Briefs

Deputy chief

Scott Weiss was recently promoted to deputy chief of the Bainbridge Island Police Department.

Weiss began his career with the BIPD in 1989 as a reserve officer and was hired full-time in 1991. Prior to that, he served in the U.S. Navy and was a volunteer firefighter/EMT for North Kitsap.

Weiss has worked as a patrol officer, field training officer, lead marine patrol officer, detective, regional narcotics task force detective, corporal, lieutenant, patrol sergeant, detective sergeant and administrative sergeant. In 2019, he served as the interim deputy chief and later interim chief.

Police Chief Joe Clark states that, “Weiss’s experience is reflective of the talented group of individuals at BIPD who serve this community.”

Police funding

A Town Hall on “The Funding and Future of Policing on Bainbridge Island” will take place May 22 from 10 a.m. to noon.

Panelists include state Rep. Tarra Simmons, BI Mayor Rasham Nassar and Dean Spade, associate professor of law at Seattle University.

The event is free, and there will be time for questions and answers.

The Zoom webinar ID is 827 0541 8515.

Benefit concert

Slate will perform a free benefit concert for Bainbridge Youth Services at Winslow Green from 4-6 p.m. May 29.

BYS provides support for island students dealing with stress, anxiety and depression, and the need has increased do to isolation of COVID-19.

Slate is a local jazz-rock band consisting of Riley Cummins on sax, Kevin Veatch and Rigel Correa on guitars, Lucas Cheadle on bass, Grace Rees on keyboards and Wesley Cummins on drums.

Donations will be accepted at the concert at 100 Winslow Way, West on Bainbridge Island.

Eateries remodeled

After a quick remodel and menu revamp, the two spaces that housed Hitchcock Deli and Bar Hitchcock on Winslow Way are now Café Hitchcock and The Bar at Café Hitchcock.

“I felt like it was time to reimagine the place, creating more seating for our guests as we welcome them back into the space,” said Brendan McGill, chef and owner of Hitchcock Restaurant Group. “We’ve created an all-day cafe with delicious and vibrant foods, an inviting coffeehouse, and a grown-up bar for the island with a stunning collection of spirits and tasty menu of bar snacks.”

The cafe serves breakfast and lunch daily from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The bar is open daily from 3-9 p.m. and until 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. For details call 206-201-3369 or visit www.cafehitchcock.com.

Island Theatre

Island Theatre presents Park Bench Stories, a Film in 5 Scenes, by five local playwrights. This 40-minute film will air continuously on FaceBook and at IslandTheatre.org from May 21 at 7:30 p.m. through May 29 at 8:30 p.m. Viewing is free, with donations welcome.

A group of five local playwrights and screenwriters had been meeting together for a year when COVID-19 struck, shutting performance venues. Challenged to keep motivated, one member suggested they each write a variation on a theme using a single park bench as their only prop. By limiting each play to two or three characters, they would be able to film their plays outdoors, socially distanced, while working inside a theater was not possible.

The result was five linked stories that take place on a single day, as this simple bench becomes a locus for lost love, human connection, humor, sadness, and enlightenment for the diverse characters who meet there.

The five plays and writers are Jason Erickson (Congratulations on Your New Bench), Joseph Steck (IRL Sal), Maria Beatty (Dog Gone It), Kit Laws (So Close) and Jeffrey M. Brown (Rob and Bob). Video and production were done by Jason Erickson and Joseph Steck. The park bench was crafted by Jim Laws.

Local champion

Midshipman 2nd Class Garrett Aichele, a college junior from Bainbridge Island, led his team to the NCAA Division III Skyline Conference Championship.

Aichele hit a 10th-inning, walkoff home run over the centerfield fence for the victory for the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, N.Y.

It was a historic first for Kings Point, which had never won a conference title in its 78-year history.

With the win they advanced to Regionals. Aichele played baseball on BI from Little League to Bainbridge High School.

State Farm agent awarded

State Farm agent Paula Weissinger has received the company’s prestigious Chairman’s Circle award for her Bainbridge Island office.

