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Wildcats Selected as No. 10 Seed in NCAA Bremerton Regional Apr 30, 2025 | Men's Golf 2025Men's Golfvs NCAA RegionalsLoad MoreRecent ResultsCompleted Event: Softball at No Men’s Golf Punches Ticket to NCAA Bremerton Regional4/30/2025 1:16 PM | Men's Golf The Utes are headed back to the NCAA Regionals for the fourth time in the last five seasons 20 South Carolina is headed west after earning the No 4 seed for the NCAA Bremerton Regional it was announced Wednesday live on Golf Channel as part of the Selection Show for the 2025 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship It marks the 31st all-time NCAA Regional appearance for the Gamecocks and the first under new head coach Rob Bradley Teams will play 54-holes of stroke play at six different regional sites around the nation May 12-14 with the top-five teams advancing to the NCAA Championship May 23-28 at Omni La Costa in Carlsbad The highest finishing individual on a non-advancing team will also advance to the NCAA Championship La Costa is hosting the National Championship for the second consecutive year with Texas serving as the host school Bradley led his team to nine NCAA Regionals with four NCAA Championship appearances (second-most in the Big Ten behind only Illinois) The Gamecocks are seeking the program’s first trip to the NCAA Championship since 2019. A top-five finish in Bremerton, which is located just outside Seattle, will be the 22nd all-time NCAA Championship appearance for the program. The last time the Gamecocks made the NCAA Championship in 2019 was also on the west coast at the NCAA Pullman Regional Washington will be the host school at Golf Mountain Golf Club for the NCAA Bremerton Regional Dramatically sculpted into the Pacific Northwest splendor the Olympic course has garnered impressive awards and has taken its place as one of America’s finest municipally-owned golf courses It has hosted a pair of NCAA Regionals (2008 2015) on the men’s side and also hosted the U.S The full NCAA Regional field can be found here 2025 NCAA MEN’S GOLF REGIONAL SITES: 2025 NCAA BREMERTON REGIONAL FIELD: 2025 NCAA BREMERTON REGIONAL INDIVIDUAL FIELD: Carolina falls just shy of eight-team cutline for match play by two shots on Friday at Sea Island South Carolina seeking fourth match play appearance this week and first since 2021 at Sea Island Golf Club Carolina finishes the regular season with eight top-five finishes in its nine tournaments Thanks for visiting by Jeremy Harris — Two women from Bremerton face federal charges alleging they stole mail and used it to infiltrate the personal and financial lives of hundreds of people in Washington Attorney’s office alleges 278 victims lost a combined $620,000 over the five-year fraud of Heather Marquis “The two of them were entirely subsisting their lifestyle on identity theft wire fraud,” said Assistant United States Attorney Victoria Cantore take out some personally identifying documents and use those to then create profiles about their victims.” According to charging documents in the U.S the couple fell onto the radar of Bremerton police in October 2024 during an auto theft investigation involving bogus car titles and registrations Police executed a search warrant at the couple’s home on Dill Way in Bremerton and quickly discovered a massive trove of documents linking the couple to identity theft and bank fraud Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) in Seattle to investigate the origin of the documents and really any financial documents that you might get in the mail,” Postal Inspector John Wiegand told KOMO News One victim told USPIS that his mail had been stolen on a regular basis and he noticed there seemed to an increase in mail including credit card applications and voter registration packets The man also said his driver’s license had been renewed without his knowledge or permission Investigators later discovered that there were 16 cases involving Vranic and Marquis fraudulently obtaining other people’s driver’s licenses and having them sent to their home Another victim told police her Lowe’s credit card was stolen in the mail and then used to make thousands of dollars in fraudulent purchases Prosecutors allege they obtained store surveillance video of Vranic making the transaction “These two defendants in particular seemed very confident about their ability to inflict this type of harm on people,” Cantore said Cantore added that many of the federal crimes occurred while the couple was under supervision for state criminal charges “It’s scary because it seems so easy,” Cantore said “That’s the part that’s terrifying – it feels so simple.” Vranic was arraigned and released from custody last week Marquis appeared in court and pleaded not guilty to the charges on Tuesday She remains in custody at the Federal Detention Center in SeaTac ahead of a trial Statement from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington: these defendants left a broad swath of damage across Kitsap and Mason Counties,” said Acting U.S “The Bremerton Police Department and Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office did important work with the U.S Postal Inspection Service to identify victims and trace the financial harm they suffered in this case.” and bank fraud are punishable by up to 30 years in prison Wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison Aggravated identity theft is punishable by a mandatory minimum two years in prison for each count to run consecutive to any other sentence imposed in the case The charges contained in the indictment are only allegations A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law This work, Naval Hospital Bremerton hosts DHA Senior Enlisted Leader, by Douglas Stutz, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright May opens with the area's annual Armed Forces Day Parade and Viking Fest That means festival season is coming to the Kitsap Peninsula Here's a guide to a selection of the celebrations fireworks and more to start planning what you'll stay busy with this May through Labor Day weekend MayBremerton Night Market: This monthly summer event brings artisans live music and more to the Bremerton Boardwalk for a series of evenings outdoors to get to know your community Korean Heritage Festival on Bainbridge Island: Kitsap's first annual Korean Heritage Night will take place at Woodward Middle School from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Part of Bainbridge Island's Asian Arts and Heritage Festival, the event will feature Korean dance and more to celebrate Korean culture and raise awareness about mental health Viking Fest: The annual celebration of Nordic heritage will take place in downtown Poulsbo over an entire weekend beginning on 6th Avenue and Fjord Drive and ending at Martha & Mary Visitors can hear live music along the waterfront participate in a street dance Saturday night enjoy the street fair and other events tied to the community's traditions and culture in the town known as Little Norway Armed Forces Day Parade: The Great Kitsap Chamber will host Bremerton's 78th annual Armed Forces Day Parade in downtown Bremerton. Every year, people visit Bremerton and line the streets to celebrate the Armed Forces in this Navy town with a parade featuring hundreds of entries at 10 a.m. preceded by with the annual pancake breakfast and followed by a Heroes BBQ Kitsap Demolition Derby: The summer series at the Kitsap County Fairground's Thunderbird Stadium opens in May and runs through September Racers run the figure eight around the dirt and see which car emerges from the crashes Wayzgoose Kitsap: The eighth edition of this community arts festival has moved across the Warren Avenue Bridge and will be held at the Sheridan Park Community Center in Bremerton and a large linoleum carving to be printed live when the steamroller is warmed up Kingston Pirate Festival: The third edition of this community event on the waterfront features music entertainment and fun with a swashbuckling theme will perform live-action role-playing throughout the day and involve kids in stories and activities There is also a beer garden and plenty of booths at Mike Wallace Park from 10 a.m Kitsap Juneteenth Freedom Festival: The event in Bremerton against marks Black history and unity in the community at Evergreen Rotary Park Take part in the People's March or join for fellowship and food all afternoon Juneteenth Block Party: A block party will be held on the federal Juneteenth holiday all afternoon outdoor at the Perry Ave Mall Kitsap Medieval Faire: Recreate scenes from the Middle Ages or just be entertained by demonstrations of martial arts and artisans Bainbridge Pride Fest: The island's event to mark Pride month takes place at Waterfront Park in Winslow with a drag hour to kick things off and music and dancing beginning at 1 p.m Bremerton Bridge Blast: The annual fireworks display precedes the Fourth of July by lighting up the night sky above the Manette Bridge at 10:15 p.m Official viewing areas are on either side of Port Washington Narrows along the Bremerton Boardwalk and Evergreen Rotary Park or at Whitey Domstad Park and along 11th Street in Manette Visitors can enjoy live music starting at 11 a.m on the boardwalk and food vendors and entertainment will be at Evergreen Rotary Park from 2 p.m Grand Old 4th of July on Bainbridge Island: The Bainbridge Island Chamber of Commerce and City of Bainbridge Island again host annual full-day celebration on the Fourth of July There are activities on Winslow Way all day including the always fun Hometown Parade at 1 p.m. Kingston Fourth of July: The Kingston celebration include the annual Tiny Town at Mike Wallace Park and the fireworks display to celebrate Independence Day Fireworks over Sinclair Inlet: The annual display from Port Orchard part of the city's Fathoms O' Fun festival JulyBremerton Air Show: This year's Bremerton Air Show will feature the KC-135 Demonstration Team based out of Fairchild Air Force Base in Spokane County as well as the West Coast C-17 Demo Team from Joint Base Lewis-McChord and more classic aircraft The gates at Bremerton National Airport open at 10 a.m Olalla Lavender Festival: Explore venues around scenic South Kitsap in this weekend festival Visitors can chose different "journeys" -- from foodie to self-care to creativity -- and look around farms Kitsap Pride: Now nearly 30 years old Kitsap's annual celebration of and for the LGBTQ+ community has the theme of "Unite" for this year's edition vendors and more are part of the afternoon events at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds Kitsap Tattoo Convention: The Kitsap Tattoo Convention will take place at the Kitsap Sun Pavilion at the fairgrounds Visitors can expect activities including live tattooing Whaling Days: Silverdale's annual parade and street fair will be back including fireworks to kick off the summer weekend of fun on Friday night The parade takes over Silverdale Way on Saturday morning street food and a beer garden near the entertainment stage Taste of Kitsap: More than 20 food vendors will compete for awards voted on by attendees at the two-day festival at the Bremerton Boardwalk Live music and a beer garden are part of the fun as well Manette Edible Garden Tour: Bremerton's every other year tour of neighborhood gardens starts at 10 a.m. offering residents and visitors four hours to wander and pick up ideas in local backyards from edible landscapes to chicken coops and more creativity Crosby Days: The 41st annual edition of the logging festival in the small community on Kitsap's west side Puget Sound Book Festival: This outdoor book fair on the shores of Sinclair Inlet is now in its third year Come to the Bremerton Boardwalk to see books for sale by local shops meet authors and hang out in the beer garden or with food vendors The Cruz: The annual car show that takes over the Port Orchard waterfront nearly moved but it will be back on Bay Street the second Sunday in August Kitsap County Fair and Stampede: This year's Kitsap County Fair and Stampede has a new theme "Barn in the USA," but all the classics will return highlighted by a visit by the Xtreme Bulls on Sunday Kitsap Blues Festival: The second edition of this music festival at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds will feature headliners "Kingfish" Ingram and Eric Gales and music lovers can park RVs and stay to listen visit the BBQ or beer garden and hang out all weekend Performances are scheduled to start Friday at 7 p.m. according to organizers the Admiral Theatre and Kitsap Fair and Stampede Association Bremerton Blackberry Festival: Come to celebrate all things "blackberry" around the Bremerton Harborside and on Second Street downtown over three days Listen to live music and other entertainment acts visit more than 150 vendors on the boardwalk Do you have a summer festival we've missed Email sunnews@kitsapsun.com with the details and we'll add you to the calendar Bremerton track and field standout Isaiah Cadengo has a complicated relationship with the 400-meter dash He entered the week ranked first among Class 2A boys in the 400 His time of 48.52 is more than a second faster than the athlete occupying the No who'll compete next season at Portland State University the 400 is so much more than one simple sprint around the track It's an event that requires Cadengo to give every bit of himself a full test of his speed and endurance from beginning to end Cadengo usually opts to seek peace and quiet while preparing himself mentally for the challenge the 400 provides "It traumatizes me a little bit," Cadengo admitted after a recent practice at Memorial Stadium Bremerton track and field coach Jacki Renner said Cadengo who also owns the fifth-fastest 200 time (22.06) in 2A possesses the right stuff to be a successful sprinter but also a "fearless" attitude that athletes of his caliber need Always ready for the challenge," Renner said it is clear that he doesn't just hope to win the expectation is that Cadengo will be a threat to become a state champion in at least one event He'll likely be competing in the 200 and 400 individually He's also a member of Bremerton's 4x100 relay team (ranked sixth in 2A) and 4x400 relay team (ranked third in 2A) Cadengo nearly earned a trip to the top of the podium as a junior at state in 2024 He held a lead in the 400 at the final turn after being chased down by East Valley of Yakima brothers Isaac and Evin Ford "I was at the lead coming around the curve," Cadengo said Cadengo said he's not the type to try to conserve a bit of energy for