The Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader

04/11/2023

The body of a missing pilot has been found in the forest near Queets, state officials said Monday. Rod Collen was found dead inside the wreckage of his 2006 Cessna T182 Turbo Skylane, officials …

04/10/2023

Crucial work to repair the Hood Canal Bridge has been pushed off to May, June, and September, the Washington State Department of Transportation has announced.

Many in Jefferson County are breathing a sigh of relief over the upcoming summer tourism season. There may actually be one, after all. Crucial work to repair the Hood Canal Bridge has been …

04/10/2023

The Washington State Department of Transportation has abandoned plans to shut the span down for bridge repairs for four consecutive weekends in July and August.

The Hood Canal Bridge will not shut down for four weekends this summer for bridge repairs. The Washington State Department of Transportation has abandoned plans to shut the span down for bridge …

03/23/2023

All former basketball players for the East Jefferson Rivals high school team, the students’ senior project will entail revamping the deteriorated outdoor basketball court behind Port Townsend High’s Gael Stuart Building on Blaine Street and renovating the space for current students, future students, and others to enjoy.

Basketball means community for many of Port Townsend’s youth. Whether it’s finding like-minded friends to grow with, learning life lessons on the hardwood, or just shooting around to …

03/15/2023

If the reverse of the seafaring superstition is true, one local boat is in for a lot of good luck after helping a lost albatross return to the sea.

If the reverse of the seafaring superstition is true, one local boat is in for a lot of good luck after helping a lost albatross return to the sea. The USCG Cutter Osprey, a U.S. Coast Guard …

03/14/2023

Reviewing crime from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2022, the report showed comparative crime data for robbery, arson, vandalism, and other crimes while also including statistics for traffic stops, new hires for 2022, and operational goals for 2023.

The Port Townsend Police Department has released its 2023 crime report, displaying a decrease in calls for service with a slight increase in total criminal cases for the year. Reviewing crime from …

03/14/2023

THING returns with an eclectic and intimate three-day, all-ages music and arts festival for its third year at historic Fort Worden in Port Townsend on Aug. 25-27.

Dates and bands have been announced for Port Townsend’s biggest music festival.THING returns with an eclectic and intimate three-day, all-ages music and arts festival for its third year at …

03/13/2023

Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office deputies and Quinault Natural Resources crews have patrolled roads near the areas but the section of terrain is too large and rugged to send in ground search crews until the search can be narrowed to a more specific site.

The search for a missing pilot and plane near Queets who went missing March 6 is expected to continue this week. Search-and-rescue responders were called in early last week after state officials …

03/09/2023

Coordinated by local nonprofit the Northwest Watershed Institute, volunteers and staff members will work to restore the stream and wildlife corridor from the headwaters of Tarboo Creek to Dabob Bay.

Thousands of native trees and shrubs are being planted this year by a dedicated community of volunteers along Quilcene’s Tarboo Creek and its surrounding wetlands. Coordinated by local …

03/08/2023

“We just focused on what are really the strongest poems that really show Mike’s heart, and we went back and forth through all his books and some of his unpublished work and came up with this collection,” said Tim McNulty, a fellow local poet.

A line of mist can travel the horizon like a line of verse whisping its way through a reader’s consciousness. Just as traditional as landscapes are to painting, so too is place to …

03/07/2023

The city of Port Townsend is switching to the cloud as it looks to beef up the financial software systems integral to running the municipality.

The city of Port Townsend is switching to the cloud as it looks to beef up the financial software systems integral to running the municipality. The Port Townsend City Council has unanimously …

03/06/2023

To showcase how sights and scenes can fluctuate form and feeling, the Jefferson County Museum of Art & History is starting off its 2023 season with “Landscapes: Real & Imagined” on display from March 2 through Aug. 6.

“That’s a traditional subject for artists, so we wanted to honor that tradition but also recognize that from each different artist’s perspective they see things in their own way,” said Cliff Moore, one of the co-curators for the show alongside Ann Welch.

Because landscapes have been painted since pigment first hit surface, it’s become one of the most varied themes in art. To showcase how sights and scenes can fluctuate form and feeling, the …

03/06/2023

“We’re wasting all of this money fighting this lawsuit when really we should all be just be trying to work together to remove these four lower Snake River dams. There’s 5,000 miles of pristine river wilderness above them. It just makes no sense to me how they’re going about what they’re trying to do,” local fisherman Kat Murphy said.

A legal battle over Alaskan waters is creating a stir in Port Townsend. The Wild Fish Conservancy, a Washington-based nonprofit, has been pushing litigation forward that could cancel operations of …

03/03/2023

“We’ve got two years of heavy construction coming,” said Steve Roark, Olympia Region Administrator for the Washington State Department of Transportation.

