Adios 2015, hello 2016. Before we turn the page, here’s a short list of the year’s top headlines.
January
The South Whidbey School District announces it will begin publishing the identities of public records requestors in response to increasing workloads. The purpose is to keep the board informed about the cost of fulfilling records requests.
Nichols Brothers Boat Builders in Freeland celebrates 50 years in business. Despite new ownership, the business remains a family affair.
Langley begins looking at food truck rules.
Langley hits the brakes on plans to build a funicular.
Rabbit Wars: Return of the controversial issue.
Longtime South Whidbey Fire/EMS volunteer Gary Gabelein hangs up his hat.
School records policy fuels concern among open government advocates.
February
A Freeland home on Goss Lake Road is destroyed by fire.
Sunny View Village, a contested affordable housing development being built in Freeland, runs into a runoff problem, causing a neighbor to cry foul.
Ongoing contract negotiations between shippers and longshoreman results in nearly 1,000-foot-long container ships anchoring in Holmes Harbor.
Tim Keil, a Freeland man, is killed in a car crash on Highway 525 and another driver, Michele Nichols, is hospitalized with serious injuries. Police suspect Nichols was intoxicated at the time.
An underwater survey discovers anchor line problems with the South Whidbey Harbor expansion.
World’s smartest tech company can’t find Langley on the map, Apple maps that is. The county lobbies the company for a fix.
March
Apple concedes existence of map errors after years of complaints, promises repair.
Parents object, challenge school district’s public records policy.
Landslides destroy two more Old Clinton beach cabins, threaten others.
Trinity Lutheran Church in Freeland hires Elizabeth Felt, its first female pastor.
Island County Prosecutor Greg Banks objects to commissioners’ plan to hire outside counsel to help with the comprehensive plan update.
Langley, Dog House owners reach agreement making renovation plans possible.
Gov. Jay Inslee tours Nichols Brothers in Freeland.
The South Whidbey School District drops its controversial records policy, acknowledging that identifying requestors didn’t actually help keep the board informed about costs/impacts, which was the stated intent.
April
The trial for Whidbey General Hospital’s chief nursing officer, Linda Gipson, begins. She was accused of assaulting a patient in 2014.
The death of an inmate in the Island County Jail, Keaton Farris, sparks a review. He died of dehydration.
Ledgewood property owners sue the county for negligence concerning 2013’s massive landslide.
Linda Gipson is found not guilty by a jury.
Langley holds its long awaited charrette, a public meeting to discuss marina conveyance options.
May
Tim Callison, Sharon Emerson and Thomas Gill file to run for Langley mayor.
South Whidbey teachers and students protest, asking for smaller class sizes and a halt to “ridiculous” testing.
Washington State Parks announced the closure of the South Whidbey State Park campgrounds for overnight use due to tree rot.
Clinton struggles with vacant storefronts.
June
An old tire complaint rolls over Langley Mayor Fred McCarthy.
Island County Beach Watchers announce a pending split with Washington State University Extension.
Investigators announce negligence was a factor in inmate’s death.
Shirely’s Kitchen in Clinton is devastated by fire.
A pit bull in Clinton kills another dog, putting the neighborhood in an uproar.
Freeland business leaders seek funding for an incorporation study.
The rollout of Langley’s first food truck results in turmoil.
July
The Maxwelton Independence Day Parade celebrates event’s centennial.
The Western Washington Growth Management Hearings Board upholds an appeal of the county’s wildlife rules.
One of the largest brushfires in memory blackens Freeland.
The Port of Coupeville ousts the Greenbank Farm Management Group.
The Holmes Harbor Golf Course goes back on the market.
August
County appeals hearings board ruling.
Langley Dog House plans hit another snag with city lawyer’s objection.
Confederate flags flown during fair parade draw ire of bystanders.
The Island County prosecutor challenges the county over board’s decision to hire outside legal counsel.
Pinks salmon season heats up with beachside scuffles.
South Whidbey school officials consider spending $55,000 on bunny prevention.
September
Troubles launching a tugboat at Nichols Brothers in Freeland draws crowds of spectators.
South Whidbey teachers strike.
Two South Whidbey residents die in separate Central Whidbey car accidents.
Falconry is considered as a option to address Langley’s rabbit woes.
Michele Nichols pleads “not guilty” to charges of vehicular homicide in the death of Tim Keil.
Langley’s bunny battles continue to divide city residents, some supporting lethal options while others ask for mercy.
Island Transit announces it will, after years of controversy, try out a fare system.
The Freeland Water and Sewer District lay down plans to spend $800,000 on property for sewer plant.
October
State regulators concede that the Holmes Harbor Shellfish Protection District will likely remain forever.
Island Transit’s interim chief announces he will not seek the position permanently, following a DUI.
A Clinton woman, Linda Thomas, is arrested for allegedly killing her sister in California.
A nighttime fire destroys a home in Freeland, displacing a renter.
It is discovered that Linda Thomas came into The Record’s office and prepaid for her own obituary before traveling to California and allegedly shooting her sister.
November
Tim Callison wins the race for Langley mayor, beating out first Thomas Gill in the August primary election and then Sharon Emerson during the November general election.
South Whidbey Parks and Recreation District commissioners buy a 30-acre property near the high school for a future campgrounds.
A retired Navy man locates a intruder jet from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island that was lost in Puget Sound years ago.
The Port of South Whidbey attempts to attract a private investor to help fund future marina expansion phases.
South Whidbey is ravaged and left in the dark after a fall storm.
December
Ken Stange, a former Coupeville teacher, takes over Bailey’s Corner Store in Cultus Bay.
The FBI raids a longtime Clinton business and the owner’s home, but officials remain mum on the nature of the investigation.
Mo’s Pub and Eatery pours its last round, following years of friction between the business and neighbors over noise.
Keaton Farris’ family settles for $4 million, nearly eight months after the young man’s death in the Island County Jail.
The Port of South Whidbey announces a plan to restrict crabbing and fishing at the marina in Langley.
The Port of South Whidbey hires a construction firm to fix problems with the marina, more than a year after problems were first discovered.