the final push Just ask Anderson about what it's like to chase Cadengo "I got a taste of that the other day," said Anderson who ranks second in the state in 2A in the 800 (1:54.69) and first in the 1,600 (4:16.54) "I just tell myself to get out really fast," Cadengo added Cadengo and Anderson, who train together, are former teammates on Bremerton's boys basketball team, which captured a state title in March A full-time starter as a sophomore and part-time starter as a junior Cadengo opted not to play basketball as a senior "I'd been thinking about it for a while," said Cadengo who competed in indoor track during the winter in preparation for outdoor competition "I just took that route this year instead of basketball but it was more like a decision for me to just get better at track." Cadengo's love for track and field has grown during his time at Bremerton For the past three years he's joined Renner as a mentor and assistant coach at Mountain View Middle School Those young athletes see what dedication and drive is all about "Isaiah never misses a practice or a workout," Renner said "He has a deep understanding of what it takes to excel and he consistently puts in the effort day in and day out His discipline and commitment to growth — both physically and mentally — set him apart plans to study civil engineering at Portland State A group of men who are believed by police to be affiliated with a gang were arrested late on Easter Sunday for allegedly smashing a car's windows in a Bremerton neighborhood The Bremerton Police Department arrived at the address on Bloomington Avenue at 10 p.m. and discovered a vehicle that had sustained extensive damage with the 23-year-old suspect tied up next to it In a probable cause statement for the suspect's arrest it is reported that the vandalized car's owner told BPD he witnessed the suspect and several others pummeling his car with a bat before they ran away The victim said he chased and brought back the suspect that police found restrained at the scene the suspect told officers that the group is associated with a well-known Mexican street gang known as Sureños Florencia 13 and the victim associates with Tren De Aragua The victim claimed he didn't know any of the suspects or why the group damaged his car although the report said the incident appeared to be targeted believing that an unknown leader directed the group to commit the crime After learning the other suspects that fled all had bats and wore blue bandanas the Kitsap County Sheriff's Office arrived in the area after responding to a similar incident involving a damaged vehicle in East Bremerton KCSO deputies found a Ford Escape leaving the area which had six male occupants Police were able to determine the men had been at the Bloomington Avenue scene It's estimated the damaged car will cost thousands of dollars to fix and the victim told officers this was the second time his car had been vandalized All seven suspects were booked into Kitsap County Jail on charges of malicious mischief with the suspect who was arrested on Bloomington scheduled to appear on a felony charge in Kitsap County Superior Court on Tuesday A case investigating two Bremerton women suspected of running an identity theft and fraud scheme that scammed victims across the state out of hundreds of thousands of dollars is now being prosecuted at the federal level The United States Attorney's Office announced in a statement that Heather Marquis After public records requests revealed documents claiming ownership of the vehicles were forged BPD returned with a search warrant to a Navy Yard City home and discovered blank Washington driver’s license templates identification card templates and identification cards belonging to several individuals Vranic and Marquis are accused with stealing identities using multiple different methods going back to April 2019 they would usually steal victims' mail and use their personal documents inside to gain access to bank accounts activate credit cards or open new lines of credit After assuming full control over the stolen identity transferred funds from the victims' accounts to their own and paid their monthly mortgage payments through stolen accounts This five-year long scheme is estimated to have stolen approximately $620,000 from victims in multiple Washington counties More: Investigation of stolen cars led Bremerton police to uncover massive identity theft scheme “Working to protect the mail system and the citizens it serves from those who wish to harm others while enriching themselves remains our steadfast mission,” said Tony Galetti “The allegations made against Vranic and Marquis are staggering The process to undo the harm done to members of our community From fixing bank accounts to rebuilding credit reports the harm lasts far longer than the initial crime." the pair could face up to 30 years behind bars for bank fraud up to 20 years for wire fraud and a mandatory minimum sentence of two years for each count of identity theft to run consecutive any other sentence in the case Marquis remains in custody at the Federal Detention Center at SeaTac while Vranic has been released to the custody of her parents The case is now being prosecuted by the U.S Attorney's Office and a trial is scheduled in U.S Bremerton's West Sound Technical Skills Center will be moving forward with its two-phased improvement and modernization project after securing $42 million in state funding during the 2025-27 biennium Plans for completing the project remained in a state of limbo for the past several months after preliminary state budget totals featured no funding for West Sound Tech which offers advanced career and technical programming for students ages 16-21 (grades 11-12) representing 10 school districts across Kitsap It took a late lobbying push to sway the minds of lawmakers "We went from zero to 42 million," WST Director Ryan Nickels said "It's going to get us where we need to be." West Sound Tech previously received nearly $53 million in state funding for the first phase of the project: erecting a two-story 50,000-square foot building on the southeast portion of campus Phase one is scheduled to be completed by the beginning of the 2025-26 school year District and project team leaders requested $54,059,947 to be included in the 2025-2027 legislative budget for the project's second phase which involves renovation/modernization of West Sound Tech's original building which opened in 1977 on the northeast corner of the campus Needs for that building includes safety and structural upgrades updating shop spaces for existing programs (fire science collision repair) and creation of additional spaces (maritime More from Olympia: Washington lawmakers close out session, sending budgets to governor with no second-phase funding initially included in a state's budget proposal West Sound Tech appeared destined for disappointment "If we would have been given zero dollars," Nickels said "we would have been in a situation where we had planned hallways and doors that were just concrete walls." it took a major lobbying effort to alter West Sound Tech's fate Nickels joined a handful of students and project leaders on visits with the offices of 23rd District Sen West Sound Tech students testified before the state's House and Senate budget committees told the Kitsap Sun that they'd be advocating on behalf of West Sound Tech leading up to the state's budget deadline The combination of local legislator support and community endorsement paid dividends in the end "It all added up to a huge team win that shows the power of our community standing together," Nance said With West Sound Tech in line to receive roughly 78% of its original second-phase funding request Nickels said there will be some interior spaces that will remain "empty rooms" for the time being but $42 million should cover a majority of the project's modernization plans "The whole plan of the building was flexibility," Nickels said "We have a lot of flexible spaces that we'll be able to house kids and have programs We are going to focus on programs that currently exist: construction By the time the second phase of West Sound Tech's project is completed Nickels hopes to have 800-1,000 students enrolled One man was killed and another seriously injured in a fiery crash early Saturday morning on Bremerton's Sixth Street after a car believed to be speeding crashed into heavy equipment parked for a city streets project The crash occurred near the intersection with Chester Street Bremerton Fire Department Assistant Chief John Payne confirmed A BFD report indicated that the car may have been speeding and had initially hit a sign on Sixth Street alerting drivers to a shift of lanes Lanes are currently shifted to accommodate an ongoing project on the south side of the street and collided with a piece of heavy machinery on the street before striking a retaining wall of a home along Sixth One man was ejected from the car and first responders found a second man and by the time a neighbor and Bremerton police officers pulled the passenger from the car he had died was flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with what Payne described as "very serious injuries." His condition Saturday afternoon was not known More: Wrong-way driver near Gorst causes multiple-car crash The two men were both believed to be in their early 20s The deceased will be identified by the Kitsap County Medical Examiner One man is in custody after another man was stabbed in the back in downtown Bremerton last week was stabbed while standing in an alleyway on the south side of the 800 block of Dr Martin Luther King Way around 9 p.m on March 10 When the Bremerton Police Department arrived at the scene officers found a worker from the nearby Salvation Army holding pressure to the victim's upper left shoulder A nearby surveillance camera captured a man passing through the scene with a knife around the time the victim was assaulted When police contacted the suspect later that week court documents said he reportedly admitted responsibility for the stabbing telling police the victim antagonized him when he confronted another individual at the scene whom he believed was responsible for burning down his mother's storage unit The police report said the suspect appeared to be suffering from mental illness The 23-year-old suspect is in custody at Kitsap County Jail on a felony assault charge and was scheduled to be arraigned on Monday The envelopes arrived regularly over the years often containing hand-written notes or typewriter-produced athletic news It was an example of Bob Fredericks being Bob Fredericks This was a man who kept the post office busy with outgoing mail destined for friends family members and other contacts around Kitsap County If there was something important happening with sports chances are Fredericks knew about it — or had a hand in making it happen “His true joy was the local sports scene,” Karen Fredericks Bob Fredericks died early Sunday morning at the age of 95 at his longtime Tracyton home following a brief illness is survived by his daughter Valerie Moeller (George); daughter Janet Long (George) and son Jon Fredericks (Karen); as well as six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren The family said a public celebration of life will be scheduled and announced "He was a classic promoter," added former Kitsap Sun sports editor Chuck Stark He was always just promoting local athletes." who worked at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for 38 years as an engineer spent most of his life figuring out how to get things done As a senior and ASB president at Bremerton High School in 1946-47 Fredericks spearheaded a fundraising drive to help build Memorial Stadium It's almost the stuff of legend as Fredericks convinced a skeptical school board to match any funds raised by students for the project He eventually showed up at a meeting with nearly $40,000 in donations “I was a subtle promoter all my life," Fredericks told the Kitsap Sun in 2013 "It started my senior year in high school when we built the football field A basketball player and track and field athlete in high school Fredericks became an accomplished tennis player at Olympic College It was a sport played by his father Fritz and brother Bill Fredericks later joined a small group of men in forming the Bremerton Tennis & Athletic Club (now the Kitsap Tennis & Athletic Club) For years he helped organize all manner tennis and racquetball tournaments at the venue One of Fredericks' biggest disappointments was coming this close to getting professional tennis players Jimmy Connors and Bjorn Borg to come to Bremerton for a demonstration in front of 2,000 students A teacher strike nixed those plans late in the process Fredericks served on the Kitsap YMCA board for 12 years and he was a regular at Kitsap Athletic Roundtable gatherings He earned the first-ever Rex Brown Distinguished Service Award which is annually handed out by the KAR to a member of the community who goes above and beyond while promoting and working in athletics in the Kitsap area Stark believes the KAR, which held its most recent hall of fame ceremony in February is still around today because of Fredericks' efforts "There were times that thing probably would have died He was getting all the guest speakers or helping line them up Those letters that Fredericks commonly spread throughout the community Kitsap Sports Hall of Fame member Tara Kirk Sell a Bremerton native who became an Olympic-level swimmer along with her sister Dana recalled her parents receiving a handful from Fredericks during her career They included newspaper clippings about the Kirk sisters' accomplishments in the pool “He was so enthusiastic and supportive of local athletes," Kirk Sell said “There’s a core of people who grew up in Bremerton are willing to do a lot for the community and stay here and invest their time and energy into making it a better place Karen Fredericks said her father-in-law sent a newspaper article to one of his grandkids He wanted to understand their interests and would stoke their curiosity with deliveries to the mailbox "He was sending out envelopes all the time," Karen Fredericks said One social gathering that remained constant for Fredericks over the years was the monthly luncheon held in honor of Orville "Tinie" Johnson a former Bremerton coach and athletic director who died in 2008 What began as a meeting of three or four people grew into gatherings that drew 30-40 attendees regularly to McCloud’s Grill House in East Bremerton we purposely made sure we weren’t gone on the third Thursday of the