Of all
the sad,
pathetic news coming out of South Kitsap this week, this one
really tugged at me. But then, you know I’m a big softie,
especially if we’re talking about kids or dogs.
OK, so I get this e-mail from one Alison Dockins regarding a
lost dog. What, do I look like the community bulletin board at
Safeway? Well, I guess I’m OK with that. If Gardner can post
about what fell out of his taco, I guess I can try to help this
family get their dog back, especially considering the
circumstances.
Alison wrote, “Hello Mr. Henry (Note to self – gotta do
something with that byline.) I am writing to see if you can help my
family and I. My youngest daughter has a rare genetic disorder
called Williams Syndrome, she is doing great and has bypassed so
many of her doctors expectations for her and make all of us so
proud. But the reason I need your help is our family dog ran away
on Monday. Him and my daughter are always together, he is her
constant companion and puts up with so much more then most other
dogs ever would. He is absolutely irreplaceable and my daughter and
the rest of us are heartbroken. She walks around the house asking
“where puppy? and just isn’t herself without him. Is there anyway
you could run even just a small article with a picture of him…..I
know he is around here (Port Orchard) as people have seen him….but
he is such a friendly great family dog I’m worried someone might
just keep them for their own family. Please help me!
Alison”
Since I’m not clear on whether Alison’s contact information is
for publication, I’m going to say contact me at (360) 792-9219 or
chenry@kitsapsun.com.
The family lives off Sidney Road, south of Lider Road on Logan
(see map below). Here’s what the dog looks like:
The Dockins family of South
Kitsap is missing their pet.
Doris Worland of Olalla is old enough to remember when canning
fruit was standard practice to help stretch a family’s grocery
budget. So it galls her to see fruit in people’s backyards falling
to the ground, rotting.
It’s bothered her for years. This year, she decided to do
something about it. Earlier in the summer, Doris mounted a
one-woman gleaning campaign, trying to play matchmaker between
property owners with more fruit than they were able to use and
local food banks.
“What I’m doing is basically harassing these people who have
this stuff falling off the trees,” she said. “Most of them say you
can have what you want of what they cannot or will not or are
unable to use for themsleves.”
Despite some publicity and a universal response that “that’s a
good idea,” she has not found enough volunteers to make her idea
come to fruition, so to speak. Now, with apples and pears getting
ripe, Doris, 78, has been picking fruit and delivering it herself
to food banks, but a bad back is slowing her down.
“I don’t have a ladder, and I don’t think I ought to get one,”
she said.
Doris is frustrated with the lack of action and the continued
waste of fruit.
“I’m kind of upset, discouraged, depressed,” she said. “It’s not
as if I’m a politician pressing my agenda, my religion or asking
for money. It’s just that I don’t want these things to go to waste
if they can be helping somebody.”
If you have fruit to give away or if you can volunteer to pick,
call Doris. She is willing and able to deliver the fruit to the
food bank.
Contact her at (360) (253) 851-4303 or
(360) (253)
970-2047.
In case you were wondering the outcome of of the situation with
Farmhouse Montessori School on Bethel- Burley Road — made
famous by the Kitsap County hearing examiner’s quote that neighbors
of the school might be disturbed by the “noise generated by
laughter and screaming of young children” — here’s the story in
summary, from reporter Chris Dunagan’s article of Aug. 11:
“Based on new plans — including a maximum of 34 students instead
of 40, as well as reduced operating hours — Hearing Examiner Ted
Hunter approved the proposal with 22 conditions. The school’s hours
will be 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays, as opposed to the previous
proposal of 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.”
I have a confession to make. Although, as the South Kitsap
reporter, I’ve been reporting on the upcoming Cedar Cove Days (Aug.
26 -30), South Kitsap’s tribute to author Debbie Macomber, I have
not read any of her Cedar Cove books. The fictional series is based
on the real-life town of Port Orchard and vicinity. So
compelling are the Cedar Cove books to Macomber’s legions of fans,
that the Port Orchard library often sees tourists who are looking
for landmarks from the town.
