“Vowing to streamline government regulations, fully fund the ferry system and cap property taxes, Republican Dan Murphy has launched a campaign for the state senate.Murphy, a Bainbridge Island attorney, has launched a campaign to unseat Democrat Betti Sheldon, 23rd District incumbent.”
“The Bainbridge Island Comprehensive Plan, a colleague recently mused, is much like the Old Testament of the Bible. You can, he suggested, use it to justify any opinion you like.Indeed, just as the biblical deity can be portrayed as vengeful or forgiving, capricious or stoic, so it seems does our comp-plan offer conflicting guideposts for island living.”
“Art is where the heart is, if the work of some talented students is anything to go by. Aspiring sculptors at Bainbridge High School are doing it for the joy – and have volunteered to give their work to the school. I had no concept – I just designed what looked cool, said artist and designer Jon Kellog.BHS art teacher Sissel Feroy said she is excited because art has never before been donated to the school. An 8-1/2-foot-tall sculpture now being created is subject to interpretation, but is sure to make an impression on any viewer.”
“Last week’s announcement that Bainbridge ferry service won’t be cut this summer doesn’t mean that the funding problems caused by Initiative 695 are over. To the contrary, the Legislature’s fix was more akin to a terminally ill patient’s being hooked to life-support systems – life may be prolonged, but the underlying ailment is untreated and will prove fatal.That grim assessment came from Paul Green, chief executive officer of Washington State Ferries, who spoke Monday at the Bainbridge Island Economic Vitality Conference.”
“Whether we like to admit it or not, much of Bainbridge is, shall we say, establishment. And much of it is high budget.But a new gift and craft store at 578 Winslow Way East runs counter to those trends. As its name implies, Barefoot on Bainbridge is decidedly relaxed.And its owners will be happy to make a living, not a fortune. The existing outlets are for very expensive artwork or well-established artists, said co-owner Jay Ekstrom. We’re trying to go more for the craftsperson, providing something affordable and usable.”
“Bainbridge Island ferry service won’t be cut this summer – with the exception of the third boat introduced during peak tourist season last year.But the prospect for rolling back city taxes don’t look as bright as they did a month ago. Those are among the results of the stop-gap state budget that the Legislature passed Thursday, after the close of second special session in Olympia.”
“Woodland Village is out of the woods.The city council Wednesday gave preliminary plat approval to the 27-home project on Ferncliff Avenue north of High School Road.I feel like I just got finished with a 3-1/2 year pregnancy, project developer Doug Nelson said, and Wednesday evening was two-hours of labor.The project was approved by a 5-1 count, with Councilwoman Christine Nasser casting the sole dissenting vote.”
“Sometimes even places of worship need a face lift. This week, a new set of windows has left Port Madison Lutheran Church feeling bigger, better and full of light. The sanctuary has a brand new look, Pastor Ron Hoyum said.When the cracks in the sanctuary’s 40-year-old windows suggested that replacement was necessary, Hoyum welcomed the opportunity to enhance the building.The glass design is both biblical and Bainbridge, he said.The natural images selected to adorn the 10 new opaque, fused-glass windows were chosen either for their religious significance or because they grow on the island. Committee members and Bainbridge Island’s Messolini Glass Studio collaborated with the congregation to select plants like Narcissus, holly, blackberries and grape for the windows’ motifs.”
“With its radical stylings, the Honda Insight looks like a car Jack Kerouac might love. But a local Buddhist – who, it seems, is on the road even more frequently than the late dharma bum himself – says her car’s attraction drives deeper than the beatnik allure of, say, Dean Moriarty’s Cadillac.It has to do with not hurting plants and people and the earth, said the Rev. Anne Heller, making the Insight a rolling reflection of the Buddha’s Noble Eightfold Path.The Insight definitely fits that bill, the national Sierra Club organization decided, when the it gave the fuel-efficient two-seater an award for Excellence in Environmental Engineering this year.”
“The Columbine shooting cast a shadow over Bainbridge schools this week, as a bomb scare closed Ordway Elementary School Monday. Parents and school buses were called to escort some 400 students home as police searched the building throughout the afternoon.We have decided to respond as if this were an imminent threat, said Steve Rowley, superintendent of Bainbridge Island schools.The threat had actually been made five days earlier – left on a staff member’s voicemail – but the instructor reportedly was away at a conference and the message went unchecked until Monday.”
“Buying the statistically average home on Bainbridge Island today requires either a six-figure income or a six-figure down payment.According to information supplied by the Northwest Multiple Listing Service, the average selling price for an island home in the first quarter of 2000 was $412,870. That compares to an average of $355,191 for the first quarter of 1999.”
“Frogs, backpacks and the Seattle skyline – they’re just a few of the logos embroidered on quilt aptly named A Lot of Things About Bainbridge. The Island Quilters had to brainstorm to come up with so many different ideas, designer Linda Johnston said of the king-size quilt now up for raffle.Johnston’s favorite island image is the slug, although she knows a lot of people prefer the dog sleeping in the middle of the road. Fellow quilter Pat Reynolds stressed that the diversity of the group is reflected in their work. Every possible sewing technique was used to assemble the quilt’s 100 different blocks, she said.”
“The first large-scale apartment project on the island in at least 15 years gets a hearing before the Planning Commission Thursday. But while the Village Square development has picked up support, neighbors are concerned about one condition for approval – the controversial linking of Ericksen Avenue and Hildebrand Lane.”
