News Writer of the Year - Bob Smith Port Orchard Independent by Robert Smith

Friday, July 27, 2018 - Port Orchard Independent

KitsapDailyNews.com

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The Tragedy of Suicide: Part 3

Some chronic pain sufferers consider the unthinkable By BOB SMITH

Kitsap News Group

PORT ORCHARD — When Marty Mioni’s horrific back pain from a litany of ruptured discs and surgeries has subsided enough, the 63-year-old woman is able to care for her husband — nearly bedridden with Stage 5 renal disease — in their Port

MAILER

CONTINUED FROM A1

mailer is headlined “Extremist Emily Randall. Opening the wrong doors for Washington families.” Labeling her “Too soft on crime,” the political action committee’s mailer stated, “Emily Randall (D) has consistently failed to back our law enforcement, yet Randall has supported Tarra Simmons, a drug addicted ex-con who was denied admission to the Washington State Bar Association due to multiple felony convictions.” No reference was made in the mailer about Simmon’s Supreme Court case vindication. Randall, a first-time candidate who grew up in Port Orchard, issued a statement July 18 in response to the mailer’s attack against her and Simmons: “The Republicans’ recent attacks on Tarra Simmons are deeply disappointing — and a new low. I proudly stand with Tarra and the work she does everyday to make a difference in our community and call on my opponent to apologize to Ms. Simmons. “While my opponent’s funders spend unlimited amounts running negative ads attacking me and hardworking people like Tarra Simmons, I will continue to do what I’ve done my entire career: work hard to make sure everyone,

Orchard home. But Mioni herself is nearly confined to a bed with wracking, chronic pain tempered over the years by a regulated dose of prescribed opiates. Now, though, an opioid epidemic across the nation has prompted the federal government, as well as state governments, to issue new

restrictions to physicians who prescribe these powerful, addictive medications. For her and many other chronic-pain patients, they are left with a previously unthinkable alternative to a life of intense pain: to end their life. Is that an option Mioni might elect to take someday? “Oh, I think about it all the

no matter who they are, has the opportunity to live a fulfilling and healthy life.” Randall later said the campaign mailer effort “was incredibly dirty.” She said: “It’s really low and disappointing, and it reflects the worst of campaigns when you would pull in a private citizen who is, by all accounts, an upstanding individual who has done everything we expect people to do. She served her time and went on to improve her life, and the lives of others.” The Democrat said her association with Simmons consisted of voicing her support on Facebook, briefly meeting her twice at community events, and receiving a small campaign donation from Simmons. “To use her and make false claims in order to attack me, seems rather abhorrent.” Her opponent, McClendon, said his campaign wasn’t responsible for the mailer. He told KUOW reporter Austin Jenkins that he also thought the attack on Simmons, a private citizen, was inappropriate. “This is not coming from us, we wouldn’t generate an ad like this, me personally or my campaign, but this isn’t something we have control over,” he told the reporter. KUOW also reported that, according to filings with the state Public Disclosure Commission, WA Forward gets its funding from The Leadership Council, a polit-

ical action committee associated with the state Senate Republican caucus. Two of its committee officers are Senate Minority Leader Mark Schoesler and Sen. John Braun. The senators could not be reached for comment. Simmons did pick up personal support across the aisle from 26th District state Rep. Michelle Caldier, a Republican. KUOW reported that the Republican defended Simmons on her Facebook page: “I am proud to support you. I am appalled that you were personally attacked.” She told Jenkins that people trying to get their life back on track will always get her support. “As a private citizen, she should have been kept out of any political hit pieces.” Caldier reiterated that she nonetheless supports fellow Republican McClendon in the state Senate race and said his campaign wasn’t responsible for the mailer. Simmons’ life, personally and professionally, continues on an upward trajectory. Admitted to the state bar association after passing the bar exam in June 2017, she now works for the Seattle-based Public Defender Association and assists former felons navigate the legal and financial complexities as they reenter society. Simmons also is a Skadden Fellow at the association, a prestigious award in the legal profession.

WHEN BOTH OF YOU SUFFER FROM SLEEP APNEA..

