REPORTER CENTRAL KITSAP
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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2015 | Vol. 32, No. 10 | WWW.CENTRALKITSAPREPORTER.COM | 50¢
IN THIS EDITION
Silverdale man finishes 24th in ‘Ultraman’ Greg Pelton and Beth Brewster compete in grueling contest where ‘persistence is key’ BY SOPHIE BONOMI SBONOMI@SOUNDPUBLISHING.COM
NEWS Star Wars 501st Garrison to visit Bremerton
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POULSBO — Few would argue that swimming miles in ocean currents, climbing 7,600 vertical feet and running a double marathon is an incredible accomplishment to complete in three days. But for two Kitsap County residents, the 320-mile Ultraman World Championship — Nov. 27-29 in Hawaii — was a journey to overcome fear, harsh and hazardous conditions and to redefine their personal best.
“My legs are just tired,” Beth Brewster told the Herald in a phone interview from Hawaii on Dec. 4. “And my feet are incredibly blistered. But persistence is key. You have to have that goal; then it becomes mind over matter, and you just accept the fact that you’re in pain.” Brewster, 45, finished 26th in the overall event and came in third for women. Navy retiree Greg Pelton, 54, of Silverdale, placed 24th. Both have competed in previous Ultraman events in Canada, however for both, this was the first world championship.
“Racers who have finished other Ultramans are top priority,” said Brewster, one of five female competitors in the race. More than 95 percent of the global participants have raced in at least one previous Ultraman. “If you’re new to Ultraman, you have to submit your race packet and show SEE ULTRAMAN, A9
GETTING READY FOR THE HOLIDAYS
NEWS Wanted man wrestles with police dog
BY MICHELLE BEAHM
BREMERTON — Joe Kennedy, suspended assistant varsity football coach and head junior varsity football coach of Bremerton High School, has filed a charge of religious discrimination with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) against the Bremerton School District. Kennedy was suspended by the school district on Oct. 28 for publicly praying on the 50-yard line after high school football games. Students would join him, but Kennedy said he never encouraged it. However, the school district stated that his praying while on duty as an official district representative was akin to the district endorsing one religion over others, which is against
Chris Tucker / staff photo
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CRIME Man buys fake heroin and is shot by dealer
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Coach files complaint over football prayer MBEAHM@SOUNDPUBLISHING.COM
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OPINION Episode VII heralds new phase
Photo courtesy Bradley K. Wolfe
Greg Pelton completes the swim portion of the Ultraman World Championship, Nov. 27.
ABOVE: Steve Moss, left, and Olmsted Tree Farm employee Joe McJunkin load a Christmas tree into Moss’s truck at the Kitsap Mall parking lot Dec. 15. Moss and his wife, Gail, bought two trees at lot. “One is for my daughter who works over in Seattle,” Moss said. RIGHT: McJunkin loads a tree into a truck for Erin Horton and Kathy Luty of Bremerton.
the law. A Dec. 15 press release from the law firm representing Kennedy, the Liberty Institute, states, “Coach Kennedy has prayed after football games for the last seven years. Bremerton School District admits Coach Kennedy did not encourage students to participate in his prayers — and no students, coaches or parents ever complained. Nevertheless, in September 2015, the Bremerton School District sent Coach Kennedy a letter, ordering him to stop praying with players after the game. The school district later denied Coach Kennedy’s request for a religious accommodation and announced that Coach Kennedy was prohibited from engaging in any visible religious expression while SEE COMPLAINT, A9
21-year-old booked on suspicion of killing grandfather at Bremerton home BY CHRIS TUCKER CTUCKER@CENTRALKITSAPREPORTER.COM
BREMERTON — A 21-year-old suspect in an early morning homicide investigation has been booked into the Kitsap County Jail on a charge of murder in the first degree. Bail was set at $2 million. The man, later identified as William Bradley
Jackson III, 21, called 911 around 1:58 a.m. Dec. 15 to report that he had been drinking and had killed his grandfather about an hour earlier. Kitsap County Sheriff’s patrol deputies were dispatched to a home in the 2000 block of NW Shamrock Drive, in the Rocky Point area of Bremerton, at 1:58 a.m. SEE HOMICIDE, A9
Chris Tucker / staff photo
Officers investigate a home on Shamrock Drive Dec. 15.
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