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The Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader

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The Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader

Serving Port Townsend and Jefferson County since 1889

12/10/2025

Comp Plan: building height ‘pain point’ for city residents

By Alex Frick

After more than three hours of testimony and discussion Dec. 8, the Port Townsend City Council indicated it may scale back zoning changes proposed in the city’s comprehensive plan update, particularly in reference to building heights in the R-2 residential zone.

Under Washington’s Growth Management Act, cities must periodically update their comprehensive plan, typically every ten years, to keep land use and housing policies current. The cycle also requires Port Townsend to adopt updated development regulations to match the new plan. The city’s deadline for completion is Dec. 31.

For the full story pick up a copy of The Leader or go to ptleader.com

12/09/2025

Season opens for iconic Northwest fish with new regulations

By Leader Staff

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) fishery managers announced the opening of steelhead season Dec. 1., with most major steelhead fishing areas open to West End anglers through March 31.

The daily bag limit for all rivers and streams is two hatchery steelhead. Anglers must release wild steelhead and rainbow trout, and may not fully remove wild steelhead from the water.

Additional emergency fishing rule changes may occur during the season.

For the full story pick up a copy of The Leader or go to ptleader.com

12/08/2025

Man pleads guilty to ‘vicious assault’ on state trooper

By Mallory Kruml

Alejandro Almirall-Nieves has been sentenced to six months in jail after pleading guilty to assaulting a Washington State Patrol (WSP) trooper.

Almirall-Nieves entered a guilty plea to one count of second-degree assault on Nov. 25 in Jefferson County Superior Court.

The case stems from an Oct. 4 incident south of Forks on U.S. 101.

For the full story pick up a copy of The Leader or go to ptleader.com

12/07/2025

Repeat courthouse burglar convicted, sentenced to prison

By Mallory Kruml

Andrew Gaikowski, 39, will serve two years in prison for multiple charges related to an Aug. 15 burglary at the Jefferson County Courthouse.

Court records show that at approximately 6:06 a.m. that day, Gaikowski broke into the courthouse by smashing a window, less than a month after he was cited for breaking in on June 15.

For the full story pick up a copy of The Leader or go to ptleader.com

12/06/2025

PUD reworks Sims Gateway design

By Mallory Kruml

As promised, Jefferson County Public Utility District officials provided a progress update on its efforts to rethink its portion of the Sims Gateway Project.

The collaborative project between the Port, the city of Port Townsend, and the PUD was designed to enhance Port and public safety and help ensure utility reliability, according to the PUD.

“We understand why many people are attached to these trees, which have been part of the cityscape for many years,” Port Executive Eron Berg said in a February press release. “Unfortunately, this row of Lombardy poplars are also a safety hazard for the Port’s staff and tenants. This project resolves the danger of a metal mast touching the high-voltage lines, and the danger of electrical arcing into those poplar trees.”

For the full story pick up a copy of The Leader or go to ptleader.com

12/05/2025

Fire rescue passes deficit budget, proposes levy lid lift for February

By Mallory Kruml

East Jefferson Fire Rescue (EJFR) will ask voters to approve a levy lid lift in February, citing what staff describe as a widening budget gap fueled by inflation and Washington’s 1% cap on property tax growth.

“The levy is a tool in the long-range sustainability of the district,” said EJFR Finance Director Roy Lirio. “It’s not just this one-time thing; it is part of the way the district manages its fiscal responsibility in order for us to keep the community safe. I just want to stress that there’s a big picture here and not just a one-off levy.”

Like many public agencies and governmental bodies, EJFR revenues are not keeping pace with rising expenses.

For the full story pick up a copy of The Leader or go to ptleader.com

12/04/2025

County budget fix deemed unsustainable

By Mallory Kruml

Little additional detail on the proposed departmental cuts was provided at the Dec. 1 meeting of the Jefferson County Board of Commissioners.

“We’ve had these budget updates the last few weeks at the chair’s request, because we just wanted to talk about these things and get some direction from the board,” County Administrator Josh Peters said. “It doesn’t necessarily imply that there’s some big update for information because we are working on it to try and get that budget prepared, which we expect to do by this Friday.”

Still, staff sounded the alarm on its own budget-balancing tactics.

For the full story pick up a copy of The Leader or go to ptleader.com

12/03/2025

State auditor’s office says county’s 2024 books are clean

By Alex Frick

Jefferson County received clean results in its 2024 state audit from the Washington State Auditor’s Office which reported no findings in its financial, federal and accountability reviews.

The audit released on Nov. 26 covers the county’s operations from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2024. State auditors examined how the county manages public dollars, follows state and federal rules and protects resources from fraud or misuse.

For the full story pick up a copy of The Leader or go to ptleader.com

12/02/2025

High hopes for Rivals wrestlers this winter

By Leader Staff

Wrestlers packed the Port Townsend High School (PTHS) gym on Nov. 17 as they prepared for the start of the winter sports season.

“About 30 boys and almost 20 girls have registered for our sport,” said assistant coach Kade Wilford. “It is great to see the wrestling room bustling with energy again.”

This year, the girls program boasts 18 registered athletes, which is the largest number of girl wrestlers yet, said assistant coach Ryan White.

For the full story pick up a copy of The Leader or go to ptleader.com

12/01/2025

Environmental award goes to Land Trust steward

By Alex Frick

At the headwaters of Chimacum Creek, Erik Kingfisher teaches during the Tidelands to Timberline natural history course in spring 2025. Photo courtesy of Jefferson Land Trust

Erik Kingfisher, Jefferson Land Trust’s Director of Stewardship and Resilience, has been awarded the Eleanor Stopps Environmental Leadership Award, an honor recognizing individuals who have made significant contributions to conservation on the Olympic Peninsula.

Kingfisher’s first reaction was “gratitude.”

“Just being grateful that I was nominated and selected,” he said. “I started thinking about other people I know who’ve received the award. It’s kind of a great club of people that I get to be a part of.”

Kingfisher’s approach to conservation reflects a phrase he coined years ago: “Think forever, act now.”

For the full story pick up a copy of The Leader or go to ptleader.com

11/30/2025

New strain of bird flu kills Grays Harbor resident, case marks world’s first, risk low

By Leader Staff

A Grays Harbor County resident who was the first person ever confirmed to have the H5N5 strain of avian influenza has died, the Washington State Department of Health announced Nov. 21.

The individual, an older adult with underlying health conditions, was hospitalized in early November after developing severe symptoms.

Testing at the UW Medicine Clinical Virology Lab identified the virus as H5N5, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention later confirmed it — making this the first recorded infection with this variant in a person globally, health officials said.

For the full story pick up a copy of The Leader or go to ptleader.com

11/29/2025

Council member named county's 'Best'

By Mallory Kruml

Councilman Thomas vows to stay involved in city council matters, for now

Outgoing city council member Ben Thomas has been named Jefferson County’s Best Person in this year’s Leader Readers’ Choice contest.

His initial reaction to the news?

“Disbelief,” he said. “I thought it was a gag.”

For the full story pick up a copy of The Leader or go to ptleader.com

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