Representatives from Jefferson County businesses and organizations warned of catastrophic financial impacts from the planned four-weekend closure of the Hood Canal Bridge during a special meeting …

03/03/2023

“This is how we’re getting to make our living and survive, by going and connecting with people and playing our songs with them,” said Erin Corby of Two Crows for Comfort.

Canadian folk-roots duo Two Crows for Comfort makes their Concerts in the Woods debut at 3 p.m. Saturday, March 4. Originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Two Crows for Comfort — Erin Corby and …

03/01/2023

A new date for the road tree-trimming work has yet to be confirmed as utility district and Department of Transportation officials scope out a better weather window timeframe for the work, according to Jameson Hawn, PUD digital communications specialist.

The Jefferson County Public Utility District announced that scheduled tree-trimming work on Highway 20 has been postponed. The work — set to be done by Washington State Department of …

02/28/2023

This year’s program, titled “First, fall in Love: What it Means to Love a Place” will be presented by Moore as she shares her insights on responding to the moral urgency of climate change by transforming one’s love of natural places and ecosystems into environmental action.
act.saveland.org/event/conservation-breakfast-2023/e443001

The Jefferson Land Trust’s annual conservation breakfast is just around the corner, with the online event featuring esteemed environmental advocate, author, and philosopher Kathleen Dean …

02/28/2023

Jefferson County has received 46 requests for funding in response to its “last call” requests for proposals for federal money from the American Rescue Plan Act.

Jefferson County has received 46 requests for funding in response to its “last call” requests for proposals for federal money from the American Rescue Plan Act. The requests total more …

02/24/2023

Bilee — short for Jubilee — Grace is a genderless, ukulele-shredding folk artist based in Port Townsend who is bringing their talents to Finnriver Farm & Cidery at 5:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24.

Little instrument, big voice. Bilee — short for Jubilee — Grace is a genderless, ukulele-shredding folk artist based in Port Townsend who is bringing their talents to Finnriver Farm …

02/24/2023

A 50-year-old Port Townsend man is facing a felony charge of first-degree assault after he was arrested for allegedly stabbing a 42-year-old woman in a mobile home Sunday morning.

A 50-year-old Port Townsend man is facing a felony charge of first-degree assault after he was arrested for allegedly stabbing a 42-year-old woman in a mobile home Sunday morning. John Lewis Allen …

02/23/2023

With more than triple the capital available, the agency has been able to fund new projects like 7th Haven, Caswell-Brown Village, an emergency mobile food market, housing for youth initiatives, Foundational Community Supports, and low-income water utility assistance.

The swell, however, is about to shrink as public life continues to shift.

Dramatic shifts in circumstances have hit everyone in the last few years. While that’s meant isolation and illness for most, for the Olympic Community Action Program it created a massive …

02/23/2023

A segment of Highway 20 will partially close down between the Eaglemount Road and Anderson Lake Road intersections starting at 8 a.m. Wednesday, March 1.

A segment of Highway 20 will partially close down between the Eaglemount Road and Anderson Lake Road intersections starting at 8 a.m. Wednesday, March 1. The Washington State Department of …

02/22/2023

Those interested in owning a piece of Ben Tyler III's famed fowl fooling flair can place a bid at tinyurl.com/BenTylerCall on his first-place winning submission to the Decorative Duck Call category at the Grand National Custom Call Competition in Nashville, Tennessee, available at auction until Feb. 25.

A quack never sounded — or looked — this good. Striking awe in both ducks and collectors, local craftsman Ben Tyler III was named Grand National Amateur Decorative Duck and Goose Call …

02/22/2023

“I look at this farm as returning so much more to us, and that is to the health of our county and the wealth,” said Port Commissioner Pam Petranek in the lead-up to the vote.

It can finally be said: The port has bought the farm. A unanimous decision for the Port of Port Townsend to spend $1.4 million to buy the Short’s Family Farm was passed at a special meeting …

02/21/2023

The Port Townsend School District could soon join suit in a legal case against big tech, but the odds of winning appear to be slim.

The Port Townsend School District could soon join suit in a legal case against big tech, but the odds of winning appear to be slim. Seattle Public Schools decided Friday, Jan. 6 to sue the tech …

02/21/2023

Kids with the YMCA of Jefferson County’s youth enrichment program recently created personalized sea star mosaics to ornament Peninsula-based and Centrum resident artist Jennifer Kuhns’ kelp forest mural.

Starfish, seaweed, and the marine life of the Salish Sea. These symbols of the Peninsula ecosystem will adorn the exterior of 7th Haven — a near-finished affordable housing project on …

02/20/2023

“I really believe that the job of a poet laureate isn’t to serve poetry, but to offer poetry as service to the community, to the residents,” said Lindsey Wayland of the Arts Commission during the Culture and Society Committee’s Feb. 8 meeting.