According to Branch Manager Kathleen Wilson, her staff can
hardly keep Macomber’s books – Cedar Cove and others – on the
shelves, even though they’ve added significantly to their
collection, anticipating the event.
The Cedar Cove library, and its head librarian Grace Sherman,
figure prominently in the second book in the series, 204 Rosewood
Lane, I am told by Wilson. When I asked for a recommendation about
where I should start in the series, this was the book Wilson
suggested. Surprise, surprise.
I’m looking for your advice. What Debbie Macomber book should I
start with to a get a true feel for the series?
What draws you to the books, if you’re a fan?
If you’re a Port Orchard/South Kitsap resident, do you relate to
the settings of the books?
What character do you relate most closely to, and why?
I was at the chiropractor the other week and was interested to
hear my provider say she was trading her services for tennis
lessons.
I haven’t checked Craiglist or other sources, but I wouldn’t be
a bit surprised if, given the economy, the fine art of bartering
isn’t seeing a bit of a revival here in Kitsap County.
According to an
article in USA Today, bartering, common in the 19th Century and
earlier, is definitely making a come-back.
From the article, written in February:
“Barter “absolutely thrives in bad times,”
says Roger Staiger, a professor at Johns Hopkins University’s
business school. Last month, a Denver developer asked Staiger for
help restructuring a loan. Lacking cash, he gave Staiger a Colorado
ski trip, and the developer’s wife is designing his Web page.
“This is part of the underground economy
that does not contribute to the GDP (gross domestic product), but
it absolutely contributes to helping people and fostering trade,”
he says.
***** end reference******
Then there was the guy who began trading a
paper clip for a fish-shaped pen, and, through bartering on the
Internet, ended up with a house.
While bartering appears to fall outside the
Economy (note the capital “E”), the Internal
Revenue Service wants its cut. A plumber who trades with
a dentist for services, for example, must report the fair market
value of said services.
“Generally, you report this income on
Form 1040,
Schedule C (PDF), Profit or Loss from
Business. If you failed to report this income, correct
your return by filing a Form 1040X. Refer to Topic 308 for Amended
Return information.”
The IRS article talks about barter clubs and
bartering on the Internet. Regarding the latter, the article says,
“If you exchanged property or services through a barter exchange
(on the Internet), you should receive a Form 1099-B (PDF),
Proceeds From Broker and Barter Exchange
Transactions. The IRS also will receive the same
information.”
I am curious about bartering:
Have you bartered for goods or services? Has
your bartering activity increased with the recession? What sources,
including the Internet, do you use to make connections? Regarding
the quote about not contributing to the gross domestic product, how
– if at all – do you think bartering helps the local economy? Do
you have any advice for people who are new to bartering?
Thanks for your thoughts. CTH
P.S. What does this have to do with South
Kitsap? My chiropractor is in SK.
Two public hearings of note on Monday’s agenda for the Kitsap
County Board of Commissioners.
1. The board will hear an appeal by the Farmhouse Montessori
School in South Kitsap of the county hearing examiner’s denial for
a special permit that would allow the school/day care to operate in
a rural neighborhood.
2. The Board of Commissioners also will take up the issue of
whether to form a Local Improvement District to extend a sewer line
along Colchester Drive in Manchester.
Farmhouse Montessori
Kitsap County planners recommended approval of the school’s
permit request, but when the project reached the Hearing Examiner
Ted Hunter, several nearby residents said they weren’t too keen on
the proposal, especially considering the extra traffic, noise and
potential damage to the environment.
Hunter denied the permit, saying the use would be detrimental to
the surrounding property owners.
“Educating children is an admirable profession and laudable
goal,” Hunter wrote in his findings. “Montessori schools offer a
unique perspective on the educational process and can provide a
valuable service to the community. (But) noise generated by
laughter and screaming of young children during outdoor playtime
and by up to 84 vehicle trips to and from the property would be
materially detrimental to single-family residential properties in
the immediate vicinity.”
Manchester Sewer LID 9
The Board of commissioners deferred a decision on the matter,
after testy testimony from area residents, who questioned the
accuracy of the costs and the process by which LID boundaries were
drawn.
