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Cody Wright from Milford, Utah, got a mouth full of mud and a zero score after falling off Strawberry Delight in the Saddle Bronc Riding competition Wednesday night at the Kitsap County Stampede. The fair runs through Sunday.
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A Section Editorial Robert Meadows Scene & Heard Sports Legal Notices Mary Colborn Obituaries
Inserts: Fred Meyer, RiteAid, Office Depot, Best Buy, Staples, Wal-Mart, Valassis
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Both sides report feeling harassed in rift over home business.
Neighbor denies pellet gun shooting
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By JUSTINE FREDERIKSEN
Staff Writer
INDEPENDENT
Tensions between two Port Orchard neighbors that erupted after one attempted to open a home business last year led both women to head down to the Kitsap County Courthouse Monday and file restraining orders against each other. Shelia Cronan, 49, said she filed a restraining order against Amber Keehn after returning home from a camping trip Aug. 17 and discovering pellets had been
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Board’s 2005 contrac
By JUSTINE FREDERIKSEN Staff Writer
The Port of Bremerton will be discussing on Tuesday an agreement reached nearly three years ago with the
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ment, but I guess it’s not as bad as it could have been,” said Gig Harbor resident Randy Boss, who testified during the Transportation Commission meeting in Olympia on Dec. 15 at which the recommendation was announced. By law, the commission must now hold public meetings to determine how commuters feel about the rate. Those are scheduled for Jan.
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CHARLOTTE GARRIDO
BRUCE DANIELSON
Citizen Advisory Committee last month. “It’s not a great develop-
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▼ Matthes, Garrido advance in SK commissioner race; Dalton, Danielson in judicial contest.
By CHARLIE BERMANT
■ What: Public hearing on Tacoma Narrows Bridge photo-tolling rate ■ When: Jan. 19 and 25, 6:30 p.m. ■ Where: Gig Harbor City Hall, 3510 Grandview Street TIM MATTHES
JEANETTE DALTON
The Washington State Transportation Commission is recommending a toll of $5.50 for Narrows Bridge commuters who choose the photo-tolling option once it becomes available this spring. That amount represents a compromise between the $4.25 sought by the state Department of Transportation and the $7 recommended by the bridge’s
If you go
Staff Writer
Editor
SEE UPSETS, PAGE A2
By JEFF RHODES
Expectations were turned on their head in two Kitsap County political contests during Tuesday night’s primary election, as the perceived front-runners came in third and were disqualified in their respective races. Republican Tim Matthes drew the most votes in the South Kitsap commissioner’s race, followed by Democrat Charlotte Garrido. Monty Mahan, who was the first to declare for the seat and earned the endorsement of local mayors, came in third (See related story, page A3).
Transponder rate could go up if revenues drop under plan
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Custodians won’t be replaced, $1.72 million will be taken from reserve fund.
Index
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see wind Turbine, a3
By CHRIS CHANCELLOR
They stand along Interstate 90 in rural Kittitas County on the east side of the Cascades, the metal propellers spinning on each of the 149 towers at the Wild Horse Wind Farm. It might be the only image of a wind turbine some South Kitsap High School students have seen. But that will change next year as Chance Gower, career technical and education instructional specialist at South, was named Dec. 9 as one of 12 winners of the Office of Naval Research Sponsoring Scholars in Science Award. In collaboration with Sara Hatfield and Mike Sheppard, career technical and education agriculture science teachers at South, Gower submitted
and pension rates along with inflation as issues. In addition to the money saved on custodians, Patton said the district will dip into its reserve fund for $1.72 million. She said that’s not all bad because the district saved more than it anticipated in its last fiscal year, which ends Aug. 31. Patton said they also will save through not filling other vacant positions in the district, and through cutting expenses on supplies. The board unanimously adopted the budget. Patton warned in previous meetings that the “hard decisions” likely won’t end
Staff writer
SEE SCHOOL, PAGE A2
activities she reported as stemming from Keehn’s attempts to operate a business out of her home. Weaver said following an April 11 hearing with the city’s Hearing Examiner, certain conditions were placed on Keehn’s permit to mitigate Cronan’s concerns before she would be allowed to operate her business. “(Keehn) has addressed all but one of those conditions, with the last being the letter from the (Kitsap County) Health Department,” Weaver said, explaining that Keehn’s current sewer facilities are
SEE NEIGHBORS, PAGE A2
By CHRIS CHANCELLOR
Staff Writer
chasing it last spring. City Development Director James Weaver confirmed that Keehn received a conditional-use permit to operate a onechair hair salon out of her home, which he described as “pretty innocuous” and something that doesn’t typically reach “the level of intensive use,” as far as impacts on the neighborhood are concerned. However, since November of 2007, Cronan has filed multiple complaints with the city regarding traffic, noise and other
Award from Navy program will build wind turbine on high school campus
$5.50 recommended for Narrows Bridge photo-toll
where in souTh kiTsap? | chrisTmas special
The South Kitsap School District is a little closer to closing its $2.9 million deficit for the upcoming school year. Terri Patton, assistant superintendent for business and support services, said at Wednesday’s school board meeting that the district won’t replace five full-time custodians who left the district after the last school year. She said that will save the district $250,000. Patton said the deficit stems from unforeseen circumstances when the district presented its last levy to voters in 2004. She cited escalating teacher salaries
Taking science to new heights
Santa Claus is Coming
Jesse Beals/Staff Photo
shot in three of her home’s windows. Cronan, who lives on the 200 block of Flower Meadows Street in Port Orchard, said she believed the attack was part of an ongoing dispute with Keehn, whom she alleges has been running a hair salon out of her home without a business license and in defiance of a city “stop-work” order. Keehn, 30, said she filed for permission from the city of Port Orchard to operate a hair salon out of her home on the 2300 block of Flower Avenue soon after pur-
SOUTH KITSAP’S SOURCE FOR LOCAL NEWS AND INFORMATION SINCE 1890
Merry Christmas PORT ORCHARD
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SEE NARROWS BRIDGE, A8
Boat launch needs replacing, but who’s going to pay for it?
