Monthly Archives: December 2013

Marijuana business applications keep piling up


The application period closed Dec. 20, but the state is still working through a backlog of  marijuana business applications.

There are now 64 retail applications for Kitsap County, according to numbers released Tuesday by the Liquor Control Board. That’s 20 more than we’d seen last week. Only 10 stores will be allowed in Kitsap, including two in Bremerton and one on Bainbridge Island.

As we reported in a Tuesday article, the board is already sending notices to cities and counties, letting them know what applications were filed within their boundaries. Local governments have 20 days to recommend approval or denial of each application.

Many applications will be weeded out quickly, based on local zoning and state regulations. The state expects to issue licenses this spring.

Here’s the updated list of retail applications (map embedded above): Continue reading →

700 in Kitsap to lose unemployment benefits

About 730 people in Kitsap County are among the 1.3 million Americans set to lose unemployment benefits Saturday as a federal program shuts down.

The “emergency unemployment compensation” program was not extended by Congress this year. Roughly 25,000 Washington residents will stop receiving payments after this weekend.

Out-of-work Washingtonians can qualify for 26 weeks of regular unemployment benefits, according to the state Employment Security Department. The federal program extended benefits by 37 weeks for qualified applicants. Only the regular benefits will now be available for most workers, unless the federal program is renewed in 2014.

kitsap.employment

Unemployment in Kitsap County was 6.1 percent in November, down from 6.6 percent a year ago.

The statewide, seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped to 6.8 percent in November. But Washington lost 6,000 jobs in the same period.

Chart: Washington State Employment Security Department

Port to hold special meeting Monday for bid award

Port of Bremerton commissioners will meet at 11 a.m. Monday to consider awarding a bid for an heating and air conditioning project.

Two bids were received for the project to upgrade HVAC at building No. 4 in the Olympic View Industrial Park. Sullivan Heating entered the apparent low bid at $55,467.45. A bid from Miller Sheet Metal came in at $86,620.44. The engineer’s estimate was $69,901.

The HVAC upgrade was a condition of a lease agreement recently signed with new tenant Triton Marine.

Kitsap has a bitcoin mining company, and it’s in bankruptcy

A Kitsap-based bitcoin mining company is making national headlines for the wrong reasons.

Alydian, a Bainbridge Island startup, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and is trying to unload its computer equipment, according to The Wall Street Journal.

BC_Logo_Bitcoin miners (in my admittedly hazy understanding of the system) verify transactions made using the online currency, and unlock new virtual coins.

The Bitcoin UP Test Erfahrungen reports Alydian sank $4 million into development of a mining platform but its “rigs” quickly became outdated. The company filed for bankruptcy in November.

Documents filed in a U.S. District Court in New York, and posted by The WSJ, offer a glimpse inside the volatile mining industry.

Alydian is an offshoot of Seattle-based CoinLab. It lists its address as 900 Winslow Way East, Suite 100.

 

Pot shop applications jump to 44 as window closes

The number of prospective marijuana retailers in Kitsap County jumped to 44 as the 30-day application period came to a close last week.

The state Liquor Control Board released fresh batch of numbers on recreational marijuana business license applications Tuesday. The count may not be final as the state hasn’t finished processing all the submissions yet. More than 3,000 applications have been filed for growing, processing and selling pot in Washington.

Now the culling begins. Only 10 retail shops will be allowed in Kitsap, including two in Bremerton and one on Bainbridge Island.

The Liquor Control Board will investigate the background of each applicant, and review their operation plan and location for compliance with the adopted rules for I-502 implementation. The state will notify counties and cities of pending applications. Local jurisdictions will have 20 days to respond with any objections or support. A lottery system will be used to grant licenses in places like Bremerton, where there are more applications than allowable licenses.

Here’s the updated list of retail applicants for Kitsap (map embedded above):

Here are the processing applications (map here): Continue reading →

Statements from the Harrison/UnitedHealthcare split

As we reported in today’s paper, Harrison Medical Center has been dropped from UnitedHealthcare’s network after contract negotiations failed. The two sides gave differing versions of why the talks broke down.

