Top stories

Driver arrested for felony DUI at state park

A 57-year-old Goldendale man was jailed on $200,000 bail after he was arrested for felony driving under the influence earlier this month at Dosewallips State Park. Forrest Ethan Wanous made his …

More charges in knife attack

The Port Townsend man accused of trying to murder his wife was arraigned on three new charges Friday in Jefferson County Superior Court. John Lewis Allen, 50, was arrested for allegedly stabbing …

High-schoolers hustle to finish hoops project

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 …
They were greeted like long-lost relatives. Relatives from afar who owed money and had old debts to pay, that is. A standing-room only crowd packed the Brinnon Community Center for a town hall …
The Port Townsend Police Department received a total of 185 calls between Friday, March 3, and Thursday, March 9. Below are selected reports. At 7 a.m. Friday, March 3, an attempted break-in was …
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office received 360 calls for service between Friday, March 3 and Friday, March 10. Below are selected reports. At 1:47 p.m. Tuesday, March 7 in Brinnon, a …
The Port Townsend Police Department received a total of 166 calls between Friday, Feb. 24, and Thursday, March 2. Below are selected reports. At 12 a.m. Wednesday, March 1, in the 2700 block of …
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office received 360 calls for service between Friday, March 3 and Friday, March 10. Below are selected reports. At 3:47 p.m. Monday, March 6 in Quilcene, a …

News from local businesses

First Fed to Celebrate Special Customer Appreciation Week

First Fed celebrates their customers annually with March festivities at their branches. This year’s Customer Appreciation Week is particularly meaningful as 2023 is First Fed’s 100th …

Set Sail with New Maritime Lenders

The maritime industry is woven deep into the history and culture of the Pacific Northwest, dating back hundreds of years. For modern maritime businesses, it’s important to have commercial …

Lifestyle Stories
Arts and Entertainment
Dance theatre holds open rehearsal at Fort Worden
Local master of movement Bill Evans is inviting the public to learn the art of dance and also witness the repertory talents of the …
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‘Wet: Reflections on Water’ photography to fill Best Gallery
A new exhibit will offer fresh perspectives on the surroundings that define the Olympic Peninsula.  “Wet: Reflections on …
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Classic piano in the spotlight at upcoming Candlelight Concert
Michael Carroll will share an evening of classical piano at Trinity United Methodist Church’s next Candlelight Concert. The …
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Strait Turners to host wood sale
The regularly scheduled meeting for Strait Turners for March has been cancelled as it conflicts with the regional turning symposium in …
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Coronavirus coverage
COVID-19 death toll in Jefferson County rises to 35
A Jefferson County resident has died from COVID-19, Jefferson County Public Health Officer Dr. Allison Berry said Monday. The death …
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Virus burden ‘enormous’ for hospital
Jefferson Healthcare Medical Center is filling up with people with respiratory problems, Jefferson County Public Hospital District …
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Safeway to host drive-up vaccination clinic
The Port Townsend Safeway will hold a drive-up vaccination clinic this weekend. Safeway pharmacists will provide vaccinations for …
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In other news ...
Local news

Firefighters douse blaze on DNR land

Nearly an acre of land was blackened by a wildland fire near Spencer Creek Road Saturday. The blaze was reported on logged land owned by the state Department of Natural Resources, said Brinnon …

Two arrested in apparent home burglary

Deputies from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office stopped an apparent burglary in progress at a home in Port Hadlock just before 4 a.m. Friday. The residence was being renovated at the …

Court orders new restrictions on man accused in stabbing attack

The Port Townsend man accused of stabbing his wife was ordered to have no contact with anyone other than his attorney Friday after prosecutors said he had repeatedly tried to send messages to his …

JUMP! playground to start fundraising for Phase 2

The Jefferson Universal Movement Playground — better known as JUMP! — is set to start fundraising for the second part of its all-access play facility at HJ Carroll Park in Port …

Jefferson County Sheriff's Log | Afraid of the Taser

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office received 360 calls for service between Friday, March 3 and Friday, March 10. Below are selected reports. At 3:42 p.m. Monday, March 6 in Port Hadlock, a …
Obituaries

Wesley A. Smith

Wesley A. Smith was born on June 21, 1939 to Alfred and Leona in Minnesota and moved to Port Townsend when he was 2 years old. Wesley was a mechanic by profession and had his own transmission …

Gwendolyn Blanche Moore

Gwen learned to play the piano at an early age and continued to study and perform classical music all of her life. She met her partner, Pat Britt, when they were counselors at a Girl Scout camp in …

Deborah Lynn Long

Daughter of Clara and James Dennis, Debbie grew up in Kent, Ohio. She moved to Port Townsend in the early 1980s where she raised her children Cori and Aaron Long and made a community of …

Nils Bertrand Finholt

There will be a gathering Saturday, April 8, in Seattle for Nils Bertrand Finholt who died on Monday, Feb. 20, 2023. Nils was born on April 6, 1979. He is the son of Penny Jensen and stepson of Lee …

