Tad Sooter, Kitsap Sun

BREMERTON — Harrison Medical Center has reached a tentative contract agreement with the bargaining team of the union representing its professional and technical employees.

Union pro-tech members will vote on formal approval of the proposal June 26 and June 27. Representatives from Harrison and union UFCW 21 confirmed the two sides had reached an agreement. Specifics of the recommended contract were not released.

Harrison and union representatives met Tuesday and Wednesday with a mediator. read more »

Saying, “Through Scott’s leadership, Harrison Medical Center is now well-poised to fulfill its mission for generations to come,” Harrison Medical Center board chairman Jim Civilla announced to the community that Scott Bosch, president and CEO for nearly a decade, will retire  July 31. read more »

Jesse Young of Gig Harbor has been appointed to fill the vacant 26th District seat in the state House. Kitsap County commissioners and the Pierce County Council met in joint session Jan. 17 and voted to appoint Young to fill the seat held by state Sen. Jan Angel (R-Port Orchard) until she won a special election in November for the district’s open Senate seat.

Young, a business technology consultant who made an unsuccessful run for Congress in 2012, was the top choice of three nominees submitted by the state Republican Party to succeed Angel. The other two nominees were Adam Berman and Doug Cloud, both of Gig Harbor. read more »

Linda Streissguth was selected as a Kitsap County commissioner to fill the vacancy left by Josh Brown’s resignation. Commissioners Charlotte Garrido and Robert Gelder announced their decision after an executive session Jan. 6.

Streissguth, the community engagement manager for Puget Sound Energy, was one of three applicants recommended by the Kitsap County Democratic Central Committee to fill the vacancy. When Democratic precinct committee officers met in December to pick three finalists to recommend from a group of seven applicants for the commissioner position, Streissguth was the leader in early rounds of voting but didn’t get a majority as each round eliminated the applicant with fewest votes. read more »

Bremerton resident and community leader Ed Wolfe announced today that he will file to run for the Central Kitsap County Commission seat which will be vacated by Commissioner Josh Brown. He will file as a Republican candidate in May of next year.

“After careful consideration and discussion with my wife Wendy, and many trusted friends and supporters, I’ve decided to run for Kitsap County Commissioner in 2014,” stated Wolfe. “I’ve spent years living and working in our community, and believe now is the right time to take this next step to serve Kitsap County as Commissioner.” read more »

Bremerton Mayor Patty Lent won re-election easily, while state Rep. Jan Angel (R-Port Orchard) held a narrow lead in early returns over state Sen. Nathan Schlicher in the the 26th District legislative race after an expensive campaign that featured an onslaught of negative campaign ads.

Schlicher was appointed to the Senate seat after Democrat Derek Kilmer’s 2012 election to Congress, and the winner of this election will serve the remaining year of Kilmer’s four-year term. Angel, who’s been in the state House for three terms, challenged Schlicher in a bid to for Republicans to gain a seat in the narrowly divided Senate.

In early returns, Angel led about 52-47 percent with about 13,000 votes counted in Kitsap County. The 26th District also includes part of Pierce County, and in early returns there Angel’s lead was 50-49 percent with just under 15,000 votes counted. Overall, Angel had 51.4 percent of the votes and Schlicher had 48.6 percent. read more »

Negotiators for union workers at major grocery chains in the Puget Sound area announced a last-minute agreement that averted a strike that was set to begin Monday evening.

United Food and Commercial Workers Locals 21 and 367, representing about 21,000 workers at Safeway, Albertsons, QFC and Fred Meyer stores in Kitsap, Mason, Thurston, Pierce, King and Snohomish counties, announced that their bargaining team had reached a tentative agreement on a new contract about two hours before workers were set to walk off the job at 7 p.m. on Oct. 21.

In a statement posted on the Stand With Our Checkers Facebook page, the union said no details of the contract would be released until members have a chance to review and vote on the proposed deal, which the bargaining team unanimously recommended for approval. The statement said meetings would be scheduled soon for voting. read more »

The federal government shutdown has had immediate repercussions for workers who have been furloughed at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility in Bremerton.

Furlough notice provisions were handed out to affected shipyard workers on Oct. 1, and PSNS suspended apprentice and helper training classes.

“Many of our apprentices, helpers, and instructors are in a furlough status therefore we have found it necessary to curtail apprentice and helper classes until the federal funding issue is resolved,” read a statement posted Oct. 1 on the PSNS & IMF Facebook page. read more »

Kitsap County Commissioner Josh Brown is resigning his position at the end of the year to become executive director of the Puget Sound Regional Council.

The PSRC announced its selection of Brown on Sept. 26 to replace Bob Drewel, who is retiring. Brown has been the county’s representative on the council the last few years and served as its president for 2012-13.

“Josh brings the perfect mix of energy, experience, and commitment to regional collaboration to the role of PSRC executive director,” said Pierce County Executive Pat McCarthy, who is the council’s current president. read more »