Record
Summer Survival
South Whidbey
Summer
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enrolling for summer camp for children ages 5-12 years old. Sign up whole summer for the , or just week. Full day or half one options day available .
For info call: 360-221-4499
120 Sixth Street, Langley
We accept
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boats, musi
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www.WOODE NBOAT.org
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www.isla On-line Now nddance or call 360-3 andgymn astics.co
714 Camano
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41-12 82
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RICING
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for more
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• www.da nceoakh
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First United (360) 675-244Methodist Church of Oak Harbor 1 • 1050 SE Ireland St, Oak Harbor
Camps
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A DULTS &
www.spu.edu/c
June 19 th
Swimming Get one free. Pool,
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(ages 8-13) 9-3pm (Marine Explorer, June to Aug Photo Camp, Kids Kayak Academy, Art $239 - $250 in Nature)
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Ballet
Neil Rabinow
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Pointe
©Photo by
Camp Casey
Island Dan
SUM MER
Election finance rules catch candidates unaware
S ENIORS
(ages 13-17) s 9-3pm June (Kayak Academy, - Aug Wilderness Skills, Photo Camp) $249 - $289
tion Pass Day Camp (ages 8-13) s 9-3pm
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See web
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www.Acadeand dates! | To register micsAndAdv call: 360-708-3286 entures.org
Old tire complaint rolls over Langley mayor
By JUSTIN BURNETT South Whidbey Record
SEE PDC, A9
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DSHS Workin
SATURDAY, JUNE 6, 2015 | Vol. 91, No. 44 | WWW.SOUTHWHIDBEYRECORD.COM | 75¢
A host of electoral candidates seeking office on South Whidbey this year will be getting formal warning letters from the Washington Public Disclosure Commission next week. A statutory 14-day grace period that follows the close of filing week has passed yet, as of Friday morning, no candidates had filed with the organization despite being required to do by state law. “They not only have to file a personal finance statement but they also have to register a campaign,” said Lori Anderson, a spokeswoman for the commission. “It’s that registration that tells the world if they are going to raise or spend money.” Established by voter initiative in the 1970s, the commission was created to “provide timely and meaningful public access to accurate information about the financing of political campaigns, lobbyist expenditures, and the financial affairs of public officials and candidates, and to ensure compliance with and equitable enforcement of Washington’s disclosure and campaign finance laws,” according the commission’s website. The rules apply to election areas with at least 1,000 registered and active voters, which automatically excludes Langley candidates. While the city has the only contested races on the South End in this year’s primary and general elections, it’s exempt with only 865 active voters, according to figures supplied by the Island County Auditor’s
page 12-13
Survival
The Sout Children h Whidbey ’s Cent er Sum
By JUSTIN BURNETT South Whidbey Record
The total was translated into a “tax burden index,” which can be used to compare counties. Of the counties with the least total taxes in the state, Island County ranks as 10th lowest among the state’s 39 counties; the ranking takes into account taxes for both municipalities and unincorporated areas.
A kerfuffle over a cache of old tires on Langley city property has Mayor Fred McCarthy scrambling for answers, though it may be more than one year too late. A seething John Norby crashed the city council’s regular meeting Monday, demanding to know why McCarthy and his staff hadn’t removed the tires more than 14 months ago when Norby first brought the dump site to their attention. Norby cited a slew of concerns, from possible environmental and drinking water contamination problems to a mosquito breeding ground. “Nothing’s been done about it,” said Norby, who produced a piece of old tire from a brown paper bag and held it up for emphasis. “This is shameful,” he added. Norby gave the city a week to clean up the site or threatened to bring the “lawyers” in. A clearly surprised McCarthy, now facing a concerned city council, said Norby had just been to city hall and asked why he didn’t mention the concerns then. Norby responded by saying he shouldn’t have had to, that he’d informed the mayor about the problem more than a year ago and then abruptly left the council chambers. In a later interview on Friday, McCarthy said he thought the surprise attach was unfair and incorrectly made it seem as if the city had been dragging its feet.
SEE TAX BURDEN, A9
SEE TIRES, A5
Ben Watanabe / The Record
Graduates of South Whidbey Academy’s class of 2015 hold up their diploma covers after the commencement ceremony concluded Thursday, June 4 in the school’s cafeteria/gym. In the back row are Karin Fifield, Jeryn Rieck, Brianna Nalley, Josh Brown, Daryck Porter and Seth Townsend-Tyers. In the middle row are Celeste Magney, Julie Casey-Peters, Mick Campbell, Madinah Goodson, Maggie Fisher, Chandler Sutton and Ivan Kraabel. Up front is Vanessa Link.
South Whidbey Academy Says goodbye to the Class of 2015
By BEN WATANABE South Whidbey Record True to the individuality brought and sought by South Whidbey Academy students, the class of 2015 graduates got to do things their way during their commencement ceremony Thursday.
South Whidbey Academy is the South Whidbey School District’s alternative K-12 program, with three distinct parts to it for elementary, middle and high school. In its third year, this cohort had one of the larger graduating classes with 15 students. “This institution truly recognizes
that there are several ways to learn,” Principal David Pfeiffer said. Instead of the tradition of having advocates present each student for graduation, a nine-minute questionand-answer video of each graduate SEE ACADEMY, A10
Study ranks Island County tax burden among the lowest in state, country By JESSIE STENSLAND South Whidbey Record Island County has the 10th lowest tax burden in the state and a comparatively low tax burden in the nation, according to a new study by SmartAsset. The personal finance technology company analyzed how much an average person would pay in income, sales, property and fuel taxes in all 3,007 counties in the nation.