BUSINESS MEETINGS THIS week on the North Olympic Peninsula (all are open to the public):
Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce — Weekly luncheon meetings are held Mondays at noon in the second-floor meeting room of the Red Lion Hotel, 221 N. Lincoln St., Port Angeles.
Today’s (Monday’s) program will focus on issues that affect business computer systems.
Guest speakers will be Allen Coleman of Pacific Office Equipment and Brian Albright of Albright Managed Networks LLC, both of Port Angeles.
Luncheon tickets are $15 and can be purchased from the meeting room cashier.
For those not having lunch, there is a $3 participation fee that includes a beverage.
Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce — Weekly luncheon meetings are held Mondays at noon at the Port Townsend Elks Lodge, 555 Otto St., Port Townsend.
However, the chamber is taking today (Monday) off.
The next luncheon meeting will be Aug. 8, featuring speaker Jim Rough of Dynamic Facilitation.
Forks Chamber of Commerce — The chamber’s Wednesday luncheon meetings are on hiatus for the summer and will resume with a chamber business meeting Sept. 4.
North Hood Canal Chamber of Commerce — Representing the “Emerald Towns” of the Hood Canal, Quilcene and Brinnon, the chamber usually meets monthly on the third Monday but is on summer hiatus through August. Gatherings will resume in September with a mixer at Cove RV in Brinnon.
Port Angeles Business Association — Breakfast meetings are Tuesdays at 7:30 a.m. at Joshua’s Restaurant, 113 DelGuzzi Drive, Port Angeles.
This Tuesday’s speaker will be Erin Shannon, director of the Washington Policy Center’s Center for Small Business, on state economic issues.
There is a $2.16 minimum charge by Joshua’s for those who do not order breakfast.
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PT paper mill greets two summer interns
PORT TOWNSEND — Port Townsend Paper Corp. recently welcomed two college interns who will work at the mill through mid-September.
Jennifer Dillard Girardin is a senior at the University of Washington, majoring in bio-resource science and engineering, with a focus in pulp and paper engineering.
Girardin is working on projects to enhance product quality from the pulp and paper machines.
She is from Whidbey Island and lives with her three sons in Oak Harbor.
After graduating in 2014, Girardin would like to work in the pulp and paper industry as a process engineer.
Brittany Huls is a senior in the environmental sciences program at Oregon State University.
She is working on odor-improvement projects at the mill’s Aerated Stabilization Basin.
Her mother and stepfather, Kimberly Hinton-Plamondon and Tom Plamondon, live in Port Townsend.
After completing her bachelor’s degree in environmental sciences, she plans to pursue a master’s degree in environmental science.
Port Townsend Paper hires college interns who are pursuing degrees relate to the pulp and paper industry.
The mill employs 290 people.
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Bloedel Reserve intern
BAINBRIDGE ISLAND — Gytano Foster-Lehr has returned for his second summer internship at Bloedel Reserve, a 150-acre public garden on Bainbridge Island.
Gytano is an upcoming senior at Chimacum School District’s Alternative School.
He is one of four interns helping with landscaping, cataloging plants and performing general garden maintenance.
They are also responsible for completing this year’s legacy project, which is to revamp the seating area by the Swan Pond and enhance the trail to the pond.
Bloedel Reserve’s internship program is sponsored by Columbia Bank, Juniper Foundation, The Lady Foundation and Bainbridge Island Community Foundation.
The Bloedel Reserve is open to the public year-round Tuesdays through Sundays.
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Virtual conference
PORT ANGELES — Renne Emiko Brock-Richmond, a Peninsula College instructor, artist and media and educational entrepreneur, gave three presentations at the recent Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education conference and hosted in presentations in Second Life, OpenSim/Jokadia and Cloud Party.
In her presentations, Brock-Richmond shared experiences that her Peninsula College Multimedia Communication students have had in environments such as Second Life that allow them to expand beyond the classroom by including worldwide professional guests, virtual and physical field trips, and community-building inquiry and impact on screen and off.
At Peninsula College, Brock-Richmond teaches fine art, video, multimedia Web, digital arts, social media and collaborative community-building.
She is the chair of the University of Washington Virtual Worlds Program Alumni.
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New dentist added
PORT ANGELES — Dentist Eric Gregg has joined Van Dyken Family Dentistry.