month,” Hjelmaa said Whether those luncheons continue without Fredericks running the show remains to be seen though Sutton credited Fredericks for creating many friendships among those who would attend There's no doubt that the community is left with a hole missing the person Karen Fredericks described as one of a kind “There’s never going to be another Bob Fredericks BREMERTON -- A combined emergency room and urgent care clinic that is expected to help address the Kitsap Peninsula’s growing demand for health care will start accepting patients next week officials from Virginia Mason Franciscan Health announced during a ceremony Wednesday Patients seeking care at the clinic will be triaged into either the emergency department or urgent care depending on the severity of their condition Officials say this will create a no-wrong-door approach eliminate guesswork for patients and reduce medical costs The facility will be open 24/7 and equipped like a standard emergency department A company spokesperson was unable to immediately provide the number of physicians working there Bremerton Mayor Greg Wheeler said the facility represents a fulfilled promise from VMFH to bring emergency care back to the city Bremerton has been without emergency medical services since 2021 when VMFH shuttered its emergency room at the former Harrison Hospital site amid ongoing staffing shortages and a relocation to Silverdale “What a great day for Bremerton,” he said in prepared remarks Wednesday The new hybrid clinic comes to Bremerton through a partnership between VMFH and Intuitive Health a Texas-based medical company that claims to have pioneered the dual ER-urgent care model Since its founding in 2008 the company has built nearly 30 facilities across the country Company CEO Thom Herrmann says the model is “a better way to provide care.” Even for those working in the medical field it can be confusing to determine what conditions constitute an emergency The combined facility ensures patients received the right care without unnecessary bills This is the first of two facilities Intuitive plans to bring to Kitsap. A second hybrid facility is slated to open on VMFH’s Kitsap Boulevard Campus in Port Orchard Campus later this year Both facilities, an expansion at SMMC’s main campus – plus a MultiCare "neighborhood ER" in East Bremerton and set to open this year– should alleviate long standing pressure at SMMC’s overburdened emergency room Staffing shortages on the Kitsap Peninsula for primary and preventative care doctors have left residents with few places to seek treatment That has made SMMC’s emergency room a medical safety net: offering one of the few places where patients can reliably and quickly access care drive up patient bills and lead to worse patient outcomes Emergency departments are the most expensive place to seek care and are not designed to provide follow-up treatment for those dealing with chronic conditions SMMC President Chad Melton said the hospital continues to see over 200 patients a day in its emergency room They know based on that demand they needed to create more access points in the community something they hope the new team at the hybrid clinic will help ease “We are committed to listening to the community and responding to the greatest needs of our patients,” he said in a statement “Today’s announcement is a great example of this work in action.”  Bremerton High School athletic director Amber Plummer will serve as a featured speaker later this week at the Washington Secondary School Athletic Administrations Association conference in Kennewick What's the theme of Plummer's presentation "I'm doing it on 'Celebrating your athletics program,'" she said but I'm not an athletic director any more.'" Plummer learned last week that her time with the Knights is coming to an end She's being reassigned to teach physical education at View Ridge Elementary starting in 2025-26 "I see it as a demotion," Plummer said Monday during an interview at Memorial Stadium, hours after joining Bremerton's state title-winning boys basketball team on a trip to Olympia, where the Knights were honored at the Capitol Whether or not Plummer accepts the new assignment at View Ridge, it's clear she wasn't anticipating a departure from an athletic director position she's filled since 2021 "It's not in the best interest of the athletes it's not in the best interest of the school." Bremerton School District spokesperson Karen Bevers confirmed that Mitchell Judie is in line to add athletic director duties starting next school year The assistant principal/athletic director dual-role model isn't currently being used at any other high school in the area although it has been utilized by several schools in the past Plummer doesn't see the sense of combining jobs an athletic director position at any school District cites budget cuts for reassignmentIn email responses to questions posed by the Kitsap Sun Bevers said the decision to eliminate Plummer's standalone athletic director position was based upon budget considerations The district is facing a budget deficit of nearly $3 million heading into next school year "This is one of 19 positions in the district impacted by displacements in preparation for the 25-26 school year," Bevers said In addition to the district altering its athletic director model the school board recently approved reduction-in-force (RIF) decisions covering 3.6 FTE positions That number does not include provisional teachers long-term substitutes or teachers headed for retirement "Budget reduction measures are never easy," Bevers said "The largest part of the district’s budget is staffing (80%) when significant budget modifications are needed Plummer said after speaking with assistant superintendent Garth Steedman on Tuesday in person at the district's administration building she left with the impression that Bremerton High School first-year principal Erin Wilkinson made the call to eliminate her position Bevers said the move to reassign Plummer was not Wilkinson's decision alone but rather a collective one that required input from both high school and district administrators "Decisions are made after extensive discussions with district and school leadership regarding potential cuts or structural changes to address the budget shortfall," Bevers said "The district’s priority is minimizing the reduction of classroom teaching positions the district allocates full-time equivalents (staff totals) to each school and school leadership determines how to best utilize that allocation based on student enrollment anticipated at the site for the next school year displaced staff are then transferred throughout the district to fill vacancies for which they are qualified." She has no doubts she could teach that age group but she doesn't see that as her calling at this stage of her career Being the Knights' athletic director is a role Plummer doesn't want to relinquish Plummer became choked up when talking about an emotionally draining past month Then she learned about her job being eliminated The day Plummer found out she would be losing her position at Bremerton she made her way to Bremerton's spacious Les Eathorne gymnasium She forced herself to look at the names of state champions and other successful athletes and teams listed on blue and gold banners that she helped erect on the gym walls A healthy portion of those names are students who have thrived during Plummer's four years on the job "We've got some athletes that are really top in the state," she said she said the high school had 294 athletes across its sports landscape in grades 9-12 She's also proud that the Knights now employ a dozen female coaches She said there were only four on staff in 2021 but Plummer embraced being a leader and problem-solver for the Knights "I feel like a firefighter who is always on call," Plummer said "There are fires to put out and you have multiple levels Those are all different areas that you have to connect with and different layers that have to be dealt with." Several high school coaches contacted by the Kitsap Sun this week to discuss Plummer's job performance stated that promoting and supporting Bremerton's student-athletes proved to be among her greatest strengths "She was always working for the athletes," said Bremerton cheerleading coach Jenn Owens, who has led the Knights to a pair of state titles the past two years "These kids have had amazing sports experiences created by her She goes above and beyond to acknowledge student-athletes and celebrate them every chance she gets and the amazing all-athletics awards night she started last year The student experience is going to be negatively affected by this decision it's a huge loss for Bremerton athletics." track and field coach Jacki Renner said Plummer is the best athletic director she's worked with at the high school level "She has bent over backwards for me multiple times and created wonderful opportunities for our athletes," Renner said "I am devastated with the changes that are happening that I may not be able to continue working with her." is one aspect of her job she desired to improve upon in the future It appears that future might involve employment somewhere besides Bremerton "I think that Amber worked very hard at her job and was successful at it," Bremerton football coach Paul Theriault added "She was an easy person to work with and was always positive Plummer admitted that her first choice would be making no choice at all She wants to remain Bremerton's athletic director and is still holding out hope district leaders might change their minds "If this could all be fixed and I could still be the AD "It's not perfect and there's definitely been challenges along the way but I feel like I've suffered and I persevered and I made things better." Plummer's priority involves remaining in athletics That's why accepting reassignment to View Ridge appears like a last resort She has already inquired about athletic director job openings at out-of-area schools such Clover Park High School in Lakewood Rainier Beach High School in Seattle and Todd Beamer High School in Federal Way "I'm looking for certain types of communities where I can make a difference," Plummer said "If there is an opportunity someplace else Purchasing a home is one of the most important investments there is. More than a place to live, homeownership is an asset with the potential to tremendously rise in value. But with home prices reaching record heights, affordability plays a huge role for buyers The typical home value in the United States was $359,741 in March Although home prices have inflated all across the U.S. there are some cities that command a higher price tag than others and condition are all contributing factors to home value Stacker compiled a list of cities with the most expensive homes in the Bremerton metro area using data from Zillow Charts show the monthly typical home value since January 2018 All 12 cities and towns with data available were included in the list - Typical home value: $465,126- 1-year price change: +2.4%- 5-year price change: +42.9% - Typical home value: $473,559- 1-year price change: +2.1%- 5-year price change: +32.4% - Typical home value: $539,704- 1-year price change: +2.7%- 5-year price change: +38.7% - Typical home value: $574,662- 1-year price change: +4.4%- 5-year price change: +37.6% - Typical home value: $588,567- 1-year price change: +2.8%- 5-year price change: +36.0% - Typical home value: $657,746- 1-year price change: +3.4%- 5-year price change: +39.9% - Typical home value: $664,184- 1-year price change: +3.2%- 5-year price change: +42.6% - Typical home value: $673,777- 1-year price change: +1.2%- 5-year price change: +33.8% - Typical home value: $684,133- 1-year price change: +4.3%- 5-year price change: +43.1% - Typical home value: $707,875- 1-year price change: +3.8%- 5-year price change: +44.9% - Typical home value: $710,626- 1-year price change: +3.5%- 5-year price change: +48.2% - Typical home value: $1,187,028- 1-year price change: +1.5%- 5-year price change: +43.3% The Navy has issued a new "Solicitation for Offers" to request information from property owners about spaces to lease to accommodate its various needs during the Bremerton shipyard's once-in-a-century infrastructure upgrades also known as the Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Plan (SIOP) Through the first phase of the new solicitation the Navy intends to identify potential landlords and available temporary leased spaces in four categories: general warehouse space These spaces must be located within 40 miles driving distance of the shipyard those who participated in phase one will submit detailed proposals to meet specific operational needs related to SIOP The Navy doesn't specify its expected sizes of the spaces or the leasing terms Property owners need to submit basic information about their available space and any other relevant details to the Navy The new request supersedes the Navy's previously published solicitations in 2024 related to SIOP as they aren't comprehensive of the requirements and support of the shipyard's infrastructure modernization plans according to Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Pacific officials "This is a new solicitation that is not associated with previous market surveys request for information (RFIs) or SFOs that are closed Interested parties and offerors will be required to submit new proposals and are encouraged to thoroughly review the proposal requirements as the new submittal requirements have changed," NAVFAC Pacific officials told Kitsap Sun The service will bring 300 workers to the property in downtown Bremerton this spring Puyallup-based Absher Construction Co., which was awarded a $145 million Navy contract is expected to complete the replacement of an electric substation at the shipyard in 2029 to ensure the power at PSNS is reliable and can accommodate the SIOP projects in the future years The deadline to submit proposals to the Navy is Feb. 21. Check the full solicitation here two Virginia Mason Franciscan Health-owned facilities have provided the only options for emergent care on the Kitsap Peninsula chair of the Kitsap County EMS Council which oversees the county’s pre-hospital care called the new freestanding ER in Bremerton a great step at improving capacity Not all problems with the emergency room are fixed have contributed to reduced wait times at the Silverdale hospital Average wait times for EMS transport – the amount of time it takes emergency responders to transfer a patient to hospital staff – was 13 minutes in March there are still instances where EMS