2016: A year in review

Sunday marks the start of a new year, and if 2017 is anything like 2016, it should be a wild ride.

Here’s a look back at some of the year’s biggest stories, and there were quite a few: a precedent- setting case was decided by the state Supreme Court, Choochokam was called off for the first time in 40 years, a Clinton woman was charged with murdering her sister, and voters agreed to leave the fate of the fairgrounds with the Port of South Whidbey, to name just a few.

January

• An end to the legal battle over Wonn Road between Island County and property owner Bruce Montgomery may be in sight with the confirmation of a proposed settlement.

• The FBI tours the Island County Jail following the 2015 death of Keaton Farris, an inmate who died of dehydration.

• Before a standing-room only crowd, the Island County commissioners debate a proposed settlement with Bruce Montgomery. The deal offered to give the land back to the county if certain conditions are met and, to sweeten the pot, give the public another piece of beachfront property and $50,000.

• The Port of South Whidbey commissioners OK a staff request to significantly restrict crabbing, and eliminate entirely fishing from the new floats at South Whidbey Harbor, or Langley Marina.

• A South Whidbey Record investigation revealed that former Langley Mayor Fred McCarthy had been under pressure for months by a host of influential city residents to fire the city’s then planning chief, Michael Davolio. Davolio was placed on paid administrative leave for two weeks in October of 2015, followed by unpaid administrative leave until he officially resigned Dec. 7.

• A Skagit County Superior Court judge throws out a lawsuit that challenged the Island County commissioners’ ability to hire outside legal counsel; the decision agreed with two Island County Superior Court judges, but was contrary to the position of Greg Banks, the county prosecutor.

• An effort to rename the Clinton Ferry Terminal to include the word “Whidbey” comes to an end when the proposal is rejected by the Clinton Community Council.

• Hospital leaders announce the organization’s new name: WhidbeyHealth. It replaces the old moniker, Whidbey General Hospital.

• The Island County commissioners reject the Wonn Road settlement proposal and vow to continue the court battle.

February

• Island County Prosecutor Greg Banks vows to take his case against the commissioners to the Washington State Supreme Court.

• A Clinton landmark that was a wrecked car on a forested hillside below Hong Kong Gardens Restaurant is removed by a group of community and business leaders.

• Langley resident Bob Gentz is named Coastal Volunteer of the Year at Sound Waters University.

• For the second time, Nichols Brothers Boat Builders struggled to float one of its 136-foot tugs into Holmes Harbor using a new launch system.

• Joey Shapiro Key, a South Whidbey grad, is one of the scientists who observed gravitational waves, confirming a major prediction of Albert Einstein and deepening the world’s understanding of the cosmos.

• A trio of businesses — Make Whidbey, Cadée Distillery and Cozy’s Roadhouse — seeking to jump-start Clinton rebrand an area as “Port Clinton.”

• The South Whidbey School District confirms it will move South Whidbey Academy into South Whidbey High School in the fall.

March

• A clutch of chickens move into Langley and has the city clucking.

• It becomes clear that Michelle Nichols, who was accused of vehicular homicide, will seek to suppress her blood alcohol results during a scheduled hearing in April.

• A spring storm wreaks havoc across the South End, bringing floods, downed trees and power outages.

• A jury finds Christopher Malaga guilty of murdering Oak Harbor resident Adam Garcia in 2014 for hurting his feelings; Garcia had kicked Malaga out of his house hours earlier.

• The Island County commissioners agree to give the fairgrounds to the Port of South Whidbey pending a public vote.

• South Whidbey Democrats overwhelmingly support Sen. Bernie Sanders over rival Hillary Clinton during the presidential caucuses at the high school.

April

• Island Transit selects former Naval Air Station Whidbey Island Captain Mike Nortier to lead the organization as executive director.

• Choochokam organizers confirm plans to move the event out of Langley to Community Park.

• Langley resident Marley Erickson, 12, travels to London, England to compete in the Menuhin Competition, often referred to as the “Olympics of the violin.”

• Builders across the South End demand Island County Sheriff Mark Brown take action against ongoing burglaries.

• A South Whidbey Record investigation sheds light on a county plan to use clean water utility money to shuttle storm water contaminated with high levels of fecal coliform bacteria into Useless Bay.

• A jury finds Jonathan Sage, a well-known South Whidbey resident who ran a public relations firm, guilty of raping two boys.

• Possession Point State Park was proposed to be surplussed under a plan pitched by Washington State Parks.

• Two South Whidbey teens walking along Highway 525 become heroes when they hear a woman yelling for help from the ravine below and call authorities. The woman was trapped in a marsh and rescuers credit the teens with saving her life.

• Whidbey Tel announces plans to lay more fiber optic cable across the South End.

• The South End rallies against plans to surplus Possession Point State Park, in a meeting attended by more than 80 people, none of whom supported the state’s proposal.

May

• After a two-year ban, the state allows sand shrimping to resume around Whidbey and Saratoga Passage.

• An Island County Superior Court Judge denies Michelle Nichols’ motion to suppress her blood results.

• Jonathan Sage of South Whidbey is sentenced to 35 years in prison for molesting two boys. He insists he was wrongfully convicted.

• Paperwork if filed to put before voters whether the Port of South Whidbey should take over ownership of the Island County Fairgrounds.

• An accident claims the life of HOPE volunteer Marshall MacElveen, a Sunlight Beach resident.

• Coupeville pilot Michael Clark crashes his plane into Saratoga Passage and lives to tell the tale.

• The South Whidbey School District cuts 6.5 teaching and administrative positions, making good on an earlier plan to trim staff.

• The state announces 2016 will be closed for Silver, or Coho, salmon fishing.

June

• The state Supreme Court agrees to hear the case concerning the Island County commissioners’ decision to hire outside legal counsel.

• A nighttime fire claims an old barn in Clinton. It was deemed “suspicious” by fire investigators.

• Richard “Buck” Francisco, the founder of the M-Bar-C Ranch in Freeland, dies at 92.

• The Organic Farm School moves from Greenbank Farm to a private property in Maxwelton.

• “Coach” Jim Leierer of South Whidbey football fame dies at 92.

July

• Choochokam, for the first time in its 40-year history, is called off because of “logistical” problems associated with the move to Community Park.

• Property prices soar an average of 20 percent across Island County due to the high demand for housing and a recovering housing market.

• A proposal to install LED lights around Langley cause concerns about public safety.

• Langley rebounds from its Choochokam blues by holding a street dance.

• Landslides at Brighton Beach in Old Clinton spur a University of Washington research project that aims to determine why the slides were occurring.

• Clinton resident Larry Anthony Poolman is killed in a head-on car crash on Highway 525. He was 63.

• A Stanwood man crashes his plane at Whidbey Air Park. He suffered non-life threatening injuries and survived.

• The South Whidbey School Board considers a request to rename the high school stadium after “Coach” Jim Leierer.

• Two teens with a drone and sheriff’s deputies thwart South Whidbey boat bandits out for a joyride.

• Nearly 600 people attend a remembrance ceremony for “Coach” Jim Leierer at South Whidbey High School.

August

• Voters approve a plan to transfer ownership of the Island County Fairgrounds from Island County to the Port of South Whidbey. Voters also agree to a tax increase to pay for ongoing maintenance and operations.

• Langley resident Randall Lorraine, 58, is struck by a car and killed on East Harbor Road while riding his bike home from work. Sedro-Woolley resident David Hinton, 52, was suspected of being under the influence and arrested on suspicion of vehicular homicide.

• Bayview residents take aim at a proposed pot farm, voicing a slew of complaints on the eve of its review by the county hearing examiner.

• A Clinton woman is attacked by an owl for 30 minutes.

• Horse poop raises a stink among Community Park trail users, urging several to request the South Whidbey Parks and Recreation District come up with new rules.

• For the second time, a judge dismisses a motion for summary judgement in the Wonn Road case, insuring it would go to trial.

• A South Whidbey Record investigation of Clinton ferry ridership statistics reveals sluggish route growth in recent years despite being the busiest motor vehicle route in the state system. At the same time, riders nearly universally complains of unusually long ferry lines. Ferry leaders concede the run is at capacity.

September

• County prosecutors charge Bryce Hill with doing a drive-by shooting in Clinton.

• At the urging of the Langley police chief, the city council considers new hours for Seawall Park. The proposal came after police collected 40 needles in the park over a two-week period.

• The South Whidbey Falcons football team makes state headlines when it forfeits to Archbishop Murphy High School, which went on to win the class 2A state championship.

• At least 1,000 fish are found dead on the shores of Lone Lake. State officials said it was caused by a low dissolved oxygen level or “stressfully warm” temperatures over the summer.

• South Whidbey Parks and Recreation District commissioners vote “no” on a proposal concerning horse poop. Equestrians don’t have to pick up after their animals, the board decided.

• The Island County hearing examiner gives the Bayview pot farm Now in Zen a green light to move forward.

• The Freeland Water and Sewer District is awarded $2.7 in rural county economic development funds for its phase 1A sewer project.

• Fire destroys a home and kills two dogs in the Wheel Estates community off Bayview Road.

• The Clinton Community Council decides to lobby for the fourth 144-car ferry to relieve ferry congestion on the Clinton route. Other organizations and municipalities begin to follow suit.

• Oak Harbor resident Arcan Cetin is arrested for allegedly killing five people in a shooting spree at Cascade Mall in Burlington.

October

• Oak Harbor resident Richard B. Clark, 24, dies in a high-speed collision on Highway 525 in Freeland across the street from Skagit Farmers Supply.

• Sen. Barbara Bailey announces during an election forum that she has officially requested the fourth 144-car ferry come to Clinton in response to a community lobbying effort.

• The Langley City Council agrees to adopt hours at Seawall Park.

• Drug use in Clinton has community leaders fumes; many who attended a public meeting felt police weren’t doing enough.

• Clinton resident Linda Thomas is arrested in California for allegedly driving to the state and murdering her sister.

• South Whidbey braces for a “historic” storm that never comes.

• The Langley City Council does an about-face and reverses its earlier decision to adopt hours for Seawall Park.

• The South Whidbey School Board agrees to rename the stadium after “Coach” Jim Leierer.

November

• Island County builds an outreach team to combat South Whidbey’s rising drug problem.

• The South Whidbey Record bids goodbye to longtime recipes columnist Margaret Walton who retired after 27 years on the job.

• A loose black ram is spotted several times in the Freeland area, progressively moving south. He’s later determined to have been part of a small herd that escaped from its South Whidbey home.

• A garage fire on Lone Lake Road destroys a septic truck, equipment and the building.

• The Freeland Water and Sewer District’s phase 1A sewer project hits a major snag when costs were expected to rise by about $1 million.

• Habitat for Humanity announces plans for a 10-home project in Langley.

• Jean Favini, the owner of Oasis for Animals, risks her life for her cats by charging into a smoking building. She and a firefighter saved 19. Five did not survive.

December

• Washington State Ferries announces a community lobbying effort to bring the next 144-car ferry to Clinton was a success. The Suquamish will service the run during the busiest six months of the year, and the rest of the time serve on several other routes throughout the system.

• The Island County Sheriff’s Office confirms it has spent the past six months working on a fraud case involving the South Whidbey Booster Club; it’s alleged that many thousands of dollars went missing under an old board — the existing board is not under investigation.

• Two South Whidbey High School sports coaches resign in as many weeks, citing personal reasons and pressure from critical parents.

• The Clinton Biking and Walking Improvements Project is the subject of a community meeting; county officials unveil plans for a bike route from Deer Lake to the ferry terminal.

• Michelle Nichols is found guilty of vehicular homicide in the 2015 death of Tim Keil, and given the maximum sentence of 126 months in prison.

• The attorney for Linda Thomas, a Clinton woman who is charged with driving to California and murdering her sister, said the shooting was the result of depression and was an accident.

• South Whidbey School Board Director Rocco Gianni resigns, citing health issues and stress.

• The state Supreme Court issues an unanimous decision that the county commissioners’ decision to hire outside counsel was unlawful and unconstitutional.

• A mother and her two young children die in a house fire on North Whidbey.

• The Freeland Water and Sewer District suspends work on the phase 1A sewer project after a rate study reveals unacceptable costs to ratepayers.

• The South Whidbey Parks and Recreation District shutters the sports complex due to heavy rainfall.

Langley resident Cindy Mason takes a picture of two chickens crossing Anthes Avenue. They were two of at least eight chickens that showed up in the city and quickly became the talk of the town.

Langley resident Cindy Mason takes a picture of two chickens crossing Anthes Avenue. They were two of at least eight chickens that showed up in the city and quickly became the talk of the town.

Justin Burnett / The Record                                Mother and daughter Ada Rose Faith-Feyma and Sheila Weidendorf of Langley share an umbrella while walking down Main Street in Freeland. It was on the eve of a “historic” storm that never came.

Justin Burnett / The Record Mother and daughter Ada Rose Faith-Feyma and Sheila Weidendorf of Langley share an umbrella while walking down Main Street in Freeland. It was on the eve of a “historic” storm that never came.

Fred Lundahl takes a picture as a derelict car is pulled from a hillside in Clinton.

Fred Lundahl takes a picture as a derelict car is pulled from a hillside in Clinton.

A spring storm in March wreaked havoc across South Whidbey, causing power outages, downed trees and flooding. It was particularly bad on Shore Avenue in Useless Bay (above).

A spring storm in March wreaked havoc across South Whidbey, causing power outages, downed trees and flooding. It was particularly bad on Shore Avenue in Useless Bay (above).

Justin Burnett / The Record                                Clinton resident Natasha Burkle hands in her vote for Bernie Sanders during the Democratic caucuses at South Whidbey High School in March.

Justin Burnett / The Record Clinton resident Natasha Burkle hands in her vote for Bernie Sanders during the Democratic caucuses at South Whidbey High School in March.

Justin Burnett / The Record                                South Whidbey Fire/EMS firefighters work to extinguish a barn fire in Clinton in June. The fire was deemed suspicious.

Justin Burnett / The Record South Whidbey Fire/EMS firefighters work to extinguish a barn fire in Clinton in June. The fire was deemed suspicious.

Steve Erickson reads a statement during a public meeting in April concerning the state’s plan to surplus Possession Point State Park on South Whidbey.

Steve Erickson reads a statement during a public meeting in April concerning the state’s plan to surplus Possession Point State Park on South Whidbey.