
Local News for 4/07/26



For years, Bernie Arthur, retired maritime tradesman, has had the vision of creating a memorial for those of our maritime
community lost at sea. In August 2025, as he had done for decades, beloved fisherman Joel Kawahara set out from his hometown of Quilcene for the fishing grounds. After a few weeks, Joel’’s commercial fishing troller Karolee was found adrift without Joel aboard. In his passing, Joel Kowahara has become the renewed catalyst for Bernie’s vision to come true. Thanks to the Port of Port Townsend, Kiwanis, the Port Townsend Foundry, and community donations from you, the memorial’s completion date will be around August of this year and ready for our 2026 Wooden Boat Festival.The sight of the memorial will be at the entrance to the Point Hudson jetty boardwalk. Today, we’ll reprise our 2025 radio special about Bernie Arthur’s
dream, and in Joel’s honor, the April 2022 Boatyard interview we did with Kowahara along side his Karolee. You’ll find a donation button at Port of Port Townsend’s website.

(Airdate: April 3, 2026) Co-hosts Jim Burke and Commissioner Heather Dudley-Nollette welcome Jessica Lowe, Child Advocacy Center (CAC) Team Director. The CAC, a collaborative effort between the county and Jefferson YMCA. is dedicated to ‘Trauma focused’ care of children who have suffered abuse. The CAC is located at the former home of KPTZ at Mountain View Commons. Learn more here: https://www.olympicpeninsulaymca.org/child-advocacy

(Airdate: April 2, 2026) In our April episode, Dianna and Mary Beth explore the adventure of growing perennial vegetables, berries, and herbs. They cover how these crops can help suppress weeds, form ground covers, attract pollinators, and provide beauty in the garden — as well as produce long-term nutritious harvests. April is also Native Plant Appreciation Month. Julia and Barbara raise awareness about the connection between native plants and native pollinators in the home garden, and discuss ways to offer nectar and pollen to beneficial wildlife. The show airs Thursday from 6-6:30 pm.


(Airdate: April 1, 202) Come with Nan Evans and Carolyn Woods, from the Port Townsend Marine Science Center, on an audio winter tide pooling trip at NIGHT. In the winter why are the really low tides at night and during the daytime in summer? Why can we see different animals at different tide levels? What might we see during a winter nighttime low tide that we wouldn’t see during a summer low tide? Would an ultraviolet or black light be a cool thing to have? Get excited about tide pooling!
