This week on the Compass, we bring you two important stories:

First, as the U.S Census Bureau struggles to overcome the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and political maneuverings seemingly aimed at hampering its mission, KPTZ’s Chris Bricker spoke with the 2020 Census Jefferson County Project Director Jeannie McMacken and Jefferson County Commissioner Greg Brotherton about the logistics, the challenges, and the successes that good planning have brought to our County’s efforts.  Both emphasize convincingly the importance of being counted before October 31st.

And then we catch up with the Board President of an amazing volunteer organization that is seeking to expand its mission to help foster children and their families at a time of most urgent need.

The Compass airs Saturdays at noon and repeats the following Monday at noon and 5 pm, exclusively here on KPTZ, 91.9 FM in Port Townsend

This week on the Compass, we talk with the director about the triumph of imagination and technology that prevented the 44th Annual Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival from becoming yet another victim of COVID-19.

This week on the Compass, we take a look at the local response and effects of the attack from within on the U.S. Postal Service and then, after an interview with the USPS regional spokesperson, we get an inside glimpse of an apparent rebellion at the Tacoma mail processing center, where postal workers restored some high-speed mail-sorting machines against orders from on high.

Around this time of summer, lots of folks in these parts are usually getting ready for one of the biggest outdoor events of the year – the Jefferson County All-County Picnic at H.J. Carroll Park in Port Hadlock. They come together on what is usually a beautiful summer day and enjoy free music, free corn on the cob, and free admission. The Coronavirus pandemic may have put a dent in all that fun, but it did not have the last word. This week on the Compass, we talk with a man who helped make sure that the 2020 All-County Picnic would happen – albeit in a somewhat different way.

We talk with a doctor about hearing loss, a problem that’s likely to affect every one of us sooner or later … and if you don’t address it sooner, you almost certainly will be worse off later.

For nearly 125 years, Aldrich’s Market in Uptown has changed hands only five times – through five families, unrelated by birth. That is, up until now. The Market has survived economies of the times and two world wars, and has risen like a Phoenix from the ashes of two fires. It’s the oldest grocery store in Washington state still operating under the same trade name.

Clark Aldrich hung out his sign in 1896, and since then, the store’s location has moved several times. Aldrich’s has been both a physical as well as symbolic cultural center for the both the neighborhood community and the town in general. Enter siblings Yos, Rachel, and Christina Ligtenberg! Yes, yet another family – and one with a deep understanding of the Port Townsend community. They’ve appeared, serendipitously, right at a time when Aldrich’s – like a family cat – was about to lose another one of its lives.

In an unprecedented attempt by a sitting president to cast doubt on the validity of a national election months before a single vote is even cast, Donald Trump has repeatedly warned that mail-in ballots such as those that have been in use in Washington state for years, and which stand as the obvious safe alternative to in-person voting in a time of pandemic, are inherently corrupt and prone to fraud – despite a complete lack of evidence for the claim. This week on the Compass we talk with Jefferson County Auditor Rose Ann Carroll and Elections Coordinator Quinn Grewell about how the integrity of our mail-in elections is assured.  

In April of 2015, a church group from Tumwater set out in seven kayaks for a day paddle on Dungeness Bay.  After lunch, a predicted 35 mph wind kicked up with three-foot seas, and three of the kayakers overturned.  At that time of year, water temperature averages in the high 40 degrees.  While all three were eventually rescued, each had spent about two hours in the water. Two of the three died while receiving medical attention.  None of them had been wearing clothing and gear suitable for cold water immersion.

This year on July 12,  a 31-year-old kayaker capsized in Port Angeles Harbor near the City Pier. He was not wearing a personal flotation device (PFD).  At rescue, the man was extremely hypothermic, unresponsive, and near death.

On Monday, July 13, a 31 year-old man failed to return from a paddle from Freshwater Bay to Ediz Hook.  Only his kayak was found, along with an unworn PFD.

In light of recent events, KPTZ’s Mermaid Keri introduces you to a timely reprise of our Compass Kayak Safety Special produced after the Dungeness incident in 2015.