The following are segments of stories taken from the front pages of the Whidbey Island Record 50 and 25 years ago on Thursday, March 2, 1967 and March 3, 1992.

50 years ago

Editor: Dan Stebbins

‘Phoney Money’ Loss to S. Whidbey Schools

“South Whidbey public schools are losing $10,840 this year in a so called “phoney money” deal. This is because the present state support formula assumes that the property in all school districts is taxed at 25 percent of true value,’ writes Ralph Denham.

“According to superintendent and the State Tax Commission, Island County assessment is at 21.8 percent of true value. The tax commission arrives at this figure by a survey basis.

“Denham continued saying that ‘our assessor figures the rate 25 percent — due to high demand and thus inflated prices.’

“The difference between the 25 percent and the assessment in Island County (21.8) as indicated by the State Tax Commission constitutes the phoney money.

“ ‘This is the way it works. This school year the state assumed that our school district would receive $113,490 in local taxes. This amount is then deducted from $299,135 that the state says our school district is entitled to. Actually the school will receive only $102,650. This results in the $10,840 loss to the district,’ Denham says.”

25 years ago

Editor: Jim Larsen

Dog nabs burglar in Clinton bank

“A police dog pried a suspected one-man crime wave out of a Clinton bank he allegedly broke into Saturday night.

“Sgt. Harry Uncapher, head of South Whidbey detachment of the Island County Sheriff’s Office, said Monday that Eric Johnson, 21 of Clinton, was arrested on suspicion of burglary and suspicion of attempting to harm a police dog. Both are felony crimes.

“Uncapher gave much of the credit for the arrest to witnesses who noticed at 8:33 p.m. that someone was in Whidbey Island Bank.

“They called the police, and at 8:42 a deputy arrived to find that the drive-through window at the bank had been broken, and a smaller window had been broken and opened.

“There was no doubt a man was inside the bank. ‘He was taunting them, asking them to kill him,’ said Uncapher, after reading the police reports.

“Deputies Mark Brinkman, Ed Wallace and Jeff Meyers, along with Reserve Wilkins and Langley P.D.’s Mike Birchfield called for Zeke, the Oak Harbor police dog, and sat tight.”