The time is now to register your interest in a booth for food, arts/crafts, games/amusements, or for general information about your business/organization at the July 4th Street Fair.

With the traditional priority for returning vendors, Chamber Members and local businesses in mind, please fill out the form on the Chamber website to be alerted when applications officially open next week.

What will the island look like in 2044? How many people will there be and what will they need?

Council members will start answering those questions and more at tonight's study session.

Kitsap Regional Coordinating Council staff will provide an overview presentation to council about methodologies and information available from the state and county to formulate a 2044 population forecast.

As outlined by state law, each city must update their growth management plans every 8 years.

Cities and counties statewide are breathing a sigh of relief as both bills to allow fourplexes in lots zoned for single-family residences (HB 1782 and SB 5670) failed in the state Legislature.

Local jurisdictions will continue to oversee land use decisions.

Broadly designed to address the state’s critical housing issues, COBI's position was that the bills would have unintended and uncalculated consequences for rural communities.

To meet city's ambitious greenhouse gas reductions outlined by its Climate Action Plan, city staff were directed by council at their Feb. 22 meeting to analyze the feasibility of a Food Waste Anaerobic Digestion Facility with a third-party at Vincent Road.

Under analysis: 

Organic waste is the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases.

Prepare for delays overnight as PSE is replacing transmission poles and conducting other repair work in the area.

The work is part of WSDOT’s roundabout safety improvement project.

City officials would like to share progress and garner Island residents’ thoughts on their updated Groundwater Management Plan.

The Suquamish Director of Community Development will share details on tribal housing inventory and challenges and the Kitsap County Director of Human Services will discuss homelessness, housing availability and how sales tax dollars may be used to create additional housing on Suquamish land.

Survivors and speakers, including Gov. Jay Inslee, will come together commemorate 80 Years of Healing at the National Japanese American Exclusion Memorial on the anniversary of President Roosevelt’s Executive Order 9066 on March 30, 1942 .

A park and ride service from Bethany Lutheran will be available to those who wish to attend in person.

The Madison Diner kitchen is offered for 3rd-party use as a commercial kitchen between 5pm and 5am daily.

Flexible, part-time openings for:

Washington’s new law Chapter 70A.245 RCW call for manufacturers of:

to include minimum amounts of recycled plastic.

If you’re a producer of the included products and offer them for sale or distribution in WA, you must register with DoE on or before April 1, 2022 (no joke!).

To help guide you complying with the new law, state ecology staff are hosting two special free online sessions:

Almost 30% of small businesses say their companies now accept cryptocurrencies, according to a recent survey by business invoice software provider Skynova.

If you are thinking about joining them, the US Chamber of Commerce urges businesses to ponder some vital points before taking the leap:

These new pandemic-triggered culinary trends aren't going anywhere, according to the Washington Hospitality Association.

Learn how to make your workplace meetings meaningful, efficient, and empowering so your team is ready to tackle your businesses challenges without being mired in competition and redundancy.

Gov. Jay Inslee moved up the date in response to CDC and federal officials’ guidance and dwindling cases and hospitalizations of COVID-19 in the state.

Mask requirements in private businesses and local jurisdictions may continue to vary - let us know what you plan to do in this week's survey...

Bainbridge’s COVID-19 testing site at Rolling Bay Presbyterian Church has now closed due to decreased demand and declining case rates.

At-home testing kits are available for order from the state and federal governments, you can also purchase kits at local pharmacies.

As of today, the Kitsap County COVID infection rate continues to fall, now are down to 136 cases per 100,000 residents.

Island numbers have fallen back to pre-Omicron levels - just 56 cases per 100k (and less than half that of all other parts of the county).

Since the start of the pandemic, there have now been 1,766 total cases recorded on Bainbridge, 19 of them new over the past week.

Vaccination rates on Bainbridge also continue to lead the county - more than 99% of Islanders aged 12 and above are now vaccinated, alongside 73% of 5 to 11-yr-olds.

Free tests from the new federal website are still being distributed.

Free tests from Washington State are being restocked:

Millions of free N95 masks are being distributed to pharmacies and supermarkets, including Safeway, Rite Aid, Walgreens on Bainbridge (limit 3 per person).

To help explain Bainbridge's new restrictions on single-use plastic to consumers, COBI has begun to send out free table-tents to our local eating and drinking establishments.

If you have not yet received yours, or need some more, please come pick them up for free at the Chamber office.

With the support of the City, County, and Bainbridge's own Breath Café, the Chamber still has fresh supplies of N95 masks, disposable masks, and hand sanitizer available for free to all public-facing Island business and nonprofit organizations.

To grab yours, give us a call, stop by our offices, or email us - we are here to help...