CITIZEN JOURNALISTA
Jane Q Public: Bainbridge IslandArchive for May, 2009
Mud Puddle closes doors over holiday weekend
Lots of island teens and writers discovered one of their favorite coffee spots vacated after last Monday.
Operators of Mud Puddle Coffee Inc., home to game nights, a fledgling island poetry open mic, free wi-fi, and the Ragnar sandwich, were seen packing out inventory by nearby business owners over the holiday weekend.
The space is still occupied by larger equipment but a yellow “Closed Today” sign, accompanied by a sad farewell letter from fans of the small business, suggest the shop is closed for good.
The business first gained the space in 2002, taking over what used to be known as Books, Bagels & Beans, and was known for its eclectic hodgepodge of furniture including the frame for a wall-bed that, when pulled out, served as an impromptu stage.
Reasons for the business departure are only speculative, but generally seem to point to the economy. Questions linger as to whether the company, which also operated a coffee truck, will continue their mobile coffee service.
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Breaking News: Kordonowy to become BI’s 8th city council member
At tonight’s special city council meeting, the first to convene since last week’s historic vote to change Bainbridge Island’s form of government from the “strong-mayor” form to one led by a city manager, current (outgoing) mayor Darlene Kordonowy publicly announced her decision to join the city council as an eighth active member, as is her privilege under state law.
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School Bond 303 vote fails by .34%…for now
According to the Kitsap County Auditor’s website, votes and precincts for the Bainbridge Island School District 303 Bond have arrived at the following outcome:
Approved 5,669 59.66%
Rejected 3,833 40.34%
Total 9,502 100.00%
The bond requires a supermajority* outcome of 60% in order to pass. This means that votes have fallen short by .34% and the bond has failed.
Dolores Gilmore at the elections office for the Kitsap County Auditor said in a phone interview today that they “are still receiving ballots that were postmarked on the correct day.” Today, there were 24 ballots from Bainbridge Island. The next counting day, on the Tuesday after Memorial Day, could bring in more.
These “late” ballots include overseas and military ballots (just like in the national elections), ballots that haven’t yet made it through the postal system, and challenged ballots that the elections office is currently following up on with phone calls and notices. Challenged ballots can include those without signatures, for instance—honest mistakes by honest voters that, with a little followup, can be corrected.
Gilmore said that, in order for the measure to succeed, 81 ballots approving the bond must be collected and counted in order for the bond to reach the critical supermajority need to pass. The elections office will continue counting until the end of the day on June 2.
On June 3, the election will be certified. At that time, if the bond still doesn’t pass, Gilmore said that the school district’s option then is to either accept the results or call for a manual recount.
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