Alan Newberg, founding member and past president of the Collective Visions Gallery will present the feature exhibit for the month of March at the Collective Visions Gallery in downtown Bremerton. The artist has titled this exhibit “Green Fiends and other Kitsap Characters.” The paintings in this show are a series of portraits of friends who are “doing interesting things and taking innovative approaches to life.” Newberg terms these paintings “Story Portraits” because they go beyond the convention of likeness associated with portraiture read more »

Signature Woodworks is an independent, locally owned company, recently held a ribbon cutting ceremony to announce its Gig Harbor showroom.

It is focused on providing its customers with exciting, fresh ideas and products that they can enjoy in the home. The real heart of Signature Woodworks is its people.

It is their consistent commitment to excellence in design, product selection, installation and customer service that truly sets it apart.

Amy Igloi-Matsuno, owner of the Amy’s on the Bay Restaurant on the Port Orchard waterfront, has been named by Governor Christine Gregoire to fill a vacancy on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge Citizen Advisory Committee. This nine-member committee is tasked with making recommendations to the Transportation Commission on toll rates. The toll rates adopted become part of Washington Administrative Code (WAC) and require hearings both initially and each time they change.

“I’m honored to have been selected for this position,” said Igloi-Matsuno, 29. “I’ve had grave concerns about the amount of the tolls, the state’s desire to increase them, and the impact of those increases on economic development in Gig Harbor, Port Orchard, on the Key Peninsula as well as on the efforts of the Port of Bremerton.” read more »

Rep. Jan Angel recently welcomed Port Orchard Rotary Club’s Bill Evans and Barbora (Bara) Debefova’ to the state Capitol in Olympia.

Debefoba’ (center) is an 18-year-old foreign exchange student from Kromeriz, Czech Republic. She is the 26th student the Port Orchard Rotary Club has hosted from various countries throughout the world.

“I had the pleasure of being introduced to Bara at my Rotary meeting and I invited her to visit Olympia. I enjoyed showing her read more »

Porsche Cars North America has announced the addition of two new Panamera models, just three months after successfully launching the first four-door Gran Turismo in three V8 flavors: the Panamera S, the Panamera 4S and the Panamera Turbo.

The Panamera and Panamera 4, the model line’s new entry level versions, will be in Porsche dealerships in June 2010. Both feature a brand-new 3.6-liter V6 with Direct Fuel Injection (DFI) developing 300 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque. read more »

When the Port Gamble General Store reopens sometimes in March, longtime customers will see some familiar sights but most of the looks will change — from the faces of the owners to the cafe seating that has been added.

The store had been closed since December, when previous owners closed the business after three years in operation, citing the poor economy.

For Erik Kleiva and Kim Campbell, the vacant space was an opportunity too good to pass up. Campbell, who owned a gift shop in Port Gamble a couple of years ago, says the general store had been a dream. read more »

The Kitsap Pumas team is only going on its second season but it’s already a recognized name around the Kitsap Peninsula. The success is evident in the numbers, too: The team (which is part of Kitsap Soccer Club) had sold 15 season tickets by this time last year, and this year, with the season still more than a couple of months away, 175 season tickets have already been claimed. The number of preregistered players for tryouts doubled, and the sponsorships this year have doubled so far and may triple by the season start.

Even for the first year, the team saw pretty good interest from the fans. With an average 1,200 spectators per game, the Kitsap Pumas were fifth in the league for attendance.

“That’s pretty good for the first year,” said Robin Waite, Kitsap Soccer Club owner. “Our objective is to double and triple everything this year.”

Waite, a former co-owner of the old Division read more »

The Nissan LEAF Zero-Emission Tour culminated recently with an appearance in New York City. The three-month tour, which made 63 stops in 24 cities, offered the opportunity for interested drivers, media, civic partners, businesses and university students to learn more about the Nissan LEAF and the benefits of zero-emission driving.

The tour helped pave the way for the 2010 introduction of Nissan LEAF, the world’s first all-electric, zero-emission car designed read more »