By JUSTINE FREDERIKSEN Staff Writer
Suquamish Tribe after at least one Port Orchard resident expressed concerns about the nature of the pact. Steve Slaton, the port’s director of marine facilities, said that interest in the contract was sparked after a letter to
the editor written by Mark Morgan was published. “Based on my conversation with Mr. Morgan, he had run into a barrier during his walk on the (Port Orchard Marina’s dock), and wanted to know about the fish-
ing boats he saw,” Slaton said, explaining that while there were tribal members fishing nearby, the boats were not the reason for the barrier. “One of the metal hinges on the public dock broke, and we didn’t want anyone to
reached with the Suquamish Tribe in December of 2005, which he described as mitigation for a planned expansion of the Bremerton marina.
INDEPENDENT
The Port of Bremerton will be discussing on Tuesday an agreement reached nearly three years ago with the
P ORT ORCHARD SLOP-ALONG CASSIDY
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A measure of faith ...
INSIDE: Kitsap Weekly.
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THE SIZE OF A MUSTARD SEED sees enrollment
KITSAPWEEKLY
‘We will help any woman who comes to us.’ — Vivi-Ann Parnell
The work of the
Kathleen Sutton Fund Kathleen Sutton Fund
Matthes, Garrido advance in SK commissioner race; Dalton, Danielson in judicial contest.
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SEPT. 25-OCT. 1, 2015 | ARTS, CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & KITSAP CLASSIFIEDS | 65,000 CIRCULATION
The late Kathleen Sutton inspired the fund bearing her name.
SEE PORT, PAGE A8
One person’s cancer fight: A multi-part series:
By CHARLIE BERMANT 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).
— Story, pages 2-3
Bostyx performs the hits of Boston and Styx beginning at 8 p.m. Sept. 26 at The Point Casino Event Center, Little Boston. Tickets $10 advance and $15 day of show. The group includes David Victor of Boston, second from left.
OPINION: Move forward on YMCA study. A4
A4 A4 A5 A6 A7 A7 A8
Inserts: Fred Meyer, RiteAid, Office Depot, Best Buy, Staples, Wal-Mart, Valassis Printed with recycled paper and environmentally friendly soybean oil-based ink.
TIM MATTHES
In addition to the money saved on cusThe South Kitsap School District is a todians, Patton said the district will dip SEEmillion. ENROLLMENT, A3 little closer to closing its $2.9 million defi- into its reserve fund for $1.72 She said that’s not all bad because the cit for the upcoming school year. Terri Patton, assistant superintendent district saved more than it anticipated in for business and support services, said at its last fiscal year, which ends Aug. 31. Patton said they also will save through Wednesday’s school board that Bobmeeting Smith / Independent the district won’t replace five full-time not filling other vacant positions in the custodians who left the district after the district, and through cutting expenses on supplies. last school year. The board unanimously adopted the She said that will save the district budget. $250,000. Patton warned in previous meetings Patton said the deficit stems from unforeseen circumstances when the district that the “hard decisions” likely won’t end presented its last levy to voters in 2004. insurance at the time, visited the She cited escalating teacher salaries SEE SCHOOL, PAGE A2
PSE natural-gas rate drop may be coming Neighbor denies pellet gun shooting New Port Orchard resident endures long cancer fight, is a survivor who persevered through faith and pain Jesse Beals/Staff Photo
A Section Editorial Robert Meadows Scene & Heard Sports Legal Notices Mary Colborn Obituaries
By CHRIS CHANCELLOR
cchancellor@soundpublishing.com
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Chelene Taylor Logan holds a photo showing her and husband Steven just after she went through a round of chemotherapy to irradicate lymphatic cancer.
