Kitsap Sun
A remodel with a leader who’s done it before
POULSBO – The North Kitsap Senior Center is putting the finishing touches on a new front entrance with the capacity to welcome more of the community. The center on Front Street is undertaking its first major renovation project in more than four...
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LA-class sub arrives in Bremerton from San Diego
BREMERTON — The Los Angelesclass fast-attack submarine USS Alexandria (SSN 757) arrived in Bremerton on the evening of July 13, shifting its homeport from San Diego to Bremerton for its decommissioning, the Navy confirmed. Escorted by two U.S. Navy...
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Downtown renewal begins
Early planning has begun for a multi-million project to renovate downtown Poulsbo streets, with construction that could start by 2030. During a Poulsbo City Council meeting July 8, city staff shared preliminary ideas and logistics as the city plans to...
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Judge: ICE facility subject to inspections by the state
The private company that runs a Tacoma immigrant detention center must allow state inspectors inside after years of refusing, a federal judge ruled Thursday, July 9. But U.S. District Court Judge Benjamin Settle ruled the Florida-based operator of the...
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USS Nimitz arrives at Norfolk
The USS Nimitz aircraft carrier, previously homeported in Bremerton before an extension of its service life was announced, arrived at its new home in Norfolk, Virginia, on July 9, according to Marine Traffic. The ship will not come back to the Pacific...
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Ceasefire falls apart as Iran buries slain leader
The fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran appeared to have fallen apart over continued strife over the Strait of Hormuz as Iranians buried their supreme leader, killed by U.S.-Israel forces at the outset of the war. There were no new...
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Turning the page
POULSBO -- When you enter the doors of Verse & Vine, you’ll likely find Carmen Garringer behind the bar brewing tea, while she chats with visitors about their latest read. Her mother, Jaci Bryant, meanwhile, doesn’t stay in one place, curating...
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LOOK IN THAT NOOK
A raccoon pauses on the mossy limb of a maple tree after being spooked by humans in a yard near Keyport on July 1.
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Olympic National Park reopens Staircase
Some recreational use areas near Lake Cushman will reopen for the first time since the Bear Gulch Fire a year ago, though hiking trails near the Staircase area are not all reopening yet. Olympic National Park announced the Staircase area and access...
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A SALON THAT’S REALLY ON THE MOVE
Rebecca Elser-Furr drives a truck for work, but not one that’s typical. Its wide glass windows on one side separate it from a delivery vehicle or industrial use, which is obvious if you’d spotted it driving between Poulsbo and Bremerton. On closer...
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It’ll be another round for Bremerton’s Quincy Square
“This is cool, I didn’t know Bremerton did stuff like this.” The comment was overheard among the crowd below the Roxy Theatre’s marquee in downtown Bremerton’s Quincy Square July 1, where World Cup fans were packed too tightly and too involved in the...
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Native nations weigh America’s birthday
HALIFAX, NC – Marty Richardson descended into the wooded grove, weaving through a crowd of onlookers attending a local America 250 celebration. When Richardson began to speak, the crowd went silent. The Haliwa-Saponi Indian Tribe, he told them,...
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From homelessness to a place of hope
SILVERDALE – For years, Ana Velez, 51, Candace Woodhead, 66, and Denise Walsh, 72, have stood by each other. Walsh and Woodhead started living together in 2001 after meeting at a Seattle Central College in 1980. Years later, in 2012, Velez joined them...
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Bremerton’s air show is in July, but without Navy jets
There will be no Navy aircraft performing at this year’s Bremerton Air Show in July, after a recent EA-18G Growler crash in Idaho, and this year’s show at Bremerton National Airport on July 11 and 12 will primarily feature classic aircraft. h Two U.S....
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COMPETING CROWDS
A great blue heron gives a squawk as bald eagle comes in to steal its fish in the oyster beds at the mouth of Big Beef Creek in Seabeck on Monday. See more photos from the morning's feeding in a gallery at www.kitsapsun.com. An adult great blue heron,...
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Washington budget forecast shows $1.5 billion from capital gains tax
A windfall of capital gains tax payments is providing temporary relief for Washington’s budget, but other collections are down, and lawmakers still expect to face financial difficulties next year. A revenue forecast released June 26 shows Washington...
