*Yes, we are aware that it is now more than a month into the gregorian calendar. If you’re new here, we lean more towards the lunar new year. Here’s a look back at ‘What is News?’ from last year and a happy year of the fire horse to all who celebrate.
MARCH, 2025 :: In response to community feedback from the year prior, Smokestack’s news-from-last-month feature debuts. Olympic College breaks ground on an $8.5M dollar healthcare campus expansion at its Poulsbo location. A Port-Orchard-by-way-of-LA artist features work at the Seattle Art Museum. Plus the annual Great Give to local non-profits, open meeting and online comments for the planning and environmental linkages survey in Gorst. And Two local earth quakes.
APRIL 2025 :: Confetti cannons in the school board chambers as Bremerton High boys basketball celebrates a state championship. Brem city council study session about a change in service providers for traffic enforcement cameras. Paid parking enforcement advances for Poulsbo. Plus majority of county LTAC funding goes to making Kitsap a ‘fan zone’ for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and local typewriter enthusiasts host “type-in” at the library.
MAY 2025 :: Word gets out that the Brem school board is looking to axe its jazz programs as the multi-million dollar Quincy Square project nears completion downtown. Poulsbo record shop opens second location in Bainbridge. The Bainbridge Korean Heritage Night speaks out against federal DEI cuts. Port Orchard amends its downtown parking as well, a feasibility study for commercial air traffic at the airport, and local book store voted top-five in the nation by Publishers’ Weekly.
JUNE 2025 :: Local breweries bring home silver and gold from World Beer Cup, both recipes created by the same local brewmaster. Local neighborhood coalition joins forces with neighboring coalition in opposing development of local heritage forest. New ramen restaurant moves into the old Hi-Lo’s building. Plus the paintball park finds a new home, construction starts on a Bainbridge bike park and local skate shop hosts the annual local edition of the global Go Skate Day events
JULY 2025 :: No Kings protests across the nation. Washington State Ferries Bremerton route gets second boat back. Quincy Square grand opening comes with news that the school district has reconsidered cutting its jazz programs. Plus a new tattoo convention and a new true-crime authors’ festival added to a full list of summer events, and owner of local music shop dies.
AUGUST 2025 :: Federal legislation drastically slashes funding for public health, safety and media. County elections for local mayors, school board city council seats and a measure to fund local library operations. Lake Cushman wildfires burn out of control and a petroleum truck spills into the Elwah River. Plus national news of a monster truck tire flying out of the stadium and smashing a parked car at the local fairgrounds and Smokestack Radio debuts on local independent streaming station The KLAM.
SEPT 2025 :: Beloved Poulsbo coffeeshop closes down. Poulsbo city council and skate community renovate Raab Park. Library levy passes. Plus Bear Gulch fire rages on while immigration enforcement raids firefighting crews, local forest theater does Shakespeare with bluegrass and a new community trash pick up is organized for Sinclair Inlet.
OCT 2025 :: National news breaks of a fake cop arrested for driving an unmarked car, dressed in an official uniform with a loaded gun and joining local police departments on calls. Two boats sink in Sinclair Inlet. And community pushes back on a county plan to log more than half the trees in South Kitsap’s Banner Forest park. Plus a new parking lot at the Port Gamble heritage park, and the detained Bear Gulch firefighter released on grounds that his arrest was illegal, after four weeks in custody.
NOV 2025 :: Downtown Bremerton gets another new mural, this one by a local artist, tucked away in an alley. National government shut down reaches longest duration in history, requiring thousands of local government workers to work for deferred pay for more than a month. One sunken boat raised out of Sinclair inlet, the other not so much. Plus another boat runs aground in Indianola, a deckhand drowns in Kingston, and Mac & Jacks brewery moves its production to Kitsap.
DEC 2025 :: Seasonal rash of auto accidents accompanies daylight savings. Local typewriter company featured in the New York Times. State department decides to dismantle the other sunken ship in place. Plus The Old Town Pub is finally torn down and the local tribal agency donates more than $100K to local food banks in response to the government shut down and budget cuts.
JAN 2025 :: Smokestack takes the month off to daydream about what might happen next year.
