Top stories of 2023 | Part One

by Colleen Smith Summers, Heather Spaulding, Diane Craig, Isabel Ashley and Toby Cooper

Staff report

At the end of the year, we take a look at the biggest headlines of the past 12 months. This is part one. We chose the top stories from our most-read online articles and events we feel impacted our communities.

1. Buffum honored for decades of coaching Lobos

At the beginning of the year, Lopez Lobos howled their appreciation for MR Buffum who retired after leading Lopez Island’s basketball teams for 45 years.

On Jan. 6, The Pack, Lopez Island’s non-profit booster club, held a ceremony following the boys’ basketball game vs. Cedar Park. Though the home team lost in a very close game, Buffum was the star of the night.

Born and raised on Lopez, Buffum played basketball and other sports for the Lobos. He started his coaching career in 1975-76, his senior year of high school, as the girls’ coach launching his nearly 45-year coaching career.

The January celebration, held in the school’s gym, was as packed as a championship game. Buffum’s two sons, Jason and Alex, who both played for him, were able to surprise him as did many alumni, friends and community members. Both sons spoke to those in attendance along with the school’s current athletic director, his niece, Marina Mejlaender. The Pack presented him with a plaque and many other gifts to show their appreciation and hung a banner with photos chronicling every year he coached.

Attendees noted that the time and impact Buffum’s career had, not just on Lobos Basketball, but on every single player he coached and mentored in the gym, was priceless. Ever a team player, Buffum responded to the night of adulation saying, “I couldn’t have done it without all these people.”

The Pack requested the gym be named after MR Buffum.

2. Volcano discovered off the shores of Lopez

Who knew?

In November of 2023, following his examination of deepwater seafloor surveys published by a Canadian scientist in 2018, Dr. H. Gary Greene, a marine geologist and part-time Orcas resident, made a startling announcement: Lopez has a volcano.

When Greene learned that Bob Pacunski, a research scientist with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, would be out on the water in early November, Greene hitched a ride. Pacunski uses a camera-equipped underwater drone – called a Remotely Operated Vehicle, or ROV – to scan the seafloor for evidence of sand lance and rockfish- and rock samples. Those rock samples proved to be vesicular basalt and olivine basalt – both of which differ from the surrounding glacial substrate. With that, Greene knew a volcano had been found.

According to Greene, the twin cones of what will soon be known as the Devil’s Mountain Volcano were present when the last ice age glaciers retreated from the area about 10,000 years ago. The smooth shape of the cones, which rise 30 to 40 meters above the surrounding seafloor, indicates scouring by the ice.

“The next step will be to age the basalt samples,” he said. “Since the cones were present when the ice retreated, the volcano could be five or ten million years old. We do not know, nor do we have any idea when or if it could erupt again.”

Lopezian Mycah Kraushaar, who works with the local school system, was happy to learn the volcano had been asleep for millions of years. “It’s cool that we have our own volcano,” she said, mentally suppressing visions of lava creeping through Hawaiian neighborhoods. “I especially like the part about it being really quiet.”

3. County elects new sheriff, prosecuting attorney and auditor

Three high-profile San Juan County positions changed leadership this past year: Eric Peter replaced Ron Krebs as County Sheriff; Amy Vira was elected to fill the Prosecuting Attorney’s position vacated by a retiring Randy Gaylord; and Natasha Warmenhoven took over from Milene Henely as Chief Auditor. All three are not new to their departments and bring with them years of experience both with San Juan County and their respective positions.

In a hotly contested race, incumbent Sheriff Ron Krebs lost out to Deputy Eric Peter. Peter, who came to the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office in 2017 as a deputy and was quickly promoted to sergeant in 2018, campaigned on a platform that highlighted “relationships matter” and a commitment to foster a culture to ensure safety, communicate effectively, instill trust and embrace transparency. Peter, who came to the San Juans from Texas, appreciates the small-town vibe and community awareness that has marked the area for decades. Shortly after assuming office, Peter appointed Mike Hairston as Deputy Chief and Dave Alexander as the new Chief Criminal Deputy. Both men live on Orcas Island, an issue of importance to Chief Peter.

When former San Juan County Prosecuting Attorney Randy Gaylord started thinking about retirement, he wondered if Vira ever thought about running for PA. Vira, who at the time was working in the county’s PA office as a land-use deputy attorney said the idea never occurred to her.

“The more I thought about it, however, the more excited I got,” she told Journal editor Heather Spaulding in a post-election interview in January 2023.

Vira moved to San Juan more than a decade ago from Wenatchee, where she practiced law with an emphasis on housing, land use, and municipal law. She also hoped to continue Gaylord’s good work and carry on his legacy. The county prosecutor’s office provides civil advice to the county council, department heads, and elected officials. The office also works on behalf of the state of Washington on adult and juvenile matters and provides victim services for victims of crime, and their families. On a local level, Vira felt that county housing is one of the area’s biggest challenges.

San Juan’s newest county auditor, Natasha Warmhoven started a career in accounting when she discovered her original life’s job wasn’t as a veterinarian. Early classes showed a strong proclivity toward numbers. After she and her husband, Chad, moved to San Juan in 2019, she applied for the Chief Auditor’s position because it was a “perfect match.” She was hired and mentored by former auditor Milne Henely and, when COVID hit, quickly learned all aspects of the job: customer service, recording documents, renewing car tabs, dog licenses, and marriage licenses. She learned quickly that the County Auditor’s office is a catchall, handling everything from the county’s financials to payroll; grant disbursements to the budget. The Auditor’s office also ensures fair and impartial elections and commented on the fact that San Juan County’s electorate is an engaged community, regularly producing some of the highest voter turnout in the state.

4. Homicide sentencing sparks public outcry from sheriff

Kale Martin Taylor, 19, of Friday Harbor, was sentenced to 34 months with eight months credit for time served for his role in the overdose of a San Juan teen in the summer of 2022. The ruling was far below the sentence recommended by the prosecutor’s office.

Taylor was charged with controlled substance homicide, which is a class b felony, in San Juan County Superior Court in January 2023. Taylor was 17 at the time of the alleged crime and turned 18 six weeks later. He was charged as an adult. Taylor originally pleaded not guilty. A jury trial was scheduled for Aug. 28 but Taylor changed his plea to guilty in July.

The standard sentencing range for controlled substance homicide is 51 to 68 months. In her recommendation to the court, Barnett asked Judge Olson to impose a sentence of 51 months, asserting it was “not excessive” for a crime that resulted in the loss of life. According to court documents, in an interview with law enforcement, the defendant acknowledged that he and his friend knew the potency of fentanyl and took measures to not overdose.

In the wake of the sentencing, San Juan County Sheriff Eric Peter released a letter to the community, stating: “My extreme frustration and disappointment with our Judicial system is greater than it’s ever been, especially here in Washington State.” The full letter can be viewed here: https://www.islandssounder.com/news/friday-harbor-man-sentenced-to-34-months-for-controlled-substance-homicide/

Barnett told the Sounder: “While the Court may not always follow our recommendations, we respect the decisions of the Court and the Court’s independent role in determining sentences.”

5. Hunting accident on Lopez

On Nov. 18, the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a hunting accident on Lopez Island. Deputies worked late into the night and all day today gathering information and facts with some assistance from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Police, Anacortes Police Department, & Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office. This is an active investigation that is still evolving and in the interest of maintaining the integrity of the investigation, no other details have been released.