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Had a BLAST
Bremerton kicked of the area’s Independence Day celebrations June 27, with the annual Bridge Blast above the Manette Bridge. Here’s what else is coming up this week in Kitsap for the Fourth of July. Fathoms ‘O Fun fireworks: Port Orchard also gets a...
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‘We really do play a little bit of everything’
SILVERDALE – A scatter of horns and whistles can be heard bellowing through the doors of Silverdale Lutheran Church on a warm Tuesday night. Inside is The Hometown Band, warming up as soon as they set up stands and unfold sheet music, in preparation a...
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Iran reasserts right of control in Hormuz
DUBAI – Tehran reasserted its right on June 26 to control shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and warned Gulf states against siding with the Unites States, a day after an attack on a ship near Oman highlighted the fragility of a preliminary deal to end...
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Waterfront apartments debut in Port Orchard
PORT ORCHARD — Construction of a four-story waterfront apartment complex that changes the skyline of downtown Port Orchard forever has been completed, and interest is already brewing for units. The BJC Group has finished building the Kashi Building at...
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Fourth of July events set to take place
Independence Day activities around Kitsap County are coming soon, including a new event in Poulsbo to mark the Fourth of July and Bremerton’s annual early kickoff to fireworks. Here’s what’s going on to celebrate the holiday, and America’s 250th...
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GARDEN SPOT
A spotted towhee looks out over the flowering plants while perched on an arbor in the Anna Smith Children’s
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States, territories contribute to ‘America’s Time Capsule’
“America’s Time Capsule” has been officially sealed in commemoration of the United States’ 250th birthday. The 900-pound steel cylinder contains more than 200 artifacts, records and objects to tell America’s story when it is opened 250 years...
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‘THEY HAVE NEVER FAILED TO RESPOND’
Dana and Lance Walters had been captains of the Bremerton Salvation Army for fewer than eight months when Washington issued its first stay-athome order of the pandemic. Days later, they got the call that would end up defining much of their time in...
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Next round of Iran peace talks on hold
Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire that was set to begin at 4 p.m. local time June 19 after escalating violence between Israel and Lebanon complicated President Donald Trump’s efforts to reach a final peace agreement with Iran. Still, the next...
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U.S. riding high, but wary of Australia
SEATTLE – The United States will hope to keep the party going after starting the World Cup with a fluid attacking display, but must be wary of an Australia side which began with a famous victory and have been fired up by misplaced disrespect. Few...
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U.S.-Iran draft deal calls for troop exit
President Donald Trump said June 17 that if he doesn’t like the deal that the United States and Iran negotiate to halt the fighting and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, he’ll resume his bombing campaign in the Middle Eastern country. The declaration came...
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SUMMER SPLASH
A pair of Minter Creek Elementary School students cool off as a cascade of water hits them at the Harborside Fountain Park in downtown Bremerton on Monday, June 15. The Peninsula School District students were in town for a field trip to the Navy...
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WINDS OF CHANGE
The United States is in a bizarre situation in 2026: It’s facing a looming energy shortage, yet the Trump administration is making deals to pay offshore wind developers nearly $2 billion in taxpayer money to walk away from energy projects. These...
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Iran questions U.S. commitment to peace
DUBAI – Iran’s top negotiator questioned the United States’ commitment to peace efforts after Israel carried out new attacks on Lebanon, dimming prospects of Tehran and Washington signing a framework agreement on June 14 on ending their war. President...
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8 charged for campaign to sever ties to Israel
Federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment June 10 against eight people linked to the University of Michigan who are accused of orchestrating plans to threaten university leaders, police and businesses with a wave of crimes designed to force the...
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Developer brings major Bremerton project
A Bremerton building at one of the city’s central intersections, mostly vacant since its heyday as a retail center ended four decades ago, could become the site of a towering new facility in the downtown core. Plans call for turning the property at...
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Big water problems need big solutions
When a drought turns into an urban water crisis, a city’s first step is often to limit lawn watering and launch a campaign to encourage everyone to conserve. It might raise water-use rates or offer incentives for installing lowflow devices. h While...
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Caribbean flavors arrive at Poulsbo restaurant with Seattle roots
POULSBO – A popular Seattle restaurant has moved its Caribbean cuisine across Puget Sound by opening in Kitsap County. Bongos Cafe opened a new location in May, in the College Market Place shops located just south of Olympic College’s Poulsbo campus....