are dealing with “very long wait times,” he said In those situations first responders are “not available for multiple calls and we have patients waiting for care.” A better measure of the situation is 90th percentile response times the amount of time EMS turns over 90% of patients to hospital staff “All of our issues with our emergency department aren’t quite solved yet,” Gillard said sharing data and continuing to work on ways  to mitigate some of those issues.” The freestanding ER-urgent care in Bremerton, located along Kitsap Way next next VMFH’s Family Medicine Clinic,  is the first of two hybrid clinics the company plans to open this year. The second facility is slated for the company's campus in Port Orchard plans to open what they are calling a “neighborhood” emergency room this summer The freestanding facility is located along Highway 3 in East Bremerton These facilities should aid St. Michael Medical Center, which  has struggled for years with capacity issues in its emergency room amid “tremendous” population growth and a reduction in services at the region’s lone military hospital Anthony Hospital in Gig Harbor has also experienced some extended wait times and divert periods when a facility is unable to accept additional patients from EMS units for a set period of time But they have not been as common or served as those at St is capable of stabilizing patients who have experienced fairly serious trauma But is not as prepared to handle critical emergencies as a full-service hospital Patients who do not have high acuity needs are transported to the closest facility based on travel time and EMS will also take into account which facility the patient prefers Michael President Chad Melton said the freestanding clinic on Kitsap Way is seeing The facility does not have a huge impact on EMS as the clinic relies on Olympic Ambulance for transports what it has improved is wait times when they come to the emergency room,” he said in a phone interview “A lot of our lower acuity patients are utilizing our freestanding ED-urgent care which allows us to take care of more of those critical acute patients here at the hospital.” Melton said the hospital had been seeing about 230 patients per day in its emergency room That included many with low acuity needs that did not need emergent care Now that some of those patients have moved to the “right level of care,” Melton said they are seeing about 25 fewer people in the hospital’s emergency room each day and can get ambulances in faster The number of patients leaving the ER without being seen is also now below 2% More needed to address access challengesImprovements at the St hospital officials and other stakeholders have been meeting quarterly to discuss health care access challenges in Kitsap Kitsap County’s top public health official Morrow wrote that there is a need for more urgent and emergent care in the county but noted “the biggest challenge and greatest opportunity” for improvement remains establishing an integrated and accessible primary care system to prevent disease and manage ongoing or chronic conditions The Kitsap Peninsula has a shortage of primary care providers compared to other parts of the state The health district and hospital have partnered to address this shortage most visibly through supporting expanded educational opportunities at Olympic College but access to routine care remains a challenge Across the Kitsap and Olympic regions it is not uncommon for patients to experience long wait times for primary care or go to the emergency department hoping to be seen sooner “We are grateful to VMFH and MultiCare for opening much needed urgent care and emergency care options,” Morrow said “But [a] lack of primary care access is associated with delayed diagnosis reporting for the Kitsap Sun and Gig Harbor Now through a program managed by Washington State University Orange fences and construction barricades went up around a stretch of Fourth Street in downtown Bremerton this week, and a line of trees along the sidewalk came down, signs that Quincy Square a project at least seven years in the making is now under construction and will ceremonially break ground on Martin Luther King Jr A little over two months after music titan Quincy Jones died at the age of 91 visitors and speakers will gather at the Roxy Theatre at 2:30 p.m to reflect on Jones’ legacy and the mission of Quincy Square to revitalize downtown Bremerton with an injection of arts visitors can grab popcorn and refreshments and preview a finished Quincy Square in displayed project renderings The group will then move outside of the theater where construction is scheduled to have begun to sink the ceremonial golden shovels into the project site Jones gave his blessing for the $5.5 million project that bears his name in a letter to the city in 2019 Before he went on to become a world renowned producer producing best-selling hits like “We Are the World” and “Thriller,” Jones made his way through Bremerton More: Events planned across Kitsap County part of MLK Jr. holiday on Monday Jones moved with his family from Chicago to Bremerton during World War II when 10,000 African Americans arrived in Bremerton as the Puget Sound Navy Shipyard recruited nearly 80,000 workers to meet wartime production demands and like many of those African American families they were assigned to live in segregated workforce housing in Sinclair Heights that an 11-year-old Jones met his first piano the street way will be transformed to resemble the black and white keys of Jones’ piano It is symbolic that the groundbreaking will take place on Martin Luther King Jr as the city “acknowledge(s) the shared themes of creativity King and Quincy Jones both championed,” Downtown Bremerton Association Executive Director Jessica Combs wrote in a press release Several speakers will head up the groundbreaking ceremony, including U.S. District Court Judge Richard Jones who will be speaking about Jones' time in Bremerton and the genesis of his musical career " I can't tell you how excited he was about the fact that his hometown was honoring him in that fashion but to have that formal recognition as people walk down the streets of Bremerton and see that one of their hometown kids did well was very important to him." Quincy Square serves as " a message to young people that despite humble backgrounds or challenges in your life that you can go on and do great things," Judge Jones said One of the leaders in the Quincy Square project had expressed in earlier interviews her wish that Quincy Jones would live to see Quincy Square in person Judge Jones assured his sibling still will but I'm sure he'll be there for the celebration knowing that that recognition's taking place," he said Other speakers on Monday include Bremerton Mayor Greg Wheeler Bremerton NAACP Chapter President Robert Harris Bremerton Municipal Court Judge Tracy Flood historian and activist Akuyea Karen Vargas co-founder of the Rice Fergus Miller architecture firm that provided architectural design for Quincy Square whose names and likeness also appear on the Fourth Street mural The stretch of Fourth Street between Pacific and Washington Avenue closed on Monday said Public Works project manager Katie Ketterer The street will only be open to traffic to the Fairfield Inn and the Bremerton Storage/B-Flats apartments the Kitsap History Museum will remain open Ketterer stressed that businesses on the block will need community support during the interruption caused by construction Additional information about the Quincy Square project and more renderings of its finished construction can be found on the City’s project page The location for an anticipated hybrid homeless shelter could become public within the next two weeks according to leaders of the Kitsap County Affordable Housing Consortium – the collective of social service organizations tasked with opening the shelter – who say the planned facility will reshape the outlook of homelessness in Bremerton the city remains without a dedicated emergency homeless shelter despite attempts at launching a full-time location following the growth of encampments in 2023 The Salvation Army on Sixth Street operates an overnight congregate shelter but the building isn’t meant to function full time The space must be converted every morning to serve multiple uses and when the portable mats are taken down the tenants must leave for an hour during the day A planned hybrid shelter facility, backed by the Bremerton City Council's vote of support in January last year will establish a facility to house up to 80 beds in a single building and up to 60 pallet shelters (akin to tiny homes) side by side at the same site homeless guests would have access to resources like case managers and workers who can assist them with healthcare The housing consortium has narrowed down their list of potential locations for the hybrid shelter solution down to two viable options and could announce their choice within weeks executive director of the Bremerton Housing Authority did not commit to a specific timeline for an announcement but was hopeful an outcome can be shared with the community soon Opponents recognized the need for shelter with on-site services but worried that the location could endanger children or bring crime and that the proposal didn't go far enough to provide needed services to individuals who may have stayed there Crain plans to do a road show when the site is announced presenting the consortium’s hybrid shelter model at meeting held in each city council district “so that the whole community is educated on what's going to be happening here,” and There aren’t tents lining streets surrounding the Salvation Army these days but people who are unsheltered still wander downtown blocks surrounding the building While staff at Salvation Army swap tables and chairs in the dining room each day for sleeping mats guests sleeping there must momentarily clear out and a handful hang around the building and await the free meals That’s not how the hybrid shelter model will work “We have to change the paradigm for shelter service delivery to a community that's never had a low-barrier shelter,” Crain said either in its congregate facility or pallet community guests will be allowed to stay all day without leaving the property camera surveillance and security checkpoints active at all hours as well The new shelter will be complete with on-site wraparound services to help guests secure more permanent housing and mental health and substance abuse services to minimize or eliminate “spillage” of people staying in tents or cars around the building The consortium is anticipating doing street front improvements cleanups and beatification at the shelter side and intends to educate guests about “what it means to be a good neighbor,” to respect the surrounding area and not trash it and to “take pride in ownership of the low barrier shelter.” will be its entryway to the housing continuum that will escalate homeless guests from emergency shelter to transitional or supportive housing We've got to keep these people moving,” Crain said “We don't want them to identify themselves by their current housing situation previously known as the Kitsap County Affordable Housing taskforce Kitsap Mental Health Services and Kitsap Public Health The hybrid shelter’s on-site services will include their offerings but also access to the services of a variety of nonprofits Much like the Pacific Building continuous stay shelter opening in Port Orchard guests in the hybrid shelter will be able to access professionals either in an on-site office or rotating clients services space “We're going to get to know these people as human beings… and we'll know them by name and we'll be able to help them with goals,” Crain said “We're going to be able to meet them where they're at so we can rapidly move them to the next step.” For example, a woman with her children may walk up to the shelter needing a place to stay for the night. If they were living in an encampment that was closed down by Commonstreet or the HEART team emergency services will know to refer the homeless campers to the hybrid shelter she and her family would find a place to sleep in the congregate shelter’s family area which is “cubicled out” from the rest of the 80-bed area the woman will sit with a case manager for an intake assessment The case manager will evaluate their mental health and assess their housing needs the case manager could send a guest to continuous stay shelters like the Stella Maris House George’s House or other sober living; the pallet shelters where they could live a more autonomous life individually; or permanent supportive housing like Pendleton Place Once the family finds a longer-term bed at a continuous stay shelter, they will have moved one step up the housing continuum will already be equipped with housing vouchers from the Bremerton Housing Authority to move the family into rental housing as soon as it's ready now nearing the completion of construction will also house another 20 voucher holders in the next few months While details about the hybrid shelter’s location, opening and operations have been scarce, the housing consortium has been busy ensuring the emergency shelter, continuous stay shelters and rental housing will be ready to intake Kitsap’s 255 unsheltered homeless people Up to 80 beds will allow the hybrid shelter to absorb the Salvation Army’s guests and the consortium’s efforts to move people into more permanent housing from continuous stay shelters will free up beds They will dwindle of 255 down to a more manageable number When will the hybrid shelter open?The consortium anticipates they will have site control soon That means a location selected that will either be purchased or leased the consortium will announce a request for proposals (RFP) for a shelter operator Nonprofits like the Salvation Army and Catholic Community Services are among those expected to apply “I'm going to put my faith in you because I don't want to go back down in the next winter and see everybody struggling out there.” Crain could not present a timeline for the shelter’s completion but said he hoped it would be completed by next fall at the latest Wheeler then proposed a city ordinance that aligned with the court’s ruling saying that he would enforce Bremerton’s ani-camping ordinance whether the hybrid shelter was finished or not the Salvation Army has decided to keep its overnight shelter open past May until the hybrid shelter opens the Salvation Army has hosted between 15% to 20% more guests than this time last year bedding numbers in the high 80s to low 