Record South Whidbey
INSIDE Academy
grads revealed See...A12
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4, 2014 | Vol. 90, No. 45 | www.SOUTHWHIDBEYRECORD.com | 75¢
Langley selects Black, again Sydney Ackerman
Kianna Henny
Greg Smith
Jack Hood
South Whidbey’s brightest By BEN WATANABE South Whidbey Record Know this one? A baker, a dancer, a computer whiz, and a pianist walk into a high school.
By BEN WATANABE South Whidbey Record
A fire seriously damaged a secluded two-story Freeland home on Monday. Located on Evenstar Lane off Honeymoon Bay Road, the blaze is believed to have started shortly before 3 p.m. Firefighters arrived quickly and were able to douse the flames before they got out of control, but not before the upper story was severely burned. “The whole house is destroyed, as far as smoke damage,” said Tim Shorey, the homeowner. In the construction industry, Shorey built the home himself in 2006. He said the roof and ceiling insulation would need to be replaced, along with bamboo flooring that was soaked when the fire was extinguished. Despite the damage, Shorey said the house might have been a total loss had it not been for the quick action of his neighbor, Marcella Zarifis, who saw the flames and called 9-1-1. “Thank God,” said Shorey, crediting her with saving the house. Evenstar Lane is a private road in a wooded area, and the Zarifises are his only immediate neighbors. According to Chad Michael, deputy chief of Central Whidbey Fire & Rescue, had she not been home or the fire happened at night, the end result may have far worse. The district covers an area peppered with country homes, many of which are similarly secluded. Vigilant neighbors are vital partners in island firefighting, Michael said. “For us with so many rural homes, that’s critical,” he said. Zarifis said she first noticed smoke coming from the deck area at about 3:10 p.m. Located next to an outdoor barbecue, she didn’t think
For the second time in two weeks, Robin Black was appointed to the Langley City Council after another city council vote Monday. Black was nominated by Councilman Bruce Allen, who was absent for the first vote on May 19, and voted in by councilmen Jim Sundberg and Thomas Gill. Despite briefly considering withdrawing her name from consideration, Black said she was pleased to have been sworn in June 2 on round two. “I’m really excited about it,” Black said. “There’s a lot of big issues at stake in the coming months and I’m glad to be a part of them.” The appointment process had to be redone after the city learned it erred in its procedure by allowing former Councilwoman Margot Jerome to vote on her replacement. Her resignation had ambiguous language that allowed for her to continue serving until the end of May or until the council found a new council member. But state law prohibits an outgoing council member from participating in a vote for their replacement. Last month, Sundberg voted for Black which led to a tie vote. Gill and Neff voted for Sharon Emerson, and Mayor Fred McCarthy cast the tiebreaking vote for Black. Gill changed his vote Monday, and Neff decided to abstain from the vote as a way to express she was
SEE FIRE, A13
SEE BLACK, A5
Those are the true — and some secret — passions of this year’s four South Whidbey High School valedictorians: Sydney Ackerman, Kiana Henny, Greg Smith and Jack Hood. Each said maintaining a perfect 4.0 grade point average meant several late nights working on
projects, writing papers and studying for tests. The Record chatted with each soon-to-be Falcon graduate about their success, their passions and SEE BRIGHTEST, A9
Blaze burns Freeland home, none injured By JUSTIN BURNETT South Whidbey Record
Justin Burnett / The Record
Tim Storey reacts to seeing his house on fire Monday.