We talk about a problem that many of us have been experiencing lately … yet few of us know why we have it, how we got it, or what we can do about it. The problem is called cognitive impairment, and a local doctor has some insights and suggestions for us.
Before the arrival of settlers in the nineteenth century, the original people of the North Olympic Peninsula tended a vast prairie landscape to produce the food, medicines, and plant-based materials their culture depended upon. Today, those original prairie ecosystems have all but vanished. But now, on a few acres adjacent to the Dungeness River Audubon Center, the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe is seeking to re-establish a traditional prairie. This week on the Compass, we visit the site with the two young tribal members who are leading the project.
The pandemic has upended the homeless shelter system, and even before COVID-19, the lack of availability of affordable housing and the homelessness crisis were in need of both urgent and long-term solutions. Jefferson County has its eyes on a 14.4-acre parcel in Port Townsend to build out a campus that would include housing for the homeless, transitional tiny houses, a shelter, and a full array of wrap-around services. In this edition of Compass, we speak with County Commissioner Greg Brotherton about the process, community input, and consideration of available alternatives.
Although medical experts agree that the coronavirus that touched off the COVID-19 pandemic is all but certain to be with us for a long long time, for the vaccinated the epidemic came to an official end of sorts on May 13, when the U.S. Centers for Disease Control gave new guidance saying that those who are fully vaccinated can safely go about their lives without wearing masks or worrying about social distancing, indoors or out – essentially resuming a semblance of normal life. As it happened, the news came the day before KPTZ celebrated its tenth birthday. This week on the Compass we talk once again with Jefferson County Public Health Officer Dr. Tom Locke on that doubly happy day about the science behind the new CDC guidance, and the implications going forward.
After a decade of working in the cramped quarters of a former portable classroom at the Mountain View Commons, KPTZ will soon be moving into a spacious new facility in what is said to be Fort Worden’s first building. This week on the Compass, we tour the new studios as the remodel nears completion, and talk about the importance of community radio and the opportunities the move presents.
In a year in which three Port Townsend leaders have decided not to run for re-election, and with candidate filing week coming right up, this week on the Compass KPTZ Reporter Lily Haight talks with three Port Townsend city council members about what the job entails, and how they juggle their work load with the responsibilities in the rest of their lives.
Summer is upon us with warm sunny weather, and the waters of the Olympic shore beckon boaters of every stripe to come play. So this week on the Compass we reprise a show produced previously by KPTZ DJ Chris Bricker on the subject of kayak safety. This program was originally motivated by the tragic deaths of two kayakers off the Dungeness Spit when the weather suddenly turned bad in April of 2015, and now from recent incidents over past months, such as the rowing tragedy with the Iowa State Crew Club on March 29, and the most recent Coast Guard rescue Southeast of the Dungeness spit on March 28th. Mermaid Keri introduces.
We talk with talented local actors who performed some extraordinary, live, one-person shows … and we tell you how you can watch each of these performances over a four-week span … at a ridiculously low price.
It’s been a little more than a year now since the COVID-19 pandemic shut down entire sectors of the economy and threw millions of lives into crisis around the world. With the creation in March of 2020 of its COVID Response and Recovery Fund, which was promptly backed by a broad show of community support, the Jefferson Community Foundation stepped into the breach locally. This week on the Compass, we talk with the Foundation’s Nonprofit Relationships Manager Jen Kingfisher about that fund in an effort to find out the level and areas of ongoing need.
We take a walk down memory lane with Janette Force, Executive Director of the Port Townsend Film Festival, who will be retiring from that job later this year. She talks about rain, the movie stars and other things.
