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Candidate Filing Begins
Kicking Off WA Election Season
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Published in the WA State Standard, May 4, 2026
Photo: Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero
An unusual and potentially pivotal midterm election season gets formally underway in Washington on Monday when candidates can begin filing for legislative, congressional and judicial offices.
Washington’s new income tax on high-earners will be a hot topic among those battling for positions in the state Legislature. It is also likely to saturate conversations around who should fill openings on the state Supreme Court, the panel that will eventually decide the fate of the controversial law dubbed by backers as the “millionaires’ tax.”
To add further intrigue, some of the fiercest match-ups this year will involve candidates of the same party. Already, several incumbent Democratic state lawmakers face challenges from fellow Democrats who view them as too moderate.
Expect turnover in the state Legislature, where all 98 House seats and 24 of 49 Senate seats are up for election.
In the House, there are 14 open seats as representatives retire or run for other offices, such as the Senate, where five members are not returning.
Read the article here
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Armed Forces Day Parade
Saturday, May 16, 2026, 10:00am
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May Membership Luncheon
Wednesday, May 27, 2026, 11:00am
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Please join us for our May Membership Luncheon featuring guest speaker, Alex Baerg, Commanding Officer of NavBase Kitsap. We'll also be honoring our Armed Forces Day Ambassadors at this event as we round out our month of celebrating our military community, an integral part to the economic vibrancy of Kitsap County.
Bring your business cards and get ready to network - you won't want to miss!
Paid parking is available on the Green Level underneath the Kitsap Conference Center.
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Chamber: Off the Clock
Tuesday, May 19, 2026, 5:05pm
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Social Security 101: Just the Basics
Wednesday, May 6, 2026, 4:30pm
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Armed Forces Day Culinary Arts Competition
Saturday, May 9, 2026, 10:00am
| Come cheer on culinary teams from across the Armed Forces as they go head-to-head in a high-energy, flavor-packed competition! From stunning presentations to mouthwatering creations, you won’t want to miss this showcase of skill and pride. | |
Accessible Healthcare with NICE
Business Health Trust Has You Covered
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Costs up? Benchmark before summer.
If your renewal raised costs without improving the experience, now is a good time to compare your options. Business Health Trust helps small and mid-sized employers buy with stronger group purchasing power while still offering broad plan choice.
That can mean better value for the business and more useful care for employees. Many BHT medical plans also include Nice Healthcare, adding $0 everyday care that can help people get support sooner.
🔗 Webpage Link: https://businesshealthtrust.com/products/nice-healthcare/
Questions? Contact BHT!
(425) 201-1972
nice@businesshealthtrust.com
Not a BHT member? Are you ready to build a better benefits package?
Visit bhtquote.com to learn more and get a free quote.
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Renew your membership today to ensure your benefits as a member of the Greater Kitsap Chamber! Questions about when to renew or how to upgrade your membership? Need a new membership window cling or digital badge? Contact us now!
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Missed a previous edition of the Chamber's Community Connections?
View all the past issues on our website HERE.
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New & Renewing Members for April
Thank you for your continued investment & support!
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Kitsap Business Newsletter
Sign Up for Free
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Changing Faces, Changing Places
Share your business news today
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Has your team recently welcomed a new hire, celebrated a promotion, or marked a retirement? Kitsap Business magazine's Changing Faces, Changing Places section highlights the people powering our local business community. Chamber members are invited to share their staff updates for inclusion in an upcoming issue.
Send your announcements to news@kitsapbusiness.com and let us help you recognize the faces behind your success.
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We are proud to recognize The Trails at Silverdale as our May Member of the Month! A cornerstone shopping and gathering destination in Central Kitsap, The Trails offers a vibrant mix of retail, dining, and lifestyle services that make it a true hub for our community.
This recognition comes with sincere gratitude for The Trails at Silverdale’s ongoing support of our military community. This year, they generously sponsored Military Appreciation Day and Armed Forces Day, helping create meaningful, community‑wide celebrations that honored local service members and their families. Their support played a key role in making these events welcoming, impactful, and reflective of the strong and enduring connection between our military and civilian communities.
The Trails at Silverdale is also home to several Chamber member businesses, including Jersey Mike’s, T-Mobile, and The Purpose Boutique, providing both local and national brands a welcoming place to thrive. By creating a space where businesses can grow and customers can connect, The Trails plays an important role in strengthening our local economy.
