Island Scene
Festive fundraiser helps lighten somber struggle; Relay for Life PAGE 13
Obituaries
Final reel rolls for island’s adopted son, ‘Man of the Arts’ | Passages PAGE 5
Letters
Now why didn’t the Post Office think of that? And; Risks run high for bicyclists on San Juan Island roads PAGE 6
Journal
The 75¢ Wednesday, September 10, 2014 Vol. 107 Issue 37
Mystery encircles human remains
Panel to weigh in at series finale
Identification of body uncovered on Orcas hampered by decay
Journal staff report
By Scott Rasmussen Journal editor
Local authorities hope that dental records will help lead to the identity of a decomposed body discovered in a secluded area of Moran State Park. San Juan County Prosecuting Attorney Randy Gaylord, who, in his capacity as the county’s elected prosecutor, doubles as county coroner, said that the human remains, discovered Saturday, Sept. 6, in a collapsed tent near the bridge over Cascade Lagoon by a man who happened to be fishing in the area, are clearly that of a man. A wallet found in the tent contained a Texas driver’s license of a person from the city of Plano, but the degree of decomposition was too “extensive,” Gaylord said, to match the driver’s license with the remains. “We’re hoping that within a week we will be able to test the dental records with those of the person whose wallet was found in the tent,” he said. “The driver’s license provides us with a lead but we’re not able to confirm it’s the same person.” Gaylord said the cause of death was not apparent from the view of the scene, and that a complete See REMAINS, Page 4
Journal photo / Scott Rasmussen
Friday Harbor’s Gabe Lawson tackles Vikings running back Pasha Bullock for a loss in first quarter action in the Wolverines 57-19 victory at home, Friday, Sept. 5, a decisive season-opening win in the annual Island Cup match up.
New season, strong start Wolverines dominate Orcas in season opener, Island Cup win The floodgates opened early and often as the Wolverines rode a first-half scoring spree to a decisive 57-19 victory over the Vikings of Orcas at home, Friday, in their 2014 seasonopener. Capitalizing on a fumble by the Vikings on their very first play from scrimmage, Friday Harbor jumped out to a 8-0 lead with only 27 elapsed in the contest, as sophomore Kai Herko took the team’s first snap and rumbled 35 yards up the middle for a touchdown; quarterback Peter Holt scampered across the goal line to tag on a 2-point conversion. “It was awesome,” senior Bill Revercomb said of the season opening win over the Wolverines inter-island rival. “I can’t wait until next Friday. I
didn’t really care all that much who we played. I just wanted to get out there and dominate whoever it was.” And dominate, they did. The Wolverines, playing this year in Division 2B for the first time in more than a decade, exploded for 37 points and held the Vikings, who suited only 14 players for the contest, scoreless in the first half. The season-opener marked the debut of Friday Harbor’s new offensive scheme, a “Wildcat-like” offensive set, featuring a heavily stacked backfield and absent wide receivers, known close to home as the “Wolverine.” After the break, Friday Harbor needed only seconds to ratchet up the advantage as Revercomb, in his first game back after being sidelined in 2013 by a broken arm, took the opening kick off of the second half and dashed 60 yards for his third touchdown of the game. See START, Page 4
2011 Special Award; Second Place: General Excellence from the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association
The final event of the summerlong speaker series, “Climate Action Imperative: Understanding Impacts & Making Choices,” kicks off with a hosted reception at 5 p.m. followed by panel discussion, 7 p.m., today, at San Juan Community Theatre. Both events are free and open to all community members. The back-to-back events wrap up the series, which featured eight climate change experts—oceanographers to botanists, biologists to meteorologists. See FINALE, Page 3
Fall Sports Preview
Let the games begin; inside you’ll find stories, schedules, team photos, and more of Friday Harbor fall sports.