A conundrum Mioni and others who deal daily with chronic pain are caught in a Catch-22 situation that’s not of their making. Opiate medications are the

most effective drug to combat severe pain, but the increased use of opioids, legally and illegally, feeds the growth of addicts who are filling hospitals and treatment clinics. The Centers for Disease Control recently issued a ruling called “90 MME” that restricts physicians to prescribe no more than 90 milligrams daily of an opioid to each patient — regardless of the intensity of their chronic pain. Some doctors have stopped prescribing opiates altogether and are referring their patients with chronic pain to specialty clinics. That’s what happened to Mioni, whose physician had prescribed 165 milligrams daily to treat her pain for many years, she said. Her primary care provider now refuses to issue any prescription for an opiate; instead, he referred her to a pain clinic. As is the case with similar clinics in the region, there’s a long waiting list. Mioni waited one year to get into Peninsula Pain Clinic and will soon be part of a trial study using a pain pump. She’s become something of an expert on treating chronic pain. While acknowledging there’s been an increase in opioid use, she’s wary of the statistics the state and federal governments are using. “What they are doing is

lumping all the chronic pain patients together with addicts,” Mioni said. “We sign a pain contract every year. We pass urine tests and go to the same pharmacy. According to my doctor, I’m a model patient, but, still, he says his hands are tied. “As a patient, you are stigmatized,” Mioni said. Kitsap first A few responders years ago, the Seattle discuss Times suicide. reported Page 15 on the death of a 58-year-old former patient of the Seattle Pain Centers who committed suicide after claiming there no longer was any help available for his chronic pain. The chain of Washington state clinics had closed shortly before his death. The man, Denny Peck, tried to find a new primary care provider, as state health officials advise patients, but because of the new restrictions, he said doctors were unwilling to risk losing their license to help. After rationing his remaining pills, Peck soon ran out. And then he ran out of hope. Police say the desperate man was found in bed at his mobile-home park outside Yelm. Two guns in his lap,

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“Pain management is absolutely critical for people that have terminal conditions like cancer,” she said. “They aren’t getting their medications [to stem the pain], in my opinion. It’s a very sad situation.”

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Opiates such as Oxycontin are being severely regulated by federal and state agencies.

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time,” she said. “But I don’t think I’d ever do it. The thing is, [her husband] is basically keeping me alive, because I’ve got to take care of him.” Mioni contends that people with chronic pain who have made that awful decision are an overlooked statistic among all suicides. “Suicide is not just a mental health issue,” Mioni said. “But it’s also physical.” Kim Hendrickson agrees it’s a significant issue. The manager of the Behavioral Health Outreach program with the City of Poulsbo said although her behavioral health “navigators” almost exclusively counsel individuals with mental health issues, she said it is easy to overlook the chronic-pain patient subset of those contemplating suicide. “The people you’re talking about wouldn’t generally be utilizing a program like ours because police officers haven’t referred them to us as individuals looking for connections to mental health care.” As it stands, Hendrickson and others say these people are increasingly falling through the cracks of the state health care system.

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THE NEXT GENERATION

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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2018 ✮ VOL. 126, NO. 44 ✮ KITSAPDAILYNEWS.COM ✮ 50¢

‘Take cover!’ Tornado generates significant damage No injuries reported, but twister frightens residents, damages homes and businesses BY BOB SMITH

Kitsap News Group

PORT ORCHARD — Curran Cain, who works at Farmer George Meats on Bethel Avenue, was cleaning the grease traps in the store just before 2 p.m. when he noticed the winds had picked up and were roaring outside. Trying to open the back door, Cain said he felt as if the wind was trying to suck him up into its grasp. ”It was strong,” the still-shellshocked employee said about 30 minutes after a swiftly moving tornado dangled above his little shop, sweeping eastward across the busy Bethel arterial. “I looked up and saw branches flying. I then saw it go through the field after crossing the street. It sounded like an earthquake hit. Someone in the shop yelled, ‘Take cover! It’s hitting.’” He said the tornado was unmistakable. “It was really wide at the top and looked like a waterspout,” Norman said. The damaging tornado on Tuesday, Dec. 18 — described by eyewitnesses as being several blocks wide — also swirled onto the vast Walmart Superstore parking lot as it bore down on the department store, sending anything loose in its path skyward before moving eastward. Especially hard-hit was a residential cul de sac behind Walmart — Tiburon Court — where one home’s roof was lifted up by the tornado, sending splintered pieces into the sky. Other homes received severe damage and some had their natural gas pipelines severed by the onslaught. Kitsap County’s Department of Emergency Management evacuated residents in the Tibu-

