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2016 YEAR IN REVIEW A look back at some of the people, events and stories that made headlines

Port Angeles Police Cpl. Kori Malone, left, receives comfort from Clallam County Sheriffâ€™s Deputy Matt Murphy after Malone and other law enforcement officers were involved in a shootout with James Edward Sweet at the intersection of U.S. Highway 101 and Pioneer Road on May 28 east of Port Angeles. For more on the story, please see Page 4. Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News

Clallam County | Jefferson County A supplement produced by the Peninsula Daily News

Peninsula Daily News

Friday, January 6, 2017

2016 Year In Review

Peninsula’s top stories of 2016

tate Sen. Jim Hargrove’s retirement at the end of 2016 after a long career in the state Legislature opened up a musical chairs in regional politics as state Rep. Kevin Van De Wege made a bid for the vacant seat and Clallam County Commissioner Mike Chapman announced for Van De Wege’s position. Both Democrats won the seats, and voters in the 24th Legislative District — which includes Clallam and Jefferson counties and part of Grays Harbor

ESTABLISHED 1896

ESTABLISHED 1902

Naval Elks #353 131 East First St. Port Angeles, WA 360-457-3355

Serving the Community for 121 years!

717 S Race Street Port Angeles

457-6122

Your law firm for life.

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www.PlattIrwin.com

452-2345

96 Years ESTABLISHED 1949

COAST SEAFOODS COMPANY

86 Years

SPORTSMEN MOTEL

Bus to

2909 Hwy. 101 E. Port Angeles

Seattle/ Seatac/ Kingston/ Emonds

Free WiFi • Guest Laundry

Proudly producing and distributing sustainably farmed shellfish since 1946

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www.sportsmenmotel.com

Outside the area toll free

(800) 457-4492

www.dungenessline.us

68 Years

711764774

71 Years

494 S. Forks Ave. Forks WA

ESTABLISHED 1950

765-3345

711763986

71 Years

385-2335

LAW FIRM

Happy New Year!

67 Years

711764789

Serving the Logging & Industrial Community for

711764781

78 Years

4130 Tumwater Truck Route Port Angeles

711764819

711764843

Your locally owned and operated Credit Union

Lincoln Industrial Corporation, Inc. dba Lincoln Welding

452-3883

Port Townsend

101 Years

ESTABLISHED 1931

711766064

A sprightly little market unlike any you’ve seen!

220 S. Lincoln Port Angeles

PENINSULA DAILY NEWS

Your Peninsula. Your Newspaper.

Jamestown S’Klallam tribal members wrap a blanket around state Sen. Jim Hargrove, honoring him for his more than 30 years in the state Legislature.

ESTABLISHED 1921

ESTABLISHED 1946

STRAIT-VIEW CREDIT UNION

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Jesse Major/Peninsula Daily News

711764798

McPhee’s Grocery

Please

711766063

ESTABLISHED 1939

Port Angeles, Sequim, Port Ludlow Port Townsend Port Hadlock www.kitsapbank.com Trusted and Local Since 1908

109 Years

spanned not only the North Olympic Peninsula but also the entire Pacific Northwest region was the fourday Cascadia Rising earthquake drill June 7-10. The drill tested emergency response to a hypothetical magnitude 9.0 earthquake off the Oregon coast in the Cascadia Subduction Zone, a fault area that runs about 600 miles off the coast and includes a 700-mile area from Northern California to Vancouver Island.

ESTABLISHED 1916

711764771

115 Years

711766041

ESTABLISHED 1937

80 Years

WASHBURN’S GENERAL STORE Neah Bay 645-2211

Hillary Clinton took 62.4 percent of the vote to Donald Trump’s 29.8 percent. In Clallam County, Trump out-polled Clinton 47.6 percent to 44.8 percent. Clallam County voters also went for Republicans in races for governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state auditor and commissioner of public lands. They also voted in Randy Johnson, who filed with no party preference, against Ron Richards, a Democrat, for county commissioner. Another event that

ESTABLISHED 1908

Serving The West End since 1902 711766057

121 Years

County — also re-elected a Democrat, state Rep. Steve Tharinger, to the Position 2 legislative seat. But North Olympic Peninsula voters did not completely embrace the Democratic ticket in the Nov. 8 general election. While Jefferson County voters supported Democrats any time they had a choice, Clallam County voters varied in party affiliation. That was especially apparent in the presidential race. In Jefferson County,

2016 Year In Review

Top 10 Clallam County stories in 2016

Clallam

POLICE SHOOTOUT: James Edward Sweet stands charged with firing upon an officer, precipitating a shootout at the Monroe Road-U.S.

ESTABLISHED 1972

261461 Hwy 101 Sequim

683-8003

45 Years

711766497

Fruit & Veggies Natural Groceries Deli • Supplements Butcher Shop Farm Store

Highway 101 intersection on May 28. Sweet, a convicted felon, is now serving time in Monroe Correctional Complex for violating terms of his probation. He will likely be back in Clallam County to face charges when he is released in October. Port Angeles Police Officer Whitney Fairbanks was trying to stop Sweet, a resident of Bluff Drive in Port Angeles who was 36 at the time of the shootout, for failure to yield to a stop sign at 9:47 a.m., authorities said. He had entered Highway 101 eastbound from a side street near Golf Course Road when he sped up to elude Fairbanks, reaching speeds of about 60 mph before crashing into a vehicle about a mile east at the Monroe Road intersection, they said.

