The ReCyclery, Port Townsend’s nonprofit bicycle-recycling shop, has a new board president and executive director. David Thielk was named president after having served on the ReCyclery’s board for the past two years. Jim Mantell was hired as the ReCyclery’s executive director. Thielk came to the ReCyclery after working as a teacher at Port Townsend High School. He  continued his career as an educator by co-founding the Port Townsend Cycle School last year. more

Port Townsend senior Cole Crawford scored 10 of his game-high 23 points in the fourth quarter, including a pair of 3-pointers, and the Redhawks pulled away from the Chimacum Cowboys on Jan. 8 to win the Widge Black trophy. more

Boots on, shovels in hand, a group of about 35 volunteers trudged along the muddy banks of Salmon Creek on the brisk morning of Jan. 12 to plant Sitka spruce trees and snowberry shrubs. During one of five winter tree plantings hosted by the North Olympic Salmon Coalition, the volunteers chose a good morning to get their hands dirty. Despite the cold and mud, the sun shone in a bright blue sky. But even in rain, volunteers are needed to plant trees to improve the salmon habitat along Siebert Creek, Salmon Creek and the Dungeness River, said North Olympic Salmon Coalition project manager Kevin Long. more

The state Department of Ecology has responded to a complaint filed by the Tarboo Ridge Coalition that Fort Discovery Inc. had cleared, graded and filled wetlands at their property on Tarboo Lake without a proper permit. “Based on the information that we have received, we believe that you may have conducted clearing, grading and filling in wetlands, causing a polluting discharge into waters of the state,” the Department of Ecology stated in a letter addressed to Fort Discovery on Nov. 30. The letter said Ecology wished to “conduct a site visit to your property to evaluate this situation.” more

The same stretch of highway was the site of two accidents in an hour Jan. 14 due to icy conditions. The first collision on state Route 104 — near state Route 101, 14 miles east of Sequim — occurred at 7:16 a.m., when a single car rolled over into a ditch, said Trooper Chelsea Hodgson, the public information officer for Washington State Patrol District 8, which includes Jefferson County. “The passenger, a 76-year-old woman, had a laceration to her head and was later transported to Olympic Medical Center,” Hodgson said. more

Now that he’s sworn in and attending meetings of the Jefferson County Public Utility District’s board of commissioners, one of Dan Toepper’s biggest challenges is keeping up with his correspondence and directing it toward the right channels. “I’m trying to keep my peanut butter separate from my chocolate,” Toepper said with a laugh. “I’m checking two phones and two email accounts, and I’m having to remind people to send things to the phone and the right email to make sure I’m complying with the rules and regs for public records.” Toepper takes seriously his trips to Olympia, where he spends three days a month being briefed on subjects such as public records laws, the Open Public Meetings Act and other aspects of the Revised Code of Washington. more

At 9 a.m. Jan. 7, newly elected Jefferson County Commissioner Greg Brotherton began his first public business meeting, taking a seat behind the bench in the commissioners chambers. more

This fall, national news was dominated with stories of a caravan of asylum seekers, making their way from Central America to the U.S. border. more

Visit James Kennedy in the Jefferson County Prosecutor’s Office, and you’ll find the new elected official transitioning toward a different environment. more

An investigation was launched after a body was found Jan. 13 at Fort Worden State Park, and officials are asking for help with identification. more

After a divisive race for Jefferson County Sheriff, when deputy Joe Nole beat incumbent Dave Stanko, the office was left in limbo. more

East Jefferson Fire Rescue has hired Pete Brummel, a 28-year veteran of the fire service as a new assistant chief. more