Port Orchard
FRIDAY, September 7, 2012 n Vol. 121, No. 35 n www.portorchardindependent.com n 50¢
Jesse Beals/Staff Photo
SK students outperform others
Inside A4 A4 A5 A6 A7 A7 A8
Inserts: Fred Meyer, RiteAid, Office Depot, Best Buy, Staples, Wal-Mart, Valassis
A Section Editorial Robert Meadows Scene & Heard Sports Legal Notices Mary Colborn Obituaries
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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-
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CHARLOTTE GARRIDO
BRUCE DANIELSON
District’s laundry person has washed more than 150,000 loads since 1981
By CHARLIE BERMANT
TIM MATTHES
JEANETTE DALTON
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
South Kitsap’s Source for News & Information Since 1890
Staff Writer
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). SEE UPSETS, PAGE A2
SEE SCHOOL, PAGE A2
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
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By CHRIS CHANCELLOR Staff Writer
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
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
Both sides report feeling harassed in rift over home business. By JUSTINE FREDERIKSEN
Staff Writer
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
SOUTH KITSAP’S SOURCE FOR LOCAL NEWS AND INFORMATION SINCE 1890
Parks takes the load off South Kitsap players’ backs
Staff report
Custodians won’t be replaced, $1.72 million will be taken from reserve fund.
Chris Chancellor and Greg Skinner/Staff Photos
▼ Matthes, Garrido advance in SK commissioner race; Dalton, Danielson in judicial contest.
See Top Students, A9
South Kitsap School District’s Gloria Parks has worked in the high school’s laundry room since 1981. Parks, who has washed more than 150,000 loads during that span, said she averages 28 to 45 loads per day.
Locals mostly fare better in reading, math than average
Neighbor denies pellet gun shooting
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.
Independent
Printed with recycled paper and environmentally friendly soybean oil-based ink.
See 150,000 loads, A9
The motto is lettered into a mug and hangs from the wall in her room between the locker rooms at South Kitsap High School. “It’s a dirty job and I get to do it.” That has been the weekday
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out a few years later. The other occurred when a football coach broke a pen in the pocket of his shorts. “If he hadn’t let it sit for two days, I would’ve gotten it out,” Parks said. She said every other stain, ranging from axel- and motor-oil
in the four big washers and three dryers — she does. As of July 30, Parks washed 154,150 loads of laundry for teams. “Only two stains have defeated me,” she said. One was a kicker who sat on a piece of candy and “it dyed them the prettiest shade of hot pink you’ve ever seen.” They remained that color until they were tossed
routine for Gloria Parks, 60, since she began working as South Kitsap School District’s laundry person in 1981. Since the Wolves defeated Lincoln on Oct. 29, 1982. She has worked for the district for 39 years after starting in food services. Parks keeps detailed handwritten notes on the number of loads — she averages 28 to 45 per day
Senior Reporter
Canton leads Wolves to win in first game of the season Blackberry festival fly-in attracts a crowd
State high-school examinations increasingly are becoming more important as they are rolled into graduation requirements. Last week, state officials released results of standardized tests taken last spring. High-school students take the High School Proficiency Exam (HSPE) and end-of-course (EOC) exams in algebra, geometry and biology. Tests for students in elementary and middle schools are known as Measurements of Student Progress (MSP). South Kitsap School District director of instructional services Shannon Thompson said some of that data revealed a positive trend for the district. In biology, which eventually will become a state requirement for graduation, 64.1 percent of students statewide passed. Thompson said the district, which did not have data for that exam by press time, showed an improvement from from HSPE scores in March 2011, but acknowledged it is a small sample size. Students will have to pass both algebra and geometry exams in addition to biology to graduate in 2015. “Our scores improved, but I would like to see that over time to know what to attribute that to,” she said. Students in third through eighth grade and sophomores are examined in reading. In those grades, SKSD students passing ranged from 65.9 percent in eighth grade to 80.2 percent as sophomores. The district’s scores exceeded the state average in third through sixth grades and
By CHRIS CHANCELLOR
South Kitsap win 37-20 Northwest Beech Boys