NEWS BRIEFS: Port of Port Angeles to meet today in special session . . . and other items

PORT ANGELES — Port of Port Angeles commissioners will meet in a special session at 1:30 p.m. today in the meeting room of port headquarters, 338 W. First St.

Commissioners are expected to ratify their choice of Bob Larsen of Port Angeles as their representative to the board of directors of a proposed composite recycling center.

They also will meet in executive session to discuss one item of potential litigation.

Park reception

OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — An informal reception with park staff is planned at the Amanda Park Library on July 8.

The reception, hosted by Olympic National Park Superintendent Sarah Creachbaum and staff, will be from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the library, which is a branch of the Timberland Regional Library located at 6188 U.S. Highway 101.

The reception is to allow Quinault-area residents and park staff to get to know one another.

“We have several employees who are new to Olympic, and they are eager to meet and talk with members of the Quinault community,” Creachbaum said.

Light snacks will be provided during the reception.

Meet the author

SEQUIM — Mark Couhig will be signing his novel, The Face of His Brother, at Hart’s Fine Books, 161 W. Washington St., from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday.

For this night only, the book will be served with a side of green chile shrimp remoulade.

For more information, phone Celeste Bennett at 360-683-8080, email contact@hartsfinebooks.com or visit www.hartsfinebooks.com.

‘Book-a-Read’

PORT ANGELES — Children entering second through fifth grade can keep up their reading skills at the Port Angeles Library, 2210 S. Peabody St., with a 30-minute “Book-a-Read” reading session during the month of July.

Sessions will take place at 2:15 p.m. Thursdays, July 9, 16, 23 and 30.

Space in the program is limited, so pre-registration is required.

To sign up, phone the library at 360-417-8500 or email youth@nols.org.

Parrot & Olivier

SEQUIM — Parrot & Olivier in America by Peter Carey will be discussed at the Sequim Library, 630 N. Sequim Ave., at 3 p.m. Saturday, July 11.

From an Amazon.com book review: “Two-time Booker Prize-winner Peter Carey’s latest feat of imagination is an irrepressible, audacious and trenchantly funny novel set mostly in 19th Century America.

“Olivier, an improvisation on the life of Alexis de Tocqueville, is an aristocrat born just after the French Revolution.

“Parrot is the motherless son of an itinerant English engraver.

“Their lives are joined when Olivier sets sail for the New World to save his neck from one more revolution and Parrot is sent with him as spy, protector, foe and foil.”

Copies are available at the Sequim Library in various formats, including regular print and audiobook on CD, which can be requested online by visiting the library catalog at www.nols.org.

The public is welcome.

For more information, phone 360-683-1161 or email sequim@nols.org.

Scholarship awards given to 2 women

SEQUIM — Soroptimist International of Sequim recently awarded two young women.

The 2015 Ruth Mogan Memorial Scholarship of $2,000 went to Rikki Parr. She has been supporting herself through a full-time job at an assisted living facility while managing to complete her schoolwork.

She is working toward becoming a nurse, also taking coursework online.

Parr has already completed 60-plus hours of Department of Social and Health Services certification requirements as a health care assistant.

The group also awarded the Sequim Soroptimist Memorial Scholarship of $2,000 to Sarah Thomas.

As Thomas entered her freshman year, she began to care for her younger siblings when her mother became ill.

Through perseverance and dedication, she mastered her learning disability and is a straight-A student.

Her goal is to get an associate degree from Peninsula College and then transfer to a four-year university to get a teaching certificate with a minor in special education.

Corrections awards

FORKS — Four employees at the Olympic Corrections Center received Department of Corrections annual Agency Awards recently, recognizing their work for the department.

Each year, staff members are nominated by their colleagues.

Recipients are honored during a statewide ceremony in Olympia.

The following employees and volunteer received awards:

■ Warren Johnson, Correctional Officer of the Year.

■ Todd Thatcher, Volunteer of the Year.

■ Tracy Hixson, Innovation Team Award PREA Implementation Team.

■ Tonya Pleines, Counselor of the Year.

Beaver graduate

SPOKANE — Brian Santman of Beaver recently received a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering and graduated magna cum laude from Gonzaga University.

He participated in graduation exercises during the commencement ceremony, which was held recently in Spokane’s Veterans’ Memorial Arena.

Sequim graduate

WESTMINSTER, Md. — Koshin Ono of Sequim graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in political science and international studies from McDaniel College.

McDaniel awarded 358 bachelor’s degrees during the 145th commencement May 23.

Civil rights attorney Victor McTeer, a McDaniel alumnus, was the commencement speaker.

Sailor promoted

PORT ANGELES — Aviation Ordnanceman Kevin Richter was recently promoted to petty officer second class while on board USS Carl Vinson during a recent deployment to the Middle East.

