Opinion

WSF fares blasted out of Kingston

It seems Washington State Ferries and the Washington State Transportation Commission might want to consider sending their representatives to meetings in Kingston in flak jackets and armed with tasers. Or, at the bare minimum, the best running shoes money can buy.

Will North party like it’s 1949?

So the Agate Pass Bridge is set to close nights for the month of March, restricting and ultimately making the chaotic travel between the beautiful land of North Kitsap and Bainbridge Island even worse. Washington State Department of Transportation’s plans for a 21-day closure were likely quashed quicker than it takes an Islander to order a non-fat, triple shot, machiatto, while buying first class plane tickets to Barbados on an earpiece cell phone.

Is the Brown witch hunt over?

Don’t bet on it. It won’t be long until the mud starts flying again. It’s too bad because this seems to be becoming an irreversible — not to mention irresponsible — trend here in Kitsap County. Folks decry the integrity of our elected officials and then take a scoop of mud and fling it at the nearest one.

Some advice for Valentine’s Day

Today flowers and chocolates will be cascading throughout the North End as most everyone takes the time to spread the love of Valentine’s Day. For some the day is just another excuse to say, “I love you” in a special way, but other sentimental days far outweigh Feb. 14 such as anniversaries and of course, her birthday.

Silence isn’t always golden

It’s February and Black History Month. Last week, after I had written about the trials and triumphs of our own Miss Poulsbo Jasmine Campbell, I started thinking about my own dealings with people of African American descent. My own “black history,” if you will, reaches back to kindergarten to one of my first black friends, Eddie Henderson.

Fore! (ward) on White Horse?

Water concerns don’t seem to be running off as planned, or even hoped, as North Kitsap residents continue to get teed up — and off — about the White Horse golf course. Indianola residents who have been digging in against the 18-hole, 450-acre Goliath, replete with gigantic houses that make Poulsbo’s “monster homes” seem about as large and intimidating as a gecko versed in the Queen’s English, are still unsettled by the development and what it may mean to their water supply — not to mention their sense of community.

Kingston split is disconcerting

Proposition 1 will be decided next Tuesday and with it, the fate of passenger-only boats connecting Kingston to Seattle — for the foreseeable future at least. Yet the North Kitsap community that stands to gain the most doesn’t have all its oars in the water on the issue. There are strong rowers, mind you, but by and large the Little City by the Sea is far from giving forth a unified effort. A recent meeting with Kitsap Transit should have turned into a rally for the new service, instead it was apparent that many were reluctant to support the plan. This is not a very good sign.

Poulsbo should keep its police

Local control. There’s nothing like it when it comes to public service because the results are in the hands of those who most directly have something to gain or lose. Giving it up is a critical error, yet it is one the city is considering with the men and women who protect its residents — the Poulsbo Police Department.

Territoriality here in North Kitsap

Last week when the North Kitsap Herald Advisory Board met with Proposition 1 supporters Dick Hayes and Sonny Woodward, the latter made a comment that raised eyebrows. It was something to the effect that even since the days of the Mosquito Fleet, North Kitsap has had issues of “territoriality.” A problem, he said, must be resolved.

Proposition 1 deserves support

From Christmas light slowdowns to run-ins with Bainbridge Island’s “Lawnmower Man,” for North Kitsap residents whose daily grind includes not only traffic along Highways 104, 305 and 307 but ferry trips across the Puget Sound, getting to and from work is job in itself. That’s their problem, right?

Old Man Winter’s not going anywhere

Fear mongers who point to arguments like the theory of global warming as to why we all should recycle and drive hybrids haven’t been to North Kitsap recently. Winter is here and it’s here in a big way. As far as “global warming” goes, the North End seems to have joined much of the United States and been left out of the loop. Big snows, freezing temperatures and whatnot.

Team plan is just the beginning

The North Kitsap student athletes who made their voices heard at the decision hearing for the Athletics and Activities recommendation for NK secondary athletics next year were most graciously accepted by the school board — albeit disregarded with a motion to approve. Students representing three of NK’s athletics teams spoke to the board on the importance their Viking teammates have meant to them.

Poulsbo City Hall plods into unknown

As of today, there are exactly 105 days remaining until Little Norway’s big adventure to answer the seemingly age-old question of where city hall should… Continue reading

Community has answered the call

On paper, the personal messages were as varied as those who gave to this year’s Bellringer Fund. In essence, though, the overall message rang the… Continue reading