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Lawsuit filed over 400 acres of logging near Elwha River
Three environmental groups are suing to block the logging of nearly 400 acres of state forestland in Washington’s Elwha Watershed. Filed Monday in Clallam County Superior Court, the lawsuit against the state’s Department of Natural Resources argues...
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Adm. Caudle visits NBK
BANGOR — The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier (CVN 72) may change homeport to Naval Base Kitsap, Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Daryl Caudle said during his visit to the base in the Pacific Northwest on June 3. “Reagan is going to stay here,...
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Senate narrowly approves $70B for ICE
Democrats don’t have much leverage in Washington these days – until they do. A small, but significant, political window opened up briefly this week as Senate Republicans worked to pass a roughly $70 billion funding bill for Immigration and Customs...
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Iran suspends talks over attacks on Lebanon
Iran halted indirect talks with the United States over Israel’s intensifying attacks on Lebanon, according to Iranian media reports, signaling a possible breakdown in diplomatic efforts to end the 3-month-old war. The Iranian semi-official Tasnim news...
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‘It’s about being a safe, happy, positive spot’
POULSBO – A pandemic side hustle that once dropped off plants on doorsteps has taken root as a full-fledged shop with its own downtown storefront. Send Nodes Plant Shop opened in the historic Poulsbohemian building downtown earlier this spring,...
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‘COMMUNITY ASSET’
The marquee, seats, HVAC and sound systems have been restored at the Roxy. Now, how about the lemon custard ice cream? Roxy Bremerton Executive Director Michael Goodnow can’t promise just yet that the signature flavor from the theater illustrious...
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Potential Iran deal puts Trump in a bind
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump finds himself in a bind as he seeks to end the war against Iran: He is under pressure to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and get U.S. gasoline prices down but at the same time faces a potential backlash from Iran hawks...
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Death toll likely to rise from explosion at plant
The death toll was expected to rise in a Washington town after a chemical tank exploded at an industrial plant. The tank at Nippon Dynawave Packaging in Longview, Washington, ruptured May 26 in what Gov. Bob Ferguson said was likely the deadliest...
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Fatal explosion leaves 9 missing in Longview chemical accident
LONGVIEW — One person was killed and several others are injured or missing after a chemical explosion at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Company facility in southwest Washington. On the morning of May 26, authorities responded to a “major chemical...
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U.S. military strikes boats, missile sites
The U.S. military on May 26 launched new strikes on Iran, threatening to shatter a 7-week ceasefire and derailing negotiations in Qatar just days after President Donald Trump said an agreement was almost completed. U.S. Central Command said it carried...
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Pressure mounts as peace talks resume
President Donald Trump on May 25 faced mounting pressure to finalize a peace deal with Iran after lowering expectations that a deal was near. Nearly three months since the start of the war, Trump is bound by expectations to reopen the Strait of...
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A DAY TO REMEMBER
Miller-Woodlawn Funeral Home & Memorial Park grounds specialist Buck Bowyer unfurls an American flag as he places them along the roads through the cemetery in observation of Memorial Day. Ceremonies will be held at 11 a.m. at Forest Lawn Memorial Park...
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‘I’m very, very happy’
BANGOR — Blue, green, yellow, red and white. Many small flags of the five colors are now hung on four strings tied at the top of a Buddhist stupa and spread to the ground to surround and decorate a Peace Pagoda just outside a Naval Base in Kitsap....
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Cal. mosque shooters adopted racist ideology
SAN DIEGO – Materials left behind by the two teenagers who attacked the Islamic Center of San Diego on May 18, killing three men before taking their own lives, revealed widespread hatred and anger at society at large, FBI Special Agent in Charge of the...
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Bremerton’s FIFA Fan Zone gets latest nod
BREMERTON -- A new statue was unveiled in Quincy Square Wednesday afternoon, a unique gift for display as the start of a rollout of spectacles for the fast approaching FIFA World Cup. Known as a “SEA Beacon” statue created for the international soccer...
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Iran threatens war ‘beyond the region’
DUBAI – Iran threatened on May 20 to spread war beyond the Middle East if the United States attacks again, after President Donald Trump said he had come within an hour of restarting the military campaign. Six weeks since Trump paused Operation Epic...
