By Peninsula Daily News staff
and The Associated Press
THIS WEEK’S BUSINESS meetings (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.
However, the chamber won’t meet this Monday because of Labor Day.
The weekly meetings reconvene Sept. 9 with Clallam County District Court Judge Rick Porter as guest speaker.
Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce — Weekly luncheon meetings are held Mondays at noon at the Port Townsend Elks Lodge, 555 Otto St.
However, the chamber won’t meet this Monday because of Labor Day.
The weekly meetings reconvene Sept. 9 with Centrum Executive Director Robert Birman as guest speaker.
Forks Chamber of Commerce — Luncheon meetings are Wednesdays at noon at JT’s Sweet Stuffs, 80 N. Forks Ave.
After a summer break, the chamber resumes its weekly schedule this Wednesday (Sept. 4) with a business meeting.
Lunch costs $8; a bowl of soup, $4.75; and a cup of soup, $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.
Gatherings resume Sept. 16 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 (Sept. 3) featured speakers will be Port of Port Angeles commissioner candidates Del DelaBarre and Colleen McAleer. Their names will be on the Clallam countywide ballot this fall.
There is a $3 minimum charge by Joshua’s for those who do not order breakfast.
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Mortgage seminar
SEQUIM — A seminar on reverse mortgages will be presented by Eagle Home Mortgage Loan Officer Carol King from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday (Sept. 4)
The free event will be held at the Sequim Library, 630 N. Sequim Ave., with a question-and-answer session following the lecture.
King will discuss how reverse mortgages work, their benefits and why a reverse mortgage is not right for everyone.
King has 25 years of real estate experience and four years as a reverse mortgage specialist.
To RSVP or for more information, phone King at 360-683-2688.
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Learning therapy
PORT TOWNSEND — Students and their parents are invited to an open house at Surpass the Class Literacy & Learning Center, 211 Taylor St., Suite 31-A, from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. this coming Saturday (Sept. 7).
Beth Miller, who has a master’s degree in education, brings 17 years of classroom experience as a special education teacher and reading therapist to her new business venture.
Surpass the Class specializes in individualized educational therapy for students who struggle with reading or who have language-based learning differences such as dyslexia or dysgraphia.
Visitors to Saturday’s event can check out the facility, review materials used in individual therapy sessions and learn how multi-sensory, research-based methods are adapted to each student’s abilities and needs.
Visitors also can enter a drawing to receive an assessment package for half-price.
The individualized package includes a student assessment, written report and 45-minute consultation with the student’s parents.
For more information, visit surpasstheclass.com or phone Miller at 360-774-5190.
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State labor workshop set on Sept. 12
PORT ANGELES — A workshop to help new employers better understand their rights and responsibilities relative to the state Department of Labor and Industries and services provided by the department is planned for Port Angeles.
The free workshop will be held at the L&I office, 1605 E. Front St., Suite C, from 9 a.m. to noon Thursday, Sept. 12.
Participants will learn about workers’ compensation, quarterly reporting, critical claims management strategies, workplace safety and health requirements, wage and hour laws, and contractor registration rules.
This workshop also covers payroll, overtime, meal and break requirements, recordkeeping, the importance of paying for workers’ compensation and the importance of managing claims to a business’ bottom line.
Online registration is encouraged at www.Workshops.lni.wa.gov or phone 800-574-2829 and cite course No. 3-78-0077.
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Health Care Act meeting set in Forks
FORKS — Information about the Affordable Health Care Act mandate will be presented at a town hall meeting at the Forks Elks Lodge, 941 Merchants Road, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 23.
People between the ages of 19 and 65 are encouraged to attend and learn about what the health care mandate means to them and to make an appointment to look at options for health care coverage to begin Jan. 1.
The event is sponsored by Information & Assistance and Forks Community Hospital.
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PA winery gets ‘outstanding’ for ’09 Sangiovese
PORT ANGELES — Harbinger Winery of Port Angeles recently was recognized with an “Outstanding” by the Great Northwest Wine online newsletter for its 2009 Sangiovese.
Harbinger winemaker Sara Gagnon said grapes for this wine are grown in the Elephant Mountain Vineyard, at the northern end of the Yakima Valley.
