Man injured when car spins out on 112
Thursday, June 12

A 41-year old Port Angeles woman was seriously injured when his car spun out on Highway 112.

The accident happened Thursday evening at milepost 55, which is 8-miles west of Port Angeles and just east of Joyce.

Washington State troopers say Lee Ingrid was driving drunk when she lost control of her 1990 Mazda as she was driving toward PA. The car left the road to the right, and when Ingrid overcorrected the car slid across both lanes and smashed into a fence made of railroad ties. Troopers say the car spun around 180-degrees, throwing Ingrid from the car. She wasn’t wearing a seatbelt.

WSP says Ingrid suffered a broken back and ribs, a collapsed lung and a fractured vertebrae and had to be airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

Roth jumps into Commissioners’ race
Tuesday, June 3

Terry Roth is going to try again, this time taking a crack at being elected Clallam County Commissioner.

The Port Angeles businessman and former Clallam County Sheriff’s deputy filed to run for District 2 county commissioner as filing for the 2008 elections opened Monday at the Clallam County Auditor’s Office.

Roth has had previous unsuccessful runs at public office, chiefly trying to get elected as Clallam County Sheriff in years gone by. His main public service has been to serve twice as a member of the Clallam County Charter Review Commission.

Roth will run as a Republican, setting up a potential Primary showdown with incumbent two-term Commissioner Mike Chapman. Chapman has been on the outs with the sharply conservative faction of the local GOP leadership which could decide to back Roth. Chapman had toyed with the idea of running as an independent, or not running at all. But earlier this spring he told PNN he expects to file for a third term as a GOP candidate.

No Democrats have announced their intentions to challenge for the District 2 position ahead of time.

Diesel prices hit 5-bucks
Tuesday, May 27

Peninsula fuel prices continue to run at more than 30-cents above the national average, with diesel prices hitting the infamous $5 mark. And while the daily increases appeared to slow over the three-day weekend, the general trends continue to skyrocket.

A month ago, local prices for unleaded fuel were averaging around $3.75 a gallon (see pic). But record prices for crude oil and supply problems have driven most prices up by as much as 50-cents. And over the past week, prices at the pump have increased by as much as a dime a gallon every day.

The average gas price in Port Angeles is now $4.10 a gallon, with a high price of $4.19 a gallon. The average price in Sequim is running around $4.14 a gallon.

But the most painful price continues to be for diesel fuel, with surveys showing the highest price in the area a whopping $4.99 a gallon at the Chevron station in Carlsborg. That’s over 60-cents a gallon more than the same fuel cost just 5-weeks ago.

Those are some of the highest prices in the State of Washington, running roughly 30-cents more than the national average and 80-cents more than the lowest prices in the U.S. They aren’t the highest prices on the West Coast however. That distinction, as usual, is claimed by California, where regular unleaded topped $5 in some locations this week.

High court rules against Ressam
Monday, May 19

Convicted terrorist Ahmed Ressam has lost his appeal to overturn one of his convictions for an attempt to blow up the Los Angeles airport in 1999.

Ressam was captured when sharp eyed U.S. Customs inspectors caught him trying to enter the country with explosives as he disembarked off the M.V. Coho in Port Angeles in December 1999.

Ressam was convicted three years ago, but appealed one of the charges of carrying explosives while falsifying paperwork to enter the U.S. from Canada. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned that particular conviction.

But now, the U.S. Supreme Court is upholding Ressam’s conviction on that count.

He was already sentenced to spend more than 22-years in prison.

Former Clallam sheriff named U.S. Marshall
Monday, May 5

Former Clallam County Sheriff Joe Hawe is wearing a badge again, this time with the responsibility of enforcing federal laws for all of Western Washington.

Months after Hawe was nominated, it’s been announced that he’s been appointed by President Bush to serve as U.S. Marshall for Western Washington.

The Marshall’s Service provides security for the federal courthouses in the region, overseeing the safety of judges, serving federal warrants and picking up felons and seizing assets in criminal cases.

