Members of the public will have the opportunity to learn how Bainbridge Island’s groundwater might be affected by different land use, population growth and climate change scenarios. Staff of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), which has been working with the City to develop a hydrogeologic model of the island’s groundwater, will present the results at a public meeting at Council Chambers from 5:30 - 7 p.m. on Tuesday, July 27.

“Since groundwater is the sole source of drinking water for island residents, it’s imperative that we have a thorough understanding of our aquifer system in order to make sound, knowledgeable management and planning decisions,” said Cami Apfelbeck, Water Resources Specialist and Groundwater Monitoring Program Manager for the City. read more »

The political action committee of Washington’s leading small business association endorsements of 39 candidates for the Washington Senate and House of Representatives, including local incumbents Legislative District 35 Sen. Tim Sheldon and Legislative District 26 Rep. Jan Angel. Challengers and non-incumbents running in open legislative seats will be endorsed after an interview and questionnaire period has concluded.

To be eligible for an early endorsement, incumbent State House members had to score 80 percent or higher on NFIB’s 2009-2010 voting record. Senators had to score 80 percent or higher over a four-year period from 2007-2010. read more »

U.S. Senate candidate Dino Rossi has once again urged Sen. Patty Murray to enforce the rules she voted for and support an effort to fully pay for extending unemployment insurance.

“Patty Murray says she’s standing up for Washington State families, and, if that’s true she needs to support a commonsense effort to pay for extending unemployment insurance so that our children and grandchildren aren’t footing the bill,” said Rossi. “Our children and grandchildren are a key part of Washington families, and their futures shouldn’t be used as a down payment for today’s spending.” read more »

Microsoft is planning to open “dozens” of retail stores, beyond the four that currently exist, the company’s COO said recently.

According to Softpedia, Microsoft COO Kevin Turner made the comments during the company’s recent Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC).

“We’re going to build dozens more stores. And we’re just getting started on that. And we’re going to keep building them,” Turner reportedly said at the event. read more »

Mason County PUD No. 3 has sold bonds to pay for construction of its Johns Prairie operations center, a number of important electrical system improvements and refinancing of a portion of existing debt at lower interest rates.

Proceeds from the par value of the $59.8 million bond sale will fund the following PUD 3 projects:

• $34.5 million for the Johns Prairie operations center, including construction, design, equipment, permits and fees.
• $8.4 million for capital projects, including Mason substation rebuild; construction of a watermain to serve the Johns Prairie operations center; potential relocation of PUD facilities related to the 1.5 mile Belfair SR 3 improvement project; and matching funds, if successful, for a federal stimulus grant for broadband expansion.
• $9.5 million for refunding higher interest bonds and debt payoff.
• $7.3 million for reserve accounts, capitalized interest costs and bond issuance fees.
• PUD 3 had initially expected to sell nearly $70 million on bonds for this investment, but financial staff was able to prioritize investments in capital projects and financing costs to reduce the overall borrowing needs.

Because of the timing of the issue and the maturing of current bonds issued by the PUD, it isn’t expected that the bond sale for the operations center will change debt service in the long term read more »

Want to know where the “Best Downtown Summer Gathering Place” is? The Bainbridge Island Downtown Association Design Committee thinks that it’s the Saturday Sit-ins on Madrone Lane.

As testimony to how the community has embraced this spontaneous Saturday morning gathering spot, the members of BIDA’s Design Committee presented their July award for “Best Downtown Summer Gathering Place” to organizer Linda Brandt, and her crew of teenage helpers, Silas Gibbins, Elena Arakaki, and Catherine MacLeod. read more »

Alaska Airlines, Boeing, Portland International Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Spokane International Airport and Washington State University announced a strategic initiative to promote aviation biofuel development in the Pacific Northwest. The first regional assessment of its kind in the United States, the “Sustainable Aviation Fuels Northwest” project will look at biomass options within a four-state area as possible sources for creating renewable jet fuel.

The comprehensive assessment will examine all phases of developing a sustainable biofuel industry, including biomass production and harvest, refining, transport infrastructure and actual use by airlines. read more »

In late June, a fantastic case study in unintended consequences vis-à-vis tax policy in The Wall Street Journal emerged. As a part of the massive health care overhaul, the Obama Administration and Congress passed earlier this year, officials levied a special tax on the tanning industry to help pay for the expansion in coverage. Someone wants to take a turn in the tanning bed? Fine, they just have to pay a little more, right?

If only it were that simple.

According to the story in the Journal, the tax depends not only on the type of tanning bed, but also where the fake ‘n bake takes place. read more »

The U. S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is now offering a new set of three export-oriented podcasts offering valuable information on issues and challenges small business exporters may find when dealing with specific countries.

The podcasts, featuring interviews with business representatives from Uganda, Cameroon and Bahrain, are part of a comprehensive effort by SBA to promote and support the President’s National Export Initiative. The interviews focus on what U.S. companies can expect when exporting to those countries and provide information relevant to their respective business and import environments. read more »