Andy Purdue, a contributing writer on wine for The Seattle Times and editor and publisher of Great Northwest Wine, described Harbinger’s 2009 Sangiovese as “opening up with aromas of oak, black cherry, black olive, and cola, followed closely with rich flavors of cherry, vanilla, and a sprinkling of cocoa.
“It is a big wine with the fruit to support it and is rated ‘Outstanding’ by Great Northwest Wine.”
The 2009 Sangiovese is available for tasting and purchase at Harbinger Winery, 2358 W. U.S. Highway 101.
The tasting room is open daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
For more information, phone the winery at 360-452-4262.
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Parks, Subway team
OLYMPIA —The state Parks and Recreation Commission and Subway restaurants have partnered on No Family Left Inside, a program to reward park visitors by honoring the state Discover Pass in all 406 Subway restaurants located in 17 counties throughout Western Washington.
The partnership was made in honor of the Washington State Parks Centennial and National Public Lands Day on Sept. 28.
Anyone who visits participating Subway restaurants and shows their Discover Pass this month will receive a free 6-inch sandwich with the purchase of a 6-inch sandwich of equal or greater value and a 30-ounce drink.
Subway locations in Jefferson and Clallam counties are participating.
On Sept. 28, the 20th anniversary of National Public Lands Day, the Discover Pass requirement is waived at state parks.
Subway restaurants will help celebrate that day by giving away $5,000 in cash cards to the first 100 people to visit designated state parks, including Dosewallips State Park in Brinnon and Fort Worden State Park in Port Townsend.
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PT a great site to reinvent yourself
PORT TOWNSEND — Port Townsend recently was named one of the “Nine Best Places to Reinvent Yourself” by national real estate blog Estately: http://blog.estately.com.
Other locations included Nome, Alaska; Trinidad, Colo.; Bar Harbor, Maine; Miami; and Houston.
The blog called Port Townsend “a haven for independent boat-builders, starving artists and urban castaways who’ve fled the city.
“Port Townsend’s fleet of wooden boats and cozy cabins provide ideal habitat for those nursing broken hearts and professional burnout.
“The sky can be a gray soup for much of the year, but that just hides the transformative properties of the town.
“For some unknown reason, Port Townsend is where loggers become yoga teachers, and investment bankers become boatwrights, and lawyers become farmers.
“Newcomers usually find their own community in town, and stand a good chance of meeting some likeminded soul and living happily ever with some cats aboard a sailboat . . .”
To read the article, click on www.tinyurl.com/p6zgfpv.
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Medical clinic moves locale on Water St.
PORT TOWNSEND — The Jefferson County Medical Advocacy and Services Headquarters (JC MASH) medical clinic is moving to a new location on Water Street in Port Townsend, where physicians and support staff will provide free medical care to patients beginning Tuesday (Sept. 3).
The clinic’s new office is located at 1136 Water St., Suite 109, in the former Port Townsend Clinic building across from Don’s Pharmacy.
The building is on the Jefferson Transit bus line and adjacent to parking.
The clinic will be open Tuesdays from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. to receive patients on a first-come, first-served basis.
No patient is turned away because of a lack of ability to pay.
JC MASH was founded in 1993 with the support of the American Legion and local churches. James K. Rotchford, M.D. was a founding board member and continues as medical director.
Drs. Cathy Parkman and Douwe Rienstra have contributed their professional time.
Registered nurse Joan Cole serves as manager and volunteer coordinator of the Port Townsend and Port Hadlock clinics.
Rotchford and Rienstra contribute their professional time to provide free care for patients.
JC MASH operates a second clinic in Port Hadlock at 121 Oak Bay Road in Kively Center.
Advanced registered nurse practitioner Ken Brown donates his professional time to serve patients from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Thursdays.
JC MASH is a nonprofit organization administered by a board of directors with funding provided by United
Good Neighbors, Rotary Club of Port Townsend, churches and private donors.
The board expressed its appreciation and gratitude to the American Legion Post 26 for its generosity through 20 years of donating its space to the clinic for $1 per year.
For information, visit JCMASH.com.
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RONE graduates
PORT TOWNSEND — Four Jefferson Healthcare hospital employees recently graduated from the hospital’s Rural Outreach Nursing Education program.
Graduates Christa Ligtenberg, Cindy Detering, Rachel Collins, and Me’l Christiansen are all from Jefferson County.
The RONE program is a two-year, online nursing curriculum in collaboration with Lower Columbia Community College in Longview.