Ron Rada, chairman of the Manchester Community Council’s sewer
committee, is spearheading the LID process. After the previous
meeting in June, he submitted to the board a detailed response to
questions raised during the hearing.
Among other questions, Rada addresses a concern about LID
boundaries raised by Kitsap County Assessor Jim Avery, a Manchester
resident. Avery asked why some properties between the previously
formed LID 8 and the proposed LID 9 were not required to be part of
either district. Avery said it was unfair to other residents that
these folks weren’t obliged to pay their share of the cost.
Rada, in his letter, explained that some property owners joined
LID 8 as latecomers, a move approved by the board. The latecomers
and those who didn’t want to hook up to the sewer form a patchwork
of properties between LID 8 and 9, some with sewer service, some
without.
The committee couldn’t legally require the unsewered properties
to be part of LID 9, Rada explained, because the sewer line had
already been extended to accommodate the latecomers in LID 8. The
law permits LID boundaries to include only properties without
current access to sewer. When and if the septic on the properties
in LID no-man’s-land fail, they will be required to either fix them
or hook up to the sewer, Rada said.
Rada also sent me an article by John Carpita, a public works
consultant, explaining how local utility districts are formed . The
title of the article, “Are We Having Fun Yet?” hints at the
complexity of the process, but Carpita spells it out in his
introduction, saying, “LIDs are more fun than root canals without
novocaine, a three-month visit from your in-laws, balancing city
budgets… (with) a reputation as difficult to administer, time
consuming and a public relations disaster waiting to
happen (my emphasis added).”
The article addresses the issue of proportionality of
assessments. “Statutes specify that the assessment per parcel must
not exceed the special benefit, which is defined as the fair market
value of the property before and after the local improvement
project,” Carpita writes.
Resident Tom Warren questioned whether residents were
proportionately represented. The petition approval was determined
by area of property, giving those with larger properties more
weight in the vote, yet the amount assessed per property is the
same, he observed. Carpita’s article confirms that the LID petition
“needs to be signed by owners of 51 percent of area within the
LID.” (The LID 9 petition just barely met this threshold.) Clearly,
Rada & company followed the statutes. However, the question the
commissioners need to answer (and one that perhaps Avery himself
could address) is whether having access to the sewer line conveys
equal value to each property regardless of its size.
I’m going on vacation next week, so will pass this off into
other capable hands. But I’ll be watching to see how the
commissioners rule and invite your comments of enlightenment before
or after the meeting. Cheers.
South Kitsap’s resident bestselling author Debbie Macomber will
speak at the Port Orchard Chamber of Commerce meeting, 11:30 a.m.
Thursday at the Clubhouse at McCormick Woods. Macomber will whip up
brewing enthusiasm for the upcoming Cedar Cove Days, Aug. 26
through 30. The event celebrates Macomber’s work and Port Orchard,
which is the real-life inspiration for her popular Cedar Cove
series.
Delilah Rene, South Kitsap’s radio personality in residence,
will join Macomber to drum up support for a Paint the Town event
Aug. 2. Delilah is spearheading the effort to put a fresh face on
downtown Port Orchard for Cedar Cove Days. She and others are
recruiting professional contractors and individual volunteers to
help paint buildings in need of some love, with owners’ permission
of course. Delilah will soon post a Web site to illustrate the
current state of affairs, portorchardpaintthetown.org. The painting
party will be an excuse for a block party, with music, face
painting and other activities, Delilah said. Individuals and groups
can sign up at paintthetown@ymail.com.
Here’s the press release from the chamber on Thursday’s
meeting:
Port Orchard Chamber of Commerce July Membership Meeting on
Thurs. July 9th at 11:30am at McCormick Woods Golf Course Banquet
Room will feature bestselling novelist Debbie Macomber. Join us for
a short, humorous, condensed version of beloved Port Orchard author
Debbie Macomber’s thirty-year career in the publishing business.