He exited his car through the window while firing at Fairbanks, who had blocked his door with her vehicle, authorities said. Police Chief Brian Smith, who was then interim chief, said Sweet was hit by gunfire from Fairbanks while Sweet was in his car and as he was firing at her. Sweet fled to a nearby grassy corner at Highway 101 and East Pioneer, where he kept firing from 30 to 40 feet away before being stopped by the four officers who fired at him, wounding him at least four times in the abdomen. Fairbanks and a fellow officer were treated for non-gunshot-related superficial wounds and released from Olympic Medical Center. The other officers involved in the shooting and the driver of the vehicle that Sweet crashed into

were not injured. At the scene with Fairbanks were Port Angeles Officer Dallas Maynard and Cpl. Kori Malone, and Clallam County Sheriff’s Sgt. Shaun Minks. The shootout snarled traffic for several hours, backing up westbound vehicles for miles on Highway 101 while drivers snaked around nearby Les Schwab Tire Center, keeping the road clear so law enforcement authorities could gather evidence. Sweet was a convicted felon who is prohibited from possessing firearms. He pleaded guilty Dec. 26, 2014, to amended charges of attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle and possession of a controlled substance as part of a plea agreement. He was sentenced to 22 months in prison and a year of community custody.

Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News

Fluoridation opponents fill the hallway and stairs outside city council chambers at Port Angeles City Hall.

FLUORIDE DEBATE, ETHICS COMPLAINTS: The city of Port Angeles halted a decade-old practice of fluoridating the city water supply Aug. 2 — at least until Nov. 7, when an advisory vote on the practice is planned. The council has said it will accept the advisory vote as binding. The move was proposed

by Mayor Patrick Downie after protesters packed city council meetings in the wake of a council decision Dec. 15, 2015, to continue fluoridation despite an informal survey, distributed through city utility billings, in which the majority who responded opposed adding fluorosilicic acid to the water. Please

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ESTABLISHED 1973

ESTABLISHED 1972

Ked-Ter

We’re Now

Construction, Inc. Residential Commercial Remodel

Whiteheads Auto Parts, Inc. 360-374-6065

683-9719

44 Years

Serving all your parts needs for

711763999

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45 Years

FORKS

2016 Year In Review

Friday, January 6, 2017

Peninsula Daily News

Furor over fluoridation flourishes/continued

A boisterous meeting Feb. 2 spawned four ethics complaints against council members. The complaint against Downie was withdrawn three days after the city stopped fluoridation. All others except a complaint against Deputy Mayor Kidd, who had abruptly adjourned the Feb. 2 meeting, were dropped or withdrawn. An ethics board recommended city council discipline against Kidd. The council decided against the suggested verbal admonition and instead read a statement at the

Oct. 4 meeting. “This council will respect the public and follow Open Public Meetings Act protocol for adjourning meetings, and we will do our best to be tolerant, patient and respectful of all,” the statement said.

N-word at him while punching him in the face at about 2 a.m. July 17 as he walked alone in a residential neighborhood at South Cedar and Ninth streets. His attacker was accompanied by several other young people who did not interfere with the beating, he said. RACIAL ATTACK: Smith did not resist as Investigation was continuing in late Novem- the man punched him ber into an alleged racial three or four times in the attack on a Peninsula Col- face while the rest of the lege student. group watched on. He has Quinn Smith, 22, said said he was afraid for his he was assaulted by a life. young white man who When Smith pulled out his cellphone to call police, repeatedly yelled the

ESTABLISHED 1972

the group fled, he said. As they drove away, Smith took a photo of one of the license plates. That helped investigators identify a suspected assailant and the person who drove the suspected attacker away within a week of the assault. Smith was transported by ambulance to Olympic Medical Center, where he was treated for a facial abrasion and a black eye. Police, who have since been joined by the FBI, had not by the end of November closed the investigation.

ESTABLISHED 1974

360.683.3348

www.SherwoodAssistedLiving.com

ESTABLISHED 1978

J&J Construction of Port Angeles, Inc.

Residential and Commercial Construction & Remodeling

360-457-1809

2200 W. Edgewood Dr.

457-8462

40 Years

Proudly Serving the North Olympic Peninsula Since 1978

39 Years

711766058

40 Years

711766053

43 Years

711764799

42 Years

221 W. Cedar Sequim

43 Years

Port Angeles

711764007

42 Years

Happy New Year!

HEATING 360-683-3901 Service & New Installations

Now delivering out of Cays Rd. in Sequim

4410 S. AIRPORT ROAD PORT ANGELES

AIR FLO

Serving the North Olympic Peninsula Since 1974

ESTABLISHED 1977

457-0443

Providing Charity in the West End since 1975 711764785

Largest selection of organic foods and natural health care products in town.

360-457-1139

711766045

360•374•2524

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43 Years

711766062

147 W. Washington St. Sequim WA.

ATTORNEYS AT LAW

Angeles Concrete

Forks Elks Lodge #2524

452-7175

43 Years

711764844

SEQUIM GAZETTE

Happy New Year!

ESTABLISHED 1977

ESTABLISHED 1975

360-683-3311

711764784

ESTABLISHED 1974

45 Years

ESTABLISHED 1974

JOHNSON RUTZ TASSIE & SCHWANTOR 550 W. Hendrickson, Sequim

Jesse Major/Peninsula Daily News

ESTABLISHED 1974

have a

At the end of November, more than four months after being assaulted in what the Port Angeles Police Department and FBI are investigating as a hate crime, Quinn Smith, a 22-year-old black man, was still looking for answers.

