“Of all the seductive illusions of golf, perhaps none is more deeply ingrained than the notion that the latest equipment can overcome all the manifest flaws of one’s swing.But Patrick Broom and his island-based Optic Golf are attacking one aspect of the game where physical limitations really aren’t confining – the putting game. We’ve designed a putter that’s easy to line up visually, Broom said. And it’s easier to make a pendulum stroke through the ball.The first thing you notice about the Optic Z putter line is the Z shape of the neck head. The neck thrusts forward from the club’s shaft, then back at a 90-degree angle to join the putter head.The weight on the leading edge (the part that thrusts forward) raises the center of gravity of the putter, Broom said. That makes it easier to create top spin, which holds the ball on line longer.The club is also balanced in such a way that it’s less inclined to rotate during the putting stroke, Broom said. “
“Show up at the roadside in front of Blakely Elementary School with a note pad and a camera, and boy, does one draw a crowd. We hadn’t been there five minutes Monday afternoon, before we met half a dozen parents eager to talk about what they perceive as unsafe conditions for youngsters traversing the school zone.While opinions on addressing the issue varied, all were in agreement that the biggest threat to the safety of students around the school grounds is speed, speed, speed. “
“Eliminating government waste will save so much money that services can be increased even as taxes are cut, Republicans told a Bainbridge Island audience this week.That’s wishful thinking, countered Democrats – if taxpayers want government services, they will have to pay for them in the form of taxes.If there’s waste, let’s look at it, said Sen. Betti Sheldon, D-Bremerton. But we need to be careful about throwing out whole programs. When you really look, you find that there’s a person behind every program.The partisan battle lines were drawn at Wednesday’s candidate forum sponsored by the Kitsap County League of Women Voters, which drew a capacity audience to the Bainbridge Commons. “
“You’ve got the materials, the tools and the skills, and your neighbors need your help.What a great opportunity to help build up a community, as the construction phase of the Marge Williams Center project gets under way.The big news is that things are finally going to start happening, construction manager Norm Down told us this week, over coffee at the Blackbird Bakery. Norm and two of our other favorite people – Wendy Johnson and Ed Kushner – were also on hand, to give us an update on the project and put out the call for volunteers. “
“Lt. Tim Dahl (right) helps a firefighter with heavy coils of water hose, as they respond to a fire aboard the ferry Walla Walla Tueday morning at the Washington State Ferries maintenance yard on Harborview Drive. No one was injured in the blaze, apparently caused when a welder’s sparks ignited some chemicals in the below-decks area of the boat. The fire, which gave off thick black smoke, was quickly extinguished. “
“A spokesperson for Tim Eyman’s November ballot initiatives told a Bainbridge audience Monday that their passage would bring relief from property taxes and traffic congestion.But he had no response to opponents who argued that the the measures will not perform as advertised. There isn’t more room to build new roads, said Willem Maas, an opponent of Initiative 745, which would channel 90 percent of all transportation money into road construction and maintenance.While proponents argue that the new money would mean new roads and less congestion, initiative spokesman Marcus Hoffman said he did not know where new roads could be built, nor how much it would cost to add the amount of mileage – 4 percent more than now exists – that initiative proponents say would have a meaningful impact on traffic congestion. “
“Three citizens groups have proposed an amendment to the city’s comprehensive plan, to sharply curtail the conditions under which sewer service could be expanded.In so doing, the groups hope to slow the rate of population growth in areas outside Winslow.But the city’s planning staff has recommended against the change, saying that the resulting growth restrictions would violate state law.The proposal goes against the Growth Management Act, said associate planner Libby Hudson. It uses (an absence of) sewer extension as a way to limit growth rather than zoning for densities. “
“True or false: Hildebrand Lane is one of the city’s busiest streets.When you look at all the businesses lining the road – three banks, a motel, a video rental outlet, and the state liquor store, among others – to say nothing of the new office building going up, you’d think this is a no-brainer. Obviously, it must be a true statement.But the correct answer is false. Hildebrand is busy, alright. But it’s not a city street. “
“So, did everyone enjoy their final blanket primary?Looking at the voter turnout – which may hit, what, 48 percent in Kitsap County, when all the absentees are counted – Washington’s venerable one-ballot-for-all free-for-all went out less with a bang than a yawn.Still, it may have provided a good example of why the blanket ballot was so loathed by the major parties. Local Democrats were quick to blame GOP crossover voters for the ouster of incumbent Kitsap County Commissioner Charlotte Garrido (dare we call it…Charlotte’s ebb?), bested by challenger Dusty Wiley while Republican Jan Angel nested comfortably in the wings without a primary opponent. We have no idea if it was an organized effort by the GOP; we suspect Democrats would have been happy to do the same thing given the chance, were it not for the county’s ongoing shortage of Republican incumbents. “
“Bainbridge Island and North Kitsap County will be ground zero in the battle to take control of the Washington state House of Representatives.That’s because Democratic challenger David Harrison of Bainbridge Island wound up in a virtual tie with incumbent Republican Beverly Woods in Tuesday’s primary election, suggesting a down-to-the-wire race in which the Democrats have a real chance at gaining a seat.I’ve received calls from all over the district and the state, Harrison said Thursday. I’m one of the few, if not the only challenger ahead of an incumbent. This will be one of the three or four hottest races in the state, he said. “
“Roy Peratrovich learns on the fly.An Alaska native, he played the first football game he ever saw – as a high school senior.From tackling his first engineering problems to founding the Architects and Engineers Insurance Company, Peratrovich admits to jumping into projects without knowing exactly what he’s doing. And as a sculptor, his artwork is no exception.It’s what they call spatial art, he said, gesturing to a bronze sculpture of otters. I learn these terms from other artists – but I appreciate that you have to be aware of how you fill the space. “
“Although they’re known in anecdotal history as the Nazi Olympics and the Jesse Owens Olympics, Jim McMillin recalls the 1936 games as one of the highlights of his life.Five years before America went to war against Germany, McMillin and the other members of the University of Washington’s eight-man shell varsity team won the gold medal with der Fuhrer in the stands.That was a tough race, McMillin said. I said if I ever worked that hard again, I’d make a million bucks, but I never did.The surviving members of the nine-man crew held a private reunion last week at McMillin’s Bainbridge Island home. “
“Claiming to need a stable legal framework in which to operate, builders are challenging recent city council actions they say violate the Bainbridge Island Comprehensive Plan.Let’s adopt regulations consistent with the comprehensive plan, then rely on them to be in place for five years, said Andy Mueller of Mueller Construction.The group claims that recent ordinances passed by the council conflict with the long-range plan. And one of the challenges has reached the stage of legal action. “
