Get to know your kids

In the continuing effort to foster communication within families, the Just Know-Bainbridge Coalition for Youth and Parents will present its second island-wide forum on Nov. 19.

Titled “Step Into the Conversation: Opening a Dialogue for Youth and Parents,” the forum will feature keynote speaker Dr. Michael Bradley, a Pennsylvania therapist and author of “Yes, Your Teen Is Crazy: Loving Your Kid Without Losing Your Mind” and “Yes, Your Parents Are Crazy” (www.docmikebradley.com).

The forum will take place from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 19, at the Bainbridge High School Gym. There is no charge for admission.

The coalition began 2½ years ago in response to a request from the community to address the topics of drugs and alcohol, but it has expanded from that, said attorney Bruce Weiland, a member of the coalition and of the Bainbridge school board.

Presently, 15 organizations representing youths in various aspects on Bainbridge Island are involved.

The coalition’s first community-wide forum in 2003, “Facts About Drugs, Alcohol and Adolescence,” drew about 300 people, Weiland said.

He is hoping for 500 attendees at this year’s event, which will discuss how parents and teens communicate – or don’t.

“Our focus is on parents,” Weiland said. “The perspective is to have the parents change how they respond to their teens and teach them and let them have the leverage. Maybe they’re hitting the message too hard.”

Following Bradley’s address at 8:30 a.m., participants will attend two of the following breakout sessions:

• “Parenting Well in a Media Age” with Gloria De Gaetano; www.parentcoachinginstitute.com/pwma/author.htm

• “The Role of Parents in Athletics and the Life Lessons Learned” with Bruce Brown; www.proactivecoaching.info

• “What’s Really Happening on Bainbridge – A Conversation With Parents and Professionals” with Bainbridge Police Chief Matt Haney, Dr. Scott Lindquist of the Kitsap Health Department, Dr. Jillian Worth of Virginia Mason Winslow, Bainbridge High School Principal Brent Peterson and a panel of youths and parents.

• “A Walk With the Dragon: Nurturing Change in Times of Risk and Transition,” a panel discussion with Suzanne Ivey, Ph.D., Michael Dorsey, L.M.H.C., C.A.C., members of the Harm Reduction Task Force of the Bainbridge Coalition and parents.

• “Teen Mental Health: Identifying and Helping Those At-Risk,” presented by Leigh Manheim, family and teen advocate, Kelly Chatwood of the Kitsap County Health Department, Janet Sire-Anderson of Kitsap Mental Health and Clayton Mork, Ed.D., of Bainbridge Schools.

A question-and-answer luncheon with Michael Bradley and other presenters will follow.

To pre-register for the free forum and for more information, visit www.JustKnow.org. Lunches are available for purchase, but must be ordered by Nov. 14. Registration will be taken the day of the event.

To become a sponsor or help with the event, send an email to forum@justknow.org or call 780-4518 and a representative will respond.

The forum is sponsored by the Bainbridge Coalition for Youth and Parents, CFA Mortgage, Kitsap Bank, the Bainbridge Island School District, the Bainbridge Review and several other island organizations.

— Rhona Schwartz

Law boosts bike safety

If flashing red lights and yellow rain coats weren’t enough, now there’s a new state law drawing drivers’ attention to bicycle safety.

“This is great,” said Squeaky Wheels bike advocacy group president Dana Berg. “It’s one more way to make vehicle drivers more aware of the safety implications around bikes and the danger of their cars.”

The recently passed law makes it illegal to pass another vehicle when a bicyclist or pedestrian is approaching from the oncoming lane.

It also requires, for the first time, that motorists pass walkers and bikers from a “safe distance.”

The law was initiated after a deadly crash in Walla Walla last year.

Eight bicyclists were riding in a single file on Highway 124 when a car passing a cattle truck struck and killed one of the cyclists, 50-year old teacher Ann Weatherill.

“This new law is just plain good sense,” said Bainbridge Police traffic officer Rob Corn. “It gives us more power to issue citations and make arrests. No law covered this before. But now it’s in the books.”

Berg believes the law would have meant stiffer penalties to the motorist who hit island cyclist Chris Stanley from behind last year on Highway 305.

Stanley, an art teacher, was critically injured and the driver was cited for driving inattentively and on the shoulder. This new law could add infractions for driving “at an unsafe distance” to the list, she said.

Corn said similar incidents are common on Bainbridge Island. He said a bicyclist was recently struck and injured by a passing motorist on Ferncliff Avenue.

“This law fits that to a tee,” he said. “The bicyclist wasn’t given clearance and was clipped at the handlebar. We could cite (the motorist) for being inattentive. But this adds an enhancement and makes things more specific.”

Still, Corn looks forward to a possible amendment to the new rule.

“Passing at a ‘safe distance’ is in the eye of the beholder,” he said. “I’d love to see (the law) set a specific number of feet that is appropriate.”

– Tristan Baurick

Oil, war, terror in new film

“The Oil Factor: Behind the War on Terror” – a documentary that looks at the human cost and questions the motives of President Bush’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan – will be shown at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 13 at the Lynwood Theatre.

Cast members from the Bainbridge High School production of “West Side Story” will sing “There’s a Place for Us” before the screening.

Independent filmmaker Gerard Ungerman – who heads Free-Will Productions with his wife, Audrey Brohy – spent 18 months investigating the subject and three months on location in Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Ed Asner is the film’s narrator.

Ungerman will host a question-and-answer session following the screening. Admission is $8 for adults and $6 for seniors.

Co-sponsoring the event with the Lynwood Theatre are the Bainbridge Island High School Conscious World Student Club, the Magic Shop (Bainbridge owners Sheila Lyon and Darryl Beckman) and the Digging Deeper Media Collective (Kären Ahern, director).

For more information visit www.theoilfactor.com or www.lynwoodtheatre.com or email tj1screen@earthlink.net. Call 842-3080 for a recorded message.

Highway plans on the docket

The public is invited to attend an open house to discuss widening the northbound shoulder of Highway 305 between Winslow Way and High School Road. A proposed design will be unveiled.

The presentation is at 6 p.m. Nov. 15 at City Hall, and staff will be available to discuss the project, answer questions, and accept comments.

Plans call for widening the northbound lane shoulder from Winslow Way to High School Road to 6 feet. The widened shoulder will provide room for bicyclists and disabled vehicle refuge along the highway.

The shoulder will connect to a new 10-foot wide non-motorized path adjacent to Highway 305 constructed by a private developer as part of the Vineyard Lane condominiums project.

A federal grant administered by the Washington State Department of Transportation will fund engineering design and construction. The design will be finalized early next year with improvements planned for summer 2006.