Hawe served as Sequim police chief from 1984 to 1990, when he was first elected as Clallam County Sheriff. He went on to become one of the longest-serving sheriff’s in the county’s history before he surprised everyone by resigning shortly after winning a 4th term. He said at the time he needed a break from day-to-day law enforcement and wanted to spend more time with his family. He later worked with the Washington Association of Sheriff’s and Police Chiefs on school safety issues. In addition to local law enforcement experience, Hawe has worked with the Diplomatic Security Service and as a reservist in the Coast Guard.

Students buckle down for WASL testing
Tuesday, April 15

While their parents scramble to file taxes, high school students in Port Angeles and Sequim were more worried today about their WASL tests.

Testing resumed this morning for the second round of the Washington Assessment of Student Learning tests, which include math and science. The tests run through Thursday.

The reading and writing portions of the WASL tests happened last month at all high schools across the state. Passing the reading and writing tests are required this year for the Class of 2008, and for students to graduate in the years to come.

Testing for the 3rd through 8th graders in Port Angeles started Monday and will continue through Friday, May 2nd.

Toddler drowns near Forks
Saturday, April 12

For the second time this spring, a toddler has drowned in Clallam County.

The Clallam County Sheriff’s Department says the 22-month old boy drowned Friday after wandering away from his family and drowning in a creek near Lake Pleasant.

Deputies say Stephen Neel had been playing outside with other kids when he disappeared. He was found less than an hour later after a frantic search by the family and deputies who responded to the 9-1-1 call.

A three year old drowned last month when he fell into a pond near Joyce.

Three whalers plead guilty
Saturday, March 29

Three men accused of killing a gray whale during an illegal hunt last year are pleading guilty to federal charges.

Frankie Gonzalez, William Secor Sr. and Theron Parker accepted the government’s offer of a plea agreement Thursday, pleading guilty to mis-demeanor charges.

However, two other Makah, Andy Noel and Wayne Johnson are still set to go to trial in U.S. District Court in Tacoma. Johnson, who headed the whaling crew that took the tribe’s first whale in 70-years back in 1999, has already admitted to organizing the spur-of-the-moment hunt last September.

Under the deal, prosecutors agreed not to remove the trio’s hunting rights or send them to prison, although they will face fines.

Johnson and Noel are set to go to trial next Tuesday.

Chapman to run for third term as Republican
Tuesday, March 25

Clallam County Commissioner Mike Chapman will keep the “R” by his name after all, ending speculation the veteran commissioner might seek a third term as an independent candidate.

Chapman filed paperwork with the State Public Disclosure Commission and the Clallam County Auditor’s office Tuesday, the first step in launching his bid for a third term representing District 2. And that paperwork has Chapman declaring as a “Republican”, the party affiliation he’s carried since winning the central county commissioner’s seat in 2000.

In recent weeks there had been speculation Chapman might dump his Republican affiliation and run as an independent. Clallam County GOP leaders had censured Chapman, cutting him off from party functions and support in retaliation for his endorsement of Democrat Steve Tharinger in last fall’s election. Chapman backed Tharinger’s bid for a third term instead of siding with maverick Bob Forde, a former Libertarian and conservative who launched a campaign bid after no one filed to oppose Tharinger during the regular filing period.

The Clallam Republican leaders had also been critical of Chapman for his comments when Forde’s wife Sue ran against Tharinger four years earlier.

If Chapman had run as an independent, he would have had to follow a cumbersome path that has been largely unsuccessful for county commissioners in the past. Only former Commissioner Evan Jones won as an independent in 1983 and he changed to run as a Democrat unsuccessfully in 1987. Two other independents, Pat MacCaully and David Allen ran without party affiliation and lost in succeeding campaigns.

After beating incumbent Carole Boardman in 2000, Chapman became one of only a handful of Clallam County commissioners to run unopposed in 2004. In 2006, he announced that he would run for Clallam County Sheriff, building upon his experience as a policeman and U.S. Customs officer, but he would later drop out of the contest. Since then he has continued his work as a commissioner and a pastor in his church.

In addition to having a tactical advantage of experience, Chapman also holds a huge financial edge over challengers from either party. PDC records show he still has more than $11,000 in campaign contributions to kick start a 2008 re-election bid.