The letters Harrison sent to affected patients explaining the changes are embedded below (or can be viewed here and here). Here’s the statement sent to us by a UnitedHealthcare spokesperson: Continue reading →

Final rush of marijuana business applications submitted

Six more marijuana retail applications, including three for Port Orchard, have been filed for Kitsap since our update last week.

Local potrepreneurs weren’t the only ones procrastinating. The Associated Press reports the state Liquor Control Board is seeing a surge in applications as the Friday deadline looms. Statewide, there are now 2,444 applications in  from prospective growers, processors and retailers, up more than 700 from last week.

We now have 21 applications for retail, 18 for processing and 25 for growing.

These are the new retail applications for Kitsap:

  • Buds Shop, 1703 SE Sedgwick Road, Suite 113, Port Orchard
  • Emerald Coast, 3100 Kitsap Way, Suite C, Bremerton, (same name as applicant for Wheaton Way)
  • G4 Parnters (sic), 1283 Sedgwick Road, Port Orchard
  • Greenway, 2443 1st Ave E, Port Orchard
  • Laughing Grass, 405 Naval Ave., Suite B, Bremerton
  • MJ’s, 4211 Feigley Road West, Gorst

There’s also a retail application in for Belfair, in North Mason:

  • Belfair Marijuana Depot, 25603 NE State Route 3, Belfair

Here’s the full list of retail applications (see map above): Continue reading →

Kitsap enrollment in health exchange plans nears 6,000

blog.healthplanfinderThe number of Kitsap residents signed up for health coverage through the Washington Health Benefit Exchange nearly tripled in November, according to a report released Thursday.

Total enrollment for the county was 5,837 by the end of November, a big jump from the 1,986 signed up at the end of October. Statewide enrollment grew to 179,000.

The overwhelming majority signed up for Medicaid coverage, as has been the trend since the exchange opened Oct. 1.

Customers have until Dec. 23 to pay for plans if they want their insurance to activate Jan. 1.

It appears errors on the Healthplanfinder website that listed Harrison Medical Center as “out of network” for some plans have been fixed.

Here’s the full November report: Continue reading →

Seven more marijuana retail applications for Kitsap

Applications for marijuana retail licenses in Kitsap County continue to trickle in, with 10 days left for prospective pot entrepreneurs to apply.

Liquor Control Board released an updated list of applicants Tuesday. The state received seven more retail  applications for Kitsap locations since our last update on Nov. 26:

  • A.A.C.E Therapy LLC., 1116 Charleston Beach Road W, Bremerton
  • Kitsap Marijuana Connection, 4211 Feigley Road W, Port Orchard
  • Mari Jane’s, 200 Bravo Terrace SE, Port Orchard
  • Smoke Dreams LLC, 26212 Calvary Lane, Kingston
  • The Pot Shop, 6710 Kitsap Way, Unit B, Bremerton
  • The Tea Shop, 625 Callow Ave., Bremerton
  • The Wilkes Expedition LLC, 10320 NE Valley Road, Suite 107, Bainbridge Island

That brings the count of Kitsap retail applicants to 15. The application period for marijuana business licenses opened Nov. 18 and continues through Dec. 19. You can find more information on the rollout of Initiative 502 here.

There are also 17 applications in for marijuana processor licenses and 23 for marijuana producer (grower) licenses. Many producer applicants also applied for processor licenses, as allowed under state rules.

Here’s the full list of retail applicants (click here for a map): Continue reading →

Bainbridge chef opens Seattle beer hall

blog.mcgillBainbridge Island chef Brendan McGill isn’t confining his ambitions to the west side of the water.

The owner of Hitchcock restaurant in Winslow has opened Altstadt, a German-style beer hall in Seattle’s Pioneer Square.  A grand opening is set for Thursday. See the Altstadt Facebook page for details.

The interior of the “bierhalle and brathaus” is anchored by a grill, bar and massive communal drinking tables (you can see construction pictures on the Kickstarter page for the project). Altstadt serves imported beer and wine, along with hand-made sausage, sauerkraut, cheeses, pretzels and other Old World favorites.

McGill partnered with Lex Petras and Harvey Ward Van Allen III on the project.

Alstadt will open 11 a.m. to midnight daily at 209 1st Ave S.

 Photo: McGill at Hitchcock (Tad Sooter/Kitsap Sun)