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All smiles on the farm
Five-year-old Benedict Di Lallo and Winston the cow peer at each other over the stall gate during F.A.R.M. Days at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds on May 18. The two day event of fun for children with special needs features horse rides, snow cones,...
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Judge tosses evidence in Luigi Mangione case
A New York judge has partially granted a request to toss crucial evidence obtained after law enforcement located Luigi Mangione in the wake of the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Mangione, 28, was found at a McDonald’s in Altoona,...
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‘There’s a longing for something deeper’
At newlife church’s South Kitsap Campus in Port Orchard, attendance has climbed 58% since 2019 — and Pastor Ryan Brewer says the energy in the building reflects it. h “There’s a lot of buzz and vibe here,” said Brewer, the campus lead pastor. “The...
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Trump leaves Beijing with few victories
BEIJING – President Donald Trump left China on May 15 with no major breakthroughs on trade or tangible help from Beijing to end the Iran war, despite two days spent heaping praise on his host, Xi Jinping. Trump’s visit to America’s main strategic and...
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‘We’re stronger when we work together’
About midway between Sixth and 11th Streets on Callow Avenue, in Bremerton’s Charleston neighborhood, sits A. Carpenter Shop, Kitsap County’s only store that refurbishes old furniture. Just down the block is Typewriter Fever, which breaths new life...
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Washington Supreme Court sees 5 contested races in 2026 election
State Supreme Court races often pass by without much attention as incumbent justices sail to reelection. It’ll be different this year, as retirements promise to shake up the high court. Five seats are on the ballot. And the fate of the...
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Illness on cruise ship renews concern
One viral outbreak on a cruise ship was already commanding worldwide attention last week when health officials reported another on a separate vessel. Oceanwide Expeditions’ MV Hondius was grappling with hantavirus cases that resulted in three deaths...
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‘Decisions are made for the future of the fleet’
SOUTHWORTH — Washington State Ferries is working closely with partners in the Legislature during the pre-construction process of its Southworth Terminal Preservation Project, with the initial construction now scheduled for 2027. On Friday, May 8, U.S....
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Infighting slows Trump’s agenda in GOP Congress
WASHINGTON – House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, said he’s doing the impossible on Capitol Hill. Over the last few weeks, Johnson has been hard at work negotiating with House Republicans and Senate counterparts to enact President Donald Trump’s...
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TURNING IN THE BREEZE
A caspian tern swoops down over the water while fishing off of the Port Orchard shoreline on a sunny afternoon last week.
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Mother’s Day deals, specials announced
We don’t want to scrimp on celebrating Mom, but we would be remiss if we missed out on a bargain. Besides, celebrating the holiday, which is on May 10, is expected to cost more this year, so getting a deal can lessen the impact on your budget. Despite...
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Charting his own path
It’s been nearly 1,000 years since King Henry IV stood barefoot in the Italian snow to beg forgiveness after clashes with Pope Gregory VII, and over two centuries since Napoleon imprisoned Pope Pius VII in France. Now, a battle is underway between a...
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Port of Bremerton to replace breakwater
PORT ORCHARD — The Port of Bremerton is ready to bid for construction on a project to replace the aging breakwater at the Port Orchard Marina, a step closer for an issue the port has been discussing and preparing for years. The port, which owns and...
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A BRUSH WITH BAY STREET
Local artist Adam Smith, owner of Blue Creations Art, works on his mural along the Bay Street Pedestrian Pathway near the playground in downtown Port Orchard on May 4. The mural, depicting views from the Port Orchard shoreline, is halfway finished...
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A MAY MOMENT
Bremerton Parks Department’s Scotty Ferido waters pots of petunias in one of the city greenhouses in Stephenson Canyon Park in Bremerton on May 4. Crews will begin hanging the baskets and planting the potted flowers in downtown Bremerton and the...
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‘The reason why we’re working’
PORT GAMBLE — A new diner in Port Gamble delivers more than its catchy name promises — Whiskey & Waffles is serving enough small-town charm to go around the whole community. Attached to the General Store, Whiskey & Waffles opened a couple weeks ago as...
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KEEPING CALM
Bremerton residents Mark Bradford, left, and his father Roger fish from a small boat on a calm Kitsap Lake on May 1. A no-contact order issued on April 6 due to a bloom of cyanobacteria, or blue green algae, was lifted earlier in the week by the Kitsap...
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