Back to Zoom
The Bainbridge Island City Council’s return to in-person meetings was short-lived.
Because of an uptick in COVID-19 cases, the council will return to virtual meetings on Zoom after meeting at City Hall for the first time last week after many months due to the pandemic.
The decision to return to in-person meetings Aug. 10 was made July 17 when the situation was improving.
School supplies
Helpline House is holding its annual Project Backpack event that provides school supplies for PK-12th grade students.
No registration required.
Events will be Aug. 24 and Aug. 26 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Helpline House, 282 Knechtel Way NE.
For details go to www.helplinehouse.org/project-backpack
Testing reopens
Due to a surge in COVID-19 cases, the Kitsap Public Health District and county Emergency Operations Center is reopening its Poulsbo test site.
That site, at 200 Moe St., will operate Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The Bainbridge Island site remains deactivated. Additional testing resources in the county exist that were unavailable prior to the city managing its test site at Town Square from November 2020 to March 2021.
A testing site in Bremerton, at 100 Washington Ave., is open Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Free concert
The Lawn at Bainbridge Performing Arts will be filled with the sounds of swing when Ranger and the “Re-Arrangers” host a concert at 6 p.m. Aug. 27, featuring Bill Rappaport on clarinet.
Rappaport has classical training plus a deep love for jazz. He was a member of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for 40 years and performed around the country, including at Carnegie Hall.
The “Re-Arrangers” repertoire includes swing standards, waltzes and the music of Django Reinhardt. Admission is free, but the band will collect donations.
Dance party
Local disc-jockey Gary Bedell, otherwise known as DJ Sidecar, will be hosting a Shake! Dance Party this week as part of the Winslow Green Friday Night Music series.
The event will run from 6-8 p.m. DJ Sidecar will be spinning records from all kinds of genres such as R&B, Funk, Soul, Hip Hop and New Wave. He has been creating community events and parties on the island since 2016, and, along with another local, Greg Morgan, started the monthly Vinyl Lounge at Pegasus Coffee before eventually moving to the Bainbridge Brewing Alehouse in Winslow.
School anxiety
Raising Resilience will have a free support session for Back to School anxiety Aug. 24 at 6:30 p.m.
It’s part of their Connections Cafe virtual series that provides expert advice on parenting issues.
“Set your family up for a positive, productive school year with this empowering back to school session,” its website says.
Topics include: Emotional regulations; organization and time management; and perseverance and sustained attention.
For more, email info@raisingresilience.org
Beach cleanup
The 6th Annual Bainbridge Island Beach Cleanup will take place Sept. 19 from 9 a.m. to noon.
A contest and prizes are part of the event. Sign up to volunteer at www. sustainablebainbridge.org.
Advisory openings
Volunteers are being sought to fill positions on three Bainbridge Island advisory groups.
Spots are open on the Cultural Funding, Design Review Board and Environmental Technical Advisory Boards.
For a description of each position and access to the online application go to bainbridgewa.gov/222.
Applications are due by 4 p.m. Aug. 23.
For details contact executive assistant Roz Lassoff at 580-6735 or rlassoff@bainbridgewa.gov.
Battle weeds
Weed Warriors, a group battling non-native invasive plants and providing native plant restoration, will work at Bloedel Reserve Aug. 20 from 10 a.m. to noon.
Volunteers will then get take the opportunity to walk the beautiful grounds—for free.
If interested text Jeannette Frank at 206-755-8461 or email jfranks1@comcast.net for more information.
Olympic College
Olympic College has announced that it will declare a fully vaccinated status and require students, faculty and staff to verify their vaccination status, or request an exemption for medical, religious or philosophical r easons.
The decision comes after Gov. Jay Inslee issued a new higher education proclamation July 12 that states institutions of higher education may choose to be fully vaccinated or not.
Additionally, with COVID-19 cases spiking, the college will require everyone, including those who are vaccinated, to wear masks when indoors and not working alone effective Aug. 19. The masking mandate applies to all students, faculty, staff and visitors to campus.
Free pass
In recognition of the National Park Service system’s 105th birthday, State Parks, Department of Natural Resources and Department of Fish and Wildlife will offer free entrance to state lands Aug. 25.
Visitors will not need a Discover Pass. Discover Pass free days apply to all visitor parking on DNR and WDFW lands and in day-use areas at Washington state parks.
The remaining free days this year are:
Sept. 25 — National Public Lands Day;
Nov. 11 — Veterans Day;
Nov. 26 – Autumn Day.
The Discover Pass costs $30 annually or $10 for a one-day visit. The Discover Pass provides daytime access to state parks and day and overnight access to DNR and WDFW lands. Overnight visitors in state parks are charged fees for camping and other overnight accommodations and day access is included in the overnight fee.
Bad air
An Air Quality Alert for smoke was issued by the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency last week.
It came from the Schneider Springs plume wildfire in Naches.
Wildfire smoke can cause serious health problems, like asthma attacks and heart attacks. For updates, go to www.pscleanair.org
Jobless mixed
During the week of Aug. 1-7 there were 5,420 initial regular unemployment claims, up 10.2% from the prior week.
Total claims filed by Washingtonians for all unemployment benefit categories numbered 306,858, down 0.5% from the prior week.
Initial regular claims applications are now 75% below the same period last year during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The four-week moving average for initial claims is 4,989. During the same time in 2019, it was 5,266. This is the lowest level of initial claims since COVID started last year, and the ninth-consecutive week the four-week moving average for initial claims has reached a pandemic low.
Layoffs in health care and social assistance and construction contributed to an increase of 501 regular initial claims over the previous week.
There was a decrease in the combined total of initial claims and continued or ongoing claims for all benefits—which include regular unemployment insurance, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation.
Federal pandemic benefits programs, including PUA and PEUC as well as the additional $300 per week, are set to expire the week ending Sept. 4.
In the week ending Aug. 7, ESD paid out over $186 million for 227,689 individual claims. Since the crisis began in March 2020, ESD has paid more than $20.6 billion in benefits to over 1.1 million Washingtonians.