From her start as a young mother of four, writing out her stories
on a rented manual typewriter (because they couldn’t afford the
rent on an electric model!) to her current status as a #1 New York
Times bestselling author, Debbie’s speech will keep everyone
entertained and inspired. Port Orchard’s most famous hometown
author will also describe some of the fun activities scheduled
during the Cedar Cove Days festival in August.
Reservations are necessary and can be made online at
www.portorchard.com or by calling 360-876-3505 by noon July 6th.
Membership Luncheons are open to non-members, cost is $22 and must
be paid in advance. Chamber members are $20 if prepaid and $22 at
the door.
Perhaps you were expecting Quincy
Jones, the former Bremerton resident and music producer, who
worked with Michael Jackson on “Thriller” and other albums? Here’s
another local link to the King of Pop.
Like Michael Jackson’s legion of fans around the world, South
Kitsap resident Bobby Inocente was stunned and saddened to learn of
his death yesterday.
Inocente, 54, grew up in New York City and played back-up guitar
to well know Motown bands from the early 1970s. It was around that
time, Inocente said, he crossed paths with Michael Jackson just
before his rising star burst into a super-nova.
Bobby Inocente
Jackson and his brothers, as the Jackson 5, were playing the
legendary Apollo Theatre in Harlem. Inocente hit it off with
brothers Tito and Jermaine, who were closer to his age. They even
visited Inocente and his family in the Bronx. The older brothers
had a fairly normal upbringing and varied interests typical of
teenage boys, Inocente said. But performing had always been pretty
much the sole focus of Michael’s life.
The Jacksons, who grew up in Gary, Indiana, were
“wide-eyed” at the Big Apple and appropriately awed to be playing
the Apollo. “To them, performing at the Apollo was the big
leagues,” Inocente said.
Inocente described Michael Jackson as “very quiet, soft spoken,
rarely said anything. He transformed into the mega-superstar that’s
known the world over, but at that age, he was a very shy kid. He
loved to play cards and dominoes, and he was always fascinated by
magic.”
Professionally, Inocente said, the Jackson family presented a
united front that few were privy to breach. Of family dynamics, he
said, “It’s hard to say. I’m sure they had their sibling rivalries.
It seemed like they were very headstrong about the music. They were
destined to become what they became because they worked hard at it.
They kind of had a different childhood than other people because of
the pressure that was put on them.”
Inocente described their father, Joseph Jackson, as “a
disciplinarian.” The Jackson boys addressed their parents as “Joe
and Katherine” not Dad and Mom. The boys were expected to live
clean and toe the line, Inocente said.
The Motown culture also had a formative effect on the Jackson 5,
dictating not only clothing and hair styles but even their affects
and public personalities, Inocente said. “By the time Motown
released them to the general public, they were a well polished
machine.”
Inocente ran into the Jacksons a few years later when they were
headlining at Madison Square Garden and Inocente was playing with
The Commodores
(“Three Times a Lady,” “Brick House”), also on the bill. He
contacted Tito and Jermaine occasionally through the years, but
otherwise lost touch with the Jackson 5 and Michael.
Yesterday, when the rumors were confirmed, Inocente mourned.
“It hit me as far as we lost a national icon. I felt he was a
friend. I knew the Jackson family,” he said.
Inocente tried to send the family his condolences, but they’re
not even accepting e-mails.
For all that can be said about Michael Jackson’s unconventional
and often troubled life, his impact on popular music can’t be
denied, Inocente said. “There’s only, in my opinion, two other acts
that are equal to him in pop culture, the Beatles and Elvis
Presley. I would actually have to say that the Jackson 5 to the
African American people were the black Beatles. They had their own
cartoon show, they were on the back of cereal boxes. They were the
original boy band. I think all these groups now take their style
from the persona the Jackson 5 portrayed.”
After the Jackson 5 dissolved, Micheal continued to break new
ground. “Thriller” won accolades and essentially launched the music
video as a genre in its own right, Inocente said.
