Today on Brewocracy Now co-hosts Jim Burke and City of Port Townsend City Manager John Mauro were joined by representatives from Housing Solutions Network. Liz Revord, Network Director, and Kelsey Caudebeck, Network Weaver, discussed the upcoming “Under The Tent” housing policy discussion and the Housing Solution Network’s efforts to address housing needs in Jefferson County.
(August 18, 2022) The Day I Met Myself. In a world of Pulitzer Prize winning authors, Ray finds himself.
(Airdate: August 17, 2022) Join host Aaron Barnett for a very informative talk with Washington State Ferries Director of Marine Operations Steve Nevey. Steve shares some of the challenges faced with staffing and scheduling during the height of pandemic and the current uptick in COVID-19 cases among ferry crew. Steve is also gracious enough to describe what it takes to get a job on the ferries as well.
Members of KPTZ’s Emergency Response Team will be on hand for the 10th annual All County Picnic, at H.J. Carroll Park in Chimacum on Saturday, August 20. At KPTZ’s booth all day, E-Team members can fill you in on station info and activities. At 3pm, in the park pavilion, Nora Petrich, Rita Kepnerand Tim Quackenbush will join other County emergency situation leaders for a presentation on expected plans for communications during an actual disaster. KPTZ, in partnership with the JeffCo Emergency Operations Center, ensures that vital information reaches the public in emergency situations in the event of traditional forms of communication failure.
As a rural community, our ability to respond to emergencies and recover from disaster is dependent on the networks and relationships we build in advance. Knowing where and how to connect to information and resources before a crisis is key. The All County Picnic is a two-day event that invites East Jefferson County to a community-wide celebration of resiliency and emergency preparedness. Saturday, August 20 and Sunday, August 21.
On Saturday, August 20 from 11am-4pm at H. J. Carroll Park’s Rotary Pavilion, there will be presentations by engaged leaders from city and county agencies, and leaders from Jefferson County’s network of public health and safety professionals, including KPTZ! Attendees can grab Go Bags and corn on the cob to bring home to your neighborhood “Picnic in Place” gathering.
On Sunday, August 21, neighborhoods throughout East Jefferson County will host “Picnic in Place” events with the help of their NPREP Team. Events will be social, fun neighborhood gatherings focused on building relationships, networking, and paging up on preparedness topics. To connect with your Neighborhood NPREP Captain, go here.
The 10th Annual All County Picnic is a collaborative effort of the Jefferson County Department of Emergency Management, Local 20/20’s NPREP Action Group, and The Production Alliance.
For a compendium of upcoming featured programs, check out Spotlight for August 16-31. Many of our program hosts provide specifics about what’s planned for this half month. If you’re not already a Spotlight subscriber, you’re invited to join our Mailing List. See KPTZ’s current Weekly On-Air Schedule and Daily Program Schedule
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. Also Willie Bence, Director of Emergency Management, gave a report. The summary below was provided by and used with the permission of Jefferson County Government.
COVID-19 rates in Jefferson County are trending down, just like those in Washington and the U.S. County Health Officer Dr. Allison Berry continues to recommend isolation when positive, wearing a high quality mask when inside, and be sure the room you are in has good ventilation. She also reminds us to be up-to-date on vaccines. If you are sick, get tested.
Port Townsend’s wastewater is being monitored for COVID-19 and data confirms a decrease in number of cases. “We’ve been getting data back from the sewer system since early July,” Dr. Berry reported. She said there has been a 75% reduction in the sheer amount of COVID-19. Dr. Berry admits that’s only one month of data and that there could be other factors in play that may affect the numbers. For instance, if there is a large festival in Port Townsend and lots of people came in and used the sewer system, that would affect those numbers. But she reports that we are seeing really a consistent trend down since early July.
In Washington, 65 cases of Monkeypox — MPV — have been reported, with no cases in Jefferson. Currently, the vast majority of MPV cases are in gay and bisexual men and other men and transgender individuals who have sex with men. We are seeing that primarily MPV spreads through close skin-to-skin contact, and particularly not exclusively through sex and in the gay and bisexual communities. Dr. Berry cited a large outbreak in Europe after a couple of large dance parties. “If you’ve had an STD in the last year, or if you’ve experienced homelessness or incarceration in the last three months, or if you belong to a historically marginalized racial minority, and you are gay, bisexual or another man or transgender person who has sex with men, all of those things could qualify you for a vaccine,” Dr. Berry said. The Jynneos vaccine is most commonly used to prevent monkeypox infections, and consists of two doses given four weeks apart. No doses have been allocated for Jefferson, but Clallam has 20 doses. If you meet the criteria, call Jefferson County Public Health at 360-385-9400 or Clallam County Public Health at 360-417-2274.
Director of Emergency Management Willie Bence said that we are having a quiet wildfire season so far. According to the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center, which covers Washington and Oregon, this time last year, had we had 86 large fires in the region which burned a little under 1.5 million acres. This year, we’ve only seen 21. large fires are a little over 100,000 acres. He reminds everyone to take personal actions like using an ashtray, not parking in long grass and obeying the rules of the burn ban to mitigate the risks.
Submit your Public Health questions to Dr. Allison Berry and Willie Bence by emailing [email protected]. Note: The weekly deadline for these to be submitted is on Fridays at noon, to be answered at the following Monday’s BOCC meeting.
The 30th Uptown Street Fair and Parade is right around the corner! Music lineup includes Phina Pipia, John Maxwell, Unexpected Brass Band, and more. Also: kids’ activities, the Farmer’s Market, hoop dancing, food vendors, Arts & Crafts. KPTZ will be on hand for the brief but colorful Uptown Street Fair Parade which starts at 2pm. Please wave as we walk by. Hope to see you there!
