Judge resigns
Bainbridge Island municipal Judge Sara McCulloch has announced her resignation, effective Oct. 2, to focus on her private law practice, which focuses on elder law, guardianship and probate.
McCulloch has served as the BI judge since Jan. 1, 2014.
A resident of Bainbridge Island for over 20 years, McCulloch studied at Boston College Law School and received her undergraduate degree from Western Washington University. At the time of her initial judicial appointment in BI, she was senior deputy prosecutor for King County, where she served as senior specialist for sex offender registration-related cases.
“The city of Bainbridge is very appreciative of Judge McCulloch’s time and service over the last nine years,” city manager Blair King said.
King will fill the vacancy, subject to confirmation from the City Council. Interested parties will be asked to apply to fill the unexpired term. Maureen F. McKeeman has been appointed by McCulloch as judge pro tempore.
Fatal crash
Two Bremerton residents have been identified as victims of a fatal Sept. 1 car accident at the Tacoma Narrows Bridge toll plaza.
State Patrol reported 33-year-old Jeremy Kirkmeyer and 30-year-old Torrey Kirkmeyer were traveling eastbound on Highway 16. Their car, a 2017 Chevy Sonic, was hit and shot forward into a safety barrier near the toll booths at around 2 p.m.
Officials allege the driver of the vehicle that caused the accident failed to slow down and hit the car while changing lanes. It was alleged the vehicle had cruise control on and only slowed following impact.
The 61-year-old driver and 63-year-old passenger were transported to a hospital for injuries.
Top employers
Not surprisingly, Naval Base Kitsap is the largest employer in the county, with 36,905 workers.
The Kitsap Economic Development Alliance released its top 10 employers recently.
Central Kitsap School District was second at 1,865; St. Michael Medical Center third at 1,831; the county fourth at 1,358; and South Kitsap School District fifth at 1,341.
Rounding out the top 10 are Olympic College, 988; North Kitsap School District 885; Bremerton School District 850; Port Madison Enterprises, 785; and Haselwood Auto Group, 681.
A news release says seven of the top 10 are public; half of the top employees have increased their workforces; and the top 50 employers are split between private and public.
Inn discussion
A public hearing will take place Sept. 28 seeking input on how to regulate inns on Bainbridge Island.
Under consideration are: a cap on inns at three at Lynwood Center and two each at Rolling Bay and Island Center; prohibit inns on adjacent property; and require that each inn is separately owned and operated.
A new regulation would remove the current moratorium on inns.
The hearing will be before the Planning Commission.
Shred documents
Five Kitsap Banks will shred sensitive documents from 9 a.m. to noon each day with donations supporting local food banks this month.
The first event Sept. 16 in Silverdale will benefit the Central Kitsap Food Bank. On Sept. 23 in Poulsbo the event will benefit North Kitsap Fishline.
On Sept. 30 on Bainbridge Island the event will aid Helpline House. On that same day in East Bremerton, the shredding will support Bremerton Foodline. Finally, on Oct. 7, the event at Bethel & Lund will support South Kitsap Helpline.
Fees waived
Fees are being waived through Sept. 17 at the Kitsap Humane Society as construction goes on at the facility in Silverdale.
Changes include a new low-cost veterinary clinic, a livestock holding barn and renovation of the admissions building.
The noise can potentially cause fear and anxiety in dogs. You can view adoptable dogs at www.kitsap-humane.org/adopt/available-pets. Visit www.kitsap-humane.org/get-involved/foster-care to learn about fostering. Or you can sponsor an adoption by donating and offsetting KHS’s budget losses due to the waiver of fees by visiting www.kitsap-humane.org/donate.
BI finalists
David Guterson of Bainbridge Island is a finalist in a statewide book competition.
His book is called “The Final Case.” It is in the Fiction category.
William Alexander, also of BI, is a finalist for his book “Ten Tomatoes that Changed the World: A History.” That is in the General Nonfiction/Biography division.
Sarah Jaffa, Kitsap Regional Library librarian, was one of the five judges.
The competition, in its 57th year, used to be called the Governor’s Writers Awards. It’s now called the Washington State Book Awards for outstanding books published by statewide authors in 2022.
Open Mic Science
Open Mic Science is back Sept. 12 at 7 p.m. at the Treehouse Café on Bainbridge Island.
Talks the second Tuesday of every month explore ideas in all aspects of science and technology in an informal setting.
The first program is “What is the Deal with Carbon Offsets?” Derik Broekhoff of BI, who works with the Stockholm Environmental Institute, will share his experience working in this field.
Airlines regularly offer carbon offsets to climate-conscious customers – and are being sued for “greenwashing” for doing so.
Many companies have committed to achieving “net zero” emissions but have been criticized for over-relying on offsets as a means for getting there.
For details contact Mike Cox at toxman57@gmail.com.
Septic workshops
Free septic system workshops are returning in Kitsap County to help people save money and protect waterways.
The Septic Sense workshops explain how the systems work; landscaping tips; how to detect a failing system; and how to landscape a septic drainfield.
Workshops are on Zoom from noon to 1 p.m. Sept. 19 and 10-11 a.m. Sept. 23, along with in-person from 6-8 p.m. at the Olympic College Student Center in Bremerton Oct. 3.
Go to kitsapgov.com for details.
Meet Deets
Bainbridge Island City Councilmember Joe Deets is having his open office hours Sept. 9 from 10 a.m. to noon at CUPS Espresso, 123 Bjune Drive SE in Winslow.
Everyone is welcome to attend to talk about city business.
