The Newsroom

Today’s front page. Top stories: 9-year-old dies in Christmas windstorm; new Langley mayor outlines priorities.

Today’s front page. Top stories: Homeowner battles burglar inside home; group starts project offering teens a safe ride home; kids’ letters to Santa.

Today’s front page. Top stories: Man accused of stabbing parents is fit to stand trial; federal judge sides with Island County in lawsuit filed by former sheriff’s deputy; students at South Whidbey Elementary School get taste of broadcasting with daily podcasts.

Today’s front page. Top stories: Man jumps from ferry Cathlamet; Langley search for new city attorney will take months; Senior Services of Island County looks ahead to changing population.

Today’s front page. Top stories: One dies in Central Whidbey plane crash; push underway to make needed improvements at Deer Lagoon Grange Hall; toxicology report indicates teen driver was impaired.

By Mark Morrison for USA WEEKEND

Could Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron ever have ended up as desperate and distressed as the character she plays in her new movie, “Young Adult”? “God no,” she says. “Not with my mom. No way.”

Here is what Theron’s mother, Gerta, taught her about what every child needs from their parents to become a healthy adult in the real world: Don’t be best friends with your kids. “The job of a parent is to do the ugly work sometimes and say, `No, that’s not how life works.’ Kids need to learn boundaries.”

Teach kids to be respectful. “They need to understand manners and how the world around them works.”

A sense of self is the greatest thing a parent can give a child. “Everything my mother taught me came from a place of, ‘Understand who you are.’ She always encouraged me to find my own way in the world. That sense of self is what is missing in a lot of young girls today. It’s heartbreaking. Because that’s what a child wants, whether they know it or not.”

Find the full story with Charlize Theron inside USA WEEKEND Magazine in today’s edition of the South Whidbey Record.

Today’s front page. Top stories: Langley steps back from automatic contract extension for beleaguered city attorney; council-approved cut in mayor’s pay won’t take effect until 2016.

Today’s front page. Top stories: School board to reconsider LMS closing; Langley looks at contract extension for embattled city attorney.

Today’s front page. Top stories: Teachers and school district officials protest upcoming budget cuts; teen driver enters not-guilty plea in deadly car crash.

Island County commissioners will have a roundtable meeting with county department heads at 11 a.m. The regular board meeting will start at 2 p.m.

During the board meeting, commissioners will consider a consultant contract for $542,631 with OTAK, Inc. for work on a new  county road that will stretch from Race Road to Houston Road.

The board will also vote on a contract with Consolidated Food Management to provide food services for the Island County Juvenile Detention. The 12-month contract is for $37,259.

Commissioners will also make appointments to the Noxious Weed Control Board and the Marine Resources Committee, and vote on a resolution proclaiming Dec. 7 as “Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.”

The board meets in the commissioners’ hearing room in the County Annex Building, 1 NE Sixth St., Coupeville.

The Island County Canvassing Board meets today at 4 p.m. and Tuesday at 9 a.m. to go over the final ballots that may need counting for the 2011 General Election.

The results of the November election will be certified as official on Tuesday, Nov. 29. The last tally of uncounted ballots is scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday.

The board of commissioners of the Port of South Whidbey will hold a brief special meeting at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 29.

Port officials are expected to take final action on the 2012 budget and also consider the bid results for the electrical maintenance project for the Langley Marina.

The board will meet in the port office conference room, located at 1804 Scott Road in Freeland.

Officials from Washington State Ferries will visit Whidbey Island on Tuesday as part of a series of community meetings this month and next.

Topics include an update on new vessels, upcoming terminal construction projects, and the governor’s Connecting Washington Task Force.

The meeting for Whidbey ferry riders is 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 29 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Freeland.

A later meeting to talk about the Coupeville (Keystone)-Port Townsend route will be held as a joint meeting with the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce from noon to 1 p.m. Monday, Dec. 5 at the Elks Lodge, 555 Otto St., Port Townsend.

The South Whidbey School Board will welcome its two newest members at the board meeting this week.

The school board will have a business meeting and executive session on Wednesday, Nov. 30 in the board room at the Primary Campus. The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m.

New board members Linda Racicot and Damian Greene will take their oath of office, along with returning Board Member Steve Scoles.

Following the installation of new members, the board will pick its new chairman or chairwoman, as well fill out other representative positions.

Dan Poolman, the school district’s business director, will give an update on enrollment and report on the district’s financial situation.

The college information night for high school students that was rescheduled earlier this month is back on schedule for Wednesday.

“Focus on Your Future” is 6:30 p.m. Nov. 30 in Room 107 at South Whidbey High School.

College-bound ninth- and 10th-grade students and their parents can hear from SWHS counselors about what students can be doing now to prepare for and enhance their chances when applying to colleges.

Other options will also be discussed, including community college, technical and career schools, and military service.

The SBA Small Business Development Center will present a free workshop on planning and financing a business on Thursday in Oak Harbor.

The workshop is from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Dec. 1 at WorkSource Whidbey, 31975 Highway 20.

Organizers note that businesses that fail often lack the planning skills that bring success. Crafting a business plan is the cornerstone of any new or existing business, and a good plan guides, directs and ensures that a business goes in the desired direction.

The workshop will also go over a variety of financing options and will provide a reality check for those considering a new or expanded business venture.

To register, call 360-675-5966.