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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9, 2014 | Vol. 124, No. 29 | WWW.WHIDBEYNEWSTIMES.COM | 75¢
Funding for 22 new EA-18G Growlers uncertain
Photo provided
The Navy has requested 22 additional EA-18G Growlers, an electronic attack aircraft used throughout the military.
n Another Whidbey Island Naval Air Station squadron completes transition from the Prowler to Growler. Page A18
By JANIS REID Staff reporter
Congress may not fund the Navy’s recent request for 22 more EA-18G Growlers for the 2015 fiscal year. U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen said Tuesday that he is still looking into the Navy’s request for additional electronic attack aircraft, but that funding them might be a stretch. “To be clear, the Navy did not put them in its budget, so Congress would have to cut $2.1 billion from the defense budget to find the dollars to pay for them,” Larsen said. Navy leadership told lawmakers in March
that they see a “growing Growler need,” adding that the planes would help the military keep up with growing demands for electronic attack capabilities. The noise associated with the Growler at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station has become a hotly debated subject, and the Navy is in the process of conducting an Environmental Impact Statement on the Growler’s effect on the area’s residents and resources. The Navy included 22 additional Growlers in its “unfunded” requirements request for fiscal year 2015. That document must still be SEE FUNDING, A18
City wants to hear ideas for big building on Pioneer By JESSIE STENSLAND Staff reporter
It may seem like an odd thing to say, but now that the City of Oak Harbor owns a bank, it’s time to decide where to build the sewage treatment plant on the property. The city is holding a joint community 0pen house and city council workshop to gather input and discuss the history of the project at 6 p.m., Wednesday, April 16 at the Oak Harbor Elks Lodge. City leaders purchased the Whidbey Island Bank property on Pioneer Way for $2.6 million last month. They plan to build a new sewage treatment plant in the bank parking lot; the two-story bank building came with the deal. City Administrator Larry Cort said city officials want to hear from the community about the design and placement of the treatment plant, which will be built in the parking lot behind the building. “One of things we’re looking at is how it will relate to the future extension of Bayshore Drive,” he said. While the meeting isn’t specifically SEE BUILDING, A19
Photo by Michelle Beahm/Whidbey News-Times
A group of people in Oak Harbor Saturday protest a Supreme Court decision regarding money and politics.
Group protests court ruling
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By Michelle Beahm Staff Reporter
“Supreme Court? Bite me!” Anyone driving in Oak Harbor along Highway 20 and Pioneer Way Saturday afternoon might have noticed a little dog carrying a neongreen sign with the rather biting
message. About 20 people, and the pooch, were taking part in a nationwide effort ultimately aimed at controlling the money in politics. The members of the sign-waving group said they hoped to raise SEE PROTEST, A19
COME IN AND ASK FOR GLORIA! We Buy Gold, Silver, Coins, Diamonds & Estate Jewelry 360-679-3700 830 SE Pioneer Way, Oak Harbor, WA Tues-Fri 11-5:30, Sat 10-5