The students completed their clinical practicum at a home hospital facility or at Jefferson Healthcare.
The RONE program is a strategic initiative of Jefferson Healthcare implemented in direct response to a predicted nursing shortage.
This program enables Jefferson Healthcare to proactively address the needs of the organization.
The program began in 2008 at Jefferson Healthcare and is administered by Amber Hudson, a registered nurse in the Family Birth Center.
A total of 13 graduates have completed the program since its inception.
Jefferson Healthcare CEO Mike Glenn and Chief Nursing Officer Joyce Cardinal spoke at a graduation ceremony held in the Dirksen Auditorium at the hospital and congratulated the graduates on their accomplishment.
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IPhone trade-in ahead of unveiling
LOS ANGELES — Excited about the new iPhone expected to be unveiled Sept. 10?
Apple will now join others in allowing you to trade in your old model.
The company said it will give customers credit for functioning older models at Apple Stores.
The credit can be used toward the purchase of a new iPhone, which will be activated in the store.
It didn’t say how much older phones would be worth.
But other brokers such as Gazelle.com offer anywhere from $10 for a working iPhone 3G to $350 for an iPhone 5 that is in pristine condition.
Similar trade-in programs are run by retailers including Best Buy, Target and Radio Shack.
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Starbucks snacks
NEW YORK — By next week, Starbucks said it will start rolling out its own brand of snack bars and fruit pouches, marking yet another push into packaged foods.
The bars and Evolution Fresh bottled juices, which are already in about a third of the Seattle-based company’s U.S. cafes, also are being sold at Whole Foods supermarkets.
The Evolution fruit-and-nut bars will cost $1.95 and replace the Kind bars the chain currently sells for the same price. The Evolution freeze-dried fruit packs will cost $2.50 and replace the $2 Peeled fruit packs.
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Moratorium on pot
PASCO — One of the largest cities in Eastern Washington is pondering a six-month moratorium on producing, processing and selling legalized recreational marijuana within the city limit.
The Pasco City Council said it needs more time to review the possible impacts of a state-regulated marijuana system.
Councilman Saul Martinez said legalized marijuana puts the city at risk of violating federal law and interfering with what Washington voters want.
City Attorney Leland Kerr said cities can set six-month or yearlong moratoriums on marijuana-related businesses.
The council is expected to vote on the moratorium at its Sept. 3 meeting.
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New Tylenol cap
WASHINGTON — Bottles of Tylenol sold in the U.S. will soon bear red warnings alerting users to the potentially fatal risks of taking too much of the popular pain reliever.
The unusual step comes amid a growing number of lawsuits and pressure from the federal government.
Johnson & Johnson said the warning will appear on the cap of each new bottle of Extra Strength Tylenol sold in the U.S. in October and on most other Tylenol bottles in coming months.
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New retailer CEO
SEATTLE — Six months after Sally Jewell was picked to be Interior secretary, Seattle-based Recreational Equipment, Inc. has chosen a new CEO.
The outdoor gear and apparel retailer Friday named Jerry Stritzke as its new leader.
Stritzke comes from luxury accessory maker Coach, where he recently worked as president and COO.
Before that, Stritzke worked at Victoria’s Secret as COO.
REI board members said Stritzke brings experience in retail operations and building lifestyle brands.
He will begin his new job in October.
In February, President Barack Obama picked Jewell to lead the Department of Interior.
In April, Jewell was confirmed by the Senate and left the consumer-owned cooperative.
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Our tax rates
OLYMPIA — Consumers in Washington and four other states pay the nation’s highest combined state and average local tax rates, according to a new study by the Tax Foundation, a nonpartisan research group.
The five states with the highest average combined rates are Tennessee (9.44 percent), Arkansas (9.18 percent), Louisiana (8.89 percent), Washington (8.87 percent), and Oklahoma (8.72 percent), the Tax Foundation found.
Washington’s sales tax rate is currently 6.5 percent and the combined state and local rate can be as high as 9.5 percent, according to taxrates.com.
Sales taxes are an important source of revenue for Washington, one of nine states without an individual income tax (Tennessee is another).
Washington is one of 38 states that allow local governments to levy sales taxes.
A recent state Department of Revenue study ranked Washington 36th for overall state and local tax burden when compared to income.
