BIR archives: 2011 to now

2011

Fatal police shooting of Douglas Ostling; Bainbridge Ratepayers lawsuit; Winslow Way reconstruction hurting downtown businesses; road repair emergencies due to lack of maintenance; 45% water rate reduction; 30-year lease with Friends of the Farms; and 4 new councilmembers, including Sarah Blossom.

2012

Plastic bags banned; longtime Councilmember Bill Knobloch resigns; Review publisher Chris Hoch resigns after 23 years; school board director John G. Tawresey arrested for DUI and hit and run; city manager Brenda Bauer fired, Morgan Smith takes over; Ostling family awarded $1 million; BHS soccer, lacrosse win state titles (see photo); Akio Suyematsu dies; police chief Jon Fehlman resigns; BHS principal Brent Peterson retires.

2013

BI’s Jay Inslee sworn in as governor; Community Center opens; Outraged property owners march on City Hall (see photo); Man arrested for spree of up-skirt photos; Islanders pack City Hall for hearing on new shoreline rules; Islanders protest shopping center at Highway 305 and High School Road; BI Museum of Art opens; restaurant manager charged for hiding camera in restroom; BISD loses $300,000 after boy, 14, with special needs is bullied.

2014

Russell Johnson, the professor on Gilligan’s Island, dies at 89; Frank Kitamoto, an icon in the local Japanese American community, dies at 74; The city violated the Open Meetings Act, not releasing councilmembers personal emails; Chiara D’Angelo made a temporary home for herself 70 feet up a tree to protest a shopping center; Fumiko Nishinaka Hayashida, the oldest survivor of the locals interned during World War 2, died at age 103; Two activists were to be paid nearly $500,000 for dropping their public records lawsuit against the city.

2015

Michael Scott was named to the City Council, replacing David Ward, who resigned after the public records lawsuit; Voters approved a $5.9 million bond to purchase Sakai Park; A first-year science teacher at Bainbridge High was accused of having sex with one of her teenage students; After years of battling against recreational marijuana stores, Paper & Leaf opened on BI; the city took bids for a roundabout at Madison and Wyatt; the potential site for a police-court facility was said to be polluted with chemicals from a previous business; A 20-year, $15 million bond for a new police-court facility was soundly defeated; City manager Doug Schulze got a $15,000 raise to up his salary to $170k a year; BISD superintendent Faith Chapel retired; 4 proposals were made for affordable housing on the Suzuki property.

2016

Kol Medina and Ron Peltier became councilmembers; Voters passed an $81.2 million bond for schools; BHS boys swim was 2nd at state; Peter Bang-Knudsen was named school superintendent; since the police-court bond measure failed so miserably, the council was looking at non-voted bonds to pay for the new facility; The City Council mulled the idea of $15 ballot measure for bike lanes; BISD talked of $26.2 million for a new Blakely Elementary school; 18 students were suspended for six weeks for alcohol or drug use during school activities.

2017

It would cost $57.6 million for BI to take over Puget Sound Energy’s system to create a city-run electric utility. It later pulled the plug on the idea; the BISD stopped running honor rolls in the Review for the “well being” of the other students; Boys swim won its 1st state title; BISD thought of closing Commodore as up to $3.2 million needed to be cut but didn’t do to tremendous opposition; Construction began on new fire department; Construction began on first part of Sound to Olympics Trail; two ex-BHS students were charged with sexually assaulting younger female classmates at a party at Pritchard Park.

12 cases in all with 13 victims were reported that year; a BHS student was charged in the death of a Sequim woman, 71; former Review publisher Verda Averill died at 88; Police shot and killed a Seattle man who was shooting at the shoreline from a boat in Eagle Harbor

