The following are segments of stories taken from the front pages of the Whidbey Island Record 50, 25 and 15 years ago on Thursday, March 9, 1967, Tuesday March 10, 1992, and Saturday March 9, 2002.
50 years ago
Editor Dan Stebbins
Pesty Fly Causes Crash
“Jerry O. Wikum, 43, Clinton, was involved in a car accident after his attention was drawn to a fliy on his windshield March 5 at 1:30 p.m. one-fourth mile east of Cultus Bay on Glendale Road.
“Wikum tried to eliminate the fly from the windshield and ran off the road. He struck a driveway culvert, pulling a drive line loose and shearing off a brake line. His 1962 Chevrolet pickup went back across the road and struck a rock.
“Wikumk was not injhured. His pickup recieved $100 damage.”
25 years ago
Editor Jim Larsen
Property rights rally attracts over 100 on South Whidbey
“The last line of the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States reads: ‘Nor shall private property be taken for public use without just compensation.”
“It has become known as the taking clause and it’s name has been changed by worried landowners to ‘the takings’ in reference to land-use and environmental regulations which restrict private property without compensation.
“While courts across the land test the legality of what some say amounts to a new form of eminent domain without payment, property owners on South Whidbey got into the fight Thursday at a property rights meeting.
“The dragon they want to slay is the 1990 Washington State Growth Management Act, which is supposed to be charging our of its cave wearing Birkenstocks and breathing fire in July 1994.”
15 years ago
Editor Matt Johnson
Sewer opposition bubbles to surface
“Vocal opposition to a plan to expand sewer service in Langley will probably require more convincing arguments for putting sewage pipes in the ground in four neighborhoods.
“About 20 people concerned about the cost of sewer extensions in the Edgecliff, Saratoga, Third Street and First Street areas said “no” to the plan in a variety of ways this week. Objecting to the sewer hookups in their neighborhoods largely for financial reasons at Wednesday’s city council meeting, the group levied its criticism around a special benefits study completed for the the city recently.
“The study, which was done by appraiser Jim Lema, estimates the amount of value that will be added to every single-family residential property once sewers are installed in the targeted neighborhoods. By converting the septic systems they use now to centralized sewer service, Lema said 159 Langley property owners stand to gain $13,000 of property value on average.”