Commissioners approve shooting range
Tuesday, March 25

For the first time in nearly 40-years, local shooting enthusiasts have reason to celebrate, after Clallam County commissioners approve a resolution starting the process of opening a shooting range west of Joyce.

But it could take another year before the scheme gets to the point of environmental review and permitting.

Tuesday, Clallam County commissioners approved a resolution asking the State Department of Natural Resources to transfer just over 300 acres of land near Sadie Creek into county ownership. That’s the formal step which begins the process of considering whether to establish the shooting park.

The move comes after years of lobbying by the Northwest Shooting Park Association, who have backed the idea of a long-range shooting area for decades. That includes unsuccessful proposals to site a shooting park near Salt Creek, and Blue Mountain Road and Cassidy Creek east of Port Angeles.
Recently the Parks and Recreation Commission endorsed the Sadie Creek site.

However, the shooting won’t start anytime soon. It’s expected to take nearly a year for DNR to approve the land transfer. Then, the park will be subject to a permitting process that’s expected to include a detailed environmental analysis of the site. In addition to concerns from area residents about noise, safety and wetlands, the proposal has already drawn concern from biologists who worry about lead from spent shot getting into the environment and effecting wildlife.

DNR will maintain mineral and timber rights to the land.

Woman sent to prison for Elwha accident
Monday, March 10

A Queets woman will spend the next 2-years in prison for killing two of her friends when her car plunged into the Elwha River a year ago.

20-year old Sela Anne Kalama was sentenced to 26-years by a U.S. District Court judge on Friday.

Kalama pled guilty last December to two counts of involuntary manslaughter for the March 18th accident that killed 16-year old Vanna Francis and 15-year old Ronnie Scroggins of Neah Bay.

Kalama had been partying with half-a-dozen of her friends on the Lower Elwha Reservation when they decided to leave a home in the early hours of the morning. Prosecutors say Kalama ignored her friends warning that she was coming to the end of the Lower Elwha Road and kept texting on her cell phone. The car plunged over the embankment, where there was no barricade at the time, and sank in the churning waters. The other escaped unharmed by Scroggins and Francis drowned.

Kalama, a member of the Quinault Tribe, was also ordered to serve three years probation after she’s released and perform 200 hours of community service.

Coast Guard airlifts injured fisherman
Sunday, March 9

The Coast Guard airlifted an injured crewmen from a 40-foot fishing vessel 29 miles west of Port Angeles over the weekend.

At 7:58 p.m., the master of the fishing vessel Puget Sound contacted Coast Guard Group/Air Station Port Angeles on VHF channel 16 to request assistance after the crewman became injured.

An HH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from the Air Station was launched at 8:24 p.m.

With the assistance of a 25-foot response boat crew from Coast Guard Station Port Angeles, the injured man was hoisted to the helicopter and transported to Olympic Memorial Hospital in Port Angeles for treatment.

3-year old boy drowns near Joyce

Monday, March 3

Clallam County Sheriff’s deputies are saying a 3-year old died early Monday morning after drowning in a pond near his home.

Deputies and other rescuers were called to a home off Bishop Road Sunday evening with the report that the little Dillion Almaden had wandered out of sight of his father. Search and rescue teams were sent to the scene and joined friends and family in searching the area and checking door-to-door. At one point, a Coast Guard helicopter crew from Port Angeles also joined the search and the State Patrol searched from the air with a plane.

During the search, pumper trucks from Clallam County Fire Districts 3 and 4 began draining a pond near the Almaden home with fears the boy may have fallen into the pond. After pumping the pond nearly dry, rescuers found his body in the shallows.

Deputies are calling the case an accidental drowning.

Troopers identify Forks teens killed in accident
Monday, March 3

Washington State Troopers now say one girl was killed when she was ejected from her car with a second dying at the hospital after a tragic accident north of Forks. And a deadly combination of no seat belts and drinking are being given as the reasons for the wreck.

The wreck happened shortly after midnight Sunday just north of Forks. State troopers say 18-year old Naomi Price was headed south when she lost control of her Ford Fusion and it ran off the road, striking a bank and rolling over three times.