2018

BI approves 6-month ban on development; Fire department’s new headquarters on time, on budget, about to open (see photo); Frank Buxton, entertainment icon and BI stage star, dies at 87; New council kills controversial Highway 305 bridge project; BHS swim team repeats as state champs; BI Cub Scouts welcome first-ever girls to pack; Police say man shot taunted officers with knife; BI hit with lawsuit over critical areas laws; Community kicks off construction of new Blakely school; School board nixes idea for arming teachers; BI looking at Harrison medical building for new police station; 2 young girls assaulted by campus intruder; Eagle Harbor shooter talked of suicide, killing others; Eminent domain discussed on land for new police station; BHS girls win 10th state title in lacrosse; Henry Brown wins state title playing sax for 4th time; Jogger dies after being struck by car; Prosecutor: Shooting of gunman on sailboat justified; WSDOT plans 3 roundabouts on Highway 305; Deaf 10-year-old cyclist survives hit-and-run; City manager’s farewell comments lead to firestorm; City faces lawsuit from injured cyclist; BI man charged with murder of former boss; BI OKs Smith for city manager’s job; 3rd complaint filed against Councilmember Peltier; Teen arrested for vehicle assault; BI votes down $15 million for nonmotorized improvements; 1-way streets eyed for downtown; Parks Commissioner Michael Pollock missed more meetings than he attended; Battle Point Park renovation may include ferry play structure.

2019

Ethics board rules against Peltier; Councilmember Nassar developed property without permits; Police chief Matthew Hamner to leave; BI agrees to pay $8.9 million for Harrison medical building; BHS boys swim wins state 3rd straight year; Development moratorium extended 6 months; Man shot by police found not guilty of 1st-degree assault; Ethics board to Peltier: Stop harassing behavior; Fatal Winslow fire caused by candle; Ex-BI mayor Hytopoulos to run for council; Peltier won’t seek reelection; Bainbridge ferry hits whale; Driver in fatal Father’s Day crash won’t face charges; BI man gets 31 years for murder; Police remove homeless camp near Highway 305; Lawsuit filed over Councilwoman Nassar’s cellphone texts; BI man recalls working on Apollo moon landing project; Visconsi plans 2 new apartment buildings; BI sued by Lisa Schulze, wife of ex-city manager Doug; Councilwoman Nassar sought to have citizens banned from City Hall; PSE announces plan to reduce power outages on BI; Nassar, husband claim harassment; Police chief Horn resigns; Appeal filed against city’s review of Winslow Hotel; 9-year prison term for man who assaulted BHS teens.

2020

Leslie Schneider was named mayor; KT was to expand the Bike Barn at the ferry terminal; 4 of the 5 members of the Ethics Board resigned after council changes “stifle citizen complaints”; Rick Chandler, longtime Historical Museum curator, resigned; BHS decided to stay in the Metro League; Councilmember Matthew Tirman resigned; Police investigated as three animals thought to be goats were mummified; the Kitsap Public Health District prepared for a possible outbreak of COVID; 2 test positive for COVID on BI; Joe Clark is named police chief; Community begins to get frustrated by COVID restrictions; K-9 officer Kurt Enget was the 1st BI person to die from COVID; After the hearing examiner OK’d the Winslow Hotel, residents sued the city; BHS had a different graduation due to COVID, in cap and gown they drove to the school to get their diplomas; BISD offered learning by remote or hybrid options; Businessses struggled to stay open after a summer without tourists; Girls from BHS rallied against sexual assault at the school; Kazuko Sakai Nakao died at the age of 100; Construction of the dock at the Japanese American Exclusion Memorial began; Richard Ragan of BI and the World Food Programme won the Nobel Peace Prize; Councilmember Kol Medina resigned; COVID testing sites were available around town; Bainbridge Performing Arts proposed a remodeled building; After 3 years BI passed its Climate Action Plan; Brenda Fantroy-Johnson was appointed to the council replacing Medina; Ashley Mathews was appointed to the Planning Commission.

2021

BI’s ethics board found no violations against Councilmember Kol Medina, who took a job in Walla Walla; Rasham Nassar became mayor; the WIAA planned to start the usual fall sports in February due to COVID; BISD returned to in-person learning; A Review investigation showed former city manager Morgan Smith as BI’s highest-paid public servant at $188,600 a year; Blair King was hired as city manager; BHS rejoined the Olympic League; BI businesses were excited about Gov. Jay Inslee’s reopening plan; 3 BHS volleyball players died in a car crash; the city banned hotels downtown temporarily; the BI council denied the Winslow hotel; BI Parks bought the Bainbridge Athletic Center for $13 million; BI moves to ban straws and other plastic items; Work begins on Eagle Harbor bike path; BHS graduation was again in-person but with restrictions; Heat wave kills 4 in Kitsap; No masks outdoors but urged indoors; COVID deaths were as high as ever in Kitsap; A shortage of crew led to numerous ferry cancellations (see photo); City talks of affordable housing at Bethany church; Sakai trail work completed; Review now being mailed; PSE picks link from Murden Cove to Winslow.