90s The Salvation Army originally only had an overnight capacity of 75 but they’ve had to rearrange their space to make room for more beds “We're looking forward to restarting our community programs again which we were hoping to do this summer,” Walters said “We love what we do in the sense that we love helping people and we really want to support this super vulnerable population we also look forward to getting back to being a community center.” The Bremerton Housing Authority plans to serve families with children in the Bremerton School District who are or could be facing homelessness with the purchase of a recently completed apartment building along Wheaton Way BHA bought the apartment complex sandwiched between a car dealership and small shopping complex just south of Sylvan Way Plans call for its 23 two-bedroom units to be used by families holding Section 8 housing vouchers It's the agency's latest effort to provide housing options for specific vulnerable populations “It's a very particular demographic that we're looking to serve,” said director of development and acquisitions “I think there's a direct correlation between stable housing during childhood and success in the academic world Our executive director sees this as a problem that BHA really wants to help solve is to make sure that families with kids in school have stable homes.” A little over a year ago, the BHA bought a newly built apartment complex on Warren Avenue near downtown Bremerton to serve 18- to 24 year-olds who may be exiting foster care homelessness or other precarious positions president of the property management agency was interested in partnering with BHA to provide housing vouchers for low-income residents and wanted to see families with children attending the nearby elementary school occupy the units BHA entered into an agreement with the project developers to purchase the complex before they began filling units Wheaton Landing is situated well for families but one of the other things that our board really liked about this property was that there is some space that can be used for on-site services and on-site activities so it's designed to support a particular population of the property.” A commercial space in the development that Parodi once envisioned for a Fulcrum Real Estate Services property management office will become a community meeting space which could be used for events like the occasional birthday party The BHA also plans to set up a computer lab at the complex and supply free WiFi but the BHA is coordinating with regional partners like Kitsap Strong Kitsap Community Resources and Kitsap Mental Health Services to provide on and off-site connection to services like counselling and with Olympic College for financial literacy training “We're looking for an array of both services for the parents and for the kids at the site.” Potential tenants will be referred to the BHA before being screened for eligibility for a project-based voucher much like tenants moving into Evergreen Bright Start The BHA hopes to begin leasing in April or May with the goal of being fully leased “as soon as possible,” Quinn said after Bremerton City Councilman Jeff Coughlin on Tuesday announced his candidacy and incumbent Mayor Greg Wheeler made his formal announcement Thursday At the center – two visions on how to move the city forward The executive office, a nonpartisan position, will be up for election in November, and potentially an August primary, at the end of a second term for Wheeler, who was elected in 2017 and again in 2021 former Puget Sound Naval Shipyard worker and Navy veteran said serving as mayor of his hometown has been “the greatest honor of my life” and it’s “the only job I wanted.” He entered public office by winning a seat on the Bremerton City Council But his challenger said Wheeler hasn't done enough for another term “Another four years under Greg Wheeler and the city will not be moving forward Coughlin detailed a slew of plans to make that forward movement on his campaign webpage addressing a number of hot-button Bremerton issues Coughlin wants to make Bremerton safer with more police officers and bolstered code compliance tackle the city’s housing crisis with more affordable units and a smoothed out permitting process and address homelessness by collaborating with community partners and investing in supportive social services For the last four years Coughlin has been a member of the Bremerton City Council, including a year as council president, and previously served on the city's planning commission. He is also an astrophysicist and certified project management professional worked as a director for NASA and the SET Institute and volunteers as the director of the Kitsap History Museum He was also a candidate as a Democrat in the primary for the 2024 Kitsap County board of commissioners race but across the board of anybody who wants to work on solutions,” Coughlin said “I have not seen the core issues that affect the city addressed and I've only seen them get worse over the past eight years under Mayor Wheeler's leadership.” Wheeler sees forward moment for Bremerton differently “We've made tremendous strides in seven years as a city and myself with my administration “I want this campaign to focus on continuing this momentum Bremerton is in the midst of “tough times” now, Wheeler said, adding he has seen the city through the COVID-19 pandemic and a flurry of challenging executive orders from President Donald Trump’s administration Wheeler also detailed a long list of action items on his campaign webpage among them the development and improvement of various city parks improving public safety with police hiring and expanded community safety programming and keeping Bremerton affordable with support for housing programming Wheeler said his administration has spent more time and resources “than I’ve ever seen” on communication with the council, to “educate new council members on the roles of government, what government can and cannot do.” The council saw nearly half of its members replaced in 2018 after Wheeler was elected saying there was very little senior leadership left on the City Council who served for eight years as a councilmember expects communication to improve as the current councilmembers gain seniority Other candidates may join the race for Bremerton Mayor in the coming months. May 9 is the final day for candidates to file their campaigns for public office in the 2025 election Quincy Jones, the internationally known music producer who got his start at a piano in Bremerton and is now honored by the city with a major project on Fourth Street, died on Sunday at 91 years old On his way to becoming a world renowned producer, composer, conductor, arranger and performer on more than 400 albums, composing roughly 35 film scores, Jones made his way through Bremerton, where his legacy is already being remembered in the Quincy Square on 4th project The city of Bremerton effort aims to establish an arts district revitalizing a stretch of Fourth Street from Washington Avenue to Pacific Avenue where a new mural was painted during 2024 already to honor the legacy of Jones and other notable Black Americans in the county's history Related: At Bremerton's Quincy Square, mural addition remembers more than just the famous artist Jones broke into the Bremerton Armory looking for food to steal he told late-night talk show host Stephen Colbert in 2016 “Every cell in my body and every drop of blood told me this is what I would be doing for the rest of my life,” Jones said during the segment and by age 14 Jones had played a club circuit with his friend Ray Charles and toured the world after high school with Lionel Hampton and Dizzy Gillespie woven with ribbons of bronze and steel by San Diego artists James Dinh and Michael Stutz Ahead of the Quincy Square project, Jones wrote a letter to the City of Bremerton giving his blessing to use his name on the $5.5 million project in January 2019 "Bremerton has always held a special place in my heart as it was where I first discovered what would be my life's passion I would be honored and humbled to have my name grace the city's new downtown district.” Harriett Bryant, interim executive director of the YMCA and member of the commission that selected Dinh and Stutz for the mural, told the Kitsap Sun a year ago that she hoped Jones would get to see the project come to completion “He's getting older and I'm just hoping that he'll be able to see the end result and to see the beautiful artwork that's going up for Quincy Square,” she said at the time “I just don't think anybody's ever done anything like this during his era We're hoping that once this project is done we all can come together and just celebrate.” As the project began, Bryant delivered the project designs for Quincy Square to Jones for his approval in special frames, along with custom T-shirts and a Washington State Legacy Project book written about Bremerton civil rights activist Lilian Walker which featured a section that mentioned Jones According to reports Jones leaves behind seven children: Jolie Jones Levine (with former wife, actress Jeri Caldwell), Martina Jones and Quincy Jones III (with second wife, model Ulla Andersson), Kidada Jones and actress Rashida Jones (with third wife Rachel Jones (with Carol Reynolds) and Kenya Julia Miambi Sarah Jones (with actress Nastassja Kinski) YAKIMA — When was Bremerton boys basketball coach Miah Davis convinced the Knights were ready to seize the Class 2A state boys basketball championship It wasn't during the team's two-hour practice Saturday or when the players temporarily escaped the boredom of hotel life for a group laser-tag excursion It was in the hour before tipping off against Prosser in the locker room inside the Yakima Valley SunDome that Davis knew the Knights were bound for something special The head coach shook the hand of every player and witnessed an unexpected “The focus was just thanking them for the opportunity," Davis said “They got up and shook each other’s hands and hugged it turned to 'I love you' and 'I appreciate you.' It was real emotional The Knights certainly did. One year after bringing home a fifth-place state basketball trophy the heavy one with the bright golden ball at the center Behind the 34 points from tournament MVP Jalen Davis Bremerton raced past Prosser for a 74-53 victory that was celebrated by a large contingent of fans in blue and gold who traveled from Kitsap County to witness the achievement Bremerton (22-5) became the first West Sound boys basketball team to win state since North Kitsap claimed the 2A trophy in 2020 The last Bremerton team to capture a state championship was East High “It’s just so awesome," said Bremerton's Dallin Anderson who shared a special embrace with fellow senior Frank Allen after the game as the pair finished off their careers in style I couldn’t ask for a better community to support us The Mustangs carried momentum into the final after knocking off three-time defending champ and No 1 seed Lynden in the quarterfinals and topped No Bremerton didn't boast a size advantage in any of the three games and put a young team on the floor each night with Anderson and Allen being joined by Jalen Davis and fellow sophomore Enoch Taylor Davis proved he was more than capable of leading the Knights on the offensive end He scored 27 of his 34 points in the first half as Bremerton grabbed a 43-29 lead Miah Davis used the word "possessed" to describe his son's demeanor on Saturday — and that was before the game even started "He was in a different place," Miah Davis said Wanting to play "the villain" against Prosser and the sea of Mustang fans in attendance Jalen Davis said he took the goal of helping deliver a title to his hometown personally after the Knights lost to Lynden by one point in the state semifinals last winter “I just had to come out and show out," said Davis who finished his three games at state with 83 total points on 29 of 46 shooting "I didn’t want to feel that pain like we felt last year.” Bremerton led 61-44 at the end of three quarters The team's only struggle came during a four-minute scoreless stretch to begin the fourth quarter as Prosser pulled within 61-47 who scored 14 points and earned second-team all-tournament honors buried a 3-pointer to beat the shot clock and fellow freshman Jay Beahan (4 points) followed with two interior buckets to help the Knights build an insurmountable advantage Other scorers for the Knights were sophomore Aaron Matthews (8 points) Taylor (5 points) and sophomore Junior Davis-McWhorter (3 points) Koby McClure led Prosser with 20 points and Landon Bailey added 17 Bremerton's final points were fitting as Davis-McWhorter lofted a perfect alley-oop pass to Allen whose thunderous dunk brought the vocal Bremerton crowd to its feet as the final seconds ticked away No one displayed more emotion following the victory than Allen the team's energetic veteran who wasn't afraid to shed tears of joy while wearing his uniform for the final time "I just wanted to keep playing," Allen said For a program that endured a 22-game losing streak seven years ago and arrived on the scene as a fresh state contender in 2024 Saturday's championship felt like the culmination of a lengthy journey for the Knights spoke of his team's growth as being garden-like you want to see the fruits of your labor," Davis said Everything has to happen the right way for something like this to happen The coaches and the community cultivated that (The players) were our seeds in the beginning when they started and now you see what they’ve flourished into.” Several of Bremerton's players are already looking forward to another potential championship run in 2026 but Bremerton's head coach said there's time to entertain those thoughts later who earned a celebratory soaking of water in the locker room by his players after the game who led the team to a fifth-place trophy in 1999 felt overjoyed to see championship dreams realized while in the presence of all the Bremerton fans who made the trip to Yakima or watched the game back home “If you put that jersey on and you live in Bremerton and you bleed Bremerton After going three months with only one physician assigned to its Internal Medicine Clinic, Naval Hospital Bremerton has announced plans to transfer hundreds of its patients into the civilian health system Hospital spokesperson Doug Stutz confirmed in an email Thursday that nearly 700 patients on TRICARE For Life – a health insurance plan for retired military personnel that supplements Medicare – are being reestablished with a civilian provider Patients can still access NHB for pharmaceutical Clinic patients were informed of the change during a town hall event last month, according to a news release Retirements and permanent change of duty orders have left the clinic with one physician for 2,200 patients since late November The development marks the latest in a series of cutbacks at NHB, since converting its emergency room into an urgent care over a decade ago and will likely exacerbate existing capacity challenges in Kitsap’s civilian health system and most recently obstetrical services,” Dr “That’s occurred even though the private sector health system in Kitsap has been increasingly over stressed and underserved.”  