We are thankful for The Trails at Silverdale’s partnership, generosity, and ongoing investment in our region. Please join us in congratulating them and supporting the businesses that call The Trails home the next time you’re shopping or dining in Silverdale!
| Business & Professional Development Committee | | Member Education & Training Resources | | |
SCORE: Using AI to Understand
Your Audience Better
Friday, May 8, 2026, 9:00am
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Understanding your ideal customer is crucial, but traditional research methods can be time-consuming. This session focuses on leveraging Artificial Intelligence tools to streamline and enhance customer research. Participants will learn practical techniques for using AI to analyze existing data, identify emerging trends, survey customer sentiment, and build more accurate customer personas. We will cover how to prompt AI effectively to extract meaningful insights from reviews, social media chatter, and market data. The emphasis is on using AI not just to gather information, but to synthesize it into actionable strategies for marketing, product development, and service delivery. You'll leave with concrete methods to make your customer understanding proactive and data-driven.
Registration Fee: $10
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WorkSource: Invisible Disabilites Panel Event
Tuesday, May 12, 2026, 9:00am
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SBDC: How to Launch
Your Business Successfully
Thursday, May 14, 2026, 12:00pm
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In this class, the presenter will outline steps on how to successfully launch a new business. It can be confusing to know which steps to take or what agencies to contact. This class will address those issues in order to provide you with a clear direction. Having this information will save you time in moving forward with your business opening.
Peppered with practical stories and examples, this interactive class will give you concrete ideas on how to make your business start as successful as possible.
Participants will also learn more about the resources provided by the Small Business Center at Green River College. You can schedule a future appointment with an SBDC (Small Business Development Center) counselor for one-on-one business advising. This is available at no cost to the small business owner.
The presenter is Taryn Hornby, Certified Business Advisor with the Washington SBDC at Green River College. Taryn has extensive experience in the banking industry and was a successful entrepreneur. See more about Taryn here: wsbdc.org/advisors/taryn-hornby/
Time for Q&A will follow the presentation.
Registration Fee: FREE
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KCR: Game Day Ready
Summer Visitor Prep for Local Businesses
Wednesday, May 20, 2026, 6:00pm
| Business News & Resources | | |
Expanded Fair Chance Act
Takes Effect July 1 for Most Employers
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Published by the WA Retail Association, April 30, 2026
Photo courtesy of the WRA
The Expanded Fair Chance Act (EHB 1747), passed in 2025, takes effect on July 1, 2026, for employers with 15+ employees. All remaining employers must comply by January 1, 2027.
This law significantly expands restrictions on how employers may use criminal history in employment decisions. Employers should proactively review and update hiring, promotion, discipline, and termination practices to ensure compliance.
Key Prohibitions for Covered Employers:
Employers may not:
- Obtain criminal records before first extending a conditional job offer,
- Taking a tangible adverse action based on
- Arrest record (with a narrow exception for pending adult charges),
- Juvenile conviction record,
- Adult conviction record, unless a legitimate business reason is clearly established.
Expanded Obligations for Employers:
Employers must provide a pre-adverse action notice with information on the record they rely on for the pending decision. In addition, employers must provide:
- An additional two business days for the applicant or employee to correct or explain the record.
- A written decision with specific documentation on the reason(s) for the final adverse tangible decision, including assessment of factors related to the criminal records, duties of the position, and consideration of all relevant records.
Enforcement and Penalties:
The Attorney General may use a stepped enforcement approach for the first three violations. Penalties are applied per aggrieved job applicant or employee for each violation.
Additional Allowances and Exception:
- Employers may disclose their intent to provide a conditional job offer subject to a criminal background check.
- Applicants/employees may voluntarily disclose their criminal background at any point during the application process.
- Employers subject to federal contracts requiring criminal background checks are exempt.
| | The Greater Kitsap Chamber is proud to serve as a resource partner with the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries. Stay tuned to this section quarterly for education, resources and more from L&I. | | How L&I Helps Keep Workers Safe on the Job | | |
While many businesses are familiar with the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) as the administrator of the state’s workers’ compensation system, the agency is also committed to protecting the safety, health, and security of Washington’s 3.3 million workers. With 19 offices located throughout Washington and approximately 2,800 employees statewide, L&I supports employers in meeting safety and health standards, enforces rules designed to protect workers from hazardous job conditions, and provides medical and limited wage-replacement coverage to workers who experience job-related injuries or illnesses.
L&I carries out this work through several divisions and programs focused on prevention, enforcement, and recovery. One key division is the Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH), which develops and enforces workplace safety rules. DOSH conducts inspections to ensure businesses comply with safety and health regulations and offers free, on-site safety consultations to help employers identify hazards, improve safety practice, and prevent injuries before they occur.
In addition, L&I claims managers oversee benefits for injured workers and coordinate closely with medical providers, employers, and counselors to support recovery and a safe return to work. L&I also enforces laws that protect workers’ wages, working conditions, and required breaks, helping ensure fair and lawful workplaces across the state. Beyond employee protections, L&I’s technical experts safeguard the public by inspecting electrical systems, elevators, boilers, and manufactured homes.
