Motorcyclist hits 100 mph

A motorcyclist led a Bainbridge Police officer on a high-speed chase down New Brooklyn Road Wednesday morning, resulting in a reckless driving citation.

According to a police report, the officer was parked in his cruiser and watching traffic at the corner of Fletcher Bay Road and New Brooklyn at 7:50 a.m. when a black motorcycle speeding eastbound on Fletcher Bay ran the stop sign and accelerated rapidly up New Brooklyn.

The officer gave chase with lights and siren blaring. An initial radar check showed the motorcycle topping 73 mph, but the officer estimated its speed reaching 100 mph as it raced east.

At Holly Farm Lane the motorcycle began passing cars over a double-yellow centerline, causing oncoming traffic to swerve out of its way.

Traffic grew thicker but, according to the officer, the motorcycle never slowed below 40 mph. It ran another stop sign at Sportsman Club Road before finally pulling over. According to the report, the driver, a Bainbridge man, was apologetic.

“I’m in big trouble, aren’t I?” he said when the officer approached. The driver identified himself and “hung his head” when asked about his behavior. He told the officer he was late for the ferry and could be fired from his job for being tardy.

– Tad Sooter

Let the wild egg hunt begin

Few sights inspire more “awww” than a horde of tots on an egg hunt. And this year offers a full roster of Easter activities packaged by the Park District as the 2008 “Egg-Stravaganza.”

The Park District took the reins from the Bainbridge Downtown Association this year, a move that Executive Director Ashley Armstrong said would enable her organization to focus more of its resources on downtown businesses. Park District Teen Center Coordinator Shannon Buxton, who is coordinating Saturday’s events, said the Park District has the infrastructure, the space and the experience to handle large-scale events like the egg hunt while expanding the day’s activities to appeal to a wider audience.

The traditional egg hunt gets under way along with the 4-H petting zoo at 10:30 a.m. March 22 at Waterfront Park, with the hunt itself starting at 11 a.m. For those who prefer their wet environment on the warm side, the Aquatic Center on Madison Avenue will host an indoor egg hunt also geared toward kids ages 1 to 12, from noon to 12:45 p.m.

For teens who still love the chase, there’s the annual flashlight egg hunt, which gets started at 9 p.m. at the Teen Center. Families of young kids may not know that this tradition has been going on for years.

“It’s kind of a funky little ‘always the weekend before Easter’ thing,” Buxton said.

The newest addition to the day is the “geo-egg hunt” taking place around the island, with GPS coordinates posted on www.biparks.org no later than 9 a.m. Saturday.

“Maybe having an excuse to take a walk in the woods is a better idea for some families,” Buxton said.

For a complete lineup, see www.biparks.org.

– Lindsay Latimore