The tornado’s aftermath BY NICK TWIETMEYER Kitsap News Group

ron Court tract due to possible gas leaks. Commercial buildings lining Bethel were damaged by the freak funnel, which was described by Chad Norman, who also works at Farmer George Meats, as being at least 600 yards wide with a defined tornado outline that veered across the busy roadway in the eastern part

Just after the tornado had passed through Port Orchard Dec. 18, John Wagner went door-to-door along Harris Road Southeast checking on residents and advising them that, due to a gas leak, law enforcement was advising residents evacuate. Wagner said he was the owner of Wagner Roofing and Construction and that he was willing to offer the services of a five-man crew to place tarps at houses damaged by the tornado in an attempt to fight back further damage from the torrential rain that followed. Wagner was not alone in his desire to help out. While walking between law enforcement vehicles along Bethel Road, Wagner was joined by David Mullins. Mullins explained that having moved to the area from Illinois, he was no stranger to tornadoes. Approaching a group of emergency responders near the Bethel Saloon, the pair were told to turn back and directed to a command post at a nearby Walmart parking lot. At the make-shift command post, emergency responders were huddled together discussing a plan of action. Among those responders was Sgt. Dan Twomey with the Kitsap County Sheriff ’s Office. Twomey was prepping one of the sheriff ’s office’s recently-acquired drones to go out and survey the damage. “It’s already been up a little bit, but we’re going to put it back up here in a little bit. We want to make sure that we’ve covered all the areas we need to cover and assess the damage in the

TORNADO, SEE 2

AFTERMATH, SEE 2

Photos by Robert Zollna | Kitsap Daily News

Above, Skip Olmsted, who lives on Southeast Serenade Way, navigates his way around downed branches on his property after a tornado struck a portion of Port Orchard. Below, homes behind the Walmart Superstore on Bethel Avenue suffered severe damage after a tornado struck the area Dec. 18.

It sounded like an earthquake hit.” — Curran Cain

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KitsapDailyNews.com

TORNADO

tornado spun around the car and placed it on its side. The vehicle suffered extensive damage. The woman, Norman said, was able to get out of her car and was assisted by onlookers, who wiped blood from her face. Additional reports of injuries were not immediately available, although emergency crews later reported they had not encountered any significant injury cases. Washington State Patrol troopers cordoned off the area with caution tape and warned onlookers of reports of natural gas leaks in the area. The roof of a home near

CONTINUED FROM 1

of the East Port Orchard section of the city. Next door to the meat shop is the venerable Bethel Saloon. Shortly after the tornado struck the location, a Washington State Patrol trooper placed caution tape in front of the business to keep people from entering the area. An unidentified woman driving a Toyota sedan was slightly injured when her car was lifted by the tornado as she drove on Bethel in front of the meat market. The

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Rhapsody Drive was lifted by the twister, as shown by helicopter video on KOMO-TV. A citywide response from units of the Port Orchard Police, South Kitsap Fire and Rescue and Washington State Patrol arrived at the scene to cordon off the roadway to traffic — an area ranging from the intersection of Bethel and Lund avenues to Southeast Blueberry Road. Kirby Cook, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, told the Seattle Times that while thunderstorms are in the weather forecast for the area,

the tornadic activity caught them by surprise. Tornado events are fairly rare in the Pacific Northwest, and if they do occur, they are fairly weak and shortlived. “We were not expecting any to be severe. Certainly this one was,” Cook said. Resident Skip Olmsted, who lives at 2095 SE Serenade Way, said he was taking a shower when he noticed something odd happening to the water supply. “I thought that the water tank was going out,” Olmsted said. “Then I saw shadows from things going by from

the small window and figured something was going on.” The resident, whose home incurred severe damage, said he called his wife and told her about the tornado strike. “I thought she was going to have a heart attack when I called her. It was bad enough then. I don’t know what she’s going to think when she sees this.” In a region of the country where tornadoes are rare occurrences, to say the least, residents were clearly caught off guard. Adding to what was a potentially catastrophic situation, the tornadic storm

AFTERMATH

was Matt Freet. Freet is the general manager and part owner of Herban Market Cannabis Company in Port Orchard. The building housing Freet’s business was damaged by the tornado, leaving him wondering what happens next. “My business partner, his car’s totaled,” Freet said. “The warehouse behind us, it got hit first as the tornado came through and the whole building just melted and wrecked everything below. It looks really bad.” — Nick Twietmeyer is a reporter with Kitsap News Group. Nick can be reached at ntwietmeyer@soundpublishing.com.

