Record South Whidbey
INSIDE winter sports rally See...A8
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014 | Vol. 90, No. 92 | www.SOUTHWHIDBEYRECORD.com | 75¢
Blaze razes barn, cars ‘Thank God my Model A was up at the house.’ — Steve Owensby
Photo courtesy of Judy Thorslund
Many homeless individuals set up camps like this one which belonged to a woman on Coles Road.
Homelessness still a problem on South Whidbey, experts say By KATE DANIEL South Whidbey Record
Justin Burnett / The Record
South Whidbey Fire/EMS firefighters rush to quell flames at a South Whidbey home Monday. The fire caused an estimated $100,000 in damages.
By JUSTIN BURNETT South Whidbey Record A pole building, two vehicles and an accounting business were destroyed in an evening fire at the home of longtime South Whidbey residents Steve and Linda Owensby on Monday. The blaze at their property on Forest Knoll, off Crawford Road, caused an estimated $100,000 in damages, including the razing of a restored 1950 Chevy. “It’s sickening,” said Steve Owensby, shaking his head as
he watched a small army of firefighters blast the building with water and tear apart walls in an effort to extinguish the fire. No one was seriously injured in the incident, though Ownensby did suffer minor burns to his hands and lost a bit of hair in an early attempt to arrest the flames himself before emergency responders arrived. South Whidbey Fire/EMS responded to a 9-1-1 report SEE FIRE, A13
Transit board eyes interim chief with bumpy career By JESSIE STENSLAND South Whidbey Record Mired in controversy, Island Transit officials are looking at a new interim director with a controversial history all his own. Board members unanimously voted Friday night to authorize the chairman to enter into contract negotiations with Kenneth J. Graska, former assistant general manager of MV Transportation. Graska was executive director of
Community Transit in Snohomish County in 1993 when it was investigated by the FBI over a bribery and kickback scandal. He resigned after receiving “blistering criticism” in a management audit that described his “‘often autocratic and intimidating’ treatment of employees, resulting in ‘very thin’ support for him at all levels of the organization,” according to a 1993 story in the Everett Herald. The Everett Herald did a series of investigative pieces on Community
On a crisp November morning, residents of South Whidbey are stepping out of bed, wolfing down their breakfast and heading to the office or classroom for another day of work; but for some, the day may begin a little differently due to another night spent without permanent housing. The
majority of these individuals are adults, but several others are children and teens. National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, an annual event designed to bring issues such as poverty and homelessness to the forefront of national discussion, is Nov. SEE HOMELESS, A9
Dudley visits Langley City council, mayor back Councilman Jim Sundberg
By BEN WATANABE South Whidbey Record
Transit and Graska at the time. In one story, Graska admitted that he was told about possible kickbacks in his maintenance department, but did nothing. Another story states that federal investigators subpoenaed Graska’s “personal business records, including credit card slips and company cellular telephone bills.” Federal court records show Graska
Oak Harbor Mayor Scott Dudley made good on his declaration of needed change on the Island Transit board with a visit to the Langley City Council Monday. Himself a recent fixture on the five-member board that includes representatives from the cities of Oak Harbor, Coupeville and Langley and two from Island County, Dudley asked city leaders to demand better representation. His call for sweeping changes to the transit board included a request to ask “tough questions” of the city’s transit representative, Councilman Jim Sundberg. Dudley framed his plea as a response to “public outcry” over financial revelations from ear-
SEE TRANSIT, A3
SEE DUDLEY, A3