“POULSBO – I think it is almost like a swan with their long curved necks, said Mussie Gebre, describing one of the star attractions at Llama Rose Farm and Gardens Thursday afternoon. The analogy was fitting, but also truly amazing because Gebre doesn’t speak, hear or see. Instead, he senses his surroundings. The young native of Eritrea (a small country in Africa) was very inquisitive, asking questions and providing input on what he had witnessed during the day. His interpreter, Anita Harding, who is hearing impaired, assisted Gebre in answering questions via a three-way sign language conversation with Karen Carlson. The trio was part of a 44-person group from the Seattle Light House for the Blind which visited the llamas, camels and garden at the farm on Big Valley Road. Gebre explained that, from what he learned, llamas’ fur not only protects them from the sun, but also keeps them warm in the winter. When asked what types of animals flourished in his native country, he signed, I grew up here in America. But in Eritrea, we have lots of horses. “
“KINGSTON – The players aren’t loud enough for Tony Chisholm. So Chisholm, the head football coach at Kingston Junior High, holds one hand into the air, four fingers aloft, and asks the question again. What do four fingers stand for? He asks, and this time the response comes thundering back: Four quarters! Chisholm smiles at the sea of helmeted athletes in front of him. Chisholm has been with the KJH football program since its creation six years ago. For four years he served as an assistant under head coaches Tom Wiley and Scott McKay. The last two years he has been on his own, and the Cavaliers have tallied 6-1 and 5-2 records in those years. “
“The summer predicted to have so many problems in North Kitsap ended up to be one of our very best. Back in May, when gas prices soared, local businesses were openly worried that the tourists who fuel downtown Poulsbo and neighboring economies with their dollars might stay home. It turned out not to be a problem. Visitors who may have gulped hard at the gas pump total, nonetheless came in large numbers to enjoy the balmy, sunny days. “
State grant will cover OT for traffic patrols.
‘Help wanted’ ad campaign comes up short.
“Long lines of parked cars have been a frequent sight in Kingston and Bainbridge this summer as ferry overflows have forced drive-on travelers to park on the highway shoulder and wait for the next Because of bridge construction, a two-boat schedule, and just plain gorgeous summer weekend weather, the lines of cars along the highways have become longer than ever. People frequently wait in their cars for hours, especially on Sunday afternoons and evenings. “
Athletes hope to improve in this year’s standings.
“KINGSTON – Last weekend, parents came to Gordon Elementary with shovels, rakes, and tape measurers – ready to get to work. Gordon Elementary has moved the Options program, for the first time ever, entirely into the six portables behind the school. So, parents decided to give the area a bit of a facelift. They helped build a stage for the program’s plays. They pulled weeds and planted trees. They hooked up computer cables. We organized it all by e-mail, said Carrie Snyder, who has two children in the program, sons Robbie and Ben. Snyder said the change is impressive. It’s unbelievable, you wouldn’t believe it, Snyder said. It looks great. No one would recognize it as the same place. “
“POULSBO – Cross-country is unlike any other sport, said coach Katie Savage. Savage should know. She also coaches the North Kitsap High School track team, and she said that the cross-country season, which begins Sept. 7, is different. It’s not the distance that makes it difficult, she said of the sport, which requires the athletes to run between 2.8 and 3.1 miles. It’s that it’s off-road. So, Savage said, the runners will often find themselves winding through trails, crunching on gravel, and evading obstacles. The strategies are very different (than track), she said. There’s a lot more lateral movement, so your ankles have to be flexible. “
“POULSBO – Sometimes tragedy can be a good thing. It certainly was for Maria Marsala. The native New Yorker (like thousands of people across the nation each year) was involved in a serious car accident while residing on the east coast. But instead of taking the why me? approach to the incident, Marsala instead took stock of her life. Following the crash, Marsala completed what she called her life resumé, in which she jotted down every single job (paid and unpaid) she ever had The resume offered her true insight into what field she was really meant to work in. Having experience as a Wall Street trader (not as stressful as managing, she said), a consultant and a teacher among other occupations, Marsala found that she had the potential to be a great coach. It was one of those things that just popped up at me, she explained with a smile, accompanied with what she called a slow-Brooklyn accent. “
“POULSBO – When Teri Ishihara looked at the practice field Thursday afternoon, she saw more than two teams of soccer players battling it out. She saw a load of potential. Potential is a word that comes up often connected to the North Kitsap High School 2000 girls’ soccer team, a team loaded with talent and looking to improve on last year’s showing. This year’s our year, said Lindsey Ross, a senior and co-captain of the team. “
Meeting fliers draw large crowd and ruin session at Marine Science Center.
“POULSBO – The North Kitsap High School girls’ swimming and diving team is ready to dive into a new season. And with the teams pushing 35 members, coaches Marilyn Grindrod and Greg Braun are looking for one thing: improvement. Improvement, Braun said, is the yardstick team members measure themselves by. That’s what we’re looking for, he said. That’s our whole focus. Last season that measurement was positive, he said. We think the team did very well, he said. We had a lot of rookies who learned an awful lot of skills. We saw times improve across the board, Braun said after a Thursday practice. The team will have lots of room to grow this year with many inexperienced swimmers and divers coming in. “
Registered and licensed practical nurses join Local 381 bargaining unit.
“What’s the hottest topic in town these days? Nope, not the weather or the Mariners surprising slump, but the proposed shoreline regulations. “
“For months that stretched into years, NKF&R, Hansville and Poulsbo Fire Departments have been working on a complex jigsaw puzzle of a map that balances population growth projections, traffic on narrow roads, and a necessity to provide prompt emergency response time to all areas of North Kitsap. “
“PORT GAMBLE – For a person who gets up before the chickens, Dr. Deltona Figliola knows the importance of a good night’s rest. In fact, it’s something she tries to incorporate in assisting children who suffer from nightmares. While some in the medical profession would be quick to jot out an illegible prescription, Dr. Figliola is more apt to tell her young patient, Take a horse and call me in the morning. This old-fashioned horse-sense doctoring, she said, is what sets the Medicine Mill in Port Gamble apart from other practices in the area. Dr. Figliola explained that when a child presses the hoof of one of the small, plush toys offered at her office a recorded story about horses chasing away nightmares is played. The soothing three-minute message is typically enough to put the youngster back to sleep for the remainder of the evening. Nightmares are part of childhood, she said. These horses work wonders for kids – I won’t put kids on drugs for nightmares. “
“SUQUAMISH – Thousands of people converged on the waterfront this weekend to celebrate the memory of Chief Seattle. In keeping with the leader’s vision to bring understanding between cultures, Benny Armstrong, Tribal Chairman, welcomed the crowd. He spoke of the Suquamish tribe’s goal for 2000. He urged tribal and non-tribal members to work together to accomplish their goals. U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee echoed that sentiment calling for cooperation to settle some unfinished business. He talked about salmon recovery efforts in the area and denounced the Republicans’ call to disband tribal governments. But, the celebration this past weekend wasn’t about politics, but about pride. “
NK grad now prowls the sidelines as a Cougar
Commissioners deny location appeal.