This honor is awarded to only 3 percent of over 19,000 State Farm agents across the nation. Weissinger has been with State Farm for 21 years and is in her 4th year as an agent. The Paula Weissinger State Farm Agency is located at 175 Parfitt Way SW, Suite 180.

Teachers honored

Fourteen Kitsap County educators were recognized as Outstanding Educators by Alpha Sigma Chapter Kitsap of the Delta Kappa Gamma International Society for Key Women Educator.

Among this year’s recipients were: Eric Bockelie, who teaches criminal justice courses at the West Sound Skill Center, and Bainbridge Island High School math teacher Lisa Hale, who were both hailed for their relationship-centered teaching styles and for focusing on equity for all students.

Deputy superintendent Erin Murphy from the Bainbridge Island School District discussed the challenges presented to all educators during the pandemic and how everyone quickly stepped up to find innovative ways to create meaningful remote/virtual lessons for their students.

Chapter president Andrea Neault spoke about the challenges educators faced this past year.

Girls group

If 100 girls from fifth-grade through college joined forces to make a difference in their communities by giving voice to other girls, what could they accomplish?

The Power of 100 Girls, sponsored by Hack+, is recruiting inspiring and dedicated girls and young women to join its Founders Circle to support girls overlooked in a traditional grant or scholarship system. To become a Founders Circle member, girls must commit to raising and/or donating $100 annually, then meet quarterly to review applications and select girls, women and related organizations to support.

“Founders Circle members are independent thinkers who are passionate about helping girls and young women who are, for various reasons, overlooked or unable to pursue the help they need to succeed,” said Merrill Keating, 16-year old founder of The Power of 100 Girls and a freshman at the University of Washington. “As an introvert myself, I have noticed so many girls miss out on scholarships and awards because society favors extroversion. Without access to a good support system and connections, many of these girls can fall through the cracks.”

Advisory Council members include Sen. Christine Rolfes and Bainbridge Islander Peter Drury, chief strategy officer for Wellspring Family Services.

Visit powerof100girls.org for details.

Art contest

Kitsap County Public Works Stormwater Division is looking for five local artists to apply their clean water vision to storm drains at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds and Event Center in Bremerton this summer.

“We provide paint, a storm drain and a $200 stipend. You bring your brush, yourself, and your message about how storm drains connect to our local waterways and Puget Sound. Send us your design and show us what you’ve got,” directions say

Art for Clean Water is a public art and education project. The project, introduced in 2019, will bring murals to storm drains throughout the county.

Artists can submit their designs via a paper application or online at kcowa.us/artforcleanwater. Entries are due June 11.

Equity grants

Kitsap County based nonprofits and fiscally sponsored projects who are Black-led and/or serve the Black community, as well as other communities of color, are invited to apply for the most recent round of grant funding available through the Kitsap Racial Equity and Empowerment Fund.

This is the second round of funding offered by KREEF, which awarded $10,000 in grants in fall of 2020.

Apply by June 1. Contact kreef@kitsapfoundation.org for details on how.

Ballot writer

The Kitsap County Auditor’s Office – Elections Division seeks volunteers to write arguments against the Bainbridge Island parks measure that will appear on the Aug. 3 primary ballot.

The BI Metropolitan Park & Recreation District is asking voters to restore the district’s original property tax levy rate of 75 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value.

Interested parties should contact the Elections Division by 4:30 p.m. May 21. Please email auditor@co.kitsap.wa.us or call 360-337-7280 if interested. Arguments are due by 4:30 p.m. May 28.

Blood drive

Fort Ward Amateur Radio Club wants to put on a blood drive but it needs 50 people to register.

It hopes to have the blood donation event on or before October at the Island Village Shopping Center.

The club is partnering with Madigan Armed Forces Blood Bank Center, which supports four military hospitals and ships blood weekly overseas to areas of deployed troops.

To sign up or more details go to: www.atdlines.com/fwarcbldr.htm#pre-registration.