Peninsula’s cell phone policy a model for nearby school districts
Oct 10, 2024Peninsula instituted a ban on cell phones during instructional time last year. School districts around the state are now doing the same.
Locals share personal stories of fentanyl crisis at town hall meeting
Oct 09, 2024One man stepped up to the podium and spoke at length about his history with addiction, incarceration and path to sobriety. A mother spoke about how her child died after being peer-pressured. Another parent said his teenage daughter just celebrated 90 days free of drugs. These were a few of the stories shared during the
Public health leaders urge people to get COVID vaccines this fall
Sep 25, 2024Less than 20% of Washingtonians got an updated COVID vaccine last year, Washington Department of Health says.
Kitsap County warns of food deserts if Albertsons-Kroger merger proceeds
Sep 24, 2024South Kitsap County would be even more of a food desert if the merger and resulting divestment goes forward, commissioners warn.
Documents provide peek inside local nursing homes — but don’t rely on them exclusively
Sep 19, 2024When evaluating a nursing home, it also helps to show up unannounced and talk to staff members.
Sixth District candidates talk health care, economy and bipartisanship
Sep 17, 2024Democrat Emily Randall and Republican Drew MacEwen, the candidates to succeed Derek Kilmer in Congress, discussed issues Tuesday in Bremerton.
Facing Fentanyl town halls set for Gig Harbor, Key Peninsula
Sep 17, 2024Pierce County, Peninsula School District and Gig Harbor officials are hosting a town hall at the city’s civic center next month to discuss the local impacts of the fentanyl crisis. Fentanyl is having devastating impacts on our communities and affecting people across the economic spectrum, Pierce County Councilmember Robyn Denson said in a statement announcing
Local case is first time tularemia, a rare infectious disease, spread from marine mammal to human
Sep 13, 2024Epidemiologists with the Kitsap Public Health District have co-authored a new report documenting the first recorded case of a human contracting the infectious disease tularemia from a marine mammal. The finding, published last month in the Centers for Disease Control’s Morbidity and Mortality weekly report, details how a 32-year-old wildlife biologist from Kitsap County contracted
Courts charging fewer people with DUIs, despite increase in traffic fatalities
Sep 04, 2024Throughout August and Labor Day weekend, law enforcement agencies across the state deployed high-visibility patrols aiming to crack down on drunk drivers and prevent roadway fatalities. Traffic deaths have increased sharply across Washington and the Kitsap Peninsula since 2020, with impairment involved in about half of those incidents. Yet courts on the Kitsap Peninsula —
New hospital staffing standards aim to ease the burden on health care workers
Aug 29, 2024A decade ago, it was difficult to get a full-time position at St. Michael Medical Center in Silverdale, says Aimee Oien, a union rep for the hospital’s nurses and other staff. Turnover was low. Most staff started in per diem or on-call roles. The last several years — even before the COVID-19 pandemic rocked the