Tim kelly/staff photo
Louise Ness handpainted the Nativity scene figures and made the lighted sign to go with them in her yard on Warner Avenue just north of Mile Hill Drive. By KAITLIN STROHSCHEIN approached the port with the possibility of a threeStaff Writer way partnership between Port Orchard, the Port of Bremerton and SAFE Boats International, a Someone needs to replace the city’s Water Street privately owned company that damaged the ramp By TIM KELLY of the NativityBoat sceneLaunch. in her yard this ed to turn ’em over and paint significantly, theNess, city. who has a long them,” according me for it,”tosaid Editor and widow the Portsaid thisSAFE Christmas season.Leaders representing Port has for years usedinvolvement. the facility to theOrchard 84-year-old week.Boats history of community agree on that. But they disagree The figures ofinBremerton her Nativity scene launch industrial boats trucks, like semiLooking out theabout front window of She gotwith the heavy idea for her sign when She had some help drilling the are plywood cutouts who should pick up the $250,000 to $400,000 she handpainted the Warner Avenuetab. home where she’s she saw a church last year displaying a SEE BOAT LAUNCH, A11 holes, but Louise Ness did the rest, after buying the whole Several Orchard’ city1940s, councilshe said she’s “Celebrate setmonths for $10 ago, at a Port lived sincesthe Jesus” message. poking a small bulb through each hole yard sale a couple years ago. seen passing cars stop and back up to SheCody decided useMilford, “praise” instead Wrightto from Utah, got a mouth f Bronc Riding competition Wednesday n so the message “Praise Jesus” would The cutouts had fading, peeling take a longer look at her display. in herSaddle lighted sign because “I didn’t be spelled out in red lights in front paper designs on one side, “so I decid“I’ve had people stop in and thank want to do anything too long.”
Woman offers her holiday message with homemade display in yard
City plan to hire lobbyist has supporters, skeptics
New Year’s Eve options abound Gig Harbor has used firm for years
Opinion A6 By BRETT CIHON Robert Meadows A6 The Blue willSTROSCHEIN hold a “meat shoot” Staff Writer ByGoose KAITLIN Staff Writer Thinking Allowed A7 shuffleboard contest. With prizes from a New Year’s Eve is right around the cor- whole ham to bacon and eggs, winners Scene & Heard A9 Port Orchard’s city council ner. A time to reflect on the year passed, could start off 2012 on a full stomach. Sports A10 last shoot week all to the paytime, $25,000 and the year to come. A perfect to Photo “We dovoted the meat ” said Obituaries A8 Jeff time Rhodes/Staff to Gordon Thomas with friends.with a jolly, old Susie Geister, co-owner of theHoneywell tavern next Business Logan Erickson A5 celebratescelebrate One-year-old the season by family havingand breakfast
if your revelry takes you to the Blue elf at Santa’s Kitchin on Bay Street in Port And Orchard. Goose Tavern, you could win some meat.
Governmental Affairs to repsee new year’s eve, a4
Blue Goose resent theco-owner community to the Tavern state and federal Susie Geisterlevels of government, the investment will host and a “meat comes with the expectation the shoot” shufflerelationship will yield tangible board contest on New Eve. A24 SEEYear’s CITY LOBBYIST, brett cihon/staff photo
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Index Inside
911 BriefsA Section A5 Editorial A4 Opinion A6 Robert Meadows A4 Robert Meadows A6 Scene & Heard A5 Sports A6 Best of the Blogs A7 Legal Notices A7 Scene & Heard A9 Mary Colborn A7 Obituaries A8 Obituaries A11 Inserts: Fred Meyer, RiteAid, Letters A11 Office Depot, Best Buy, Staples, Wal-Mart, Valassis FYI A12 Printed with recycled paper and environmentally friendly soybean oil-based ink.
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Ten neigh ed to both Coun strain Sh strain after Aug.