Compass

With the rapid climb to the top of New York Times bestseller list in 2018 of his book How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence, author and journalist Michael Pollan managed to crack open a door that had been slammed shut on psychedelic drugs in the 1970s as part of the culture wars that were raging in the nation at that time.

In the two years since the book’s publication, several municipalities have taken steps to decriminalize the class of drugs that in multiple studies have been show not only to be safe, but beneficial in treating a wide range of conditions, from addiction to reducing the anxiety of facing mortality.

After the recent first arrest in Jefferson County for possession of psychedelic mushrooms in more than twenty years, a local group calling itself the Port Townsend Psychedelic Society is calling for the city and county to join the decriminalization movement by adopting a resolution defunding the pursuit or prosecution of such cases. Today on the Compass, we talk with one of the co-founders of the group, Erin Reading.

Everyone has their own methods of coping with stress during this pandemic, but here’s one you probably haven’t tried yet … tracking wild animals. That’s what works for Sarah Spaeth, director of conservation and strategic partnerships for Jefferson Land Trust. This week on the Compass, we speak with Sarah about how she does it, why she does it, and how the wild animals react when she finally tracks them down.

How can you have fun while helping to save the planet? This week on the Compass we talk with retired glaciologist and erstwhile gamemaster Bob Bindschadler about sustainability organization Local 20/20’s decision to sponsor another bracing round of the Taming Bigfoot Contest, a friendly competition among teams of like-minded individuals to measure and then reduce their personal carbon footprints that originally took place in Eastern Jefferson County in early 2016.

Everyone needs a safe, decent, and stable place to live. For some of the most vulnerable people in America – people suffering from mental illness, chronic health conditions, trauma, addiction, or just the plain bad luck of circumstance – a simple transitional space to live gives them a chance to breath and regroup. As a special Christmas Day broadcast, KPTZ Compass host Chris Bricker spoke with seven key players from the Community Build Project. They’re part of a dedicated group of volunteers who have targeted twelve 8×12 foot wooden structures called “wooden tents” (or Tiny Houses) for Christmas Day as completion date. Chris and the panel discuss the Project’s evolution and the reasons behind this valuable community resource. All the buildings are now at the new site, which is property owned by Community United Methodist Church in Port Hadlock. The village is called Peter’s Place, named after the local catalyst for the project, Peter Bonyun.

Everyone needs a safe, decent, and stable place to live. For some of the most vulnerable people in America – people suffering from mental illness, chronic health conditions, trauma, addiction, or just the plain bad luck of circumstance – a simple transitional space to live gives them a chance to breath and regroup.  

As a special Christmas Day broadcast, KPTZ Compass host Chris Bricker spoke with seven key players from the Community Build Project. They’re part of a dedicated group of volunteers who have targeted twelve 8×12 foot wooden structures called “wooden tents” (or Tiny Houses) for Christmas Day as completion date. Chris and the panel discuss the Project’s evolution and the reasons behind this valuable community resource.

All the buildings are now at the new site, which is property owned by Community United Methodist Church in Port Hadlock. The village is called Peter’s Place,  named after the local catalyst for the project, Peter Bonyun.

Last week two vaccines developed in record-smashing time were rolled out nationwide to address the COVID-19 pandemic just as infections, hospitalizations, and deaths from the disease also hit new records worldwide. At the same time, there has been a different kind of viral spread of questionable information about the disease, its treatment, and the new vaccines.

This week on the Compass we talk once again with Jefferson County Public Health Officer Dr. Tom Locke, who addresses a couple of the videos that have gone viral online, and then we talk about the local roll-out of the vaccine.

‘Tis the season to be jolly, but not every child will have a present to open this Christmas morning. The people and businesses of Jefferson County are doing their best to help. You may have noticed a bus filled to the top with toys recently in the Safeway store parking lot. This week on the Compass, we talk with Don Olsen, coordinator of the Jefferson County Toys for Tots program.

What with all of the commotion around the Presidential race and the ongoing battle for control of the U.S. Senate, you can’t be blamed if you somehow missed what may turn out to be the most historic ballot measure passed in the 2020 General Election. That would, of course, be Oregon’s Measure 110, which dealt a death blow to the War on Drugs in that state by decriminalizing the possession of all drugs, while dedicating tax revenues from the sale of cannabis products to drug addiction rehabilitation services, thus moving substance abuse problems firmly into the realm of public health and out of the criminal justice system.

This week on the Compass we get the thoughts on the Oregon ballot measure of two local experts – Public Defender Richard Davies and Jefferson County Health Officer Dr. Tom Locke – on how society addresses drug abuse issues.

As the Olympic Peninsula, in lock-step with most of the nation, enters a new period of elevated risk for COVID-19, with the threat of an overwhelmed health-care system being forced to ration care, this week on the Compass we bring back Jefferson County Public Health Officer Dr. Tom Locke to talk about the safest path forward.

On this week’s Compass we have a conversation with KPTZ News Director Steve Evans, who’s wearing another hat this time – as Vice-Chair of COAST, the Community Outreach Association Shelter Team, to talk about the history and the odyssey of Port Townsend’s shelter for the homeless. In partership with Olympic Community Action Programs (OLYCAP), together they offer services and support to community members and to those who can’t fend for themselves. And it’s all done with respect and kindness.

Later we have a frank and inspiring conversation with Kathy Morgan, Housing and Community Development Director at OlyCAP, and she gives us an honest prognosis for the homeless and disadvantaged in our community, and how we can be solutions for shelter and advocacy in each of or own ways.