A Washington State Patrol trooper cordons off an area in front of the Bethel Saloon, damaged by a freak tornado that swept through the eastern part of Port Orchard.

CONTINUED FROM 1

area,” Twomey said. “We’re still in the very early stages of this. The fire department and the power company and the gas companies are working hard to secure power lines and make sure that we don’t have any gas leaks to deem the area safe.” “We have gone door-todoor in the neighborhoods off of Harris, where we believe most of the damage has occurred,” Twomey added. Huddled in an alcove behind a Safeway, seeking some respite from the rain,

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was not only swiftly moving, but it generated a funnel in just seconds — allowing no time for a tornado warning to be issued. The tornado reportedly dissipated after causing destruction among the homes behind the large department store. Kitsap County work crews closed Harris Road Southeast between Southeast Lund Avenue and Southeast Salmonberry Road due to the tornado’s damage. Salmonberry, between Branson Drive Southeast and Harris, has restricted access to the area.

Bob Smith | Kitsap Daily News

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FRIDAY, AUGUST 24, 2018 ✮ VOL. 126, NO. 27 ✮ KITSAPDAILYNEWS.COM ✮ 50¢

Setting sail on Sinclair Inlet By BOB SMITH

PORT ORCHARD — With tall ship Lady Washington and companion vessel Hawaiian Chieftain circling each other menacingly offshore in Sinclair Inlet — setting aside the modern-day backdrop of Bremerton and the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard — Port Orchard took on the aura of a salty 1788 seaport on a hazy August Sunday afternoon. The historic ships, replicas of sailing vessels from an earlier era when they ruled the seas in the 18th century, carried several dozen passengers who served as witnesses and participants in a three-hour “battle sail” after departing from the Port Orchard Marina. These catand-mouse sailings recreate some of the emotion and calculation of two ships engaged in a seafaring fight,

By BOB SMITH

Bob Smith | Independent

Tall ship Lady Washington sails within cannon fire of Hawaiian Chieftain on Sinclair Inlet.

Matthew Blair checks his coordinates on a pirate’s treasure map. Far right: A crew member of Hawaiian Chieftain takes command of a mast line.

Bob Smith | Independent

PAGE A15

Kitsap News Group

complete with booming cannons and close-quarter maneuvering just off the city’s waterfront. While the passengers weren’t in any danger during the mock battle, the boom and the smoke erupting after each fuse was lit lent a sense of danger as the tall ships tangled in the afternoon waters of Puget Sound. The passengers arriving for the sailing experience stepped aboard with little more than wide eyes, eager expectations and their cameras poised to capture crew members following Captain Jamie Trost’s shouted directions to maneuver the rigging and sails of Hawaiian Chieftain. The two ships — each with a crew complement of 12 to keep them operating in tip-top shape — have some latter-day help to and from the port with power provided by twin diesel TALL SHIPS, SEE PAGE A2

‘KITTY HALL’

BethelSedgwick corridor plan debuts

Visiting historical tall ships are a reminder of maritime days long ago Kitsap News Group

INSIDE:

PORT ORCHARD — The City of Port Orchard has begun the slow, laborious process of developing a comprehensive plan to revamp the overcrowded — and growing — Bethel Road and Sedgwick Road corridor, one of the city’s critical connecting roadways between State Route 16 and downtown. A draft public review plan was released by the city’s Department of Community Development earlier this month and presented at a City Council work study session Aug. 14 at City Hall. On Sept. 25 in the City Council Chambers, the public will get an opportunity to voice its opinions on the draft plan at a 6:30 p.m. hearing. Nick Bond, the city’s director of Community Development, said the draft plan provides long-range development guidance for the two critical transportation corridors into and through Port Orchard. The plan was developed from a corridor study undertaken by the city and its partner SCJ Alliance to evaluate current and previous planning work to develop a comprehensive strategy for the busy corridors. The city’s transportation corridor plan ultimately would cost $53.8 million to build, according to city planners. But as with the Tremont street widening project that’s closing in on completion next spring, money to fund the BethelSedgwick project would need to come from a collection of government sources, including funding from city, county, state and federal CORRIDOR PLAN, SEE PAGE A3

