(Airdate: February 27, 2023) Jim Burke interviews Melody Sky-Weaver, Director of the Port Townsend Public Library about the book, Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults, this year’s selection for the library’s March Community Read. Jim then speaks with Will O’Donnell, Broadband and Communications Director for Jefferson County PUD about the broadband fiber rollout.
(February 20, 2023 – Ennui) Ray drives down the road of boredom with a little bird and a Scandinavian heavy metal band.
Taylor’s guests on Brewocracy Now were Port Townsend City Councilor Owen Rowe as well as Port Townsend City Attorney Heidi Geenwood. Owen is the chair of the Culture and Society subcommittee and Heidi is the staff liaison. We talked about the proposed Equity, Access, & Resolution (EAR) Advisory Board, and about the framework defining advisory boards and subcommittees.
(Airdate: February 22, 2023) Nan Evans and Kathleen Dean Moore, a philosopher, writer and environment activist, explore moral and ethical perspectives on the earth’s climate crisis and the ongoing sixth great extinction of living species. And, what we are called to do in the face of these catastrophic forces.
The following is a summary 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.
On Tuesday Dr. Allison Berry gave a Public Health Report to the Jefferson Board of County Commissioners. She stressed that the national COVID-19 numbers have fallen and have plateaued, and that could mean a continued downward trend or they could be about to rise again. She said that Jefferson County has very good uptake of the bivalent boosters, roughly 50%, and that is good. However, the most severe cases of the disease are among the elderly and those with co-morbidities who have not received the booster shots. She strongly recommends those most vulnerable among us get the bivalent shot.
(Airdate: February 21, 2023) The Answer for Youth (TAFY), located in Port Angeles, is a drop-in center for homeless and at-risk community members under the age of 35. For nearly 14 years, Susan Hillgren, founder and director of TAFY, tells Missy Nielsen of Everybody Can that we “meet them where they are at.” Learn how this organization has responded through the years; from laundry services to holiday gatherings. Supported by their very own greenhouse sales at their “The Sprouting Hope Greenhouse”, clients can also get a bit of “dirt therapy”. Join us for this uplifting conversation.
(Airdate: February 21, 2023) Maryanne interviews Heidi Haney, owner of The Tipsy Gypsy, a mobile bar service. Heidi was a party girl & model in her 20s. But then she fell in love with a cowboy in Dallas. She ended up managing restaurants such as the Olive Garden in Texas. But her mother was in Sequim and she missed the Pacific Northwest. After stints running other businesses on the Peninsula, she decided she wanted to be her own boss. A class at the EDC prompted her to write a business plan. The Tipsy Gypsy, a mobile bar service, was born and licensed in 2018. Heidi and her crew now handle events for the Maritime Center, Raincoast Farms, and other major organizations. In addition, the Tipsy Gypsy is hugely popular for weddings, retirement parties and other milestone events. Business is booming. Post-Covid (maybe), it’s party time!
(Airdate: February 20, 2023) KPTZ host Larry Stein interviews Morgan Hanna, Founder and Executive Director, and Ian Hanna, Founding Board Chair of Olympic Angels, our community foster family support program. Also included is Ari Patterson, Program Manager, and experienced foster parent.
On today’s edition of Community Tides, KPTZ’s Chris Bricker and Co-Host Siobhan Canty, President & CEO of Jefferson Community Foundation, speak with Kim Herman, who has worked in affordable housing since 1969. He was the Executive Director of the Washington State Housing Finance Commission for over 35 years, and retired in 2019. He’s now providing his expertise and sharing his vast experience here in Jefferson County. Today he helps explain what the city is working on and the implications involved for middle-income workers here. We discuss projects underway in Port Townsend as well as successful models for affordable housing in other communities. Kim reinforces the importance of residents here to be engaged in the process toward sustainable affordable housing solutions, and to continue to put pressure on our political decision makers.
Taylor’s guest on Brewocracy Now was Emma Bolin, Port Townsend Director of Planning and Community Development. We discussed the process the city is in to develop “Tactical Infill”, to improve our housing availability by encouraging the development of new living spaces such as ADU (Accessory Dwelling Units). The Port Townsend Planning Commission will be meeting March on proposed changes to zoning and code. Final recommendations go to the City Council on March 20. More information is available at here.
