Island Living: Mature women make crafty stuff ... A7
Snooze-Times WHIDBEY
Vol. 127, No. 27
Sports
New cheer coach is a hoot ... A6
Saturday, April 1, 2017 • WWW.WHIDBEYNEWSTIMES.COM • 75¢
Top Gun 2 to be filmed at NAS Whidbey By RON NEWBERRY
rnewberry@whidbeynewsgroup.com
Paramount Pictures announced this week that it will shoot most of “Top Gun 2” this summer at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island. The movie, a sequel to the 1986 blockbuster “Top Gun,” will again star actors Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer, not in roles as pilots “Maverick” and “Iceman,” but instead as rival flight instructors at VAQ-129. Although NAS Whidbey isn’t home to fighter jets such as the F-14 Tomcats
used in the original movie, the island’s scenic beauty won over the heart of the film’s director. He said that such details in fiction don’t always have to add up to reality. “Do you see a naval officer candidate school in Port Townsend?” the director asked, referring to the shooting location of the 1982 film, “An Officer and a Gentleman.” The announcement that Oak Harbor and Anacortes will be featured prominently during three weeks of
Tom Cruise shooting this summer was warmly received by chamber of commerce directors in both cities.
Council OKs Costco store in Coupeville By MEGAN HANSEN
mhansen@whidbeynewsgroup.com
Whidbey residents soon won’t have to travel off the island to stock up on a year’s supply of toilet paper or buy two-gallon buckets of mayo. Coupeville Town Council Tuesday night approved a conditional-use permit allowing Costco to build a new store off State Highway 20, just south of the Main Street intersection. The 145,000-square-foot
jstensland@whidbeynewsgroup.com
A standoff with a naked man who perched on a rooftop and called himself “Blueberry Jones” ended after three days when Oak Harbor police finally gave up and went home Tuesday morning. The incident began Saturday afternoon when a Swantown Avenue resident reported to police that she came home to find a stranger scrubbing her toilet and
pany got permission for one of Maverick’s understudies, a Growler pilot played by actor Taylor Lautner, to do multiple flybys at Ault Field, each time rattling an air traffic controller. Wanting to give the film an authentic Whidbey flavor, the base’s public affairs officer Mike Welding has been cast to play the role of the unnerved, coffee drinker in the tower. Tom Skerritt, who lives in Seattle, will make a cameo appearance in the film. April Fools!
It tolls for thee
warehouse, which will also include a separate gas station, will be accessible from the highway as well as Terry Road. Addressing the council, some Coupeville residents voiced concern that access from the highway would cut through the Kettles Trail and cause traffic backups on the highway. The town planner responded by saying Costco will pay for a trail bridge over the entrance, SEE STORE, A20
Standoff with naked rooftop guy ends By JESSIE STENSLAND
Mike Welding “Top Gun” was shot mostly around San Diego and Fallon, Nev. But the film’s director and producer
wanted a new, more tranquil setting for the sequel, focusing on the twilight years of the former hot-shot pilots as they adjust to middleage life. The once embattled pair join the same bowling team, which starts the competitive fire all over again. The Oak Bowl will be the site for those scenes, the director confirmed. Frank’s Place will serve as the location where Maverick finds his new love interest, the director said. The film’s production com-
singing opera, according to the affidavit of probable cause. Officers arrived to find the man still inside the house, having stripped off his clothes, rubbed Crisco all over his body and consumed uncooked bacon. He was uncooperative, so the two responding officers deployed their Tasers, accidentally hitting a piano and the family dog, the police chief admitted. SEE NAKED, A20
The state Department of Transportation plans to place a toll booth on scenic Deception Pass Bridge.
DOT announces $5 fee to cross bridge By JESSIE STENSLAND
jstensland@whidbeynewsgroup.com
The state Department of Transportation announced plans this week to place toll booths on Deception Pass Bridge to help pay for a seismic retrofit of the aging structure. The bridge will also be painted its original shade of puce as part of the project, WSDOT announced. The amount of the toll hasn’t been set, but state officials say it will likely
be $5 in quarters. Oak Harbor community leaders expressed shock at the plans, which they say will put a big wet blanket on tourism and cause traffic backups to extend miles on both sides of the bridge. “Anyone without spare change will be trapped on the island,” the county’s public works director said. “And they should have discounts for Canadians and people in orange cars.”
Not everyone is upset. An entrepreneurial kindergartner plans to open a lemonade stand near the bridge for thirsty motorists caught in stalled traffic. And a self-described “grumpy old man” said he hopes the toll will keep ragamuffins and vagabonds off the island; he also wants the state to jack up the cost of ferry tickets to keep swashbucklers at bay. The need for the retrofit came SEE TOLL, A20