To help businesses understand and comply with workplace safety rules, L&I provides a wide range of free resources, including online tools, workshops, and formal training opportunities. These offerings make it easier for employers to build effective safety programs, reduce the risk of injuries, and stay in compliance with state regulations. Employers can explore upcoming workshops and training opportunities by visiting Lni.wa.gov/workshops-training.
| | Nonprofit News & Resources | | 3 Mistakes Nonprofits Make with Grand Proposals - And What to Do Instead | | |
Published by the Nonprofit Pro, May 2, 2026
Photo: Pexels/Tima Miroshnichenko
Funding is what keeps nonprofits running. However, funds are increasingly difficult for nonprofits to secure, with declining donor participation and cuts to federal funding among the causes.
Some nonprofits dealing with these challenges may apply to grant opportunities with a spray-and-pray approach, hoping one of the many funders they submit a proposal will give them a chance.
This is a mistake — for several reasons. Here’s an overview of the most common errors nonprofits commit with grant proposals, and what they should do instead.
Read the article here
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Bangor Expansion for Columbia-Class Subs
in Pentagon Budget Request
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Published in the Kitsap Sun, May 1, 2026
Photo provided by U.S. Navy, Petty Officer 2nd Class Haley Wilson, USS Frank Cable (AS 40)
The Pentagon's budget request for the next fiscal year includes tens of millions of dollars for expanding facilities at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor, so the base can be ready to support the nation's newest submarines, the Columbia class. Budget documents also indicate that the Navy is planning to retire two Bangor-based Ohio-class submarines in 2027, a move to transition the nation's deterrence force from one generation to the next — something the Navy has discussed for years.
The Navy plans to decommission 11 battle force ships, including the Ohio-class guided missile submarine USS Ohio (SSGN 726) and the Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine USS Henry M Jackson (SSBN 730), in addition to the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier, according to the Department of Defense's Fiscal Year 2027 budget documents published on April 21.
Commissioned in 1981, USS Ohio (SSGN 726) is the first of its class of 18 boats. The Ohio was once a ballistic-missile-carrying sub. It was converted to a guided-missile submarine in 2006. USS Henry M Jackson (SSBN 730) is the fifth submarine of the Ohio class of ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) and was commissioned on Oct. 6, 1984. Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor is home to both of them, along with seven other SSBNs, one other SSGN, and the Seawolf-class subs. The 1975-commissioned Nimitz, which transited the Strait of Magellan on April 26 during its current deployment in the Southern Command, will turn 51 years old on May 3.
Read the article here
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Plan Your Spring with Events
Coming Around Kitsap County
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Published in the Kitsap Sun, May 1, 2026
Photo: Meegan M. Reid/Kitsap Sun
May has arrived, with sunny skies and Mosquito Fleet history, Viking traditions and the annual salute to the military in Bremerton this month. Here's a look at how to spend weekends with friends and family at community events this month, as well as some June events to get summer going in the coming months, on the Kitsap Peninsula.
Read the full article here
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Silverdale GreenDrinks @ Illuminate.Me
Wednesday, May 6, 2026, 5:24pm
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Bremerton GreenDrinks @ Manette Real Estate
Thursday, May 14, 2026, 5:00pm
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CK Performing Arts Center
Sponsorship Opportunities Available
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Kitsap League of Women Voters
Kitsap Candidate Primary Forums 2026
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Kitsap Summer Music Discovery Camp
Sign your student up now!
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Masks Still Available
Free at the Greater Kitsap Chamber & Visitor Center
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The Greater Kitsap Chamber still has some supplies available if your local business is in need of KN95 masks. Pick up your supply at both GKC locations today. Available while supplies last.
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Clearwater Casino Presents:
Barracuda - Heart Tribute
Friday, May 8, 2026, 8:30pm
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Cherry Cherry - Neil Diamond Tribute
Saturday, May 9, 2026, 8:30pm
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Silver City 6 @ The Roxy Theatre
Saturday, May 9, 2026, 7:00pm
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The Admiral Theatre Presents:
Michael Carbonaro: Wonderboy
Friday, May 15, 2026, 6:30pm
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Bremerton Air Show 2026
July 11 - July 12, 2026
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Stay in the know with what's happening for events
in Central Kitsap by checking out and liking the
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Have something to share? CLICK HERE to submit stories and
events for our weekly Community Connections!
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Office (360) 479-3579 | 705 Pacific Avenue in Downtown Bremerton
Silverdale Office (360) 692-6800 | Kitsap Mall
PO Box 1218 Silverdale WA 98383
If you need assistance, please contact us directly.
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