Friday, August 24, 2018 - Port Orchard Independent

CORRIDOR PLAN

CONTINUED FROM A1

road improvement grants. The city also could tap into its traffic impact fee fund to help pay for the project. According to city planning documents, the study’s objective was to develop “a conceptual corridor design that improves mobility and supports growth in the area.” It has provided recommendations for both Southeast Sedgwick Road, or State Route 160, between SR 16 and Bethel Road Southeast and between Southeast Sedgwick Road and the Mile Hill Drive roundabout on Bethel. The study indicated it also gave consideration to the surrounding side street network. Due to an influx of King County residents into the area and better ferry service options, motorists are feeling the impact of growing traffic conditions, especially on Bethel Road and its busy commercial sector stretching from Sedgwick and north to the Lund Avenue intersection. The study indicated that Bethel traffic is expected to increase by 85 percent by 2040, Elisabeth Wooton, SCJ transportation planning lead, told council members. “That’s due a lot to the land use along the corridor and the potential for development there,” Wooton said. “In the north section of Bethel, it’ll see a 55-percent increase.” The Sedgwick Road corridor, which today has the higher traffic volumes of the two arterials, will continue to hold that distinction in 2040 as traffic grows by an expected 45 percent. Wooton said Sedgwick Road is labeled as more of a commuter route for the community, while Bethel is seen as a mixed-use corridor providing access to commercial businesses. Work on Sedgwick will

TALL SHIPS

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Washington will twice depart on an “adventure sail” between 2-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. Tickets are also priced from $42-$49.

KitsapDailyNews.com

ultimately land at the feet of Washington state lawmakers since that roadway is the responsibility of the state Department of Transportation. But improvements to that corridor are critical to the ultimate success of the city project, planners said. “Sedgwick is not our responsibility,” Port Orchard Mayor Rob Putaansuu said on Aug. 21. “But you can’t get to Bethel without using Sedgwick, so we’ve got the concepts ready if and when the state starts to consider doing something.” The mayor said plenty of challenges are ahead for the project. In addition to persuading the state to review SR 160 needs in the area, Putaansuu said the overall corridor project will require close coordination among government agencies. “This project is going to cost $54 million, and we can’t afford that [as a city],” he said. “One of the lessons we learned doing the Tremont project was to build it in stages. Our mistake there was in first taking federal money. That started the clock on needing to start the project even before we acquired right of way property.” In order to tackle the overall Bethel-Sedgwick project, the draft corridor plan calls for a five-segment effort beginning with work on road widening and improvements on Bethel between the Salmonberry and Blueberry roads. That phase 1 work is estimated to cost $12,020,000 in 2018 dollars. Preliminary plans include a design that would include two single-lane roundabouts on Bethel at both Salmonberry and Blueberry. Also included would be a sidewalk, bio-retention swale, curb and gutter, bike lane, a raised center median and one travel lane in each direction. Phase 2 work, costing

$16,670,000 to build, would be part of any state project to improve Sedgwick. It would include corridor widening on Sedgwick Road and two roundabouts at both Bravo Terrace and a new intersection between Geiger and Ramsey roads. Similar road section improvements would be implemented in this phase work, as well. A raised center median on Sedgwick between the two roundabout intersections and an eastbound left-turn-only lane between the new intersections to Bethel Road would allow access at Ramsey Road until a roundabout could be constructed at the SedgwickBethel road intersection. A roundabout would be constructed at the intersection of Sedgwick and Bethel roads as part of phase 3 work. That segment would cost $5,820,000. The final design will confirm the number of circulating lanes needed. As with the other phase work, road, sidewalk, bicycle accommodation, single travel lanes and a raised center median would be incorporated. This phase of construction work also would convert the eastbound left-turn lane on Sedgwick between the new intersection to Bethel to a raised center median and convert Ramsey Road to right-in/ right-out access only. Another two roundabouts at Lund Avenue and Walmart Access Road would be constructed as part of the phase 4 work, estimated to cost $8,750,000. Lund Avenue to Salmonberry Road work on Bethel would include similar street and sidewalk improvements. The final phase work on Bethel between Lund and Mile Hill Drive calls for a single-lane roundabout at the intersection of Bethel and Lincoln Road/ Lundberg Avenue. Lundberg is proposed to be realigned with Lincoln Avenue to create a four-leg intersection.