Stutz said the clinic will continue with one provider for the next several months as hospital works to hire civilian providers Jenkins said the hospital would work within the Military health System and Defense Health Network to fill those vacant positions but stressed that there was shortage of primary care providers across the country having about half as many primary care doctors per capita as the state at large in 2023 according to Washington Health Care Research Center “We did not make this decision lightly and have been studying this issue for months,” Jenkins said “We have subject matter experts here from our Healthcare Business Office Family Medicine and more to assist in any way we can to help you in this transition.” the Navy town across the water from Seattle has worked to honor Jones and his childhood connection to the city two initiatives — one renaming and rebuilding part of Bremerton’s downtown and the other reviving a student jazz festival on Kitsap Peninsula — are coming to fruition seven years after the project was suggested at a Bremerton 4th Street action group meeting organizers broke ground on the new Quincy Square Jones' brother and the mayor were among the local leaders present for the celebration Once completed, the square, located on 4th Street in downtown Bremerton, will include a permanent band stand and expanded sidewalk space for events. The construction project is expected to take up to seven months and will be part of a Creative District Bremerton will also host its first annual Quincy Square Jazz Festival for young musicians in Kitsap County on Feb Organized by the Music Discovery Center and Olympic College the festival will feature 13 high school and middle school jazz ensembles The ensembles will compete against one another creating an opportunity to sharpen their skills as musicians The preliminary competition will take place at Olympic College during the day before the finalists perform at the historic Roxy Theatre The Music Discovery Center is a nonprofit organization that will be located in Quincy Square and offers several programs for children and adults MDC’s mission is to help music students by helping them become engaged in music study so that they might be inspired by music the way that Jones was as a child “I am very excited to be part of the Music Discovery Center (MDC), which is on the verge of exploding into the scene with a special focus on the Kitsap community,” said Francesco Crosara, a jazz pianist and board president of the Music Discovery Center Other members of the Music Discovery Center board are part of the coalition working to redevelop the square “The legacy of the great Quincy Jones is very present in our mission and it is an honor to be linked to the construction of the new Quincy Square in downtown Bremerton which will become the headquarters for the MDC,” Crosara told KNKX Crosara said MDC will also start a music summer camp for 5th graders in August, and that they will continue to produce the Make Music Day celebration in Bremerton on June 21 The Quincy Square Jazz Festival has another honoree in Ralph Mutchler the longtime band director at Olympic College a community college in Bremerton known for its music program during his tenure Mutchler ran the highly successful Olympic College Jazz Festival from 1960 to 1974 Organizers say this new festival is a way to honor Mutchler as a force in music education by providing new opportunities for Kitsap high school and middle school bands The two finalists from the competition will face off at a gala that will be held at the Roxy Theatre at the close of the evening where the winner will receive the Ralph Mutchler Sweepstakes award The first annual Quincy Square Jazz Festival is open to the public and tickets are available through the Music Discovery Center Editor's note: KNKX is an in-kind sponsor of the Quincy Square Jazz Festival. This article was produced independent of any sponsorship and in accordance with the Public Media Code of Integrity The men's soccer tournament, which will run from June 11 through July 19, 2026, will be jointly hosted by Seattle and 15 other cities across the United States Lumen Field is scheduled to host six matches “The World Cup brings the entire world together around their love of soccer and their country," said SeattleFWC26 chief executive officer Peter Tomozawa "We’re excited to work with these nine communities to bring the thrill of the FIFA World Cup 2026 experience to all corners of Washington state.” Related: What to know about the 2026 FIFA World Cup tournament in 2026 and beyond Other fan zone locations include Bellingham who attended Tuesday's gathering with Bremerton Mayor Greg Wheeler envisions downtown Bremerton serving as city's fan zone headquarters merchandise and World Cup-related activities would be held during the duration of the tournament Fans should also expect to be able to watch games while spending time downtown “Our plan right now is to put a big screen on the Bremerton waterfront," said Walters noting that Quincy Square could be used as a logical space for entertainment With many Seattle visitors likely to utilize Puget Sound's ferry systems for travel Walters estimated that Puget Sound could draw 750,000 visitors during the World Cup "We're expecting people to stay here and then be able to get to the games," Walters said "It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for economic development in the region." The day after demolition began at the old Bremerton ferry terminal with a sledgehammer wielded by the state's ferries chief a Sun front-page headline described the old brick building as being on its last leg said the 50-year-old facility had "served her purpose," and Mayor Gene Lobe told a crowd of 30 onlookers that the demolition project in fall 1987 arrived "not a day too soon." The project was one part of a city effort that year to revitalize the downtown area along the waterfront at the time filled with many surface parking lots and decaying buildings Demolition efforts continued through October and December to clear the old terminal away from the city's waterfront at the end of Pacific Avenue and a new Washington State Ferries terminal held a ribbon-cutting on March 31 A few photos of demolition efforts from that November are included in this edition of a Bremerton Sun photo gallery of images from our film archives See what Silverdale looked like from the air remember a visit to Sinclair Inlet by a historic replica ship by Alton Worley II — A body found in unincorporated Bremerton last week has been identified the Kitsap County Sheriff's Office (KCSO) reported Tuesday a witness called 911 to report a body after spotting it in a former quarry adjacent to the highway near the 3400 block of SR 3 With help from the FBI and the use of fingerprints the victim was identified as Jeffrey Byler a 37-year-old man with no permanent address listed Initial investigation results led detectives to determine the remains were brought to the site after the person was dead Initial evidence gathered also revealed there were no apparent signs of trauma or violence An autopsy was performed by Kitsap County Chief Medical Examiner Dr Byler's cause and manner of death are pending toxicology test results This work, Naval Hospital Bremerton to Undergo Accreditation Survey, by Douglas Stutz, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright by Karina Vargas An image of a boat made by SAFE Boats International a boat-building company based in Bremerton has expressed concerns over the significant financial impact on his company following a federal funding cutoff “It will give the government a 90-day window to evaluate all of these programs and decide whether to continue production or potentially they can terminate that contract," said Schwarz has been forced to halt work on several projects including the 'Mark VI' patrol boats intended for Ukraine due to an executive order by President Trump pausing foreign-assistance programs “We’re supposed to deliver eight boats essentially to the U.S Navy that are destined for the Ukrainian Navy," he added "They’re really a defense tool and they’re designed to help the Ukrainian navy rebuild after the war.” The stop-work orders have affected approximately 90 of the company's 300 employees with millions of dollars in unpaid invoices adding to the financial strain "Anything that really jeopardizes SAFE Boats it's part about how it affects our team and our team members and their families and the community and it’s also what impact that it has on a company that is developing and designing and building assets that are critical for the United States," Schwarz said Schwarz noted that the halted contract was through the State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement SAFE Boats International is known for providing vessels for search and rescue operations as well as efforts to counteract drug smuggling and human trafficking Schwarz expressed hope that the 90-day pause on federal funding is temporary but fears the contract for the boats built for Ukraine could be terminated entirely A suspect is being held on $4 million bail at Kitsap County Jail after allegedly causing 11 hit-and-run collisions Saturday night and attempting to elude law enforcement under suspicion of driving under the influence The Bremerton Police Department responded to multiple 911 calls Saturday around 8:30 p.m describing a black 1996 Ford Explorer in downtown Bremerton who was intentionally crashing into vehicles and fleeing the scene the onslaught of collisions began when the 64-year-old suspect rammed his vehicle into a white Subaru Outback in the middle of the intersection of Ninth Street and Wycoff Avenue The driver of the Subaru said although he had come to a stop when the suspect entered his lane the Ford Explorer accelerated in his direction and hit his front bumper head-on before speeding off and turning onto Sixth Street and driving east As the suspect continued to drive down Sixth he crossed the double center line and clipped the side of another vehicle before rear-ending another car waiting at a red light on Warren Avenue and drove the wrong way through the Warren Avenue Burger King drive-through and crashed into a parked vehicle The suspect doubled back to the intersection and turned east onto Sixth crashed into another vehicle stopped at the light before continuing east in the westbound lane The suspect then hit the rear bumper of a Ford Flex after the driver swerved in an attempt to avoid the crash The Ford was occupied by a married couple and their son After the suspect parked in the 7-11 parking lot at Park Avenue the driver of the Ford Flex attempted to confront him collided into two more vehicles and entered a parking lot back at Sixth and Warren where his wife and son still remained in the damaged vehicle Highway 3 crash: 1 dead, 2 sent to hospital after high-speed crash The suspect then crashed into the Ford Flex again this time striking the front driver’s side and the suspect attempted to elude him by driving through a red light and collided into another vehicle in his path The suspect then drove toward the northwest corner of the intersection The suspect continued in that direction and struck a fire hydrant before coming to a stop in the Starbucks parking lot where officers pinned his vehicle in place Unsolved homicides: Kitsap County detectives call for more tips to help resolve slayings The suspect was forcibly removed from his vehicle by the officers and medical aid arrived on the scene to evaluate him The arresting officer observed him to be exhibiting indicators of someone who in under the influence of stimulants such as methamphetamine according to the probable cause statement for his arrest The 64-year-old man is charged with three counts of second-degree assault driving under the influence and multiple charges of hit-and-run on attended and unattended vehicles He was scheduled to appear in Kitsap County Superior Court on Monday and his bail was set at over $4 million The City of Bremerton has paused its Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives – namely its two-year long effort to hire a DEI role at the city – following President Donald Trump’s executive orders targeting DEI practices and programming in the government Bremerton Mayor Greg Wheeler said he worried that if the city did not follow direction from the new White House administration some or all of the over $19 million in federal funding the city relies on could be revoked The order revoking Biden’s DEI-oriented executive orders reads “The previous administration has embedded deeply unpopular and radical practices within every agency and office of the Federal Government and inclusion’ (DEI) into our institutions has corrupted them by replacing hard work and equality with a divisive and dangerous preferential hierarchy.” Defenders contend that DEI policies and programming ensure fairer representation for historically and systematically marginalized groups such as Black people disabled people and ethnic minorities in the United States Wheeler feared that Bremerton’s DEI initiatives could put them in conflict with the Trump administration’s agenda re-evaluated federal funding might not pass through federal agencies to Bremerton The list provided by Wheeler details 18 projects that rely on a total of approximately $19.2 million Bremerton has pursued a number of initiatives to address systemic inequities in the workplace the City has mandated employee training on implicit bias and discrimination revised its recruitment practices to promote diversity and updated programming to assist with equal opportunity and language barriers The city was also in “the final stages” of hiring a full-time Diversity The new city position would have promoted community engagement with protected classes relating to not only race Their work would have helped workshop public service “We're saddened that we are put in this position with our DEI initiative,” he said ever to violate any state or federal laws.”  