Angeles area — elected Randy Johnson to represent them on the Clallam County Board of Commissioners. Johnson, who filed with no party preference, won 56.4 percent of the vote to Democrat Ron Richards’ 43.6 percent. ELECTION It was the first year RESULTS: Clallam that voting for a county County voters turned commissioner position was out for the Nov. 8 election limited to the district. Prior in numbers greater than the state turnout, with 80.5 to approval by voters of a percent of registered voters change in the Clallam County Charter, voting was casting ballots. only districtwide in the priThe state turnout was mary but was countywide 78.8 percent. in the general election. The voters in District 2 — which covers the Port Please turn to next page

Authorities do not have enough information to make a charging recommendation to the Clallam County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, officials said then.

Peninsula Daily News

Friday, January 6, 2017

Election outcomes/continued

ESTABLISHED 1980

160 DelGuzzi Drive Port Angeles (360) 452-7686

Christina Wagner D.V.M. Andi R. Thomson, D.V.M. Andrea Goldy D.V.M.

Caring for your best friend since 1980!

37 Years

Happy New Year! 711766486

ESTABLISHED 1981 Port Angeles Friends of the Library The Friends of the Port Angeles Library was incorporated in 1981, and later became known as the Port Angeles Friends of the Library in 1994. We would like to say thank you to the community for its support in book donations throughout the year, as well as for donations designated for the Holiday Bazaar , which is now in its 8th year. We would also like to thank the members of the community for frequenting the bookstore, located off the lobby of the Port Angeles Library, and for their support during the days of the bazaar, which usually takes place the first weekend of December. The store volunteers, the bazaar volunteers, the basket makers, along with the Friends Board, work tirelessly to make a difference to the programming offered by the Port Angeles Library.

In another hotly contested local race, voters chose sitting judge Brian Coughenour over Dave Neupert for the Clallam Superior Judge Position 2 seat, despite Neupert’s raising a campaign war chest that was nearly four times larger than Coughenour’s. Coughenour, who had been appointed to the seat by Gov. Jay Inslee in 2015, won 52.5 percent of the vote to Neupert’s 47.5 percent. Voters also approved by more than 70 percent a measure to increase the number of Forks Community Hospital commissioners from three to five. They also recommended to the Sequim City Council that discharge of consumer fireworks be banned within city limits. On Nov. 28, the council approved the ban, which will come into effect in July 2018. Two changes to the Clallam County Charter also were approved. They regard vacancies in public office and county employee appeals of disciplinary matters.

BUS ATTACK: A Clallam Transit surveillance video docu-

Ray Gruver State Farm Insurance

mented a shocking attack on an 80-year-old woman when a man seated nearby suddenly stood up, walked to her and kicked her in the face May 28. The man then attacked the bus driver when she intervened. He tried to start the bus to drive off but couldn’t because the driver had managed to deactivate the battery before she escaped him. Riley Edge White, 59, is accused not only of those assaults — as well as attempted kidnapping and robbery — from that incident, but also of the

Please

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Pacific Pizza

Gourmet Lunch & Dinner Homemade Pasta & Sauces Back East Grinders, Paninis, Open Face Pizza Sandwiches Cheesecake Factory Desserts, Cold Deli, Twilight Menu, Beer & Wine

457-4567

July 11 custodial assault of a jail officer and the assault of a woman who rented a room at his Port Angeles residence. White has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity in the assaults on the bus and at his home and not guilty to the custodial assault. White told police that he has seizures because of a brain injury he sustained several years ago and does not remember his actions during his seizures. He was to undergo a second mental health evaluation.

ESTABLISHED 1981

Featuring Monteleone Family Recipes

210 E. 7th Street

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK

360-374-2626

36 Years

802 E. Washington Sequim 683-7261

Thanks to all our loyal customers.

Happy New Year!

36 Years

711764849

870 S. Forks Ave.

711766493

711764847

38 Years

Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News

Riley E. White, left, consults with public defender Harry Gasnick during a status hearing in Port Angeles in connection with an alleged assault on a Clallam Transit bus on May 28 in Port Angeles.

ESTABLISHED 1981

ESTABLISHED 1979

711766049

36 Years

2016 Year In Review

Friday, January 6, 2017

Peninsula Daily News

Probe continues in native carver’s slaying /continued

NATIVE ARTIST KILLED: Investigation continues into the death of a master woodcarver from Neah Bay who was found dead of a blow to the head in an apartment in Port Angeles on March 28. George Cecil David, 65, was on his way to a funeral in Victoria, family members said. The Clallam County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has rejected a Port Angeles Police Department recommendation to charge Tina Marie Alcorn, 46, an Arkansas resident who has a relative in Port Angeles, with his murder, saying there is not enough evidence. Alcorn remains the chief suspect in the case, Police Chief Brian Smith said.

PORT ANGELES LEFTIES: The Port Angeles Lefties, a wooden bat team for elite college players with hopes to be drafted professionally, will begin play at Civic Field in Port Angeles this summer. Port Angeles will host the West Coast League season opener against the Victoria HarbourCats on Thursday, June 1. The team opened a store

ESTABLISHED 1983

at 117½ W. First St. in downtown Port Angeles this month, saying season tickets would be available there. The store is one of many steps Lefties baseball is taking to settle into the Port Angeles community. In September, co-owner Matt Acker announced several upgrades to Civic Field, including 102 cushioned seats, corporate boxes with couches and a party deck with beer and wine available.

PERFORMING ARTS CENTERS: Two performing arts venues are in the works in Port Angeles. The largest project — the Port Angeles Waterfront Center — will cost between $15 million and $20 million and is planned for a 1.6-acre

ESTABLISHED 1984

ESTABLISHED 1983

John A. Raske E L E C T R O N I C S, I N C .