The ship returned to its base of North Island in San Diego recently after 9½ months of military intervention during Operation Inherent Resolve.

Richter is the son of Jay and Paula Richter of Port Angeles and a 2008 graduate of Port Angeles High School.

Chain gang busy

PORT ANGELES — The Clallam County Sheriff’s Office Chain Gang removed 120 pounds of refuse from Mary Clark Road during the week of June 8-12.

A total of 160 pounds of trash was removed from an illegal dump site on Little River Road.

In addition, crews performed guardrail maintenance and weed-eating on Black Diamond, Ennis Creek, Blue Mountain, Hoko-Ozette, Bogachiel, Undie and Ravel roads.

Caution signs and posts were placed on North Brook, Moss, Defrang, Vine, Myrtle and Kickory streets, plus Green Tree and Round Tree lanes, plus Grauel-Rampo, Bishop, Liljedahl, Monroe, Brown, Arnett, Gasman, Gellor, Howe, Spring, Heuslein, Old Olympic, Matson, Lewis and Wild Current roads.

Crews brushed and thinned the county right of way on Lees Creek and Brown roads, plus Bay Street and Buchanan Drive.

The chain gang cleaned up and removed homeless camps behind Leitz Farm Inc. between June 18-19.

The crew cleared illegal dump sites at Little River, Sisson and Deer Park roads, totaling 2,160 pounds.

They removed a refrigerator, washer and dryer along the highway.

Guardrail maintenance and weed-eating was performed on Dan Kelly, Eden Valley and Joyce-Piedmont roads.

Weed-eating was conducted on the intersections of O’Brien and Township Line roads, plus Mount Angeles and Key roads.

The crew thinned back shrubbery, making traffic caution signs visible, on Key and Eden Valley roads.

Signs and posts labeling loose gravel/fresh oil and motorcycle use caution/25 mph were posted on the following roads: Pinnel, McDonald, Sierra, River, Dryke, Happy Valley and Woodridge, Lost Mountain, Eggloff, Fish Hatchery, Lochond, May, Sturtevant, Carlsborg, Runnion, Health, Sawmill, Spath, Kitchen-Dick, McCawley, Streit, Gasman, Tonda, Juan de Fuca, Island and Sylvan roads; Court Solmar, SunLand, Emerald, Fairway, Greenway and Harleman drives; Old Olympic Highway; Sequim Dungeness Way; and Taylor Boulevard.

Brushing and chipping of the county right of way was performed on Robinson and Stuart roads.

The crew performed ditch-digging, tree-thinning and removal of drainage debris and did Quickcrete culvert maintenance on East Bay Street.

Widener graduate

CHESTER, Pa. — Briana Galbreath of Port Angeles graduated from Widener University recently with a doctorate in human sexuality studies.

Widener held commencement ceremonies May 15 and 16 for graduate and undergraduate students recognizing those who successfully completed their studies and all necessary requirements for graduation during the summer and fall of 2014 and spring 2015 semesters.

Gonzaga’s list

SPOKANE — Brian Santman of Beaver and Lacey and Michael Konopaski of Port Angeles have earned placement on the Gonzaga University president’s list for spring semester 2015.

Students must earn a 3.7 to 4.0 grade-point average to be listed.

St. Olaf graduate

NORTHFIELD, Minn. — Carter Urnes, son of Mark and Kara Urnes of Port Angeles, recently graduated from St. Olaf College with a degree in biology.

St. Olaf President David R. Anderson presided over the college’s 126th commencement ceremony, which was held May 24.

Wake Forest list

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Hailey Estes of Sequim has been named to the spring 2015 dean’s list at Wake Forest University.

Students who achieve a 3.4 grade-point average and no grade below a “C” were named to the list.

Montana honor roll

BOZEMAN, Mont. — John Kreuter of Quilcene was named to the president’s honor roll at Montana State University for the 2015 spring semester.

Students must complete 12 credit hours and have a 4.0 grade-point average for the semester to receive this honor.

Soroptimists award high school pupil

SEQUIM — Soroptimist International of Sequim recently awarded the Violet Richardson Award to Sequim High School student Katherine Landoni.

This award is given to a girl in high school whose volunteer activities help make the world a better place for women and girls, according to a news release.

Katherine has worked as a math tutor and science mentor for the Sequim Middle School Science Club since her freshman year.

As Science Club president, she organized fundraisers and helped young science students prepare for the annual Science and Engineering Fair.

The award brings with it a check for $250 for the Sequim Middle Science Club and one for the same amount for Katherine in honor of her volunteering.

Gillette graduate

GILLETTE, Wyo. — Gillette College graduate Stephanie Lalley of Port Angeles recently received an Associate of Applied Science in nursing.

Gillette College held its 25th annual commencement ceremony May 15.

More than 300 degrees and certificates were earned by students at Gillette College this year.

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