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Times
Island Living
Parade: OHHS students celebrate Homecoming ... A2
Vol. 126, No. 81
WHIDBEY
Book chronicles NAS Whidbey history
ews
A8
Saturday, October 8, 2016 • WWW.WHIDBEYNEWSTIMES.COM • 75¢
Scary clown sightings creep into Oak Harbor Mask-wearing suspect demands bicycle, cell By JESSIE STENSLAND
jstensland@whidbeynewsgroup.com
A scary clown epidemic that’s sweeping the country — even striking in Oak Harbor this week — is so creepy that the city’s most menacing clown is hesitant to go out in public for fear of causing panic, or worse. “I won’t be running out for coffee in costume this year,” said Brian Boyle, who will once again be trans-
forming into demented Mr. Giggles for the annual Frightville haunted house at the Roller Barn. In Oak Harbor, the clown outbreak struck Wednesday night when a man in a clown mask tried to mug a bicyclist downtown. Mr. Giggles is not a suspect. Oak Harbor resident Michael Wotring said he was biking home from work on Pioneer Way just after 10 p.m. when he saw a man in a clown mask walking across the street. He figured it was someone being funny, SEE CREEPY, A9
Up to $150,000 in fake money may be hitting county By JESSIE STENSLAND
jstensland@whidbeynewsgroup.com
File photo/Whidbey News-Times
Mr. Giggles is a “good” scary clown played by Brian Boyle for Frightville, the annual haunted house in Oak Harbor’s Roller Barn.
The Island County sheriff is warning businesses on Whidbey Island to be on the lookout for counterfeit cash. Sheriff Mark Brown said a confidential informant from another agency shared a rumor that as much as $150,000 in counterfeit bills may be coming through the island. Brown stresses that the rumor is not substantiated. The sheriff’s office does not have information about where the bogus bills may be coming from, what denomination they might be or the quality of the fakes. “This was strictly a proactive move to let businesses know we heard this rumor,” he said. SEE FAKE BILLS, A9
Ex-challenger jumps party, backs Bailey By JERRY CORNFIELD jcornfield@heraldnet.com
An unlikely union of political foes could spoil the Democratic Party’s chance of retaking a state Senate seat in Island County. Sen. Barbara Bailey, the Oak Harbor Republican seeking a second term, has secured the endorsement of Nick Petrish, a Democratic challenger she vanquished in the August primary. Petrish, of Big Lake near Mount Vernon, chose Petrish Bailey rather than his party’s candidate, Angie Homola of Oak Harbor, somebody he has called a friend and has shared many political positions. Apparently not enough of the right ones. “Senator Bailey, with her continued presence and Bailey leadership in the Senate, will help all Washingtonians get the votes we need to protect our Bill of Rights, protect our union rights, to develop nuclear power in order to reverse climate change, revitalize industry, but more importantly, save our future,” Petrish said in a statement he released Sept. 24 explaining his endorsement. A few days later Bailey issued a press SEE SHAKEUP, A9
Photo by Ron Newberry/Whidbey News-Times
Heather Czlapinski cries after learning she and her son were picked for Habitat for Humanity of Island County’s home ownership program.
Getting a home of their own
Co-workers, Habitat for Humanity surprise single mom and her son By RON NEWBERRY
rnewberry@whidbeynewsgroup.com
The best kept secret at Windermere Real Estate’s Oak Harbor office was a doozy.
For more than a week, everyone had to stay tight-lipped around receptionist Heather Czlapinski despite knowing news that would dramatically change her life. Even brokers, agents and staff at
owner Eric Mitten’s other office in Coupeville had to bite their tongues. Czlapinski, a single mother, was seemingly the only one who didn’t know that SEE GETTING A HOME, A11