Sports
Softball squad rides a win streak; baseball team prevails in extra innings PAGE 16
The Gerbil
Ugly never look so good, Bad habitats or good biz?; the Journal salutes April 1 PAGE 9
Letters
Conflict? What conflict? United with Lummi Nation against coal, McDonalds in FH? Say it ain’t so PAGE 6 & 7
Journal
The 75¢ Wednesday, April 1, 2015 Vol. 108 Issue 13
Stabbing prompts felony charges
Ranker endorsed by ‘New DEAL’ leaders
Alleged victim also faces felony assault in unrelated case
Journal staff report
Journal staff report
A San Juan Island man accused of stabbing another man in an altercation over a $100 pickup is slated to stand trial for felony assault in mid-May. On March 27, Victor James Capron Jr., pleaded not guilty in San Juan County Superior Court to one count of first-degree assault with a deadly weapon. He was released under court orders and on $100,000 bail pending trial. If convicted, the 56-year-old lifelong San Juan Island resident would face a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison, as required under state law. First-degree assault with a deadly weapon carries maximum penalties of life in prison, a $50,000 fine, or both. He has no history of violent crime. Born and raised on San Juan, Capron was taken into custody Monday, March 23, shortly after 6 p.m., at the end of a long gravel driveway on the Boreen property, which borders the gravel pit and the San Juan Community Home Trust neighborhood near the intersection of Hunt and Grover streets. He was intoxicated, slumped over in the front seat of his vehiSee CHARGES, Page 2
Journal photo / Emily Greenberg
Sailor Nick Wainwright, left, and Steve Roberts, owner and builder of “Microship,” have join forces to enter and hopefully win a 750-mile race to Ketchikan, up the Inside Passage, and collect the race’s $10,000 grand prize.
‘Inside Passage’ or bust
‘Techno-philes’ team up on engine-less race to Alaska By Emily Greenberg Journal Reporter
With its squalls, hypothermia-inducing waters and 20-mile-an-hour rapid-like currents, the inside passage to Alaska is an engine-less sailors’ biggest challenge. The first-ever “Race to Alaska,” brainchild of the Northwest Maritime Marine Center, is a 750-nautical-mile journey that begins June 4, from Port Townsend to Ketchikan, Alaska, with a grand prize of $10,000. The only catch is it must be done on an entirely engine-less vessel, human or sail powered. Local sailor Nick Wainwright, 28, of San Juan Island, is one of the Race to Alaska hopefuls, on a very unique boat. “It wasn’t even a question of should I do this race,” Wainwright said. “I have to. This boat is unlike anything else.”
The boat, named Microship, is an amphibious pedal and sail powered trimaran. No need for an anchor, amphibious means the boat can roll onto land with four wheels that come down and retract like an airplane’s. It has a free-standing mast and uses one simple sail. There’s no traditional tiller or wheel, handles guide the boat through hydraulic steering. When there’s a lull in the wind, she can be pedaled at about three knots. The boat was built and designed by Steve Roberts, technophile and expert tinkerer, after a 17,000-mile jaunt on a home-built, technologically advanced bicycle that now sits in the Computer History Museum in California. Sparing the techno-babble, just one of the bike’s many features was that it allowed Roberts to type emails in binary while pedaling on the road, in the late ‘80s. Microship took nearly a decade to build. A $1 million undertaking, the vessel had over 160 corporate sponsors aiding in its completion. Roberts originally intended to trailer the boat to different See OR BUST, Page 4
Winner of six 1st place awards in Washington Newspaper Publishers Association 2014 BNC, 17 in all
Washington state Sen. Kevin Ranker was selected as one of 19 leaders from across the country to join the NewDEAL, a national network committed to highlighting innovative ideas from state and local elected leaders who are pro-growth progressives. Governor Jack Markell of Delaware and U.S. Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, honorary chairmen of the NewDEAL, recognized Ranker’s efforts to grow his state’s economy and preserve its environment by investing in ways to make outdoor recreation 2
HappyHol idays
See LEADERS, Page 4
Home & Garden
Call Cherie or Howard today to reserve your space in this year’s Home and Garden section. 378-5696