Gregg received his degree in dental medicine from Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, Ore.
After graduation, he completed his general practice residency at the Portland Veterans Administration, then provided dentistry in a community health clinic in Nevada.
Fellow dentists Willard Henkes and Scott Van Dyken welcomed Gregg to the practice in June.
Van Dyken Family Dentistry is located at 606 E. Eighth St.
For more information, phone Van Dyken at 360-457-3127.
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Forest Field Day
FORKS — A field day for North Olympic Peninsula forest landowners will be held Saturday, Aug. 24, by the forestry wing of the Washington State University Extension.
Instructed by the state’s recognized experts in forest management, wildlife habitat and other forest stewardship disciplines, this “out-in-the-woods” educational event will provide information for landowners with any acreage.
A field day has not been held on the West End of the Peninsula for more than 10 years.
It will be held at the University of Washington Olympic Natural Resources Center, 1455 S. Forks Ave., in Forks from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
It is designed to prepare landowners to plan and execute management activities that meet their personal objectives, reduce risks and protect their financial investment.
Absentee landowners with property on the Peninsula are especially encouraged to attend.
Participants can choose from a wide variety of classes and activities taught by specialists in forest health, wildlife habitat, weed control, wildfire protection, timber and non-timber forest products, using global positioning systems, chain saw safety and maintenance and forestland security and safety.
Presenters will be available to answer questions specific to a property situation.
Youth activities will be available all day.
The fee for those who register by Friday, Aug. 16, is $20 per person or $30 for a family of two or more.
After that, the fee is $30 per person or $40 per family.
An optional barbecue lunch will be available for $10 per person.
Lunch reservations must be received by Aug. 16.
For more information, visit forestry.wsu.edu or phone the WSU Clallam County Extension Office at 360-417-2279.
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Vendors sought
PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles Eagles Auxiliary is seeking vendors to participate in a flea market at the new Eagles Hall, 2843 E. Myrtle St.
The cost is $20 for a 3-foot-by-8-foot table or $25 for an outside 10-foot-by-10-foot space.
Inside tables are limited.
The deadline for registration is Aug. 21.
For application or more information, phone Sylvia Strohm at 360-477-2550 or emailcomservfw@hotmail.com.
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Pot shops targeted
SEATTLE — The four marijuana dispensaries raided by federal authorities last week were all targets of previous federal raids.
Seattle Cross, Tacoma Cross, Key Peninsula Cross and Bayside Collective — formerly Lacey Cross — were among about 20 medical marijuana storefronts raided by the Drug Enforcement Administration in November 2011.
The DEA has provided little information about the four searches conducted Wednesday, but an employee at Bayside Collective told The Associated Press she was informed by agents that the raids were part of a two-year investigation.
A search warrant affidavit filed in support of the earlier searches said there was evidence that the medical dispensaries were fronts for commercial drug dealing.
No federal criminal charges immediately resulted from the 2011 searches of those four shops.
Washington voters legalized adult possession of marijuana last fall, but it remains illegal under federal law.
The state’s medical marijuana law does not allow for storefront dispensaries, but many have been tolerated by law enforcement.
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4 percent salary raise for WSU staff
PULLMAN — Washington State University faculty and staff will receive a 4 percent salary increase, effective Jan. 1.
WSU President Elson Floyd announced the raise Wednesday on his blog. He said it’s the first pay raise since 2008, outside of step increases for civil service employees.
Executive Vice President Dan Bernardo told The Moscow-Pullman Daily News the raise would make up some ground lost in salary freezes and help retain top faculty.
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Wage theft plan
SEATTLE — Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn and other officials are warning that the city will investigate and prosecute when businesses fail to pay workers what they’re due.
McGinn made the comments during a rally organized in support of five fast-food workers who filed complaints with the police department last week, saying their bosses had withheld payment for time worked.
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Minimum wage: $15 an hour
SEATAC — The SeaTac City Council voted to place an initiative on the November ballot that would raise the minimum wage in the city to $15 an hour.
It would apply to many hospitality and restaurant workers at Sea-Tac Airport.
If approved, the minimum wage would rise to more than $30,000 a year.
The SeaTac initiative is opposed by Alaska Airlines and the Washington Restaurant Association.
The state of Washington has one of the highest minimum wages in the nation at $9.19 an hour.