Insurance Agency

Chris McDaniel/Peninsula Daily News

Craig Rygaard, left, father of Gabe Rygaard, pictured at right — a reality TV star and former Clallam County commissioner candidate killed Sept. 16 in a three-vehicle collision — reflects on his son’s life following a memorial service at King’s Way Foursquare Church near Carlsborg. theater’s first show in the summer. Plans are for the theater to seat 340 to 400 people. Oppelt’s Jam Properties of PA LLC bought the 10,031-square-foot building from Wenatchee Productions Inc., doing business as Sun Basin Theatres, for $225,000 under a deed recorded June 7. The two won’t compete, organizers said. “We will have two differ-

ESTABLISHED 1983

ent downtown performance venues that will be different, that will appeal to different audiences,” said Brooke Taylor, chairman of the committee creating the waterfront center.

DEATHS: All deaths are notable. Among the deaths in Clallam County in 2016 were some that were especially notable because of the accomplishments of those mourned.

452-2727

308 E. 8th St., Port Angeles

452-3336

Happy Holidays!

Please

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SPA SHOP Pellet Heat Company

www.spashop.com 360.457.4406 1.800.869.7177

34 Years

Port Hadlock, WA 98339 1-360-385-1771 Toll Free: 1-800-750-1771

Have a Happy New Year!

33 Years

Happy New Year!

32 Years

711764827

Thank you to all of our patrons for letting us serve the Olympic Peninsula for

711764006

33 Years

452-6549 1-800-462-8593 114 E. Front

901 Ness Corner Rd.

711764841

230-C E. 1st St. Port Angeles

711764867

711766051

711766055

34 Years

Jon Carlson Bugher, Clallam County Fire District No. 2’s first full-time fire chief, died Jan. 6 at his home in Port Angeles at the age of 69 after a battle with cancer. Jake Seniuk, longtime executive director of the Port Angeles Fine Arts Center, had been diagnosed with duodenal cancer in 2014 and died March 18 in Seattle. He was 66.

ESTABLISHED 1985

ESTABLISHED 1984

Where Quality & Customer Service are #1

723 E. Front St. Port Angeles

34 Years

parcel at the northwest corner of Front and Oak streets. The late Donna M. Morris of Port Angeles left $9 million to the Peninsula College Foundation to develop the center. Port Angeles resident Dorothy Field donated $1.43 million to buy the land. The nonprofit has hired an interim executive director, chosen an architectural firm and hopes to include a conference center in the allwood structure. Once it opens, which won’t be for at least two years, it possibly could seat 600 to 800 people, though the capacity hadn’t been decided in December. As plans are being made on the waterfront, restaurateur Jake Oppelt’s plans to revive the shuttered Lincoln Theater as a music and theater performance venue are coming to life more than two years after the downtown moviehouse was closed in March 2014. Workers from J Oppelt Development & General Contracting LLC, newly formed this past fall, began gutting the century-old moviehouse at 132 E. First St. in November. Oppelt said he’s working on bringing hip-hop artist and Grammy winner Macklemore of Kent for the

Peninsula Daily News

Friday, January 6, 2017

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1959-2017

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2016 Year In Review

Peninsula Daily News

2016 Year In Review

ESTABLISHED 1998

Friday, January 6, 2017 9

ESTABLISHED 2003

BONITAâ€™S FOUR LEGGED FRIENDS 1433 W Sims Way, Port Townsend

Come in and see us at our NEW Location!

1st PLACE Best Pet Supplies JeffCo

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14 Years

711764856

19 Years

(360)379-0436

We Finance Everyone!

711766052

Peninsula Daily News

Friday, January 6, 2017

2016 Year In Review

Taken too soon: Notable deaths this year/continued 10

Seniuk was director of the arts center for 23 years, from 1989 until his retirement in 2012; served as curator for the exhibits; and in 2000 established Webster’s Woods art park. William “Bill” Lammie, a longtime youth sports coach in Port Angeles, died June 10 of a massive heart attack as he stood in line at Safeco Field to watch a Mariners game. He was 56. His team, Paint and Carpet Barn, had just days before won the North Olympic Baseball & Softball league 12-and-younger softball championships. Bill Larson, the first captain of the Lady Washington — the official state ship — died July 5 of Alzheimer’s disease at the age of 86. Larson was one of the first Green Berets, and after earning a doctorate in sociology, he taught at three Army colleges. During his 24 years in Port Angeles, he brought steamboats to the city and funded, with his wife, Kristin, a Zen sangha. Michael Lovejoy, a Sequim Schools paraeducator who had been on a kidney transplant list, died July 13 at the age of 51. He was known for his smile as he worked as a traffic

ESTABLISHED 1986

ELWHA RIVER BRIDGE: The state Department of Transportation was considering in December what to do about the bridge over the Elwha River on U.S. Highway 101. State officials had listed seven possible plans after discovering in October that the now-wild Elwha River has eaten 14 feet of the riverbed around the piers of the 90-year-old bridge, which is west of Port Angeles near the highway’s intersection with Olympic Hot Springs Road. Concern over the stability of the bridge on the primary route to the West End pushed it to the top of Transportation’s bridge work list. In response to the public feedback, Transportation Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News eliminated from further consideration three no-build Tim Roening, assistant superintendent of maintenance for the Olympic Division of the state options. A retrofit of the Department of Transportation, speaks on his phone during an inspection of the U.S. Highway 101 existing bridge was axed as bridge over the Elwha River. The bridge has been undergoing work to shore up its supports a long-term solution. against scouring from the river. Three replacement pneumonia at Swedish county commissioner canAngeles, died at her home options remain under conattendant for Sequim sideration. didate and the father of Medical Center in Seattle. Oct. 21. Skerbeck was 93. School District. The state was expected three children, died in a She died of coronary Dewey Ehling, who was He was 87. to release a preferred alterMusicians and vocalists three-vehicle collision on artery disease. known as the “music man” U.S. Highway 101 west of Don Perry, a former Port native in January and for his 30 years of teaching from across the Olympic Port Angeles on Sept. 16. Angeles deputy mayor and begin the process of comand conducting on the Pen- Peninsula gathered in Port Angeles on Oct. 2 to He was 65. insula with the Port historian credited with sav- plying with the National Environmental Policy Act. perform one last time in Dorothy Maybelle Sker- ing the Port Angeles Townsend Community Comment was being beck, a pioneering advohis name. Underground and its hisOrchestra, the Peninsula solicited at http://tinyurl. Gabe Rygaard, a logger, cate for the developmentory, died of a heart attack Singers and many other tally disabled in Port com/PDN-elwhariverreality TV star, former Oct. 24. He was 71. groups, died Aug. 7 of

