“Geographically, Seattle is closer to the Orient than any other major American city. That closeness manifests itself in the Northwest’s affinity for Oriental decor.People here are trying to create a Northwestern look by combining Asian and craftsman styles, says designer Jerry Carlin. Or they will mix very contemporary pottery with Chinese accent pieces.To cater to this affinity, Carlin and Keith Edgar have opened Domicile, a combination antique store and interior design service in Lundgren Station, immediately north of the Magnolia shoe store. “
“Typical of the occasion, the most honored guests didn’t hold invitations.As hosts Vince and Kay Mattson and members of the Bainbridge Island Land Trust tilted champagne flutes, a heron sat perched high in a tree overhead, while scores of birds rippled the waters of Murden Cove with a mad flapping.This happens every time we have one of these, said land trust president Steph Miller, of the tendency for wildlife to make an appearance at the dedication of Bainbridge parks and greenways.This occasion, observed on a brisk Sunday afternoon in late November, marked dedication of the Mattsons’ property on Murden Cove as private open space protected from future development. “
“The state ferry system does not hold a favored place in line for legislative funding.So warned, the Joint Task Force on Ferries Monday recommended a package of measures aimed at preserving at least the present level of service for the next decade.The Blue Ribbon Transportation Committee Report last week said we need to find $60 billion in new money for transportation, said Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen (D-Camano Island), co-chair of the Task Force and chair of the Senate Transportation Committee.That’s a staggering amount, and it does not include any money for new ferry service, she said, cautioning the group to be modest in its recommendations. “
“City officials are breathing easier, after a judge’s decision that blocks the tax-slashing Initiative 722 from taking effect while the courts consider its constitutionality.Thurston County Judge Christine Pomeroy agreed that the city of Bainbridge Island would be irreparably harmed if it had to comply with the various provisions of the initiative immediately, and entered an injunction Thursday blocking the voter-passed initiative until a final court decision. “
“Saying ferry users must be a visible part of the solution to the transportation-funding crisis, a state commission is calling for substantial fare increases over the next six years.In a report issued this week, the Tariff Policy Committee of the state’s Transportation Commission recommends boosting the round-trip passenger fare on the Bainbridge, Bremerton and Kingston runs from the present $3.70 to $6.50 by 2006, and the car-and-driver fare from the current $6.50 to $12. During the peak summer season, the car-and-driver fare would go from the present $8.25 to $15.The price of a 10-ride passenger coupon book would go from the present $26 to $46.25 under the proposal.The premise is that users should pay 80 percent of ferry operating costs by 2007, up from the present 65 percent. “
“It’s the case of the disappearing students.Bainbridge Island School District enrollment – already 55 students below projections for September, and down 62 in October – is down another 11 in November, according to the district business office.The cumulative enrollment drop – 73 full-time equivalent students below projections for the year – represents nearly 2 percent of the district’s 3,800 students, said Mike Schroeder, director of business operations.Schroeder reported the latest enrollment drop at Thursday’s school board meeting.We are 10 or 11 further off than that which we’ve allowed for in the adjusted budget – we have to hope that there isn’t going to be much more, Schroeder said, But this year, all bets are off. We’re already beyond anything typical or historical or predictable. “
“Four candidates have emerged in the search to fill the vacant seat on the Bainbridge Island Park and Recreation District’s board of directors.The four seated commissioners – Ken DeWitt, Chris Llewellyn, Daryle Schei and Dave Shorett – may convene a special public session to interview candidates Eric Hoyte, Dane Spencer, Kjell Stoknes and Frank Stowell – before the board’s next scheduled meeting on Dec. 14. “
“Citizens are generally satisfied with the island’s comprehensive planning policies, but not with what they actually see happening.And while part of the problem may be real, a big part is public perception, Bainbridge Planning Commission Evelyn Klinckmann believes.I think people don’t always understand the consequences of policies, said Klinckmann, on the threshold of the first review of the comprehensive plan. As a matter of public education, we need to present them with really clear scenarios. “
“Gary Chambers had it all. A successful Internet business. A home office. The ability to set his own schedule and answer to no one.But he got lonesome.And that led to a new business – Creative Internet Center.This is a European-style Internet cafe – a gathering place where people can come and meet, use a computer, drink coffee and socialize, said Chambers.The business, which Chambers owns with wife Tricia Borgardt, is located at 578 Winslow Way East, the porch next to Bainbridge Coffee. The cafe has six computers, three of them equipped with cameras for teleconferencing. Several of the computers have 3-D capabilities for dedicated video gamers.Hours will be Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., with a shut-down for lunch from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. “
“Your kids could be slumped down in their desks at school, snoring through yet another period of rote book learnin’. Or they could be in Doug Olsen’s science class at Sakai Intermediate School, using a Martian colony simulator – complete with working solar panel – to study the energy requirements for successful colonization of another planet.That they have access to the latter – purchase price, with all its mind-expanding possibilities: $1,600 – is a tribute to the efforts of the Bainbridge Education Support Team, better known as BEST. “
“City officials, anxious to keep Police Chief Bill Cooper on Bainbridge Island as he pursues the same post in Federal Way, went so far as to explore the possibility of using city funds to purchase Cooper’s house in Olympia.That, and other economic incentives explored by city officials, however, were abandoned as either unconstitutional or in violation of state laws, city Administrator Lynn Nordby said this week.We’re continuing to investigate the things we can do, but we’ve got to be careful, Nordby said. “
“If tax-cutting Initiative 722 goes into effect this year while its constitutionality is being challenged, the Bainbridge Island Fire District is in good shape to absorb the revenue loss.But if the measure is upheld, the district will need to find new sources of revenue for its capital program. “
“Students in Amukarat, Uganda, don’t have pencils or paper – using their fingers to write their assignments in the dirt.So Peter Emau, a Uganda native and Bainbridge resident, has island students helping the African village that lacks school supplies, books and printed literature. It is just so exciting, Emau said of the project, which will see a series of educational booklets sent to Uganda. It keeps on expanding.Emau, a research scientist at the University of Washington, knew that essential educational tools are absent in the village schools of Amukarat. The project began when Emau’s brother, Gabriel Emau, a 30-year veteran teacher in Amukarat, asked Emau to print up his teaching notes so that his students could have something tangible they could learn from. “