2022

BI fire chief ready to retire; Mountain bike trails color coded to show difficulty; Personal data leaked from St. Michael Medical Center during ransomeware attack; BISD focuses on student mental health and kindness; BHS football coach resigns over “petty’ infractions; BI businesses need housing for workers; BI wants affordable housing at old police station site; Subpoena: Donation, ex-mayor, Harrison linked; BI OKs Bethany housing; Review wins 15 WNPA awards; City manager King: BI is saving too much money; BISD finally approves improvements at baseball field; Olivia Hall finally gets to serve on Race Equity Advisory Committee; BI gets first electric vehicle; BHS athletic director resigns; Lawsuit filed over BHS basketball coach; J.R. Ritchie signs with Braves for $2.4 million after being picked 35th; Greg Nance runs across America for mental health awareness; Pickleball becomes state’s official sport; Work on Highway 350 roundabouts set to begin; Locals help with supplies to war-torn Ukraine; BI ferry to get $33 million facelift; BI picks Harrison for police-court facility; Wintergreen OK’d with conditions.

2023

BI city attorney resigns after 6 years; BI ferry to be converted to hybrid-electric; King Tides add to sea level rise concerns; Many local high schoolers taking longer to graduate; Bainbridge rowing coach wins national award; Deets helps count homeless people where they live; BI cuts speed limits, works on housing plan; BI schools staff already interested in Wintergreen; Bainbridge breaks Vikings swim streak; Planning Commission: Add steering committee to Winslow process; KT plans to restore Sunday service; 2 resign early from BISD board; Despite economy, some leaders getting tall raises; Ex-police chief new BHS football coach; Gateway to Winslow project withdrawn; BI parks to fix rather than replace pool; BI ‘blindsided’ by police-court overruns; BISD settles suit over suicide for $1.325 million; Boy in cop car brings concerns from parents of special needs students; BI could mandate recycling in future; Big water, sewer rate increases likely for BI; BI looks to hike impact fees to deal with growth; Petition: Sakai not being developed as promised; Over 600 rescued from ferry aground on BI; BHS boys basketball coach resigns; BI picks steering committee for major planning; Public records take time, money for BI staff; Recall effort against 4 parks commissioners; Ferry returns; fuel contamination led to grounding; Father, son’s legacy continues through Biddle Foundation; Records requests cost taxpayers millions some years; Filer recalls recall as Sakai Park talks advance; Bainbridge police-court facility named after late judge; Rolfes named commissioner, will resign from state Senate; New EV car share program starting up in BI; BI hires 1st equity manager; Walk-ons only on BI-Seattle ferry Sept. 7-13; Report: Student, 9, placed in police car violated BISD policies; At last, Highway 305 roundabout complete; NK wins, BI 2nd in 1st Kitsap Athletic Cup; Tribal leader who led cleanup of bay dies at 50; KPHD: Healthcare costs, access a ‘crisis’ in Kitsap; Lawsuit over BI police-court facility dismissed in court; Work on BI Superfund site set to begin; Donations sought to bring giant troll to BI; BI opens arms to distraught Maui pickleball players after devastating fires; BI drops fees to encourage affordable housing; Ferry rates to rise despite problems with Kitsap commutes; No Ferrymagedden as BI ferry work done early; Villages over high rises favored at Comp Plan event; Over 700 attend grand opening of BPA center’s remodel; Your Kitsap newspapers win 36 awards in statewide competition; Opening of new justice center on BI; Sex ed: Petition seeks more parental involvement; Bainbridge water polo wins state championship; 5 Kitsap News Group newspapers get new general manager; Help sought to close, consolidate schools to save money; Help the Review celebrate its 100th anniversary; BI limits online comments due to ‘hate speech’