a 10-year-old girl a ride in a wooded, rural area, according to Undersheriff Kelly Mauck with the Island County Sheriff’s Office. The girl was dropped off by SEE SUV, A14
Defense Act funds allots millions for NAS Whidbey
Home invasions raise police concerns
$117 million for EA-18G, P8-A Poseidon programs
Police say they are alarmed by recent burglaries in which an intruder or intruders broke into condominiums while the residents were home. Jennifer Yzaguirre, community service officer with Oak Harbor police, said the two frightening incidents occurred within two weeks of one another at condos in the southwest area of the city. In addition, a third nearby resident discovered that someone stole his Christmas presents delivered to his home.
By JANIS REID Staff reporter
Whidbey Island Naval Air Station will receive more than $117 million for P8-A Poseidon and EA-18G Growler squadron programs. The funding is part of the National Defense Authorization Act, passed by Congress and signed by President Barack Obama over Christmas. The act sets the policies and priorities for the Department
of Defense. NAS Whidbey is slated to receive funding for three construction projects. A total of $32 million is allotted for EA-18G facility improvements, $85 million for P8-A facilities and $10 million to replace the fuel pier breakwater. An Environmental Impact Statement process for both aircraft types are underway. The base is expected to receive six or seven P8-A squadrons starting in 2015. In addition, the Navy is considering NAS Whidbey for the addition of two EA-18G expeditionary squadrons in 2016. Capt. Mike Nortier, NAS Whidbey’s commanding officer, said the funding allotment speaks to the integral role that the base plays in the Navy’s military strategy. SEE DEFENSE FUNDING, A14
“This defense bill
meets the needs of our sailors and aviators in Northwest Washington and our troops around the world.”
Staff reporter
SEE HOME INVASIONS, A14
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