Howard Augustine Fosser

Howard Augustine Fosser, 80, died on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023 following years of living with Parkinson’s disease with recent additional infection complications. He was born on Oct. 9, 1942, …
Calendar of events
Opinion & Columnists
Beef stew from here — because we’re not all there
It was a day of stew, chill and damp.  I looked at Irish stews, with St. Patrick’s Day approaching, but I didn’t …
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The show must go on, unless you’re a Blue Devil | Life in Ludlow
You could call it an “education-oriented” week. Kind of.  The scheduled speaker for our weekly East Jefferson …
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TV, tall trees really don’t coexist well | Mann Overboard
My license plate says “The Evergreen State,” and that sounds nice and green. But there’s a down side to all these …
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Time’s running out on Daylight Savings Time | Life in Ludlow
ASB. I am told it stands for “Associated Student Body.” I suspect it is a current term for what many of us knew as the …
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The underground world of fungi in the garden | Garden Notes
Fungi are at the heart of life in the garden. They are neither plants nor animals, but they are essential to all plant and animal …
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Bánh mi - an international sandwich sensation | Kitchen to Kitchen
Bánh mì (BUN-mee) is bread in Vietnamese, but also refers to the sandwich, a culinary fusion of French and Vietnamese, …
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TOONS

Today's cartoon for Tuesday, March 28

Today's cartoon is by John Darkow, Columbia Missourian.

Today's cartoon for Monday, March 27

Today's cartoon is by Dave Whamond, Canada, PoliticalCartoons.com.

Today's cartoon for Sunday, March 26

Today's cartoon is by Kevin Siers, The Charlotte Observer.

BLOGS
THE CLAIM ABOVE, OF COURSE, IS STARKLY AT ODDS, “not only with the history of westward expansion but with the history of Florida; thousands of Native Americans were forcibly relocated from the …
AND I NOTICED A HEADLINE on page one of The Seattle Times the other morning that read: “Students of color now the majority in Washington Public Schools.” Simon also fills the bill in that …
Letters
Post office fixes windows, not stairs | Letter to the editor
The new windows being installed at the main Port Townsend Post Office cast light on an old problem: Only the able-bodied can climb the …
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Prevent the use of harmful chemicals | Letter to the editor
The plan to turn over streetside and roadside maintenance duties from the City to adjacent property owners, is positive in a number of …
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Don’t threaten dogs with violence | Letter to the editor
  I’m writing in response to Lynne Stryker’s letter to the editor. In her letter, which was really an open …
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How to stay safe from aggressive deer | Letter to the editor
Deer following you? Between May and July, most does give birth to one or two fawns. And like any mother, she has a strong instinct …
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Buying Short’s Family Farm makes no sense | Letter to the editor
Sometimes things just don’t make sense. For example, why is the Port of Port Townsend purchasing the Short’s Farm in …
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Sports

Middle school wrestlers prevail in Forks match

Twenty-two middle school wrestlers from Port Townsend and Chimacum headed west to Forks last week, hopping on the mat for the fourth wrestling meet of the season. The team compiled a 22-17 record …
SPORTS GALLERIES

Varsity boys basketball: East Jefferson vs. Bellevue Christian High School | Photo Gallery

The East Jefferson Rivals varsity boys basketball team  faced Bellevue Christian High School in hoops  Jan. 5.  The Leader's James Sloan captured the action courtside  as the …

Varsity Girls Basketball: East Jefferson vs. Seattle Christian | Photo Gallery

The East Jefferson Rivals varsity girls basketball team  earned their first win of the season Monday, Dec. 12 versus Seattle Christian at home in the Chimacum High Gymnasium.  The …
Middle school wrestlers from Chimacum and Port Townsend competed in their third competition of the season last week in Sequim, and finished with a 25-16 record after a night of 41 …
The East Jefferson Rivals beat feet in their first 2023 track and field competition at the Logan Relays, hosted Saturday by Bainbridge High School. East Jefferson Head Coach Ian Fraser said the …
The East Jefferson Rivals varsity boys soccer team kicked off their spring season facing Port Angeles High School Saturday afternoon, losing 7-0 to the Roughriders. Missing several key starters …
completed Thursday, March 2 as the local grapplers gained valuable experience and earned a 44-18 record overall versus their Olympic Peninsula opponents. “We stepped up last night and …
The Blue Heron Middle School wrestling team — including athletes from around Port Townsend and Chimacum — launched its season last Wednesday, traveling to Stevens Middle School in Port …
More Sports
Rivals wrestlers take on state’s best at Mat Classic XXXIV
Twenty-four mats and thousands of enthusiastic onlookers all under one domed roof. There’s no experience quite like the Mat …
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Shipwrights’ Regatta back in Port Townsend Bay this weekend
The 32nd year of sailboat racing throughout the salty blue sea and snow-capped mountain backdrop of Port Townsend Bay is returning …
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Three Rivals wrestlers headed to state tournament
With three East Jefferson Rivals wrestlers finishing in the top three of their weight divisions at Regionals, Jameson Henery, Mi Amada …
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Rivals boys eliminated in playoffs to Vashon Island
The East Jefferson Rivals varsity boys basketball team was eliminated from the first round of the Nisqually League playoffs after …
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Quilcene wraps up boys basketball season with loss
The Quilcene Rangers ended the boys varsity basketball season with a pair of back-to-back losses against Pope John Paul II School and …
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Photos
Photo Galleries

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