PORT ANGELES – From 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday, state Department of Transportation maintenance crews will clean numerous catch basins along a 50-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 101 that extends from Fisher Cove Road near Lake Crescent to just west of the Jefferson County line.
At each catch basin location, crews will reduce the highway to one alternating lane of traffic for a brief time during the cleaning of the catch basin, Transportation said in a news release.
Scam warning
PORT ANGELES — A new scam is targeting commercial and residential electrical customers in Port Angeles, city officials said on the city website.
Scammers may claim the customer is delinquent in paying a bill and ask for personal information or a pre-paid credit card to pay the bill, the warning at https://www.cityofpa.us/ says.
“There have been reports that the scammers are even able to make caller ID suggest they are the city calling,” the warning says, adding, “be very cautious in all instances. If you are ever in doubt, call the city directly.”
Typically, city customers will not receive a phone call from the city about disconnection, although there is a notification process in place, the warning says.
It adds that city personnel will not provide information about an account unless the customer can verify being the account holder.
When in doubt, call 360-417-4623 during business hours to verify the legitimacy of the inquiry, the warning urges.
Earthquake lecture
PORT ANGELES — “The Cascadia Subduction Zone and the Coming Megathrust Earthquake” is the subject of Peninsula College’s Studium Generale lecture on Thursday.
The free lecture will be presented by Professor Dann May, beginning at 12:35 p.m. in the Little Theater on the Port Angeles campus at 1502 E. Lauridsen Blvd.
The North Olympic Peninsula is riddled with earthquake faults, May said.
Based on the geological record and written accounts from Japan, the last major Cascadia quake occurred Jan. 26, 1700.
Geologists say it is not a matter of if, but when the next big one strikes the 600-mile-long subduction zone off the Northwest Coast.
The 600-mile Cascadia Subduction Zone fault off the Pacific coast from Vancouver Island to Northern California can create huge quakes that then trigger tsunamis but the zone strikes only on an average of every 500 years, according to a 2011 U.S. Geological Survey report. The last quake was in 1700.
May said that such a quake isn’t likely to happen in the lifetime of anyone living today. What may be of more immediate concern are four main faults that run directly through the Peninsula and many other faults in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, according to May.
Each of the major river valleys on the west end of the Peninsula is formed on top of a fault, he said.
May studied similar faults in Texas, when he worked for Standard Oil.
Professor May teaches on the main campus in Port Angeles as well as in Forks.
Science meeting
PORT TOWNSEND — The Port Townsend Marine Science Center will conduct its annual meeting on Thursday.
The meeting will be from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the marine science center at 532 E. Battery Way at Fort Worden.
Executive Director Janine Boire will present highlights of 2017 including a brief financial overview.
Featured speakers will be Diane Quinn, the marine science center’s program director and Alexandra Redman, the center’s aquarist. They will discuss recent and upcoming improvements to the Marine Exhibit.
Sunland gives $12,0000 in scholarships
SEQUIM — The Sunland Homeowners Association Scholarship Committee recently awarded $12,000 in scholarships to Sequim High School students.
To be eligible, each recipient maintained a minimum 3.75 grade-point average, completed advanced-placement classes and are Honor Society members.
The awardees are Angela Carrillo-Burge, Amanda Dodson and Jazz Andrew Weller who each received a $4,000 scholarship.
Carrillo-Burge plans to attend Washington State University to major in biology and minor in Spanish.
Dodson is slated to attend Pacific Lutheran University and plans to pursue further schooling in a science-related field.
Weller is set to graduate first in his class and plans to attend Brigham Young University to major in computer science or engineering.
The scholarships were made possible by donations from Sunland homeowners.
Geneva dean’s list
BEAVER FALLS, Pa. — Port Angeles native Allison Elam was named to Geneva College’s spring 2018 dean’s list.
To be eligible, students in traditional programs must earn a grade-point average of at least 3.6 while passing 12 credit hours or more.
Whitman graduate
WALLA WALLA — Port Angeles native Erin Hennessey participated in commencement proceedings at Whitman College on May 20.
A graduate of Port Angeles High School, Hennessey received a bachelor degree in biology.