The DEI role at the city would have helped bridge gaps between communities an advisory board member for the creation of the DEI role The city role could have taught about the contributions of immigrants and encouraged immigrants to support other communities knowns as a longtime immigration rights advocate of Trump’s order and the fallout for Bremerton it's about just power and control instead of  looking at giving opportunities to people.” Wheeler on Tuesday said he will make the further recommendation on February 12 that the Bremerton City Council terminate the city’s DEI initiatives He contacted the Kitsap Sun later in the day to say that he will offer an update next week to the council rather than a specific recommendation The council has the ultimate authority to decide the programming’s future Wheeler’s decision to freeze the City’s DEI policies took councilmember Jeff Coughlin by surprise The city council members were not privy to Wheeler’s actions he said in a phone call after reading the Kitsap Sun's article The city has not yet received guidance from the National League of Cities or the Association of Washington Cities “I’m hoping that folks will stay calm and not be reactionary to the chaos that is happening at the federal level,” Coughlin said “there’s some repositioning that needs to occur,” Wheeler said The DEI initiatives are there for a reason – they’ve set good organizational policies human resource department programs and community engagement but while there is a bullseye painted on the acronym D.E.I. Bremerton will need to figure out “what is the legal term that we're allowed to frame this type of work (as) that isn't targeted by the federal government.” “We are navigating uncharted waters right now,” Wheeler said our decision is to err on the side of caution and to protect the city.” Editor's note: A comment from Bremerton City Councilman Jeff Coughlin was added to this story after the initial publication and a comment from Mayor Greg Wheeler clarifying his plan for a February 12 meeting was added Two fires broke out in East Bremerton on Monday afternoon at nearly the same time with both causing significant damage to empty residential buildings Bremerton Fire Department responded to a fire at a home's detached garage in the area of Callahan Drive and Schley Boulevard around 2 p.m Payne said the garage was near other houses posing a high risk of the flames spreading and crews from Navy Region Northwest Fire and Central Kitsap Fire & Rescue assisted Central Kitsap Fire & Rescue responded to a fire in the 1400 block of Vena Avenue A statement from CKFR said when firefighters arrived on the scene an empty building was immersed in flames with heavy smoke that was visible to many central Kitsap residents Navy Region Northwest Fire and Bremerton Fire Department also responded Both fires were contained to the vacant buildings and extinguished The Kitsap County Fire Marshal is investigating the fires to determine the cause ICYMI: Short-staffed Navy hospital in Washington moves more than 700 patients off base for medical care Murray outlined her alarm over the pattern of declining care and personnel mismanagement at one of the nation’s largest Naval bases and pressed Acting Director Smith for answers to questions including how the Military Health System and Defense Health Network plan to fill the vacancies in NHB’s Internal Medicine department “Naval Base Kitsap Bremerton is the third-largest Naval base in the country with 15,000 service personnel and 18,000 family members and retirees Ensuring access to medical care for its servicemembers and their families is crucial to maintaining military readiness Yet NHB continues to experience staffing shortages and no plan has been outlined to address them,” Murray wrote in the letter sent March 26th NHB spokesperson Doug Stutz confirmed that the hospital’s internal medicine clinic has been staffed by only one physician for 2,200 patients 700 retired military personnel and veterans have been transferred to facilities across Kitsap County The reassignment of patients to new providers presents significant challenges including disruptions in continuity of care which has led to gaps in treatment and potential declines in patient outcomes It is also causing logistical and transportation barriers particularly for older veterans or those with mobility limitations and difficulties in specialized care coordination especially in designated Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) These concerns must be addressed immediately,” Murray continued “The fact that DHA has struggled to resolve this issue with NHB within established military staffing systems raises serious concerns about whether DHA can address it in a timely manner physician shortages have been an ongoing issue for the Kitsap County community exacerbating NHB’s difficulties in recruiting and retaining medical personnel this downsize is part of a continuous trend in the declining quality of care at NHB,” Senator Murray wrote “This pattern of declining care and personnel mismanagement at one of the largest Naval bases in the nation suggests a lack of attention to the healthcare needs of servicemembers Murray concluded by requesting a briefing from DHA detailing its plan to resolve long-term staffing shortages at NHB and prevent similar issues at other military medical facilities and for answers to the following questions: Representative Derek Kilmer raising concerns about the closure of the Labor and Delivery Department at NHB A PDF of the full letter is available HERE Sign up to receive Senator Murray’s newsletter and get updates on the workshe’s doing on behalf of Washington state Patrick's Day Parade returning this weekendKitsap SunThe streets of downtown Bremerton will turn Irish again next Saturday afternoon for the 31st annual St a fun run starting at Evergreen Rotary Park where parade goers are encouraged to line the streets another right on Park Avenue and finishes on Fifth Street The new fun run, organized by the Downtown Bremerton Association, begins at noon. The three-mile run starts and finishes at Evergreen Rotary Park, including a route through downtown and onto the boardwalk area. Sign up at www.downtownbremerton.org On the north end of the county, the annual St. Paddy's Poulsbo Beer Run also takes place Saturday. The 4-mile route includes stops at four local breweries and two other Viking Avenue sites offering beer and cider samples. For more information or to sign up visit poulsbobeerrun.com That's all that separates Bremerton's boys basketball team from a state title Sophomore Jalen Davis scored 19 points to lead No sending the Knights directly into the quarterfinal round on Thursday at the Yakima Valley SunDome Bremerton (19-8) will play the winner of No Those two teams meet in a round of 12 elimination game Wednesday How does Bremerton head coach Miah Davis know his players have a state championship firmly in their sights The Knights believe there will be an opportunity for that next week whose team reached the state semifinals and placed fifth in 2024 More: Bremerton seniors plan to savor potential run to basketball state title The Knights didn't expect Lakewood to be a pushover The Cougars won the Northwest District title by knocking off three-time defending champion and No There would be no upset Saturday as Bremerton led wire-to-wire. The Knights, who won the West Central District title last weekend made their first three shots to take a 7-0 lead forcing Lakewood to take a timeout less than two minutes into the game Bremerton held a 19-7 advantage after the first quarter and a 34-19 lead at halftime The Cougars tried making life difficult for Jalen Davis who came into the game averaging nearly 30 points per contest and the Cougars tried double-teaming him any time he touched the ball The sophomore figured his teammates would benefit for the special attention he received "He still keeps his cool," Miah Davis said of his son The team is waiting for him to see how he reacts to it More state hoops: Bainbridge boys eliminated; North Mason girls headed to Yakima Davis-McWhorter (11 points) and freshman Jaydon Tuner (10 points) each scored in double-figures for Bremerton When Bremerton made its impressive playoff run last season as the No winning twice before falling to Lynden by a point in the semifinals Miah Davis said the Knights adopted the mentality of "hunters" going after big game The team felt a bit like "the hunted" with a bullseye on its back during the regular season after being ranked No 1 in the preseason 2A poll by Scorebook Live Now with the season entering its final week and trophies to be won and lost Bremerton doesn't want to take on the role of prey "Let's start being the hunters again," Miah Davis said 1 Lynden as the Spartans fell 58-26 at Mount Vernon High School Bainbridge (19-6) played without leading scorer Bella Ramirez who missed the game while recovering from an injury Despite the loss, Bainbridge will face No. 9 Woodland in the round of 12 in Yakima on March 5 at 9 p.m. The winner advances to the quarterfinals, while the loser is eliminated. No. 12 North Mason, which won its opening-round game Friday against Renton Crosspoint's girls team saw its season end Saturday with a 57-56 loss to Wilbur-Creston-Keller in the second round of the Class 1B tournament The Wildcats finished the year at 17-8 after placing fifth at state in 2024 Al Pinkham watches the evening news while recovering from a bad case of flu Pinkham never worried much about health care He knew that the military would look after him providing exactly “what a sailor needed” to focus during long deployments Yet as a retiree, Pinkham, 78, has almost no relationship with the military health system he once relied on. His latest illness was treated at St. Michael Medical Center and he no longer goes to Naval Hospital Bremerton, a once thriving military hospital that has served the West Sound in some form for more than a century leaving a major gap in the local health care sector and bogging down local providers As large numbers of military retirees and beneficiaries are forced out of the military system they increasingly find themselves searching for care in an overburdened civilian sector desperately short on providers and struggling to provide access to routine care And there remains little sign the bleeding will stop soon. Earlier this year, the hospital announced it was transferring nearly 700 internal medicine clinic patients to civilian providers amid staffing shortages The decision raises questions about exactly what primary care services are left at the hospital “This downsize is part of a continuous trend in the declining quality of care at [Naval Hospital Bremerton],” U.S wrote in a letter following news of the internalist clinic Murray went on to say that the hospital has continued to experience staffing shortages but outlined no plans to address them She also questioned the given reasons for those shortages and their families in Kitsap County,” she said Retired Air Force Officer Jim Chapin was at the Jan 31 town hall when officials at Naval Hospital Bremerton announced it would be transferring patients from its Internal Medicine Clinic to providers in the community the hospital said retirements and permanent change of duty orders had left them only one physician for over 2,000 patients “We did not make this decision lightly,” Capt We “have been studying this issue for months.”  Standing in a hospital cafeteria he described as filled with “an awful lot of old people,” Chapin said that announcement “should not have been a surprise to anybody.” Over the last several years “it’s been quite obvious that there were not enough naval doctors.”  first started going to the hospital about 16 years ago it was often so busy in the morning you would have to park down by the water on Ostrich Bay he has always been able to park right out front “I talked to some of the people I knew at the hospital They said ‘they’re just cutting back because they don’t have the personnel,” he said Naval Hospital Bremerton did not make a member of its leadership available for an interview as part of this story, despite multiple requests since late February. NHB responded to a list of emailed questions, sent on March 27, after a version of this story was published on Tuesday by Gig Harbor Now a nonprofit news site that collaborates with the Kitsap Sun the hospital said it maintains “approximately” 50 primary care providers offering family medicine Patients transitioned out of the Internal Medicine Clinic due to provider shortages retain access to radiology “Our goal is to support all patients in receiving timely high-quality care — whether that care is delivered within our facility or in partnership with trusted network providers,” he said “We understand the importance of continuity of care and do all we can to assist patients during transitions.” The hospital has an enrolled population of over 23,000 patients the vast majority of whom are beneficiaries or retirees The hospital serves about 6,000 active duty members compared to over 14,000 family members and retirees Extension clinics in Everett and Bangor also each serve about 4,000 patients with the latter exclusively for active duty service members A clinic at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard supports about 16,000 employees for operational medicine and radiation health support Both Chapin and his wife still use the hospital’s urgent care and pharmacy but after the latest cut no longer have a primary doctor there Patients were offered help every Tuesday morning at the hospital to search for a new doctor Kitsap County has a shortage of primary care providers with about half as many per capita as the state average in 2023 Chapin was able to find primary care at the Veterans Affairs Clinic in Silverdale She has to find a doctor she wants to go to we’ve always relied on the Navy for the last 16 years.”  