Price’s friend, 17-year old Kassandra Hanson was also thrown from the car while 18-year old Johnathan Fletcher was trapped inside the wreckage and had to be cut free by emergency workers. One of the girls ended up in the lane of the road, where she was struck by an on-coming pickup driven by a 29-year old Forks woman.

Price was pronounced dead at the scene, while Hanson died a short time later at Forks Community Hospital. Fletcher sis suffering from shoulder and internal injuries and is being treated at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

Troopers none of the teens were wearing their seatbelts and they believe alcohol was a factor in the crash.

New PC dorms still in the future
Monday, February 11

Peninsula College students probably won’t have the chance to live in on-campus dorms in the near future, at least not until the school assesses the need for new housing.

The school demolished the old dorms two years ago to make way for the new science building on the south side of the campus. At the time, the dorms had less than 30-students, or about a fourth of the available capacity. School officials said the buildings population had been declining for about a decade and the facilities needed a major upgrade to bring them up to present standards.

Of course since that time, the PA rental market has been stretched beyond capacity with stories of PC students having to share the few available apartments and even sleeping in closets.

But Peninsula College’s Vice President of Student Services, Jack Huls, says there are many things to consider before the school ever moves to build new dorm space.

Huls tells the Peninsula College Buccaneer any new dorms as “still in the distant future” and would only happen after the school works with the local community to assess the need for campus housing. He tells the Buccaneer there has to be a demand for the dorms or they won’t happen. Huls says if new dorms are built someday, they would have to be available for all students and not just international students attending PC. And he says new rooms would have to be built to accommodate what students are looking for now days, with more private sleeping areas and shared common space.

Lincoln Center Incubator looking for business ideas
Wednesday, January 23

Last year it was helpful fungus. This year operators of the Incubator@Lincoln Center are once again looking for budding business people who looking to kick-start their idea to fame and fortune.

Entrepreneur Challenge 2008 is a business plan competition targeting the Clallam and Jefferson County region. The second year of the competition will be enticing entrepreneurs with $7,000 in awards; $5,000 first place and two $1,000 runner-up awards. This years event awards are sponsored by First Federal Savings and Loan and the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe. The challenge is open to new business ideas and also businesses that are expanding into new markets or with new products.

Contestants need to have their “intent to enter” forms submitted by February 15th. Once mentors are assigned, work gets underway on developing the actual business plans, which are due in mid-March.
 
The two step judging rounds consist of a screening round on March 24th with the Final Judging Round on April 2nd. The announcement of the awards will take place the next evening at the Entrepreneur Challenge Celebration, a festive event including special guest speakers and food and beverages.
 
The Entrepreneur Challenge is a program of the Incubator@Lincoln Center and is offered specifically to attract and support innovations and new ideas on the North Olympic Peninsula.

Last years Challenge selected The Remediators, a bio-remediation firm that utilized fungi technology, as the winner. Winning the Challenge has opened up many new opportunities for the Remediators in the development of the business.
 
More information can be seen at the Lincoln Center website or by calling Incubator Director Jim Haguewood at 360-565-2060.

Clallam Democrats gearing up for caucuses
Wednesday, January 23

Clallam County Democrats are just two weeks away from having their “two cents” say in the 2008 Presidential race.

This year the Democrats will gather in school gyms, churches and public gathering places across the county on Saturday, February 9th. The fierce campaigning in states like Carolina between Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John Edwards and the rest of the Democratic field is likely to mean a lively turnout at the meetings. Four years ago, the Democrats saw some of the largest turnouts ever as they selected delegates and worked on platform issues.

Democrats are looking for volunteers to help run the caucus meetings and plan a training session for workers at Jefferson Elementary School in Port Angeles on the afternoon of February 2nd.

Peninsula jobless rates starting to climb
Monday, January 21

It looks like the overall economic slowdown is starting to make itself in the Olympic Peninsula job market, with unemployment climbing to the highest levels in several years.