On Friday and Saturday, Aug. 24-25, additional tours and sailings are scheduled. Then on Sunday, Aug. 26, another “battle sail” will take place from 2-5 p.m. Ticket prices are $42-$79. That event will be preceded by vessel tours from 10 a.m. to 1

p.m. and an adventure sail from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The vessels will depart Port Orchard Aug. 28 and head to Olympia, where they will take part in that city’s Harbor Days celebration.

d Fin al r Check out local events loc nda s or post your own event le ent a C Ev e. online at... of nlin o www.kitsapdailynews.com/calendar or www.bainbridgereview.com/calendar KitsapDailyNews.com • BainbridgeReview.com 360-779-4464

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FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2018 ✮ VOL. 126, NO. 23 ✮ KITSAPDAILYNEWS.COM ✮ 50¢

INSIDE: THE TRAGEDY OF SUICIDE, PART 3

PAGE 3

SKSD to ask voters’ approval to build second high school Also on November ballot: 4-year levy for capital projects By BOB SMITH

Kitsap News Group

PORT ORCHARD — South Kitsap School District’s board of directors are once again asking voters to approve construction of a second comprehensive high school to relieve overcrowding at South Kitsap High. At its July 18 meeting, the board unanimously authorized a general obligation bond measure to appear on the November general election ballot. It also gave the go-ahead to place a second proposition on the ballot, which would fund a series of capital projects to improve school safety and security, renovate some school facilities and add new technology capabilities. The $184.7 million bond measure would fund construction of a 240,000-square-foot high school on district-owned property at Old

Clifton Road in South Kitsap. The proposed high school would have a capacity for 1,500 students. It also would have the capability to expand and house up to 1,800 students, Superintendent Karst Brandsma reported to those attending the board meeting. The state would contribute about $9 million to build the high school if the proposition is approved by voters. The four-year, $21.7 million capital levy would be collected in four succeeding years: $5,363,571 for 2018, collected in 2019; $5,368,843 for 2019, collected in 2020; $5,476,220 for 2020, collected in 2021; and $5,585,744 for 2021, collected in 2022. The state also will kick in an estimated $3 million for the projects, the school district said. The levy would be assessed over four years at a projected rate of $0.67 per $1,000 of assessed property value. With this latest campaign, the school district confronts a history of failed bond measures in its attempt to construct a second high school. A 2017 bond measure for $172.6 million to fund construction of a new

The South Kitsap School District’s board of directors will bring before voters Proposition 1, a $184,680,000 bond measure to construct a new comprehensive high school in November. The district made available at the board meeting July 18 a preliminary concept design of the high school on the district-owned property next to Old Clifton Road. South Kitsap School District illustration

high school and renovations at district schools was defeated at the polls. A year earlier, two bond measures came up short by a handful of votes in reaching the 60-percent threshold. To approve a bond measure in this state, voters need to approve it by a

ELECTION 2018

Kitsap woman’s rise from troubled past is fodder for 26th District political mailer By BOB SMITH

Kitsap News Group

PORT ORCHARD — Direct-mail pieces supporting 26th Legislative District state Senate Republican candidate Marty McClendon have hit South Kitsap mailboxes in recent weeks that many — including Democratic candidate Emily Randall — say are examples of below-thebelt campaign literature funded by the political action committee WA Forward. One of the mail pieces sent to voters blasted Randall for support-

ing a Kitsap County single mother with a troubled past. Here’s some background information about Tarra Simmons, a Bremerton woman: Despite being arrested for meth and prescription drug use, and subsequently serving a stint in prison, Simmons made the long

Tarra Simmons, a Bremerton single mother, rose above a difficult life that included drug convictions and prison time to later graduate as an honors student at Seattle University School of Law — and a hard-fought admission to the state bar. climb back to eventually graduate in 2017 with honors from the Seattle University School of Law. Simmons faced another chal-

60-percent-plus-one-vote margin. Just two residents voiced their opinions on the bond proposal during the public discussion period at the sparsely attended meeting — one in favor, one against — before the board voted.

