HERALD NORTH K ITSAP
Friday, October 30, 2015 | Vol. 114, No. 44 | NorthKitsapHerald.com | 50¢
Gas report: What went wrong Parents notified days later of odors, evacuations By SOPHIE BONOMI
sbonomi@northkitsapherald.com
POULSBO — Poulsbo Elementary School principal Claudia Alves didn’t notify parents of gas-like odors that forced the evacuation of their classrooms — on Sept. 17 and 25 — until Sept. 28. But a parent claims district officials, not Alves, are to blame. In a letter to the Herald, Brooke Hammett writes that Alves tried to promptly notify parents of the gas leak, but her email was rejected by district officials because of the wording. Alves declined to comment, referring all questions to the district office. School board president Beth Worthington said she understood the parent’s account to be true. “The district should have notified parents sooner. No one person should be singled out,” she said.
INSIDE: Pages A12-13 HALLOWEEN: Kitsap Weekly
Family of man killed in crash sues NKF&R Negligence claimed in July 4, 2014 collision STAFF REPORT
Students were twice removed from their rooms because of natural-gas odor at Poulsbo Elementary School before parents were notified. Sophie Bonomi / Herald be notified on the day of the evacuation.” And Chris Fraser, president of the North Kitsap Education Association, said “schools have put new proto-
As accounts of the delay unfolded, changes in notification were in the works. Alves sent an email to parents on Sept. 28, “in the future you will
cols in place with concerns relating to odors.” Here’s what happened. See GAS LEAK, Page A11
Emma Otis packed a lot of living into those 114 years By RICHARD WALKER
rwalker@northkitsapherald.com
POULSBO — Emma Otis credited her long life to an active outdoor lifestyle, eating oatmeal every day, and even enjoying a little rock ’n’ roll. And a long, active life she enjoyed: As a child growing up in Gig Harbor, she regularly rowed
across Tacoma Narrows to Point Defiance. As an adult, she climbed Mount Rainier, Mount St. Helens and Mount Constance. She lived on her own until she was 105, tending to her garden and lawn until she was 100. The state bird is the goldfinch; you can thank Otis for that, as she’s the one who proposed and lobbied
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for it. And if you’ve ever enjoyed Girl Scout camp at Camp St. Albans in Belfair, you have Otis to thank for that too, as she helped found it. In fact, she remained dedicated to the Girl Scouts of America all her active life — she believed in the empowerment it gave to young See OTIS, Page A14
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Emma Otis was oldest Girl Scout
KINGSTON — The family of a man killed in a collision with a North Kitsap Fire & Rescue engine on July 4, 2014 is suing the department for negligence. Jason T. Foster’s family filed suit in King County Superior Court on Oct. 7. Named as defendants are the department and Scott Sommers, the firefighter behind the “It’s a wheel of the engine tragedy. when the crash It’ll always occurred. Foster’s family be that is represented by way for us.” Nathan P. Roberts and John R. Connelly — North Kitsap Fire & Rescue Jr. of Connelly Law Chief Dan Smith, Offices and Rodney on the July 4, B. Ray of Margullis 2014 crash that & Ray Attorneys at killed Jason T. Law, both of Tacoma. Foster The department is represented by Terence J. Scanlan of Skellenger Bender of Seattle. The lawsuit is filed in King County because that’s where Sommers lives. Trial is scheduled for Oct. 3, 2016. A Kitsap County sheriff’s investigator found Sommers “failed to give right of way” and, in a 303-page investigation report, recommended he be cited for failure to “keep right except when passing, etc.” A See LAWSUIT, Page A18
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