ESTABLISHED 1986

ESTABLISHED 1986 The

330 E. 1 st St., Ste 1

John Miller 457-8885 Armory Square Mall

Port Angeles 452-1326 since 1986

101 E. Front St., Port Angeles

1210 E. Front Street Port Angeles

31 Years

124 S. Albert, Port Angeles

452-7902 Happy New Year to all our friends and customers through the years.

30 Years

711764788

31 Years

To our valued customers.. Thank you for your patronage over the past 31 years. We look forward to many more. Have a safe and prosperous New Year.

711766495

452-4222 HAPPY NEW YEAR!

452-9692

711766056

31 Years

711766039

31 Years

Doing property management 711764853

31 Years

LANDMARK, INC.

Thank you to everyone for your support! I look forward to serving you in the future. 711764864

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

ALL METAL RECYCLING

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452-1621

ESTABLISHED 1987

2016 Year In Review

Friday, January 6, 2017

Peninsula Daily News

Top 10 Jefferson County stories in 2016 3 An artist’s rendition of the proposed new Port Townsend elementary school.

NEW SCHOOL: At a time when many public school districts on the North Olympic Peninsula couldn’t pass a construction bond, Port Townsend voters approved a $40.9 million bond for a new Grant Street Elementary School and Port Townsend High School improvements by a whopping 73.23 percent in February. The school board in September approved the design and a $40,085,00 budget for the new elementary school, which is expected to open in 2018. For both projects, the total cost will be $41,166,632. The new elementary school will be twice the size of the current Grant Street school at 1637 Grant St. and will house students in kindergarten through fifth grade. Fourth and fifth grades will move to the

ESTABLISHED 1989

new school, and Blue Heron Middle School will adopt the traditional middle school configuration of sixth, seventh and eighth grades. The school is being built to accommodate 600 students. Once the new school is constructed, the old school will be demolished, allowing for no students to be displaced or miss school during the transition.

ing, the body of a Hood Canal Bridge maintenance worker was pulled from deep waters below the bridge May 22. Bruce Hilton Cowing, 59, of Port Ludlow went missing after a work shift May 16. Searchers began looking for him at 6 a.m. the next day. Evidence indicated he drove his maroon 1993 Toyota pickup through a pedestrian barrier and off

the bridge’s lower deck, entering the southbound side of the water, said State Patrol Detective Krista Hedstrom. No one saw him go in. Cowing’s body and pickup truck were located by Global Diving and Salvage using sonar and an unmanned submersible rover May 22 in 344 feet of water about 150 feet north of the floating span.

ner, Team Elsie Piddock, to complete the race. Team Skiff Foundation Jungle Kitty came in second in 2016 at 11:59 p.m. June 30 to claim its prize, a set of eight steak knives. The 750-mile race was organized and sponsored by the Northwest Maritime Center. Please

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HOOD CANAL BRIDGE CRASH: After days of search-

A maroon pickup truck and the body of a missing Hood Canal Bridge maintenance worker were recovered from deep waters below the Hood Canal Bridge in May.

Trooper Russ Winger/ Washington State Patrol

ESTABLISHED 1990

ESTABLISHED 1988

Members of Team MAD Dog Racing sailed into Ketchikan, Alaska, in three days, 20 hours and 13 minutes, winning the Race to Alaska from Port Townsend. ESTABLISHED 1988

Insurance Services, Inc.

Mon.- Sat. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. ®

1520 E. Front St., Port Angeles

452-4320

A special thank you to our loyal customers. Have a happy and prosperous 2017!

Sales & Service you can count on Since 1990!

27 Years

260 Monroe Road Port Angeles www.drennanford.com

Your Independent Agency wishing everyone a Happy New Year!

29 Years

Drennan & Ford Funeral Home and Crematory

457-1210 Best wishes for the New Year

27 Years

711764012

Monday - Saturday 10-6 Sunday 12-5

835 E. 2nd St. Port Angeles 452-5820

711766488

27 Years

(360)457-0794

711763994

271 S. 7th Ave. #26 Sequim • 681-0820

Cars • Boats • Trains Planes • 3D Printers & more... 138 W. Railroad • Port Angeles

711766060

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29 Years

ESTABLISHED 1990

Reetz

28 Years

SECOND ANNUAL RACE TO ALASKA: The second annual Race to Alaska was won at 7:30 a.m. June 30 when Team Mad Dog Racing crossed the finish line at Ketchikan, Alaska, with a time of three days, 20 hours and 13 minutes, winning the $10,000 first prize. As a comparison, it took five days for the 2015 win-

Peninsula Daily News

Friday, January 6, 2017

A race to the finish line in Alaska/continued

It began in Port Townsend on June 23 with a qualifying leg from Port Townsend to Victoria and officially ended July 21 when the last boat still in the race crossed the finish

ESTABLISHED 1991

WATER CONDITIONING & BOTTLED WATER

683-4285 Thanks to all our Loyal Customers! Happy New Year! 711766491

26 Years

line in Ketchikan after the main race from Victoria to Ketchikan. The crowd favorite was a team that came in last — after having to drop out of contention. Team Alula arrived in Ketchikan in July after 16 days and 10 hours of sailing, making it — unofficially — the 21st boat to finish in 2016. Team Alula started the race with three paraplegic sailors — Spike Kane of Liverpool, Zach Tapac of Hawaii and South African Bruno Hansen — all experienced sailors and wellknown adaptive athletes in competitive surfing. Hansen left the team in Campbell River in British Columbia, leaving Kane and Tapac unable to finish the race. Kane texted Jake Beattie, the executive director of the maritime center and

A helicopter flies close to the water at the beginning of the Race to Alaska.

