
Local News for 4/07/23



Taylor Clark and Port Townsend City Manager John Mauro talked about a wide variety of topics, including the new 7th Haven Apartments, the importance of federal funding for this sort of project, the upcoming meeting of the Financial Sustainability task force, the importance community members running of public office or otherwise getting involved in advisory boards and community groups. It takes a village.


Join Charlie Doyle, the Program Host and Manager of the KPTZ Musical Pub, for two hours of Celtic and Folk Music, Sunday afternoons from 3 until 5pm. Charlie explores Celtic music from all of the countries that make up the Seven Celtic Nations. Music may range from a Celtic harper playing an 18th Century tune written by Irishman Turlough O’Carolan, to over-the-top performances from shows like Celtic Woman or Riverdance. Folk singers from around the world are also spotlighted. During each show, there is a humorous interlude where Charlie must deal with a performer of dubious talent who wants to be on the show. Join Charlie for a fast-paced, eclectic afternoon of Celtic tunes. Fáilte go dtí an Teach Tábhairne! (Welcome to the Pub!) Email Pubcrawl.

KPTZ is happy to join Rainshadow Recording in welcoming internationally acclaimed fingerstyle guitarist Peppino D’Agostino to the Palindrome in Port Townsend on Thursday, April 6 at 7:30pm. Peppino has performed in over 30 countries and at some of the world’s most important theaters. Peppino has an emotional and virtuosic style of playing that has made him an inspiration to the younger generation of fingerstyle guitarists.

(Airdate: April 4, 2023) Maryanne interviews Ben Thomas, winemaker for the Port Townsend Winery and a member of Port Townsend’s City Council. Ben was born in LaPush and spent much of his childhood in Port Townsend. Thanks to the fact that his mom — Trudy Davis — owns Eaglemont Winery, he learned the wine trade the old fashioned way — from the bottom up. Ben’s always been an avid student of the political scene. He helped found PT’s alternative newspaper “Vigilance” in the wake of massive Seattle protests in 1999. The newspaper didn’t exactly turn out to be a profitable venture. Now he’s tackling political issues from the inside. As a city council member he’s front and center on all city-related problems and issues. Right now he’s working on solutions for ‘affordable housing’ and vows to somehow do something about our deteriorating streets.


(Airdate: April 5, 2023) Dennis Paulson has been a stalwart in the Puget Sound and Olympic Peninsula naturalist and birding world for many years. Dennis is a keen observer, prolific author, dedicated museum scientist, and esteemed teacher. Join Nan Evans as she asks Dennis to share his observations and reflections on birds and birding in our region.


The following is a recording of the presentation during the Public Health briefings at this week’s Board of County Commissioners meeting made by Jefferson and Clallam County Public Health Officer Dr. Allison Berry. The summary below was provided by Jim Burke, producer of KPTZ’s Tuesday’s Local News.
Jefferson County Public Health’s COVID-19 weekly reports and the transmission risk dial were replaced with state data, yesterday, April 3. Jefferson County Public Health’s Communicable Disease Team will continue to post information about COVID-19 on their website, however that information will now come solely from the Washington State Department of Health. The state’s information will be embedded onto the county’s website here. Residents may report their positive home tests results to the state directly via an online portal here.
Jefferson County Public Health reports the two-week COVID-19 case rate is 134 cases per 100,000 people. Jefferson County Public Health estimates that 1 in 20 COVID-19 cases in Jefferson County were reported to public health last week. No one is currently hospitalized with COVID-19 in Jefferson County. There were no new deaths this week, so the total number of those who have died due to COVID-19 is 37 in Jefferson County.
In Clallam County the case rate is 80 per hundred thousand, and the case ascertainment is also 1 in 20. Two patients are currently hospitalized, and no new deaths to report, so the total number of those who have died due to COVID-19 in Clallam County stands at 166.
Dr. Allison Berry spoke to the Jefferson Board of County Commissioners yesterday and discussed the wind-down of emergency declarations across the country, the state, and Jefferson and Clallam Counties. She said that we are still seeing a downward trend in cases, hospitalizations, and deaths due to COVID-19 nationally, in Washington State, and locally. It is too soon to tell, she said, if we are seeing a seasonal fall off in cases. As we are fully in the endemic phase of the pandemic, she stressed that COVID-19 is here to stay, and time will tell if we have seasonal surges, as we have with the flu.