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FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015 | Vol. 17, No. 46 | WWW.BREMERTONPATRIOT.COM | 50¢
2014: A year in review
People in the news in 2014 … Where Elections, Jenise Wright, hospital changes and road work among top stories of 2014 are they now? BY LESLIE KELLY
LKELLY@SOUNDPUBLISHING.COM
BY ILY GOYANES AND LESLIE KELLY
Many times we write about people because they have some connection to a news story. But after the news passes, we seem to forget them. Today, we’re checking in with some of the newsmakers from the past year to see how they are coping with the losses or celebrating the successes of the incidents that got them in the news in the first place.
LKELLY@SOUNDPUBLISHING.COM
As 2015 begins and 2014 becomes history, the Central Kitsap Reporter and the Bremerton Patriot newspapers are taking a look back at the top headlines of 2014. The Editorial Advisory Board of both papers helped the news staff to make choices about the news that rose to the top in 2014. Summaries of those stories below came from previously published stories in both papers. The top stories of 2014 are: • The Jenise Wright murder Gabriel Gaeta, a 17-year-old star high school wrestler, was charged with the rape and murder of six-yearold Jenise Wright in what was probably the most heartbreaking news story of the year. The child had last been seen on Saturday, Aug. 2, in her Bremerton home, and was reported missing by her parents the following evening. FBI, Washington State Patrol, and local police teamed up to investigate the child’s disappearance, with Jenise’s parents being asked to undergo a lie detector test at one point during the investigation. Her body was found on Thursday, Aug. 7, in a wooded area near the family home. Gaeta, a neighbor of the Wright family in the Steele Creek Mobile Park in East Bremerton, was arrested and charged with murder and rape of a child two days later, after investigators found DNA evidence linking him to the crime. Gaeta is being tried as an adult and currently awaiting trail for aggravated first-degree murder and aggravated rape. • “Red Tide” election of County Commissioner Ed Wolfe and Prosecutor Tina Robinson The Nov. 4 general election resulted in two real nail biters. The “Red Tide” that swept the nation may have flowed through Kitsap County’s prosecuting attorney and county commission races, but certainly not by a landslide. Republican Tina Robinson squeezed out a victory against Democrat incumbent Russ Hauge, who
located seven miles from each other and offer many of the same services. Harrison officials predict the consolidation will amount to at least $10 million to $15 million in savings per year. The new hospital will be located in Silverdale. The company asked for input from the community to determine which outpatient services to continue offering in Bremerton and expects recommendations from the Bremerton community in the spring of 2015. Aside from deciding to consolidate the two hospitals, Harrison has also been battling with insurance company, Regence, as well as its own employees. Harrison and Regence failed to reach an agreement regarding reimbursement costs, thereby terminating their contract on Aug. 22, transforming Harrison into an “out of network” provider. Regence customers are now being offered a discount by Harrison in hopes that
• Scott Bosch, former CEO Harrison Medical Center Bosch, who was CEO at Harrison for a decade, retired last July. While at Harrison, Bosch oversaw the hospital’s affiliation with Franciscan Health System, which came shortly before he decided to retire. Since then, he’s been keeping busy “trying to stay physically active.” “ It s e e m s like you have to stop living Scott Bosch when you’re working,” he said. “Now I’ve stopped working and started living.” He is focusing on his health — mind, body and spirit. He runs, swims and does yoga, each four times a week. He recently completed a triathlon. “When I was working, I always had an excuse not to exercise,” he said. “Now I don’t have that excuse.” Another of his adventures was to attend Burning Man in the middle of the desert in Nevada. “I promised my son that I’d do that with him after I retired,” he said. “It was a very harsh environment. It was an amazing life experience, but not a vacation by any means.” There, amidst sleep deprivation, he was able to have an intense bonding experience with his 32-year-old son, he said. Travel has also been on his mind. “My wife just retired from 37 years as a hospital pharmacist,” he said. “While she was working, I did the laundry and the cleaning. I also was the sous chef, helping her so that
SEE TOP STORIES, A5
SEE PEOPLE OF 2014, A6
File photos
Clockwise from top left: Republican Ed Wolfe celebrates early returns that showed he was leading the Kitsap County District 3 race for county commissioner; Jenise Wright; The Silverdale Library; Harrison Medical Center employees picket outside the hospital. was seeking his sixth term as Kitsap County prosecuting attorney. Republican Edward Wolfe also scored a narrow victory against his opponent Democrat Linda Streissguth for a commissioner seat in District 3 on the Kitsap County Board of Commissioners. • Location selected for new Silverdale Library In August, the board of the Kitsap Regional Library chose a Bucklin Hill Road location, referred to as the Clear Creek site due to its location parallel to the creek, among four possible locations for a new Silverdale Library. Other options included two county-owned locations on the Central Kitsap Community Campus, and an existing structure on Randall Way, behind the Silverdale YMCA. Following the August decision, the KRL board unanimously voted to purchase the property located at the corner of Bucklin Hill Road and Blaine Avenue at a meeting on Nov. 25.
The decision came after a request for a stay on the decision from Rob MacDermid, a long-time vocal advocate for the Central Kitsap Community Campus. According to MacDermid, the site Clear Creek selection ignored public sentiment. Library officials said it will cost over $6 million to acquire the privately-owned 1.14 acre property and build and equip the proposed 10,000-square-foot library. Construction could begin as early as fall of 2016. • Harrison Hospital affiliates with Franciscan; announces plans to consolidate hospitals in Silverdale; has tough contract negotiations with its healthcare workers Harrison Medical Center is undergoing major changes after its merger with Tacoma-based Franciscan Health System last year. In November, Harrison’s Board of Directors finalized its decision to consolidate its hospitals in Silverdale and Bremerton. The two hospitals are
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