The city of Port Townsend could soon have a poet laureate to represent the Olympic Peninsula via the evocative, written, and oral art form of poetry, starting in early 2024. With recent approval …

02/20/2023

A 50-year-old Port Townsend man was arrested for first-degree assault as police continued to investigate the stabbing of a 42-year-old woman in a mobile home Sunday morning.

A 50-year-old Port Townsend man was arrested for first-degree assault as police continued to investigate the stabbing of a 42-year-old woman in a mobile home Sunday morning. Detective Sgt. Brett …

02/17/2023

“There’s no good time for construction,” said Steve Roark, Region Administrator for the Washington State Department of Transportation.

It’s not the waters that are troubled. It’s the bridge. And then some. The Washington State Department of Transportation has announced critical closures of the Hood Canal Bridge …

02/17/2023

“I just happened to be here,” Port Townsend Mayor David Faber said jokingly, wearing an in-theme, mayor’s top hat for the grand occasion.

It’s trolley time in Port Townsend. And this baby has all the bells and whistles: wooden seats, brass-coated stanchions, a cow catcher in the front, and of course, an old-fashioned …

02/15/2023

“I don’t think this organization is functional,” said Amber Jones, a fair board member and building superintendent.

During a tumultuous and crowded meeting of the Jefferson County Fair Association last week, two members resigned and the board voted to put itself under investigation for neglect of duty of …

02/15/2023

Two property tax levies to support East Jefferson Fire Rescue had an approval rate above 50 percent during the first vote tally in the February 2023 Special Election.

The initial ballot count was conducted after voting stopped at 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Two property tax levies to support East Jefferson Fire Rescue had an approval rate above 50 percent during the first vote tally in the February 2023 Special Election. The initial ballot count was …

02/14/2023

Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound in Seattle received a report at 6:18 p.m. Feb. 12 of two people aboard a rowboat in Hood Canal. The pair had reportedly been struggling to maneuver their vessel for more than two hours due to strong currents and 35- to 40-knot winds.

A Coast Guard helicopter rescued two people from Hood Canal Sunday night after the pair were unable to maneuver their rowboat due to strong winds and currents. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector …

02/13/2023

All you need is love. Clothes are so unnecessary.

All you need is love. Clothes are so unnecessary. Local burlesque troupe The Sky Dancers are set to perform “Mois D’amour,” a Roaring ’20s inspired show at The In Between …

02/13/2023

The pair had reportedly been struggling to maneuver their vessel for more than two hours due to strong currents and 35- to 40-knot winds.

A Coast Guard helicopter rescued two people from Hood Canal Sunday night after the pair were unable to maneuver their rowboat due to strong winds and currents. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector …

02/10/2023

Local potter Tori Power and Mike McGregor have begun offering a series of pottery classes at a new studio space in Port Townsend starting Sunday, Feb. 12.

“I’ve been wanting there to be a place like this for years and when the space became available we just jumped on it,” Power said.

The arts community of Port Townsend has a new pot of options for creative expression. Local potter Tori Power and Mike McGregor have begun offering a series of pottery classes at a new studio …

02/10/2023

“My point of stress: People were putting their lives at risk to do this. Those divers were in the cold water for hours,” said County Commissioner Heidi Eisenhour of the effort.

Nameless and adrift, she finally hit bottom sometime in January. Now, it was really time for her to go. “She” was a Catalina 27 sailboat, no name on the transom, known only by the …

02/10/2023

With the potential for some of the trees to topple on the PUD-owned property and cause a power outage — as well as prior theft events at the Port Ludlow substation — the utility authority’s board of commissioners is weighing the pros and cons of chopping down the trees and selling the timber for further revenue.

To fell or not to fell. The Jefferson County Public Utility District is considering that question and the factors surrounding a 9.9-acre parcel of land on Beaver Valley Road northwest of Port …

02/09/2023

Online tickets sales have closed, but more are still available at the door for tonight's Three Wheels Turning debut album release show at The Palindrome.

“Music is a very inherently spiritual thing. Like for me, it’s inseparable from my spirituality. That’s something we all have in common with our music,” said Samara Jade, one of the trio of singer/songwriters that make up the band.

Doors are at 6:30, music starts at 7 p.m. The Palindrome is located at 1893 South Jacob Miller Road in Port Townsend.

Three women, plenty of harmony, too many instruments to tell, and one astounding album. This is the story of the self-titled debut release from Three Wheels Turning, a trio of local …

02/08/2023

Tickets are now on sale for the 2023 Jefferson County Master Gardener Foundation’s 25th Anniversary Yard & Garden Virtual Lecture Series. Lectures will be offered in a live webinar format and will run on six Saturday mornings: Feb. 11, Feb. 25, March 4, March 11, March 18, and March 25.

From forests to flowers, the Jefferson County Master Gardener Foundation is set to get growing in the weeks ahead. Tickets are now on sale for the 2023 Jefferson County Master Gardener …