News & Community

Remember that second installment property taxes are due this month. Mailed payments must be postmarked, put in a drop box, or paid online by November 2nd to avoid penalty and interest charges. Taxpayers who would like a receipt should include their email address to have a receipt emailed to them or they must include a self-addressed, stamped envelope with their payment to receive a hard-copy receipt mailed to them. For online information regarding paying taxes, levy and asses

Jefferson County Assessor’s Office Notice State law requires every county to appraise taxable property each year at 100% of fair market value. Jefferson County accomplishes this by a focused re-inspection of one-sixth of the County each year. The other five-sixths are updated through a combination of statistical sales analysis and inspections of areas needing a more detailed approach. The physical re-inspection area this year is Brinnon. The Assessor’s Office has completed

JCPH: Partial Shellfish Opening North Hood Canal to Triton Cove Recent shellfish samples taken from Hood Canal indicate that the level of biotoxins has dropped below the closure limit for some shellfish species such as littleneck clams, manila clams, mussels, and oysters. However, geoduck, butter and varnish clams remain closed by the Washington Department of Health (DOH) to recreational shellfish harvesting due to the fact that they retain toxins for a longer period. Discove

Amanda Wilson, locally based Estate Planning Attorney with Northwest Estate Planning & Probate P.S., will present this free seminar and answer questions as time will allow. Join us at the Beach Club, 121 Marina View Dr, Port Ludlow, on Wednesday, October 14, 1 – 2 p.m. Walk-ins welcome but RSVP appreciated at (360)437-4172 or info@nwepp.com.

Louise Erdrich’s 2020 novel, The Night Watchman, will be discussed on Tuesday, October 13, at the Martha’s Book Group (MBG) meeting at the Bay Club at 4 p.m. Erdrich’s sixth novel was awarded the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Her novel was inspired by letters written by her grandfather in opposition to the “termination bill,” passed in 1953, which ended the federal responsibility to certain tribes. The bill forced the indigenous nations to renounce their culture, absolved

Autumn is here and we are fortunate that we still have plenty of flowers in our area! Join us on Monday, October 14, 11 a.m., at the Bay Club for a hands-on, inspiring tutorial using flowers from your garden! Amanda DeCastro and Alysha Evans are local women who created A&A Honey Bee Floral from a passion for flowers, creativity, and community. With over 20 years of artistic creation and experience, they create unique designs with a personal touch. They love their work and it

Underwater photography reveals a fascinating part of our world. Register now and you can see an intriguing presentation of “Critters of the Salish Sea: Underwater Photography,” at Fort Flagler on Saturday, October 17. Hosted by the Friends of Fort Flagler, the presenter, Larry McGaughey, is a retired environmental engineer. He also served as a volunteer at the Seattle Aquarium for nine years, and for two years at the Port Townsend Maritime Center. His diving and underwater

If you drove up Rhody Drive past our schools this summer, you may have noticed quite a bit of work happening. Contractors and Chimacum staff have been busy with roofing, painting, improvements to the weight room, grounds work, sidewalk and site improvements, and a few other repairs and upgrades that help keep our campuses in good shape and ready for students. We are looking sharp for the start of school! This work is not flashy, but it matters. A sound roof, good insulation a

It’s spooky season at the Jefferson County Library! This October we’re closed on the 12th in celebration of Indigenous Peoples’ Day, and again on the 21st for Staff Education Day. Visit our program calendar at jclibrary.info for more information. On Thursday, October 15, 5 – 6 p.m., join us for an Author Talk with Lisa Coutu. We’ll be discussing her new book,Communicating Cancer: Strategies for You, Family and Friends. This book is a guide for anyone who struggles with diffic

Recent shellfish samples taken from Quilcene Bay and Dabob Bay indicate that the level of biotoxins has dropped below the closure limit for some shellfish species such as littleneck clams, manila clams, mussels, and oysters. However, butter and varnish clams remain closed by the Washington Department of Health to recreational shellfish harvesting in both bays, since they retain toxins for a longer period of time. In addition, a Vibrio Warning is still in effect to cook all sh

Every day many of our neighbors in Jefferson County go hungry. Food insecurity is not just a missed meal, an empty stomach, or an individual experience. It is a community-wide symptom of exclusion, of not having enough – not enough nutritional food, income, or a represented voice. Hunger is a symptom of barriers to employment, education, housing, and healthcare. Jefferson County Food Bank Association provides food resources to help our neighbors in need, serving nearly 2,700

October will be a busy and informative month for East Jefferson Fire Rescue (EJFR), beginning with Fire Prevention Week, which is scheduled for October 4 – 10. This year’s theme is “Charge into Fire Safety: Safe Charging is a Superpower,” and focuses on everyday charging habits that can help reduce the risk of lithium-ion battery fires and keep homes and communities safer. The 5th Annual Fire Rescue Fest will be held at Station 1, 701Harrison Street in Port Townsend on Satu

Every Thursday during the school year, dedicated volunteers gather with a simple, but important, mission: making sure local children have enough food to eat over the weekend. Through Chimacum Backpacks for Kids, an average of 144 food bags are packed each week for students at Chimacum Primary, Elementary, Middle, and High Schools. At approximately $13.75 per bag, that’s nearly $2,000 worth of food provided to local children each week. On Fridays, the bags are discreetly distr

Friends of the Jefferson County Library will have an extensive array of reading material and entertainment media for sale at the fall book sale, to be held Saturday, November 7, from 10 a.m. — 3 p.m. at the library, 620 Cedar Ave. in Port Hadlock. Bring a box or sack to collect all your treasures. Hundreds of books across all genres will be available for purchase, with most hardback books priced at $1, DVD movies at $2 per disc, plus pocket paperbacks and children’s books cos

by Stephanie Buehler, Guest Writer On Wednesday, November 4, 11 a.m – 1 p.m., at the Beach Club, Jeff Swanson and Jake Davidson from the Jefferson Healthcare Foundation will be our presenters. Jeff is the Director of the Jefferson Healthcare Foundation. He formerly served as the Chief Philanthropy Officer at Chinese Hospital in San Francisco, and as the President of the Rideout Health Foundation. Jake is the Chief Operating Officer at Jefferson Healthcare. He formerly ser

PORT TOWNSEND, WA — The Jefferson County Fire Marshal and local Fire District Chiefs met on Tuesday, September 15, to review current weather, fuel moisture, and fire behavior conditions. Based on that assessment and engagement with state and regional officials, the county will return to a Moderate Fire Danger rating beginning September 18, 2026, until further notice. Jefferson County was declared a High Fire Danger rating on July 22, 2026. With the return of rain around the c