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City Councilman Bill Knobloch sent in a guest column arguing for a low-cost, utilitarian approach to fixing Winslow Way.

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How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop? I dunno, but I bet it’s a trip when you’re licking one laced with weed.

Bainbridge High’s vice principal stopped by the police station this week to drop off some drug paraphernalia (you know, the usual) and get a lollypop checked for marijuana. Yep, that leafy stuff usually smoked or baked into treats can apparently be converted into a form fit for “lacing” into hard candy. Police have dutifully sent the the lollypop to the lab. Results are due in two to four months, so don’t hold your breath.

Also this week, a mastiff attacks a 4-year-old, teens go on an craft supply shoplifting spree in Winslow and another guy gets busted for yelling in a park.

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I spent a lot of time hanging out at the Day Road farms last week for a story on city-owned farmlands. You can read that story here.

I came across Dave Ullin volunteering a lot of sweat and time building an irrigation culvert. Dave’s not a farmer, but I always like to hear Dave’s thoughts, so I sat down on one of the boulders awaiting its place in the culvert and asked him what he thought about the state of farming on Bainbridge.

Dave is Bainbridge Island’s answer to Henry David Thoreau. His life is barebones simple. He lives in an anchored-out tugboat without heat, electricity and plumbing. He eats a lot of tug-grown sprouts and stinging nettle sauerkraut. He hauls his own water and uses his hand-forged tools for a variety of volunteer projects, from felling logs for Yeomalt Cabin to ripping out invasive plants at Waterfront Park.

He also spends a lot of time thinking, and sometimes he puts his thoughts on paper. So when I asked him about farming, he stopped by my office later and handed me an essay entitled “Dave’s View: a Vision for Affordable + Sustainable Living.”

I couldn’t quite fit any of my conversation with Dave into the farming story, but you can read his essay below.

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The largely self-taught pole vaulter Cheyne Clark ranked high in state trials in Pasco yesterday.

Read all about it here.

They thought they’d get two dozen, tops. They got about 50 instead. The island’s first ever “Ride of Silence” managed to pull a fair amount of cyclists this evening, despite the threat of rain.

Read my report below. Sorry about the gory details. But if Chris Stanley had to live ’em, you’ll have to read ’em.

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Citing delays and indecision on the part of the city, Heery International withdrew its bid to lead the proposed multi-million dollar Winslow Way project.

The construction management company asked the city to call them back once the city makes up its mind.

Read the story below.

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After a cold, dark and wet winter, the last week’s worth of sunny skies have been enough to make anyone want to go to a park and yell out some hallelujahs. But watch the decibels. A Bainbridge man’s sunshine praises didn’t get an amen from the neighbors, nor from the cops called to the scene.

Also this week: a brass knuckle brawl at the library and two mysterious cases in which burglars stole nothing but a shower and a nap.

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The island’s high-speed doughnut throwers have gone national.

Humorist Dave Barry posted the Sun’s recent police blotter item about a truckload of islanders attempting to toss doughnuts to a second truckload while heading north on 305. You can see Barry’s blog post and about a dozen or so reader comments here.

I think our local readers had wittier comments. Here’s a choice one from my original story:

“I am sure once the call went out on the radio, all the cops descended on that area to gather the ‘evidence’ for ‘processing’ and coffee!”

Didja know that Bainbridge has a business school? And wouldn’t you know it, it’s a “green” business school.

Not many people around these parts know about the Bainbridge Graduate Institute, but its national reputation continues to grow. Read on to learn more about latest addition to the school’s trophy case.

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In other belated news from Wednesday’s council meeting (besides the Winslow Way thing – see below), a new water resources specialist position was approved. The council made sure that the new job, which will focus on water quality and quantity, won’t mean another desk at City Hall. Public Works agreed not to hire for one of their two open engineering spots, and to swap it permanently for the water specialist position.

Also, the death knell was sounded for the Quay project. The effort to preserve over 70 downtown units as affordable housing was hit hard by an appraisal that put the complex’s value far below its asking price.

“The plug’s been pulled. Life support has ended. The Quay project is over,” said Ed Kushner, who has helped rally support to purchase the Quay.

The mayor’s farmland advisory group released its report on city-owned farms. In recent years, the city has purchased about 60 acres of farmland to support local farmers and bolster island food sources. The report stresses the need for better management of the largely fallow properties. Look for my story on city-owned farms next week.