The latest report from the State Employment Security Department shows Clallam County’s jobless rate spiking to 7% in December. That’s up from 6.3% in November, and shows nearly 300 fewer people working and claiming jobless benefits around the holidays. It’s also in sharp contrast to the past couple of winters when the local jobless picture stayed relatively stable through the winter months. Last December the unemployment rate was 6.2%.

And perhaps more critically, the 7.0% is about 2 points higher than the Clallam jobless rate two summers ago when unemployment was hitting 30-year lows.

The Peninsula’s other counties are also show a slide in employment, although not all as sharply as Port Angeles and Sequim. Jefferson County’s unemployment climbed slightly from 4.6% to 4.7% in December, which is lower than last year. Mason County hit 6.2%, which only one-tenth of a percent higher than December 2006. Grays Harbor County is also feeling the impacts of the worsening job picture, jumping from 7.2% in November to 9.8% in December.

The trends buck the statewide picture. Washington actually saw the creation of more than 7.000 new jobs, with employment up nearly 3% over the same time last year.

New Makah Chair hopes for whaling in 2-years
Sunday, January 13

New Makah Tribal Chair Micah McCarty says the tribe is going to continue pursuing a waiver to resume whale hunts, and he tells the Seattle P-I he’s “cautiously optimistic” the hunts will resume in a couple of years.

The tribe has the right to hunt gray whales under its 1855 treaty with the federal government. But the Makah have only killed a single whale under that agreement, back in the spring of 1999. Ever since then, further hunts have been blocked by lawsuits and legal appeals from anti-whaling forces.

In 2005, the tribe decided it would seek a federal waiver to hunt whales under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. If approved, that would clear the way for the tribe to legally hunt once more.

McCarty, who is among the Makah that trained as whalers, took over as tribal chair this month. And he tells the P-I while he’s hopeful the feds will approve the waiver, he also acknowledges the possibility anti-whaling groups could take further legal steps to try and block hunts.

Clallam Bay prison remains on lockdown
Wednesday, January 9

Clallam Bay prison remains on lockdown, as corrections officers work to tighten up security in the wake of several fights between inmates this past week.

The prison was locked down Monday, meaning all 800-plus inmates are being kept in their cells and out of common areas while corrections officers search for contraband and sort out of the details of the altercations.

Prison officials are saying it appears the fights were unrelated, and only minor injuries were reported to one inmate and a guard. The Clallam County Sheriff’s Department is helping with the investigation.

Local stores hit 100% compliance for tobacco sales
Monday, December 31

Clallam County stores are doing a good job of not selling tobacco products to minors, with 100% of all the stores during a recent check complying with state law.

The check was made of nine different stores this past week as part of a compliance program run by the Washington State Liquor Control Board and the Clallam County Health Department. The checks are made at Port Angeles area restaurants, convenience stores, gas stations and grocery stores.

A 17-year old youth operative was asked for her identification at all nine stops during the check. In one case, the clerk was so upset the girl was trying to buy cigarettes that he threatened to call her parents.

Clallam County Health Officer Dr. Tom Locke says keeping tobacco products out of the hands of minors keeps kids from being addicted to nicotine and helps them avoid serious smoking-related illnesses like lung cancer later in life.

Licensed retailers in Clallam County are checked a minimum of twice a year. When a clerk sells tobacco to a minor, they run the risk of facing fines of up to $100. Stores that sell tobacco to minors will be fined according to the number of sales in a two-year period, with fines eventually running into the thousands for repeat offenders and tobacco selling licenses suspended.

Rescued skier stayed safe in snow cave
Sunday, December 30

Rangers say a skier who got caught in a weekend blizzard stayed safe by digging a snow cave to protect himself from the elements.

53-year old Randy Kraxberger of Port Townsend called Olympic National Park rangers from his cell phone Sunday morning, saying he’d been able to dig a snow cave not far from Hurricane Hill, where he’d gotten disoriented in the storm.

The blizzard dumped several inches of powder snow with high winds, catching Kraxberger out in the elements on a cross country ski outing. He had placed an initial call to authorities, but the call dropped before he could give his exact location.

Rescuers had searched until about midnight Saturday before they were turned back by the storm.

