Trails improved
Celebrate the opening of the new Blakely Hill Trails on National Trails Day June 5 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Bainbridge Island Metropolitan Parks and Recreation and the BI Parks Foundation have made some improvements.
The event will feature maps and giveaways.
The 1.5-mile trails were donated to the foundation in summer 2020 by islanders Ty Cramer and Steve Romein on 55 acres east of the historic Port Blakely Cemetery. Grades are generally uphill from south to north, with the hike up from Blakely Harbor Park the most vigorous.
Art Walk returns
First Friday Art Walk returns to Bainbridge Island June 4.
Galleries, museums, shops and restaurants await patrons’ physical appearance after taking last summer off due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Social distancing and masking are required.
For more go to bainbridge downtown.org
Ferry Race
The Great Ferry Race will take place June 13, starting in Bainbridge Island at 8:25 a.m.
If you walk on the ferry, the race starts at 8:37 a.m. All of the half-marathon runners take off about 30 at a time, every two minutes. The course is two-third road, one-third trails. It goes through Grand Forest and Battle Point parks. A festival takes place after the run.
Cost in June is $95 a person. Online registration at orcarunning.com/great-ferry-race/ closes the night before at 8.
The race supports West Sound Wildlife Shelter, which helps injured, orphaned and sick wildlife.
Strollers and dogs are not welcome, but walkers are.
No fireworks
The city of Bainbridge Island in a news release reminds residents and visitors alike that consumer fireworks are not allowed.
The City Council in 2019 approved a ban on the sale, possession and use of consumer fireworks, such as Roman candles, mine and shell devices, aerial shell kits and cone fountains. The decision was made following concerns related to wildfire risk, noise, safety and environmental impacts.
Violations may be subject to fines and seizure of fireworks. Subsequent violations are a misdemeanor offense.
The ban does not include display fireworks or special effects, both which requires a permit, or trick and novelty devices such as toy caps, toy smoke devices, party poppers, snappers, snakes and glow worms.
Questions? Call the BI police department at 206-842-5211.
New scholarship
Clark Construction, headquartered on Bainbridge Island, is launching an annual scholarship fund to provide two Bainbridge High School graduates $1,000 each toward their pursuit of work in the craft industry.
The award is not designed for students heading for a degree to become an architect, but for those heading toward a trade school to become carpenters. Preference will be given toward female, minority or underprivileged students
The first awards will be given next month at the BHS end-of-year awards night. Clark worked with Preston Michaels at BHS to design the scholarship.
Fatal incident
A Bainbridge Island man died following a crash last week in the Meadowmeer neighborhood.
The Bainbridge Island Police Department responded to a report of a single-car accident in the 8700 block of NE Koura Road at 2:17 p.m. May 27.
The driver, who was the only occupant, was transported by medical personnel and was later pronounced dead.
According to witnesses, the incident began in the parking lot of the Bainbridge Athletic Club on Meadowmeer Circle. The driver reportedly struck several parked vehicles before accelerating to the end of the parking lot. The vehicle continued through a fence and over the embankment before coming to rest on Koura Road.
The initial investigation indicates that the driver may have suffered a medical emergency prior to the crash. No one else was injured.
The driver was identified as 73-year-old Bill Glasser of Bainbridge Islan
Park board
The Bainbridge Island Metropolitan Park & Recreation District is seeking candidates to fill a vacancy on its Board of Commissioners.
The new commissioner will be appointed by the board and may serve through Dec. 31, a term of approximately six months.
This is a volunteer position and must be filled by an island resident. If interested, applicants are asked to submit a relevant resume and a letter of interest by June 15.
For details go to biparks.org or call 206-842-2306.
Local scholars
Some local students recently received their Bachelor of Arts degrees from Whitman College in Walla Walla.
From Bainbridge Island: Jarrett Arakaki, Economics, magna cum laude; Carmen Tappero, Geology, summa cum laude
Two local students attending Colorado College were honored recently. Charlie Robinson of Bainbridge Island was awarded the Patricia J. Buster Research Scholarship. Will Patrick of Bainbridge Island was awarded the James Yaffe Prize for Fiction, second place.
Carr walk
City Councilmember Christy Carr will host the June installment of “Walk the Ward” June 5 at 10 a.m.
Join Carr for “active office hours” walking along quiet roads and trails while discussing city business.
For meeting location and walk details, contact Carr at ccarr@bainbridge wa.gov or check Instagram @councilmembercarr.
Roadside weeds
The Kitsap County noxious weed control program will be conducting its roadside treatments next week.
Signs indicating where treatments will take place will be posted on roadsides Tuesday and Wednesday for treatments on Thursday and Friday (giving a 48 hour notice of where herbicides will be used).
If there are sites that have missed, email dcog gon@co.kitsap.wa.us so they can add them to the treatment plan. The herbicides that will be used are Capstone or Vastlan, depending on the target weed species and the location of the infestation.
Jobless decrease
During the week of May 16-222, there were 11,666 initial regular unemployment claims (down 40.5% from the prior week) and 416,462 total claims for all unemployment benefit categories (down 11.2% from the prior week) filed by Washingtonians, according to the Employment Security Department.
Initial regular claims applications are now 76% below weekly new claims applications during the same period last year during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The four-week moving average for initial claims remain elevated at 14,599 (as compared to pre-pandemic 6,071 initial claims) and remains at similar levels of initial claims filed during the Great Recession.
Initial claims applications for regular benefits, Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance as well as continued claims for regular benefits all decreased over the week.
Decreases in layoffs in Health Care and Social Assistance, Retail Trade and Construction contributed to the decrease in regular initial claims last week.
The week ending May 22, ESD paid out over $233 million for 292,823 individual claims. Since the crisis began in March 2020, ESD has paid more than $18.4 billion in benefits to over a million Washingtonians.