Reductions at Naval Hospital Bremerton over the last decade come as the Department of Defense the federal agency that runs the military health system As part of a major realignment designed to shed costs it has prioritized operational readiness for wartime missions and care for those on active duty over that of beneficiaries and retirees The military health system has faced mounting financial pressure over the last two decades after expanding benefits to retirees and increased demand from two wars, Dr. Terry Adirim, a former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, wrote in a 2019 report That caused Department of Defense spending on health care to more than double over the 2000s By 2010, then-Defense Secretary Robert Gates remarked that health care costs were “eating the [DoD] alive,” and urged officials to find cuts and redirect them to combat forces Several initiatives helped reign in spending including formation of the The Defense Health Agency the agency was first created to manage services shared between the Army Military health has been historically fragmented with each branch controlling its own facilities Establishing a single agency was thought to be the best strategy to sustain combat readiness while reducing costs and increasing efficiency of federal spending Congress then directed the DoD in 2017 to consolidate administration of its health care facilities of the Army Navy and Air Force under the control of the Defense Health Agency At the same time the DoD announced plans to move nearly 2 million beneficiaries into the civilian health system Exactly how this federal restructuring has directly impacted Naval Hospital Bremerton is unclear but the hospital has lost or reduced many of its services since the Defense Health Agency was created Naval Hospital Bremerton shuttered its 24/7 emergency room in 2013 replacing it with an urgent care that now opens just eight hours on weekdays The hospital – which once delivered a quarter of Kitsap’s children – also put its labor and delivery services on divert status in 2022 Naval Hospital Bremerton is experiencing a shortage of providers military facilities have the added responsibility of ensuring service members are medically ready for missions “While readiness remains our primary mission and compassionate care to all those we are honored to serve,” he said the hospital has about 30 urgent care visits 240 outpatients encounters and 125 dental appointments They also perform about six operating room procedures and fill over 1,300 prescriptions said the community had seen “first-hand” the impact of the Defense Health Agency the naval hospital has experienced closures of inpatient Morrow wrote that the “The Kitsap Public Health Board has advocated for strengthening the military healthcare workforce and services available in Washington state and specifically at Naval Hospital Bremerton.”  In a joint letter the health board sent to DoD leaders last May they wrote that care shortages had left the “community including those employed by and affiliated with the Department of Defense Asked about the possibility of services getting restored Stutz said they could not speculate on future changes to the hospital but remained committed to their mission of caring for patients “We maintain open communication with our civilian partners and our higher headquarters to ensure we are meeting the needs of our beneficiaries,” he said and patient-centered care—strengthening both the health and readiness of those we serve.” Caring for beneficiaries further burdens private sectorCivilian providers say they are increasingly shouldering the load left by the Navy The result is worse access across the board for primary maternal and specialty care for all residents including those not connected to the military and likely leading to worse outcomes for Kitsap patients Michael Medical Center in Silverdale and St has seen “increased demand as military health care facilities have adjusted their offerings over the years,” St Michael President Chad Melton wrote in an email a federally designated community health center serving the Peninsula found a nearly 40% increase in the number of self-identified veterans at its clinics between 2023 and 2024 according to agency CEO Jennifer Kreidler-Moss if you had TRICARE – health insurance for military members and their families – you went to the military hospital for care who is a beneficiary of military insurance “That is definitely not the case anymore,” she said “Now you know you are going to seek care in the community.” Civilian providers often have a hard time treating patients on TRICARE effectively because they need prior authorization for most treatments That means doctors are often forced to look at their patients in a vacuum and offer substandard care A patient will come in for hypertension that they have authorization for,” Kreidler-Moss said “If during that visit because they have lab work [and] our provider figures out that they also have diabetes we don't get paid for the visit if we bill for diabetes and not what their conditions were .. VMFH and the Kitsap Public Health District say they have an ongoing relationship with the Navy But Kreidler-Moss said PCHS gets no advanced warning when a carrier is coming or going which can have a large sway on health care demand when an aircraft carrier arrived into Bremerton both its active-duty members and their beneficiaries were sufficiently cared for by the military system Today many of those beneficiaries cannot get care at Naval Hospital Bremerton so local providers see a sudden and often unexpected increase in demand that can be difficult to staff for “The Navy tends to say the carrier takes care of itself because it has its own health care,” she said It’s not true for the surge who come with the carrier.”  said doctors at the Naval hospital have always been professional He credits the physician there for seeing a sign of testicular cancer and referring him to a urologist that prevented it from spreading  “If it wasn’t for that Navy doctor telling me that maybe I had a problem I would’ve never known,” he said “The [civilian] urologist just kept saying I don’t understand why you’re here He does not go to Naval Hospital Bremerton anymore but the providers have always delivered good service his wife is alive today because of their doctors he agrees Navy medicine used to be simpler; easier to access but states plainly that “things have changed.”  BREMERTON -- Alex Alexander traveled the world as part of multiple careers before landing Bremerton 23 years ago Spanish teacher and relief worker lived in Spain during the dictatorship of Francisco Franco as well as in Cuba during the rule of Fidel Castro which she said she sees signs of in America today drew her to the west end of the Manette Bridge on Saturday "More and more of our power is being taken," Alexander said specifically in reference to executive orders coming from President Donald Trump since his inauguration in January there's not going to be anybody left to stand up." Alexander was one of thousands of people who turned out at protests in Bremerton and at sites around Kitsap County on a warm and sunny Saturday afternoon a community response to many issues stemming from Trump Administration actions over the past several months in addition to others in Seattle and across the state In Bremerton a crowd estimated at more than 2,000 people lined the Manette Bridge and crowded the roundabouts on east and west ends triggering a cacophony of honking horns by passing drivers over more than two hours "Our children need to see what we did in this era," Erika Merrigan of Bremerton said Merrigan had ridden a bicycle to the bridge along with her two children "Hands Off." The phrase spun out of a national movement going on across the country Saturday and the slogan was echoed on many placards with different specifics following: democracy some of which aren't fit to print and many specific to different issues ranging from the environment to Medicare to voting and more Cartoons of Sesame Street's Big Bird to caricatures of Elon Musk and pokes at Tesla were seen among the crowd lining the bridge Several signs indicated support for federal workers a large population given Bremerton's home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility and some protestors wore shirts indicating their employment at the shipyard At one point two orcas were sighted in the water just south of the bridge drawing rally goers to shift their view away from the road and gawk into the distance when the comment "even the orcas support democracy" was overheard "There's no two signs alike," Jane Rebelowski of Bremerton "That's because there's so many thing to be concerned about." Several Bremerton City Council members were at different points on the bridge and people standing up for Bremerton because we're getting hit by the chaos," Coughlin said echoing comments heard moments earlier from a shipyard worker planning to depart after the administration's latest buyout offer "It's good to see people fight for Bremerton." held an anti-Tesla sign and said her worry centers in a loss of support for education and what she sees as the erosion of rights "I'm so thankful that turnout is so great here," McGing said as the rally wound down around 2 p.m A 22-year-old Bremerton man has been charged with drive-by shooting after allegedly firing multiple shots at two men walking in the Navy Yard City neighborhood last December Kitsap County Sheriff's deputies interviewed two men who were shot at by someone in a car while they were walking in the area of J Street The victim told KCSO that him and another male were walking from a home on Dill Way to a 76 gas station on Werner Road when a silver four-door sedan repeatedly passed them the vehicle passed them again and upon hearing gunshots the two men ran across the parking lot of Jim Reed Motors to escape A deputy discovered two spent 0.380 caliber shell casings in the road Court documents said the victim was unable to identify the shooter when interviewed by deputies but mentioned a previous incident that involved an acquaintance threatening to shoot him Video surveillance footage from the car dealership showed a silver sedan that matched the victim’s description passing by with someone or something hanging out the front passenger-side window In January a Bremerton Police Department detective was working on a trespassing case involving the 22-year-old man and contacted KCSO with a photo of a vehicle used KCSO determined it matched the car seen in the drive-by and a witness who knew the suspect confirmed he was in the passenger seat of the silver Nissan and fired gunshots that night in December was also arrested on a gun charge in Spokane in December He was arrested this week on charges of a drive-by shooting and unlawful possession of a firearm and booked into Kitsap County Jail with bail set at $1,000,000 He was scheduled to appear in Kitsap County Superior Court at 3 p.m Not only is Bremerton back on track to hire a Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) role but a candidate has already accepted an offer to start in early March Mayor Greg Wheeler announced to the City Council on Wednesday night that he was resuming the hiring process for a Diversity and Community Engagement Manager after he had paused the initiative weeks earlier in response to President Donald Trump’s executive orders targeting DEI programming The Diversity and Community Engagement Manager will promote community engagement with protected classes Wheeler told the Kitsap Sun in early February The employee will workshop public service opportunities implement training initiatives and improve hiring processes who was offered the job after a round of candidate interviews Briggs has worked in roles related to diversity and inclusion over the last four years at Marian University of Fond du Lac in Wisconsin and most recently for Opportunity Home San Antonio Trump’s order revoking former President Joe Biden’s DEI-oriented executive orders stated that the “injection of ‘diversity Interviews for the city role wrapped up four days before Wheeler hit pause on January 28 Wheeler worried that if the city didn’t fall in line with the new White House Administration’s ideological offensive the city could stand to lose over $19 million in federal funding it relies on for a variety of projects along with future funding that would have to pass through federal agencies The pause would give city staff time to assess their options and get a grip on the shifting legal landscape while not putting funding potentially in harm’s way More from Bremerton: Election 2025 will be contested as mayor, councilman chart path forward City legal staff reviewed the city’s practices and the position’s job description, and received guidance from a lighthouse legal decision in Maryland. A Federal District Court Judge in Baltimore temporarily blocked the enforcement of Trump’s executive orders targeting DEI programming with a preliminary injunction on February 21 Judge Adam B. Abelson wrote in his opinion that Trump’s order was written so vaguely that it invited “arbitrary and discriminatory enforcement.” Wheeler’s decision to pause the role’s hiring process and initially expressed recommendation to terminate the initiative was met with sharp pushback from city officials and community members who urged the city not fall prey to the White House’s “chaos.” City Councilmember Jeff Coughlin, who will be running against Wheeler in the mayoral election said he was surprised to learn of Wheeler’s decision in the paper first and hoped the city would not be reactionary to the chaos that is happening at the federal level.” The same night the Kitsap Sun reported the pause community members turned out at the February 5 City Council meeting to decry Wheeler’s efforts to pause the DEI initiative “Hold your ground for what is both legal and moral,” community member Promise Partner of Kitsap Strong told the council and inclusion efforts over these years and are on a positive path forward I am here to encourage you not to bow down to Trump Do not terminate the city's DEI initiatives.” Council President Eric Younger called the room to order When Americans handed Trump the popular vote in November, they decided “that DEI was also a problem,” argued Lance Byrd, who challenged State Senator Drew Hansen for reelection that same month not some perceived injustice or whatever…” Wheeler’s administration ensured in a statement on Thursday that the city “will continue to ensure that all employment decisions are based on hiring most qualified person for the role without regard to protected characteristics The City has not and will not fill staff positions using quotas plus factors or set asides for any particular group.” Wheeler added that he “heard the community wanted the position filled,” as they raised their voice about the issue after the pause,” he said in an email I have been advocating for the position and I wanted it filled too This work, Occupational Therapists provide a handy reminder at Naval Hospital Bremerton, by Douglas Stutz, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright