Jessie Stensland

3 weeks ago | whidbeynewstimes.com | Jessie Stensland

It will be a quieter summer in Oak Harbor this year. The two-man crew who run the annual Hydros for Heroes event each year announced this week that they have to cancel the high-performance boat races because of some “unexpected events beyond our control,” according to a social media post. The hope is that someone else will take the helm and continue the event next year and beyond.

3 weeks ago | whidbeynewstimes.com | Jessie Stensland

A development moratorium in semi-urban areas of unincorporated Island County remains in effect, but changes are likely when commissioners consider a replacement moratorium next month. As required by law, the commissioners held a public hearing Tuesday on an emergency moratorium on development in areas zoned as mixed-use Rural Areas of Intense Development, known as RAIDs. It impacts commercial areas of Clinton, Ken’s Korner, Bayview, Greenbank, Cornet Bay and Deception Pass.

3 weeks ago | whidbeynewstimes.com | Jessie Stensland

The state Department of Transportation is finally going to replace a log guardrail that was demolished in a car crash earlier this year. But the project is going to snarl traffic at Deception Pass Bridge as the summer tourist season kicks into gear. Traffic over the bridge will alternate from 6 a.m. to noon on Saturday and Sunday, June 7-8, as workers repair the guardrail. People traveling in the area should expect delays, WSDOT warns.

3 weeks ago | whidbeynewstimes.com | Jessie Stensland

A 32-year-old Oak Harbor resident who formerly served in the Army was convicted by a jury in federal court in Georgia of sexually victimizing two children, according to a May 30 press release from the U.S. Department of Justice. Austin M. Burak will be sentenced later this year, following a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Services.

3 weeks ago | whidbeynewstimes.com | Jessie Stensland

An Anacortes man is accused of stealing a truck with a boat and trailer attached from a North Whidbey residence June 3, according to court documents. The 2015 Toyota Tacoma was recovered after the suspect fled from police and crashed it into a ditch, and the boat was found the next day, according to a report by a deputy with the Island County Sheriff’s Office. The suspect, 31-year-old Jacob J. Hazelbaker, appeared in Island County Superior Court on June 4.