Former board director Christopher Lemke addressed the board and read from a statement in which he disagreed with sending the proposal to voters in November. He SKSD, SEE PAGE 2

Shoving match escalates into first-degree assault charge

lenge when the Washington State Bar Association’s Character and Fitness Board voted 6-3 against her admission to the bar due to her past history. Simmons, however, fought the decision and appealed to the state Supreme Court. Here’s where Randall’s association comes into play — as Simmons prepared to confront the court, Randall posted a Facebook message of support: “Rooting for Tarra Simmons, her legal team and civil rights today!” The Supreme Court unanimously found that Simmons “has the requisite moral character and fitness to practice law in the State of Washington,” thereby reversing the board’s decision. The PAC’s political mailer painted a vastly different picture of Simmons — and by association, Randall, due to her support of Simmons. The

PORT ORCHARD — After a dispute escalated at a local coffee shop, a 16-year-old male was allegedly struck by a car driven by Ryan Minor, 21, on Sidney Parkway in Port Orchard on July 23. The collision is believed to be the result of a dispute between the victim and Minor’s 24-year-old brother at the Coffee Oasis shop in

MAILER, SEE PAGE 3

ASSAULT, SEE PAGE 2

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The Tragedy of Suicide: Part 3

Some chronic pain sufferers consider the unthinkable By BOB SMITH

Kitsap News Group

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Caldier blasts opponent over legislative ethics charge By BOB SMITH

Kitsap News Group

OLYMPIA — The Legislative Ethics Board has dismissed a complaint filed in March that alleged state Rep. Michelle Caldier violated legislative ethics laws by asking that $81,000 in state funding be directed to the nonprofit ARC of the Peninsulas, which is led by her fiance. The nonprofit agency, which advocates for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, has as its CEO Caldier’s fiance, Chris Tibbs. Caldier requested a capital budget appropriation during the 2017 legislative session for repairs to a building owned by the ARC of the Peninsulas. The ethics board reported that Tibbs had requested the appropriation through the state legislator’s office. In its order to dismiss the complaint, the legislative board ruled Caldier, a twoterm Republican, “did not receive any private financial gain” as a result of her actions.

Rep. Michelle Caldier The board stated that “introducing and lobbying for the passage of legislation is the heart of legislative activity” and is part of the “normal and regular” conduct of a legislator. Robert Parker, a South Kitsap resident and community activist, filed the complaint alleging that because of Caldier’s personal connection with Tibbs, she violated the Ethics in Public Service Act, which includes provisions prohibiting elements of conflict of interest, special privileges and personal gain by state legislators and employees.

Caldier said Parker filed the complaint at the behest of her Republican primary candidate, Randy Boss, a contractor from Gig Harbor. “[The complaint] was filed by one of my opponent’s supporters,” Caldier said. “My opponent wrapped his entire campaign so far around the ethics complaint, putting out misleading flyers. There’s also a video put out through independent expenditures attacking me, as well. “The taxpayers should be paid back for the false complaint that was put against me for political purposes. These shenanigans need to stop.” Parker also alleged that by co-sponsoring legislation in 2015 and 2017 to repair the Turner Joy museum ship and create a passenger-only ferry from Bremerton to Seattle, Caldier had furthered the financial interests of Tibbs, who was a lobbyist with Westsound Strategic Partners. In its findings of fact, however, the ethics board stated that Tibbs’ clients at

Westsound were Mason County and the Bremerton Historic Ships Association — but that he had never lobbied for Kitsap Transit, nor was the transit agency a client of Westsound’s. The board also found that while Tibbs lobbied on behalf of the historic ships association, he was not paid for his efforts. Tibbs was hired as executive director by ARC of Kitsap and Jefferson (now named ARC of the Peninsulas) in January 2017. Later that month, he sent Caldier an email with a state budget request for the ARC capital project. Caldier subsequently submitted the $80,855 budget request to the House capital budget chair. In the ethics board report findings, the state representative said she first heard about the ARC project from Bremerton Mayor Patty Lent, who wanted to use a portion of the ARC building as an emergency cooling/heating center. Without HVAC upgrades, the mayor noted, it could not be used as an emer-

