Local
Trashion Fashion 2014 climbs new heights PAGE 8
Island Scene
Decade of Dominance, Towing at the top PAGE 9
Fair Flashback
Photo collage revisits fun, frolic, fine times at the 2014 County Fair… but it’s just a start PAGE 7
Journal
The 75¢ Wednesday, August 20, 2014 Vol. 107 Issue 34
Back behind bars in 24 hrs
Miles to go, promises to keep By Scott Rasmussen Journal editor
Journal staff report
A San Juan Island man who recently served six months for a felony sex offense faces a new round of criminal charges for allegedly spending time with a woman and her child shortly after his release from jail. On Aug. 6, Troy Fitzgerald Niebling was taken into custody by the San Juan County Sheriff ’s Department on the heels of a complaint about the 49-year-old spending time with the woman and her child. Niebling, convicted in February of one count of voyeurism, a Class C felony, turned himself into the Sheriff ’s Department upon learning that a warrant had been issued for his arrest, according to Undersheriff Bruce Distler. He was taken into custody on a state Department of Corrections warrant and transported by plane to Island County jail later that day. He was then transferred to a socalled “violators facility” at the Snohomish County jail to await a hearing on the alleged violation of terms of his courtordered probation, Distler said. A registered sex offender, Niebling was ordered to serve six months in jail in mid-March after pleading guilty to the felony sex offense. He reportedly was released Aug. 5 from Island County jail. Department of Corrections spokeswoman Norah West said that Niebling is scheduled to See 24 HRS, Page 4
Journal photo / Scott Rasmussen
As far as wedding gifts go, theirs has to be a first. Not only did Joshua Accomando and Lexi Abel both finish first in the Friday Harbor 8.8K Loop Run, in their respective divisions, men’s and women’s, but by doing so they fulfilled a promise they made to Abel’s mother, Susan Hyde, and soon-to-be stepfather, Jay Lien, on the eve of the elder couple’s wedding. Which, by the way, was set to begin only about six hours after the Boston-area couple crossed the finish line, respectively, at the Friday Harbor fairgrounds, Saturday, Aug. 16. After catching their breath, the two avid longdistance runners were last seen sprinting away from the fairgrounds, headed for the shower, no doubt. “We told them we were going to win it for them,” the 32-year-old Abel said. “We looked at the times from earlier races and we thought we could do it,” Accomando added. And did it, they did. But only by a hair’s breath.
First place 8.8K Loop Run finishers Lexi Abel and Joshua Accomando show encouragement to Abel’s mother and stepfather on the day of the elder couple’s wedding. The two Boston-area runners vowed to win the annual 5.4-mile run as a wedding gift, and they both made good on that vow.
Mysterious, good, bad? Bats unveiled
See KEEP, Page 4
A baby longeared myotis bat, stranded on a deck on Orcas Island, eyes a droplet of water.
Juan Islan August 201 4
Contributed
photo
PO Box 171
Eastsound, WA 360.376.2145 98245 www.orcasislan drealty.com
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FREE MAP INSI See pages 13-17 DE!
Published the Journal of the San Juanthird Wednesday of each month Islands, Islands’ by the Sounder and Island s’ Weekly
Sunny Highlan
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By Colleen Smith Armstrong
Sunny craftsma deck in fence n home in Orcas Highlan up a gently yard and beautiful mahogads built in 2003 with sloped drivewa newly ny porch in on main level y for added front. Sited added expansive back away from concept great with additional bedroomsun exposure and quiet the road enjoyment. room. Minutes s and All the necessitand to Moran State bath above. Recently ies updated Park or the village of Eastsou kitchen in open nd.
Sounder editor/publisher
There are few things as delicate as a bat’s ear. Thin, dark brown skin is stretched over fragile cartilage. In certain light, they are nearly translucent. The inside ridges look like a washboard for a doll’s house. I know this because I nursed an injured baby bat back to health. I got a close look at the dainty, cavernous ears, miniature teeth and fuzzy body of our local long-eared
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Kathryn Sherman Deborah photoHansen
Harvey Olsan
Lisa Botiller Mary Clure
Journal photo / Cali Bagby
myotis bat. It had been a week of nocturnal activity. Two bats had perished in our overhead fan above the bed. I’ll spare you the details on that. The next night, I was startled by a fluffy ball careening across my bathroom
floor. The bat’s movements were jerky; he pivoted on clawed feet, spreading his wings wide across the tiles. I wrapped him in a towel and put him outside, hoping he’d fly off See UNVEILED, Page 3
2011 Special Award; Second Place: General Excellence from the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association
Victoria Shaner
Kristen Slabaugh Marty Zier
Real Estate in the San Juan Islands
See inside for July’s real estate sales, listings and statistics.