Peninsula Daily News

the founder of Race to Alaska, asking for help to finish the race — a move

ESTABLISHED 1992 Celebrating 25 years of Great Winemaking! 334 Benson Road, Port Angeles, WA 98363

(360) 417-3564

is the topic of a short documentary on the online platform Great Big Story as part of a collaboration with CNN. The documentary, “Hard Ship: A Really Great Big Story,” can be seen at www. greatbigstory.com. A third Race to Alaska is planned in 2017.

ELECTION RESULTS: Jefferson County voters came

ESTABLISHED 1993

Free Estimates Custom Painting & Color Matching Collision Repair & Insurance Work RANDY ALDERSON

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708 S. Race St., Suite C Port Angeles 360-417-0703 www.soht.info

Wishing You a Happy and Healthy New Year!

24 Years

Auto Repair

2357 E. Hwy. 101 Port Angeles

452-4890

Thank you for your loyalty. We wish you peace & happiness throughout the year.

23 Years

711766036

25 Years

Please

FOREIGN & AMERICAN

711766040

1935 Edgewood Drive Port Angeles

711766034

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out in force for the Nov. 8 general election. The county had the second highest voter turnout in the state with 86.2 percent. It was second only to San Juan County, which boasted an 88.2 percent voter turnout. Statewide voter turnout was 78.8 percent. In local races, voters chose Democrat Kate Dean, regional director of the North Olympic Peninsula Resource Conservation & Development Council, as county commissioner for District 1 in a landslide of 66.11 percent to 33.89 percent for opponent Tim Thomas, a fellow Democrat. Voters opted by an almost equally large margin for newcomer Jeff Randall for the Jefferson County Public Utility District seat that had been held by Barney Burke. Randall won 62 percent of the vote to Burke’s 38 percent.

ESTABLISHED 1994

ALDERSON’S AUTO BODY & PAINT

Sharing the Best Things in Life

Years

that disqualified the team from competition. Seattle-based computer engineer Morgan Tedrow, who had just made it to Ketchikan with his team Mail Order Bride, was the first to join Team Alula. The team finished the race with a second volunteer sailor, Mark Eastham, who replaced Tedrow in Bella Bella, B.C. The tale of Team Alulu

ESTABLISHED 1992

www.camaraderiecellars.com

2016 Year In Review

Friday, January 6, 2017

Peninsula Daily News

Brinnon levy falls short on votes/continued

Brinnon voters declined to impose on themselves a six-year tax levy to fund the Brinnon Park and Recreation District they had approved forming in 2012. The vote was 54.4 percent no to 45.6 percent yes for the levy that would have cost the owner of a $200,000 home about $10 annually. A 60 percent supermajority was needed for passage.

cials expected the reservoir to come online by the first of the year and the water filtration plant by the end of January, said Dave Peterson, city engineer. Construction on the long-planned Howard Street Extension started in the fall, beginning in earnest in October, Peterson said. The total cost of the project — from permitting through construction — is about $5.5 million, Peterson said. PORT TOWNSEND Utilities are expected to CONSTRUCTION: be fully installed by the The city of Port end of January, when work Townsend neared complewill begin on the roadway, tion of one major project beginning at Park and and began work on another Howard streets. in 2016. Work is continuing The Port Townsend this year on a reconfiguration of the Mountain View water filtration plant and Commons at 1919 Blaine 5 million-gallon reservoir St. that is expected to be cost $25 million over four completed by the end of years. 2017. In December, city offi-

Much of the work is funded by a $3.6 million construction bond that voters approved in February 2015.

CHANGES AT FORT WORDEN: The Fort Worden Public Development Authority in 2016 pursued its mission of creating a lifelong learning center in the 90-acre campus section of the 432-acre state park. The $6 million renovation of Building 202 was completed and Peninsula College’s Port Townsend branch settled into the 14,000-square-foot space made possible by a collaborative effort between the college, the city of Port Townsend and the Fort Worden Public Development Authority. Please

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Cydney McFarland/Peninsula Daily News

David Timmons, Joe Floyd, Luke Robinson, Julie McCulloch, Michelle Sandoval and Dave Robinson, from left, cut the ribbon for the grand opening of Peninsula College’s new facility at Fort Worden in Port Townsend.

NO Sangha

452-5534

7 Cedars Casino

ESTABLISHED 1995

WHERE YOUR PET IS ROYALTY!