Cody Wright from Milford, Utah, got a mouth full of mud and a zero score after falling off Strawberry Delight in the By BOB SMITH “I got written up for being late or Saddle Bronc Riding competition Wednesday night at the Kitsap County Stampede. The fair runs through Sunday. rsmith@portorchardindependent.com not being able to come to work,”
SPORTS: Inside Errors doom Wolves in Olympia. A20
District officials project 45 more students than a year ago
CHARLOTTE South Kitsap School District officials reportGARRIDO ed an enrollment increase for a second consecutive year. Annette Baker, SKSD’s business office director, said during the Sept. 16 board meeting that the district had a projected 9,414.22 fulltime equivalent (FTE) students enrolled for September. That represents a significant increase from JEANETTE BRUCE SEE UPSETS, PAGE A2 FTE enrolled in September 2014. DALTONthe 9,083.16DANIELSON But that number also is deceptive because the state now funds all-day kindergarten at eight of SKSD’s 10 elementary schools. Baker said that resulted in 314 additional FTE than last year when kindergarteners still counted as .5 FTE. Based on head count, she said 45 more students were enrolled in the district than last year. There are 9,620 students enrolled this year. SKSD retains Greene Gasaway Architects of Federal Way to project future attendance. ▼ Custodians won’t be replaced, $1.72 District officials budgeted for 9,180 FTE for this million will be taken fromschool reserve year and fund. 9,570 overall. Enrollment numbers and pension rates along with inflationare as significant because By CHRIS CHANCELLOR issues. the state provides funding for each FTE. Tracy Staff Writer
BEST BET Come sail away to a night with Bostyx
Les Schwab heading to Sedgwick. A3
increase this year
overcrowded local county hospital. Taylor recalled from her Port A doctor made a quick diagnosis Chelene Taylor was on top of Orchard home. “My boss didn’t in the hospital hallway despite not By BOB SMITH the world when she turned 21. rsmith@portorchardindependent.com believe there was anything wrong taking blood tests or giving an The hair stylist in Palm Springs, with me” other than a tendency of ultrasound: “You have gonorrhea.” Calif., was full of life and energy. Thanks to a drop in natural-gas prices, Puget staying out too late or coming in Taylor made a third attempt She was like so many other young Sound Energy customers likely will see a signifactivities she reported as stemming from with a hangover. to gethome to the rootbusiness. of her illness by Keehn’s icant women who’dsides reachedreport adulthood feeling drop theiranatural-gas energy bills. attempts to in operate business ▼ Both harassed in rift over Taylor couldn’t pinpoint why seeing her family doctor, who put out of her home. and began to carve out a new life. The company has asked the state Utilities Weaver saidTransportation following an AprilCommission, 11 hearit last spring.of antibiotics. She shot three of hergoing home’shaywire. windows.The chasing By herinbody was her on a dose ForJUSTINE her, lifeFREDERIKSEN was not just good, it and or UTC, to Staff Writer ing with the city’s Hearing Examiner, cerCity Development Director James Cronan, who lives on the 200 block of issue became urgent around the returned to her doctor after runwas great. approve a rate drop of 15 percent for its 790,000 Flower Meadows Street in Port Orchard, Weaver confirmed that Keehn received tain conditions were placed on Keehn’s Fourth of Julythe2010 when sheof an a conditional-use ning a high permit fever all week. After But thenbetween everything turned customers. Filings mitigate Cronan’s concerns be- for two separate to operate a one- permit toresidential she believed attack was part Tensions two Port Orchard said wouldplans be allowed operate her UTC Sept. 18. hair salon out of Chelene’ her home,s which dispute withgroin Keehn,area whom neighbors that erupted afterbegan one attemptnoticed that her wasshe chair taking her vitals, doctor fore she rate upside down. Chelene wak- ongoing were to made to the described the as “pretty innocuous” and business. If state regulators approve the requests, resihas been running a hair salon out he changed ed open a home business last year led alleges tender. diagnosis once again ingtoup with a variety of ailments. “(Keehn) has addressed all but one of both women to head down to the Kitsap of her home without a business license something that doesn’t typically reach became really tender and an even more startling First, she had a nagging dential natural-gas with the last customers being the using an average “thetolevel of intensive use,” as conclufar as those conditions, in defiance of a city “stop-work” County Courthouse Monday cough and filethat re- and “It hard,” she said. “And it would hurt impacts sion:on shethe wasneighborhood HIV-positive. lasted three days. That was folof 68 monthHealth could expect to see thetherms (Kitsap aCounty) are con- letter from order. straining orders against each other. Weaver said, explaining Keehn,I30, said sheit. filed Sheliaby Cronan, 49, said she filed a rewhen touched ” for permission cerned.Amidst the shock and disbe- Department,” lowed excruciating backaches, their monthly bill drop from about $81 to $69. However, since November of 2007, that Keehn’s current sewer facilities are straining order against Amber Keehn from the city of Port Orchard to operate A local urgent-care center phylief after the diagnosis, Taylor which were replaced by horrible Average bills for PSE customers haven’t been after returning home from a camping trip a hair salon out of her home on the 2300 Cronan has filed multiple complaints with sician determined had deep an omen:traffic, something didn’t week-long sinus headaches. low since 2004, to spokesman SEEthat NEIGHBORS, PAGE according A2 city regarding noise and other of Flower Avenueshe soon after pur- thehad Aug. 17 and discovering pellets had been block vein thrombosis, a life-threatening seem right, she thought. After This seemingly random collecRay Lane. blood-clot condition. That’ s when tion ofSOUTH illnesses KITSAP’S disrupted her life, SOURCE FOR LOCAL NEWS AND INFORMATION SINCE 1890 SEE PSE, A3 a weakened Taylor, without health especially when it involved work. SEE CANCER, A5
South Kitsap’s Source for News & Information Since 1890