With “We Are the World,” Jackson set a precedent for stars using
their clout to promote humanitarian causes. The album, co-produced
by Quincy Jones (see above), gathered a diverse who’s who of other
iconic performers – Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Ray Charles to name a
few – to benefit Africa . “Only with his star power you could have
gotten a conglomerate of the best-selling artists on the planet
together in one room to record a song,” Inocente said.
Jackson was also notable for his musical longevity, with a
career that – ups and downs aside – spanned more than 40 years.
“He’s one of the artists out of all the pop stars that had the
longest reign,” said Inocente. “Some people who weren’t even born
when he was in the Jackson 5 enjoy his music today.”
Oh yeah, he wasn’t a bad dancer, either. Remember this?
Whatever can be said about Michael Jackson’s appearance, quirks
and legal troubles, Inocente remains philosophically loyal to the
shy kid he he knew back in the day and to the extroverted performer
inside him.
“Anybody that has a star that big is going to be surrounded in
controversy,” Inocente said. “Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, Rudolf
Valentino, Charlie Chaplin, they all had their ups and downs.
That’s one of the prices you have to pay in the industry. But in
the long run, I think when all is said and done, it will be the
impact of his music that stands alone as his epitaph. I think the
music will outshine the controversy and the weird life he
lived.”
A couple of comments on today’s story indicated confusion. My
apologies. Here’s a map that hopefully will help clarify what’s
going with annexation of the Bethel Corridor.
Red = Sedgwick Bethel Annexation, nearly complete, includes the
Fred Meyer sales tax revenue cherry on top.
Yellow and Green = Geiger Road Annexations, in the works
Purple = Geiger North, yet to come; this is the piece the county
would like to see in place to create a less “illogical” boundary
between city and unincorporated properties. The county is not
rushing to let go of the revenue from these mostly commercial
properties, but sees the annexation into Port Orchard as inevitable
and logical according to the Growth Management Act. The revenue
sharing agreement between cities and county calls for revenue
sharing of 25/75 percent (city/county) the first year, 50/50 the
second, 75/25 the third, before the county loses the revenue
altogether. But, as Councilman John Clauson points out, the city
assumes 100 percent of the responsibility the first year. Eric
Baker, director of special projects for the county, said of this
consequence of the interlocal agreement it’s understood that the
jurisdiction assuming responsibility for an area won’t realize a
net gain within the first few years.
Enough words, here’s the map (Courtesy City of Port Orchard)
Today I covered the open house for
Harrison Medical Center’s new 24/7 urgent care facility. The
36,000-square-foot medical building will open Thursday, expanding
urgent care services in South Kitsap from 16 hours per day to 24.
The building, which connects to the 32,000-square-foot medical
center built in 1995, also includes a state of the art imaging
center, doctor’s offices and a host of outpatient medical
services.
According to Dr. Robert Rankin, the urgent care center’s
director, the need for urgent care is increasing not only due to
increased population, but because of a shortage of primary care
doctors in Kitsap County as nationwide.
Specialists can make two to three times more than primary care
doctors, who are also burdened by regulations that make their jobs
far more complicated, Rankin said. The net result, he said, is a
lack of family care doctors.
With fewer primary care doctors, more and more people are
relying on urgent care for basic medical needs, and they’re going
to emergency rooms, when urgent care would suffice.
From my perspective (my primary care doc just folded shop for
unstated reasons), the lack of family practitioners means a
Catch-22 for patients who need a referral to specialists in order
to qualify for insurance coverage of a medical issue.
The doctor shortage makes delivery of care inefficient and
unnecessarily costly. People without a family doctor wait to seek
care until they’re “really” sick, making treatment more
complicated. A visit to the ER also costs more (way more) than an
office visit. But now patients don’t have to wait. The cost of
treatment at an urgent care is comparable to an office visit at a
doctor’s office, Rankin said.
Harrison’s Port Orchard campus is located at 450 South Kitsap
Boulevard, east of Highway 16 at the Tremont Street exit. Harrison
Urgent Care will begin serving patients on a 24/7 basis at 7:30
a.m. Thursday. For more information, visit Harrison’s Web site
at
www.harrisonhospital.org.
Update 1/14: This posting has been amended to add the link to
the story/video.