Forks cop wrecks driving too fast
Sunday, December 30

State troopers say a young Forks police officer was driving too fast conditions and that’s what caused him to wreck his patrol car over the weekend.

The wreck happened on Highway 101 22-miles north of Forks Saturday afternoon.

Troopers say 32-year old officer E. Hanson had pulled out to pass a slower moving car when he lost control of his Ford patrol car on a patch of slush. The car spun out and bashed into the embankment on the side of the road.

Hanson wasn’t hurt and two passengers in the car, initially believed to be prisoners being taken to Port Angeles, weren’t injured.

WSP investigated the wreck and said Hanson was driving too fast for the snow and ice on the road.

Queets woman faces 3-years for crash that killed friends
Friday, December 14

A Queets woman could be sent to prison for three years when she’s sentenced for a drunk driving accident that killed two of her friends last spring.

Sela Kalama pled guilty this week to two charges of involuntary manslaughter for the March accident that took the lives of 16-year old Vanna Francis of Port Angeles and 15-year old Ronnie Scroggins of Neah Bay. Prosecutors said Kalama was drunk and text messaging on her phone as she drove away from a late night party on the Lower Elwha Reservation March 18th. She didn’t hear her friends’ warnings and drove off the dead end of Lower Elwha Road. The car plunged into the river in the pre-dawn darkness. While four of the teens were able to make it to shore, Scroggins and Francis drowned.

Francis will be sentenced March 7th and faces up to 36-months in prison.

Man to face charges for log truck accident
Sunday, December 9

A 25-year old Port Angeles man will face charges of negligent driving and not having proper insurance after causing a wreck with a loaded logging truck that blocked Highway 112 for hours this weekend.

The Washington State Patrol says Jonathan Beltrami crossed the centerline in his Ford pickup, striking the on-coming truck and spilling logs all over the road near Dan Kelly Road Friday night. Troopers say the pickup struck the eastbound Kenworth and then ran off the road into the ditch. The collision upset the semi’s trailer, spilling logs all over the road. It took five hours to clean up the mess.

Troopers say Beltrami was wearing his seatbelt and only suffered a minor leg injury. The driver of the truck, 59-year old Don Meyer of Sequim wasn’t injured, but there was $15-thousand in damage to his truck.
 
All power restored to Clallam
Wednesday, December 5

Unlike many places in the Northwest, electricity has been restored to all parts of Clallam County just two days after a devastating winter storm hit the region.

Several thousand customers of Clallam County Public Utility District, mostly in the West End lost power Sunday night and early Monday after hurricane force winds hit the Washington and Oregon costs. For the second time this winter, downed trees knocked out the primary BPA power line that serves all of the Forks, Clallam Bay-Sekiu and Neah Bay areas. There were dozens of other outages on lines throughout the area, including Lake Crescent, Joyce and some of the foothill areas around Port Angeles.

But PUD crews were able to move quickly, and had managed to restore all of the power by late Tuesday or early Wednesday.

PUD has more information on what to do in the event of an outage on the utility’s website .

West End cut off by flooding
Monday, December 3

The lethal combination of weekend snows followed by extraordinarily heavy rain is causing the Elwha River to swell to near-record flood levels this evening.

Clallam County Emergency Management says the river west of Port Angeles is expected to top 24-feet late Monday night, which would be the highest water mark in the river in roughly 15-years and close to the all-time high water record. The river had already topped 20-feet by mid-day Monday, with the rain and snowmelt combining to swell the river beyond its banks. That’s causing some flooding of low-lying areas all along the river.

The Elwha isn’t the only river raging from the floodwaters. The Bogachiel River was expected to crest early Monday evening at 41-feet, which is well above the 37-foot flood stage. Similar high water was reported on all the West End rivers.

The high water has cut off all of the West End from the rest of the county, with Highway 101 closed at Lake Crescent because of slides, Highway 112  and the Burnt Mount Road all closed because of water over the road or downed trees. The county says flooding on the Clallam River has inundated the Clallam Bay-Sekiu sewage treatment plant. Flooding on the Clallam River has forced authorities to evacuate some of the people living in low-lying areas.