This week’s business meetings on the North Olympic Peninsula:
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.
This Monday’s featured speakers will be North Peninsula Building Association Executive Director FaLeana Wech and board member Bill Roberds, who will detail the association’s Homes for Our Troops project.
In addition, they will provide an updated report on North Olympic Peninsula construction activity.
Luncheon tickets are $13 and can be purchased from the meeting room cashier.
Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce — Weekly luncheon meetings are held Mondays at noon at the Port Townsend Elks Lodge, 555 Otto St.
This Monday’s featured speaker will be Judith-Kate Friedman, founder and director of Songwriting Works Educational Foundation.
She will discuss the foundation’s Olympic Peninsula National Endowment for the Arts projects, including partnerships between the business community and professional musicians.
Lunch will be catered by Jordini’s, and the meeting sponsor will be Circle & Square Auto Care of Port Hadlock.
Forks Chamber of Commerce — Luncheon meetings are Wednesdays at noon at JT’s Sweet Stuffs, 80 N. Forks Ave.
This Wednesday’s program includes a business meeting for chamber members.
Lunch costs $8; a bowl of soup, $4.75; and a cup of soup, $4.
Port Angeles Business Association — Breakfast meetings are Tuesdays at 7:30 a.m. at Joshua’s Restaurant, 113 -DelGuzzi Drive.
The program for this Tuesday’s meeting will be on the North Olympic Peninsula housing market with Kelly
Johnson, president of the Port Angeles Association of Realtors, and Dick Pilling, immediate past president.
There is a $2.16 minimum charge by Joshua’s for those who do not order breakfast.
________
Young Professionals’ business mixer slated Wednesday
BLYN — A networking event for Jefferson and Clallam counties’ young professionals will be hosted by 7 Cedars Casino on Wednesday, May 1.
This event will be held in the casino’s Club Seven lounge from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The evening will bring together the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals Network and the Peninsula Young Professionals Network.
The evening will allow attendees to extend and freshen up their network in a fun, social environment, organizers said.
Membership in either group is not required to attend the event, and those interested in joining either organization are encouraged to attend.
For more information, email admin@jeff countychamber.org or getconnected@pypn.org.
________
First Step hire
PORT ANGELES — Staci Matthes has joined First Step Family Support Center as development manager.
Matthes will oversee the organization’s public relations efforts, manage its website and social media efforts, and focus on donor recruitment and fundraising events.
Matthes has 17 years of marketing and public relations experience, most recently as an independent contractor assisting small-business owners with their marketing and social media campaigns.
“As a mother, daughter and woman, I truly believe in First Step’s mission and am proud to be able to do my part in making sure that these important programs continue to meet the needs of the community,” said
Matthes.
Matthes replaces Melissa Randazzo, who is moving to Olympia to join her husband, Matthew. He was recently hired as special assistant to state Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark.
For more information, phone 360-457-8355 or visit www.firststepfamily.org.
________
New salon stylist
PORT ANGELES — Hairstylist Shawna Linn has joined Hair Systems West, 1006 W. 12th St.
She offers men’s, women’s and children’s haircuts; men’s designer cuts, color and highlights; beaded extensions; special occasion updos; and ear piercings.
She recently certified as a DevaCurl stylist, receiving training on cutting and caring for naturally curly hair.
Linn also offers “Deva Hair Cuts” and three-step moisture treatments.
Her hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and evenings and weekends by appointment.
For more information, phone Linn at 360-461-0565.
________
Guest milestone
PORT TOWNSEND — Ichikawa Japanese Cuisine recently served its 250,000th guest meal.
The patrons-served milestone is almost 13 years after the Port Townsend restaurant’s opening day July 12, 2000, and just a month past the 10th anniversary of the arrival of executive chef Peter Nakamura.
The winning couple received a $250 gift certificate.
Ichikawa Japanese Cuisine is located 1208 Water St.
________
Nursery hours set
SEQUIM — McComb Gardens, 751 McComb Road, will operate on its spring/summer hours schedule beginning Wednesday.
The nursery will be open every day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, phone the nursery at 360-681-2827.
________
PDN staffers win state press association awards
SEATTLE — Staff members of the Peninsula Daily News and Peninsula College’s student newspaper, The Buccaneer, won a combined six awards at the Washington Press Association’s recent 2012 Communications Contest luncheon banquet.
PDN Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb, PDN Advertising Special Sections Editor Trish Tisdale, and Peninsula College Buccaneer Photo and Online Editor Sarah Lindquist each won two awards April 21 during ceremonies at the Museum of Flight.
Gottlieb won second place in government and politics reporting among daily newspapers with the article, “Clallam PUD Taking Another Look at its Employee Car Reimbursement Rate.”
Gottlieb won honorable mention in the general news-daily newspaper category for the article, “Report of Woman’s Death Greatly Exaggerated.”
Tisdale won two first-place awards in the daily newspaper category.
One award was in page layout design for the 2012-2013 fall/winter North Olympic Peninsula Newcomers’ & Visitors’ Guide.
Her second award was for single ad design for a display advertisement for the Firefighter’s Harvest fundraising dinner, which was sponsored by the Port Angeles Fire Department Auxiliary and Clallam County Fire District No. 2.
Lindquist received first- and third-place awards in the student category for graphic design-illustration.
Lindquist won first place for a political cartoon titled “Out of the Closet,” which was about gay marriage.
She received a third-place award for a political cartoon titled “4 Years,” about President Barack Obama.
The 250 entries in the contest — 80 more than in 2011 — covered the 2012 calendar year and were marked by a healthy increase in college submissions, WPA President Bill Virgin said.
________
Old-growth forests
GRANTS PASS, Ore. — A federal appeals court has thrown out an agreement between environmentalists and the federal government that restored protections for rare species in old-growth forests.
The ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was a victory for the timber industry, which was shut out of talks leading to the agreement.
The appeals court found that such a significant change in forest management has to go through a public process.
The ruling is the latest in long-running court battles over the Northwest Forest Plan, which cut logging by 90 percent in Northwest national forests to protect fish and wildlife.
Federal agencies had proposed throwing out a provision known as Survey and Manage, which required them to look for 400 species of rare plants and animals before logging.