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360-452-9555 • By Appointment Only

Serving the North Olympic Peninsula Since 1995

Custom Computer Sales & Service 1940 E. 1st St. Ste. 154 Port Angeles

452-7880

22 Years

Port Angeles

360 457-1644

Sequim

360 683-7377

Port Townsend

360 379-6659

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22 Years

ESTABLISHED 1996

ESTABLISHED 1995

Fast, Friendly Service Since 1995

120 S. Albert Port Angeles, WA 98362

www.caregiversonline.com

21 Years

711766044

Serving The Olympic Peninsula Since 1994 $ Quality Grooming For All Dog Breeds Specializing in Cat Grooming Grooming or Boarding First Class Boarding Facility Service withst Coupon Exp. May 1 2017 K-9 Obedience and Behavior Training

452-7991

144 W. Washington St. Sequim Phone: 360-681-2883

23 Years

Strait Alignment Brakes

711764796

PRINCE

Your One Stop Auto Parts Store

711766066

23 Years

ESTABLISHED 1995

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 711766038

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ESTABLISHED 1994

Practicing Zen in Port Angeles for

ESTABLISHED 1994

23 Years

Peninsula Daily News

Friday, January 6, 2017

2016 Year In Review

Makers Square project gets underway/continued

Following a plan created Interior renovations for in 2015 by the PDA and its Buildings 4 and 16, two of partners in Fort Worden for the historic homes along the 73 historic buildings on Pershing Avenue, are the campus, work began on expected to be completed in H a iRenovations rc u t on creating Makers Square, an 2017. arts and education campus Building 4 are underway in Fort Worden. now. The design of Building 305, which is expected to be No couponJEFFERSON necessary. the focal point of the ´ square, HEALTHCARE ´ Valid EXPANSION: Jefferis in phase two. son Healthcare hospital cut That renovation is expected to cost $7,598,646. the ribbon in October for a new $20 million, 50,000Upgrades planned for 2017 include new audio-visual square-foot hospital wing. Over 2600 Salons in the US/Canada. Visit greatclips.com for the salon nearest you! Gift cards available. The Emergency and Speequipment for the USO Hall cialty Services building and improvements across hosts a new emergency Fort Worden to make the room, medical short-stay park more energy-efficient.

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360-417-8090

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(360)379-0436

ESTABLISHED 1999

NECESSITIES & TEMPTATIONS

217 N. Laurel Street

Good Health and Happiness to All in 2017!

19 Years

TYLER & GUY Auto Body Repair & Towing HAPPY NEW YEAR

2912 HWY 101 EAST PORT ANGELES

360.417.8858

18 Years

417-8870

20 Years

VETERINARY HOSPITAL

Linda Allen, DVM We would like to thank all our clients entrusting us to care for their four-legged children.

(360) 681-3368

289 West Bell St., Sequim

18 Years

711764839

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Olympic Acupuncture

ESTABLISHED 1999

711764851

457-6400 Visit Us on

20 Years

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711764848

New Location Opening SOON! Watch for details on our website www.bonitaspetsupplies.com

19 Years

21 Years

711766499

19 Years

1433 W Sims Way, Port Townsend

711764843

53802 Hwy. 112 West Port Angeles (360) 928-2488 www.olypen.com/scrv

711764820

20 Years

RV Park • Golf Course • Clubhouse

NEAR PORT ANGELES AIRPORT

ESTABLISHED 1998

BONITA’S FOUR LEGGED FRIENDS

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21 Years

• Veterinarian Recommended • 24-hour care • Lives on Site

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Expert care, compassionately given. Focusing on eliminating pain & improving wellness.

Thanks to all our clients that we had the privilege of serving in 2016 711764823

(360) 452-2228 Forks (360) 912-1125

NMLS-50132

frontwoman of Quasimodo & The Bellringers, backed by an instrumental trio and performing a combination of blues, jazz, poetry and humor. Emmett Sampson Oliver, known as the founder of the 1989 Paddle to Seattle and the oldest member of the Quinault Nation, died March 14 in Edmonds. He was 102. Oliver was a member of the committee planning the state’s centennial celebration when he came up with the idea of the Paddle to Seattle.

ESTABLISHED 1997

720 E. Washington St. Ste 106, Sequim - 683-2429

ESTABLISHED 1998

Certified Hearing Inc. 830 East 8th Street, Port Angeles

JOIN US THIS SUMMER FOR OUR

WE’LL KEEP THE LAVENDER BLOOMING™

tions after a fall. She was 79. She was a painter, calligrapher, poet, playwright and musician who talked freely about her battles with manic depression and referred to herself with the self-penned nickname “The Hunchback.” She was born with scoliosis — curvature of the spine — but it wasn’t understood that she had the ailment until she was 27 when she fell off a roof and broke her back. The accident shortened her height from just over 5 feet to 4 feet, 7 inches. She performed as the

ESTABLISHED 1997

711766054

ESTABLISHED 1998

ESTABLISHED 1997

JEFFERSON COUNTY DEATHS: Among those who died in Jefferson County in 2016 were several well-known and respected figures. Among them are these: Artist Sandy Diamond died Feb. 9 due to complica-

ESTABLISHED 1996

711764843

21 Years

and herb gardens for the hospital kitchen. “We wanted the project to represent the ideals that are important to people in this area, so we put a big emphasis on environmentally sustainable building practices,” CEO Mike Glenn said in October.

A N N I V E R S A R Y

711764790

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21 Years

No coupon necessary.

ESTABLISHED 1996 haircut sale

areas — including cancer treatment units — and more space for specialty clinicians. It was the first major capital project for Jefferson Healthcare, which is at 834 Sheridan St. in Port Townsend, since the 1995 expansion of the inpatient medical services. Construction began in May 2015. The new construction also added a significant amount of parking and several new entrances. The new building also boasts environmentally friendly features such as green roofs, solar shades

2016 Year In Review

Friday, January 6, 2017

Peninsula Daily News

Taken too soon: Notable deaths in 2016/continued

That prompted the annual Canoe Journeys, in which tribes, mostly from the Pacific Northwest and Canada, travel to a weeklong potlatch. Former Port Townsend Police Chief and Jefferson County Commissioner Bob Hinton died July 6 of a heart attack. He was 76. Hinton was a 1957 graduate of Chimacum High School. After serving in the Air Force, Hinton joined the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office in 1966 and the Port Townsend Police Depart-

PORT TOWNSEND BREAKWATER: Port of Port Townsend offi-

The Point Hudson Breakwater’s repair and replacement will widen the current channel in order to accommodate larger boats.

cials began permitting and condition assessment of the 84-year-old Point Hudson breakwaters in 2016. They plan to replace the breakwater built in 1932 with a more durable structure meant to protect boats in the marina from wind and rain.

