PATRIOT BREMERTON
KITSAP WEEK: STAYING YOUNG WITH A SONG IN THIS EDITION
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015 | Vol. 17, No. 51 | WWW.BREMERTONPATRIOT.COM | 50¢
Bowler rolls through competition, wins state title BY PETER O’CAIN
POCAIN@SOUNDPUBLISHING.COM
Last year, Bremerton High School had the best girls’ bowling team in the state. Now they have the best individual bowler. Megan Wittenberg, a senior, won the individual state bowling title Feb. 6 at the WIAA Class 3A/2A state championships at Narrows Plaza in Tacoma. “Winning with team was really exciting. I was sad they couldn’t make it this year,” Wittenberg said. “I told my team … I was going to try to win for all of them.” Her six game total of 1,283 wasn’t just best in her class, it was tops in the state. “It was very exciting,” Wittenberg said. “It was kind of unbelievable to me and I was
kind of in shock.” She stumbled in the third game, rolling a 152–her lowest score by 51 points. “I missed a few easy spares that kind of got to me,” Wittenberg said. “I wasn’t hitting my mark as much as I should have been.” This was her fourth time at state and she was a member of the BHS team that won state last year. Her coach, Dean Wagner, thinks all her experience helped her stay level-headed. “She expected to have a game like that and be able to get back from it,” Wagner said. “It’s how you buckle back down and get going.” Wittenberg took a break for lunch and collected herself. She was still in the top five and still a chance to place very high.
“You can’t let one bad game ruin your day you just have to re-find your mark and keep a positive attitude,” Wittenberg said. The next game she bowled a 251–her highest score of the day. “She’s bowled so much that she doesn’t ride the highs and lows so much,” Wagner said. “Bowling becomes a mental game at that level.” Wittenberg was paired with Lauryn Heying, of Fort Vancouver High School, who placed second at the tournament. Wittenberg said Heying pushed her to bowl well. “Having her in front of me did help,” Wittenberg said. “I was basically trying to follow her all day.” Wittenberg wasn’t the only SEE BOWLER, A13
Courtesy photo
Coach Dean Wagner and Megan Wittenberg pose with Wittenberg’s first place medal.
Harrison Medical Center and Regence BlueShield expect to sign contract soon BY RICHARD D. OXLEY AND CHRIS TUCKER
CTUCKER@SOUNDPUBLISHING.COM
BREMERTON — In the wake of last year’s failed negotiations on medical reimbursements, Regence BlueShield and Harrison Medical Center have returned to the table and are expected to finalize a new contract soon. The agreement would place thousands of Regence customers back in-network with Harrison, meaning
insurance programs back into network with Harrison, equating to lower medical costs for patients. “We are in discussion and hope to come to an agreement soon,” said Jennifer Morgan, spokesperson for Regence BlueShield. “With this conversation happening, Harrison could be back in network for those
members.” Harrison has been considered outof-network for Regence customers since contract negotiations broke down in August, both companies citing disagreements over rates. “Harrison hasn’t been an in-network provider since Aug. 22,” Morgan said. “The agreement that they requested, reimbursement rates were not inline with what was reasonable. We are always working for members to keep things affordable.” She added, “Regence remains
committed to providing our members with the best possible service at an affordable cost and that’s what these negotiations are about.” Thompson also said that the discussions are about keeping costs affordable. “Both sides wanted to have an agreement,” Thompson said. “It really benefits Harrison and Regence to have a contract where members can get in-network services. The difficult
While state fire codes can’t be changed by local government, Wheeler hopes to assemble a team to go through fire codes line by line and to find which local amendments ness-friendly. Council chair Greg can be changed. Wheeler wants to have a developWheeler hopes relaxing some codes will help fill the many unoccupied er’s perspective, but Mayor Patty Lent commercial buildings in Bremerton. said realtors were present when the In many cases, the city’s codes are city’s codes were put in place. Nevertheless, Wheeler intends to more stringent than state requireput a spotlight on the policies. ments. “I’ve already got the resources Heavy fire codes can make opening a business difficult. New busi- ready to go,” Wheeler said. nesses must ensure their building “Move to Bremerton” meets city code before opening, Councilman Eric Younger sugwhich can be expensive. “It’s made retrofitting old buildings gested marketing Bremerton housing directly to Seattle with a “Move not cost effective,” Wheeler said.
to Bremerton” campaign. “I don’t think we have an affordable housing problem, Seattle does,” Younger said. “I think we have an undiscovered gem.” Younger even proposed using MxPx’s “Move to Bremerton” as the campaign’s song. Councilman Dino Davis said all three members of the famous punk rock band still live in Bremerton. Davis supported Younger’s idea and said there’s no better place for affordable waterfront property than Bremerton. “Our community, you can just walk to work, walk to the ferry terminal,” Younger said. “A lot of people are working from home.”
Due to budget constraints, Younger suggested finding a retired person to spearhead the idea. He also suggested crowdsourcing a commercial, similar to some recent Doritos’ Super Bowl ads. Councilman Roy Runyon noted that the city would need to address negative aspects of Bremerton’s image. “Marketing Bremerton as affordable is great as long as we’re dealing with perception problems,” Runyon said. Runyon specifically mention a perceived high number of sex offenders in the area. There are 35 sex offend-
Contract negotiations are expected to conclude soon. Check for an updated story online at www.bremertonpatriot.com lower medical costs for patients. “We are sort of on the goal line right now,” said Scott Thompson of CHI Franciscan Health, with which Harrison Medical Center is affiliated. “Hopefully it will be done soon,” he said. The negotiations would bring members of Regence BlueShield
SEE REGENCE, A13
Less-stringent fire codes, ‘Move to Bremerton’ campaign considered by city City fire code makes retrofitting old buildings too costly, councilman says BY PETER O’CAIN POCAIN@SOUNDPUBLISHING.COM
The Bremerton City Council held its annual retreat at Gold Mountain Golf Club Feb. 7. The council used the informal meeting to present new ideas and gauge support from other members. “Time to do something about empty buildings” Bremerton has also developed a reputation for not being busi-
SEE RETREAT, A13
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