gency center. When asked by board staff why she made the facilities request for a building not in her district, Caldier said it provides services to people who live nearby in her district. The budget request was included in the capital budget that passed in January 2018. The ethics board found that Tibbs did not benefit monetarily from the appropriation action — he did not receive a salary increase or a bonus as a result. The board’s statement noted that the nonprofit agency has not yet received the appropriation. Responding to the complaint that Caldier and Tibbs financially benefited as a result of their personal relationship, the ethics board wrote that the couple is not married, nor do they live together. “Rep. Caldier’s actions appear to be those encompassing the ‘heart of legislative activity’ for which she did not receive any private financial gain.’” Caldier said she was trou-

bled by the ethics allegation, particularly in its linkage to ARC of the Peninsulas. The state representative, who lived in foster care for a portion of her youth, related that she shared a room in the seventh and eighth grade with a severely autistic girl. Caldier said her roommate attended an ARC-sponsored dance each Friday, and still does some 30 years later. “The ARC does a phenomenal job of serving individuals with developmental disabilities. When I learned the air conditioning went out [at the ARC facility], I think they should be able to jam out and be comfortable. There’s nothing wrong with that, regardless whether my fiance worked there. I would do everything I possibly could to help individuals with developmental disabilities. “It’s sad they would take something so wonderful and twist it into something so horrible,” said of the ethics complaint. “It’s wrong.”

been down in the mid-30-percent range, so Gilmore is hedging her bet somewhat because of no-stamp change and the increase in options for voters to return their ballots. Surprisingly to many, the county’s 22 ballot drop boxes are being used by almost 50 percent of Kitsap County’s approximately 166,000 registered voters who return their ballots. The number of ballot boxes is an increase of seven over a three-year period. The county auditor believes one of the reasons voters use the boxes is that it doesn’t require a

stamp. And it is convenient for people who are on their way to work or running errands. “I think having additional drop boxes out there has helped,” Gilmore said. “We’ve seen a real increase [in use] over the years. And it’s ticking up every year, so with the increased number of drop boxes in different areas, that could have an impact on the postage-paid issue, as well.” The reason voters seem to say “meh” when it comes to voting in primary elections has to do with their marquee attraction. “In a primary, you don’t have any of the state measures [on the ballot],” she said. “And there aren’t any hot topics out there this year. “So, how are voters going to return their ballots? I think it’s great they have options to do that. So, it’s up to them.”

‘No-stamp needed ‘ elections ahead this year By BOB SMITH

Kitsap News Group

PORT ORCHARD — When you return your primary election ballot through the mail to the Kitsap County Elections Division beginning this week, you’ll save yourself a 50-cent stamp — all election ballots this year will be postage-paid by the state. Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee and Secretary of State Kim Wyman joined forces to secure funding last May so that voters who return their ballots by mail won’t have to pay postage for the primary and general elections this year. But whether the practice becomes permanent isn’t certain. The state Legislature will need to pass legislation

next session that would make Washington state the first in the U.S. with permanent universal postage-paid voting by mail. Inslee and Wyman said they plan to work together to forge a passable bill with secure funding. Primary election ballots should have arrived in mailboxes by Friday, July 20, said Steve Gardner of the Elections Division. Delores Gilmore, Kitsap County’s auditor who oversees the election process, said she remembers only one other time when the county used postage-paid ballot envelopes: “There was a pick-a-party primary way back when, because the size of the ballot was so large, voters would have need-

ed two stamps on the return.” In that case, Gilmore said the county Election Division didn’t see an increase in voter participation. “We didn’t see that it made that much of a difference,” she said. By what means voters intend to return their ballots — by mail, drop box or by voting in-person at the county’s Administration Building — Gilmore is hoping to see voter participation rise above the paltry 35 percent threshold of recent years. The intent of postage-free envelopes, of course, is to make voting as easy an exercise as possible for voters. Whether the postage-paid envelopes make a significant difference

remains to be seen. Gilmore hopes that is the case. “It could uptick a little bit,” Gilmore said. “I’m hoping that in the midterm election, we can get back to a 40 to 45 percent turnout.” The state’s top election official said even in a competitive, high-visibility 2016 presidential election year, just 35 percent of registered voters participated in the primary election process. “That’s really low compared to past years, where we hovered around 45 percent turnout. Now, if all of a sudden, the numbers jump up this time around, we can say, well, maybe it is due to that. But it’s really hard to tell.” Recent primary turnout has

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