Please

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ESTABLISHED 2003

mini storage

Peninsula Daily News

101 Grant Road 8 LOCATIONS IN SEQUIM TO SERVE YOU!

Service That Matters

150 W. Sequim Bay Rd. Sequim

360-683-6646

360.681.3868

WE SELL PACKING SUPPLIES

www.allsafe-storage.com

15 Years

711764792

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582-9689

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619 E. First St. Port Angeles 360-457-7272

Years

ESTABLISHED 2002

30 Years Experience and still going strong.

17 Years

711764829

711764808

17 Years

wall and core material of the breakwater was in poor condition, and that its ability to provide wave protection to the marina also was poor.

ESTABLISHED 2002

ESTABLISHED 2001

16 Years

Veterinary Recommended

Replacement is expected to cost between $5 million and $6 million. A condition assessment in November by contractor Mott MacDonald found that much of the timber

ALL SAFE

ESTABLISHED 2000

Port officials plan to construct the new structure in two phases: replacing the north side from September 2017 to February 2018 and the southern section a year later.

711764777

Dungeness Courte Memory Care

ment in 1969. He moved up the ranks and was police chief when he retired in 1991. He served a single term as Jefferson County commissioner from 1992 to 1996.

A Taste of Mexico

VOTED BEST MEXICAN FOOD SINCE 2003!

ESTABLISHED 2000

Clark’s Chambers Bed & Breakfast Inn Located on

The oldest family owned farm in Washington State since 1850. Great mountain & water views. Breakfast is served family style.

Sunday-Thursday 11 am - 9:30 pm Friday & Saturday 11 am -10 pm AT

CEDAR CREEK

636 E. Front St., Port Angeles

379-4739

17 Beautiful years in Sequim

681-4363

Serving Beer, Wine & Mixed Drinks BANQUET ROOM AVAILABLE

15 Years

711764779

17 Years

711764786

Serving the North Olympic Peninsula since 2000

665 N. 5th Avenue, Sequim (across from SARC)

17 Years

360.452.3928

1510 W Sims Way Port Townsend

171763971

17 Years

711766065

322 Clark Road, Sequim, WA 98382 360-683-4431 www.olypen.com/clacha E-mail: clacha@olypen.com

Daily Lunch & Dinner Specials

ESTABLISHED 2000

Peninsula Daily News

Friday, January 6, 2017

2016 Year In Review

Bones a boon for marine science center/continued

DEM BONES: The bones of a deceased gray whale that was anchored underwater at Naval Magazine Indian Island are destined to become a new exhibit at the Port Townsend Marine Science Center.

The gray whale died in May in Elliott Bay near downtown Seattle. The 29-foot-long juvenile female gray whale, which weighed between 13,000 and 15,000 pounds, was originally sighted alive in late April in the Puget Sound and was observed having difficulty swimming

and diving. Cascadia Research and the state Department of Natural Resources towed the whale to Indian Island for a necropsy, which found it had died of a collapsed lung, probably suffered during an impact with some other object, said Betsy

Carlson, citizen science coordinator for the Port Townsend Marine Science Center at 532 Battery Way at Fort Worden. On May 18, science center volunteers and staff

ESTABLISHED 2007

members anchored the gray whale’s body just offshore at Naval Magazine Indian Island. Several months later, volunteers pulled the bones out and took them to a

Marrowstone Island greenhouse to dry. The bones will become an educational exhibit for the center, which now has an orca skeleton on display.

ESTABLISHED 2008

Elk Creek Apartments Shelley Zimmer

Excellent rural Sequim location minutes from downtown

90 S. Rhodefer Road Sequim, WA 98382

Highly Vet Recommended for All Breeds & Sizes

Community Director Experience the art of dining Thai style in the heart of Sequim

360-683-8069 120 W. Bell Sequim, WA 98382

By Appointment Only

360-681-0113

PROFESSIONALLY MANAGED BY: FPI Management, Inc.

9 Years

ESTABLISHED 2007

Wendy Feltham/Port Townsend Marine Science Center

The bones of a deceased gray whale will be used for educational purposes at the Port Townsend Marine Science Center. ESTABLISHED 2005

ESTABLISHED 2004

The Cat’s Pajamas

A Bed and Breakfast for Cats, Inc. 318 Howe Road Port Angeles, WA 98362

ESTABLISHED 2007

PLLC

401 Discovery View Dr. Sequim

Happy New Year!

www.QuailHollowTherapy.com

www.catspjsbnb.com

12 Years

711766068

711763997

13 Years

360-683-7510 2577 W. Sequim Bay Rd., Sequim CLOSED JAN 1-10

Years

www.tjsflooringpa.com

10 Years

711764805

360-565-1077

821 First Street Port Angeles

Thank you for 10 awesome years! May we all have a prosperous New Year!

Quail Hollow Psychotherapy

360.683.4818

360 670-5188

711764825

9 Years

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10 Years

711764865

www.galarethai.com

(360) 681-0646

elkcreekapts.cd@fpimgt.com www.fpimgt.com

2016 Year In Review

Friday, January 6, 2017

Peninsula Daily News