Journal of the San Juans, November 12, 2014

Page 1

Island Scene

Blue & beyond: Western bluebirds on the rebound PAGE 9

Sports

Wolverines clinch state tourney berth in shootout PAGE 16

Guest Column

Triple threat for young students at risk: ineffective policies, lax attitudes, pervasiveness of drugs PAGE 7

Journal

The 75¢ Wednesday, November 12, 2014 Vol. 107 Issue 46

Island Rec hit by tax $$ error

Krebs wins by decisive margin Incumbent falls to deputy in landslide SJC sheriff’s race

By Scott Rasmussen Journal editor

By Scott Rasmussen Journal editor

Elections are often about change. San Juan County voters demonstrated an eagerness for it, in the administration of their Sheriff ’s office. In a first-ever bid for public office, deputy Ron Krebs grabbed an insurmountable lead in a hotly contested 2014 sheriff ’s race. Krebs, an eight-year veteran of the force and former deputy guild president, collected 3,372 votes of 5,244 ballots tallied on election night, earning 64 percent of the Nov. 4 early election returns. The election night ballot count equals a voter-turnout of roughly 47 percent of 11,985 registered voters. An estimated 2,000 ballots will be tallied over the next several days, according to the county Elections department. The ballots yet to be counted are not expected to change the outcome of the sheriff ’s race, according to Auditor Milene Henley. “It’s an unbeatable lead,” she said. For first-term incumbent Rob Nou, the election night results signal a reversal of fortune in four years time. In 2010, Nou drew 66 See MARGIN, Page 4

Contributed photos

The demolition of the Elwha River dams, and the story that led to the dismantling, for the sake of salmon restoration, proved the most popular film at the 2nd annual Friday Harbor Film Festival.

Bigger second time around Documentaries about dams prove popular at 2014 Film Fest By Emily Greenberg Journal reporter

Thousands of volunteer hours, hundreds of tickets sold, dozens of films screened—the year long work put in to bring the festival to life was worth it. The second annual Friday Harbor Film Festival was a hit. Over the weekend, the town buzzed with festival-goers. Ticket sales were up, venues had to turn people away from certain screenings, and many films earned the highest possible ratings in the audiences’ vote for favorites. The San Juan Island Chamber of Commerce reported a surge of walk-ins, as many as 75, at its visitor center throughout the weekend. At this time of year, numbers usually dwindle to the teens at the chamber office, chamber Director Tom

Kirschner said. According to festival co-organizer Karen Palmer, ticket sales were up by 35-50 percent from a year ago. “The reviews are glowing,” Palmer said. “The community is so proud and supportive. The festival was a wonderful representation of Friday Harbor.” Speaking of support, festival organizers announced a new and very generous endowment. A local contributor promised to sponsor tickets for local middle and high school students for next year’s festival. The Young Filmmakers Project saw films submitted by students from the San Juans and Anacortes. Films ranged from music videos to tear-jerking narratives. The winning film in the Young Filmmakers category is a documentary by Spring Street International School students Pear Black, Max Kessler, and Conrad Bormann. “Searching for Green” chronicled the students See AROUND, Page 3

Winner of six 1st place awards in Washington Newspaper Publishers Association 2014 BNC, 17 in all

Island Rec is due to take a big hit to its bottom line in the wake of an error by the county assessor’s office in calculating three year’s worth of property tax revenue for park and recreation agency. Assessor Charles Zalmanek took responsibility for error, saying Island Rec received a total of $377,192 in excess revenue because he mistakenly adjusted its levy rate to a mark above the maximum amount approved by voters, which escalated over three See ERROR, Page 4

EARLY SALES DEADLINE

Thursday, Nov. 20, noon for Nov. 26th Journal paper. Call Cherie or Howard at 378-5695


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