“Quick: How do you save a great blue heron stranded and dying in a jumbled tangle of metal wire?That question confronted Bainbridge resident Nan Lofas two weeks ago, when her dogs discovered one of the giant birds trapped and thrashing in the frigid waters of her neighbor’s lake.He looked terrified, Lofas said. The more he tried to flap and free himself, the more he ended getting tangled up.I didn’t really know what to do at first, she said. You feel helpless because as much as you want to rush in yourself and rescue it, you realize that it’s a wild animal and you could do more damage than good.Lofas called local veterinarian Elizabeth Greenleaf, who extricated the heron with a blanket and heavy gloves. She transported the bird – chilled and exhausted – to the Island Wildlife Shelter on Dolphin Drive.That’s when rehabilitation Director Emily Meredith stepped in, nursing the weak heron to recovery.He came in, and we tubed him with warmed fluids and he was fine, Meredith said. He flew away that afternoon, beautifully.”
“Herb DeBoer plans to hold a party soon, but he certainly wouldn’t call it a celebration.The Point White resident intends to invite neighbors, journalists, and city officials to his beachfront property, to observe the beginning stages of erosion along his shoreline. The damage, he says, is sure to occur, since the Washington Supreme Court ruled last week to allow the high-speed Chinook ferry to again fly through Rich Passage at its full velocity of 39 miles per hour.”
“Blue-collar hard work, rather than dazzling footwork, will be the key to this year’s Bainbridge soccer team.We really work hard on conditioning, third-year coach Alex von Reis Croooks said. We tend to wear people down. We stay close, then tear them apart in the last 10 minutes. Our fitness helps us do that.We don’t have the outstanding individuals, von Reis Crooks said. We’re more a team of equals. Quickness and skill level will be our strength. On the front line, the Spartans start senior Jeremy Lehv in the middle, sophomore Mitka von Reis Crooks on the left side and junior Alex Ruder on the right. Offensive midfielders are senior Mark Kanev and sophomore Cam Lawer. The defensive midfielders are senior Stefen Paige and junior Matt Dick, while the starting backline consists of seniors J.D. Fisher and Anders von Reis Crooks, plus sophomore Adam Brennamen.Starting in goal is senior Kyle Twitchell, whose development will be one of the keys to the season. He is a good player, von Reis Crooks said, but has not played as much soccer in the past as some of the other net-minders around the Olympic League.”
“They’re talking about the law, but you’re not invited.At 5 p.m. this evening, the Bainbridge Island City Council and Bainbridge Planning Commission will meet in a joint executive session, or closed-door discussion, in the Bainbridge Commons.”
“A new season and a new beginning for the Bainbridge fastpitch softball team?Consider the following:* For the first time in memory, so many girls turned out that cuts were necessary, and both the varsity and JV squads have full complements of players;* First-year coach Bill Clement has eight solid years of fastpitch coaching experience, including two years leading the North Kitsap team;* The Spartans have experience and depth at pitching, especially in the person of newcomer Brooke Hilton, a junior immigrant from Utah, and* The team opened the season with not just a win but a domination – a 14-0 victory over Nathan Hale, called after five innings when the 10-run rule kicked in.”
“Flying Juniors, Lido 14s, 420s, Lasers, and C-Larks are the equipment – can you name the sport?Bainbridge Island Sailing Club members have to be able to handle all varieties of sailboats as they compete in regattas throughout the state, with the difference in the craft from race to race perhaps the team’s biggest challenge. Last year we won districts sailing Lido 14s in Port Hadlock. Then the team sailed 420s in national competition, said Coach John DeMeyer. Our boats on Bainbridge are Lasers, and they are small and fast, echoed co-captain Chris Utley. The other boats are bigger and harder to sail – we have to move farther, and it’s more awkward for us because we’re not used to them.Formed by DeMeyer at the urging of local kids, the club – co-sponsored by Bainbridge Island Park and Recreation District – is in its fourth year at BHS.”
“Rising gas prices can be daunting at the local Arco, especially if you happen to be the employee charged with updating the station’s outdoor sign.We want to wear our bullet-proof jacket when we go out there, said Arco manager Michelle Reynolds, who has seen prices at the pump rise over 60 percent since the station on High School Road opened a little more than a year ago.”
“If you watch a game, it’s fun. If you play it, it’s recreation. If you work at it, it’s golf. – Bob HopeOn a balmy day, with the sun shining on the pristine clipped green of the course, it’s hard to think of golf as hard work. But the Spartan golf team is a serious crew, out to better last season’s almost unblemished record. And in a game where individual effort tallies for the team’s composite score, there is always something you can improve on, says BHS senior Ian Faddis. You can always play better.The girls’ varsity team went undefeated in league play last year, while the boys placed second in league with an 8-1 record, losing only to Bremerton in the last match of the season. The team boasted a 13-2 overall record. Now, with the spotlight on senior Nicole Hebner and junior Joe Lanza, the Spartans hope to contend for the league championship this year, says BHS Athletic Director Neal White.”
“What a great idea.Take some damaged street signs about to be discarded by the city. Add a couple of creative high school students. And, voila, a fence that resembled bars of a jail cell is transformed into a climbing wall for lizards and jungle plants.”
“It is, as they say, all about the Benjamins.The moolah. The greenbacks. The money.That Census 2000 form that appeared in your mailbox this week means big bucks for Bainbridge Island, and economic determinists that we are, we ask you to take a few minutes to fill it out and send it in.”
“Peeling out up a hill on Koura Road, we fishtail slightly into the other lane, then straighten out and blast ahead with a vicious roar as the Model A hot rod hits second.So I bet this thing goes a bit faster than it did in 1929? had been the question, and that answer was delivered in a shock of frigid wind as Aaron Strom demonstrated that his blue convertible showcar wasn’t just a looker.”
“You count, and they want to count you – and your kids.That was the message for ferry commuters Wednesday, as the Census 2000 Road Tour rolled into the Winslow terminal.The Bainbridge commuters are very delightful people, considering the hour of the morning, said Melannie Cunningham of Tacoma, local publicist for the $8.2 billion federal nose-tally.”
“City code enforcement complaints are down from a year ago. But is enforcement improving?Not if you ask code enforcement officer Will Peddy, who says the city council is preventing him from doing his job effectively.I keep getting interrupted by council people in our code enforcement actions, especially the critical ones, Peddy said in an interview with the Review last week.Peddy said he can’t levy fines for code infractions, because council members have convinced the Bainbridge Island city administration to exempt some development projects from punitive action.”