NEWS BRIEFS — First Friday talk in Port Townsend to feature hobo poetry . . . and other items

Published 12:01 am Wednesday, November 5, 2014

PORT TOWNSEND — The Jefferson County Historical Society First Friday Lecture this Friday will feature local poet Finn Wilcox reading from his book Here Among the Sacrificed.

The program begins at 7 p.m. in Port Townsend’s historic City Council chambers, located at 540 Water St.

Admission is by donation and supports historical society programs.

Wilcox began riding the rails in 1969. He explains that he left the road and took to the trains due to Charlie Manson and the paranoia of hitchhikers on the highway.

Other books of his poetry include Nine Flower Mountain and Lesson Learned: Love Poems.

For more information, visit www.jchsmuseum.org.

Port Townsend awarded grant

PORT TOWNSEND — The city has been awarded a $6,000 Digital Skills Training grant from the Washington State Library.

The grant will be used in a two-part project at the Port Townsend Library to develop skills for digital literacy among youths and adults in the community.

One component of the project will involve classes focused on basic digital skill competencies with tablet computers such as iPads.

The second will provide instruction in Windows-based computer programming and coding.

Librarians Keith Darrock and Kit Ward-Crixell will teach the class series, which will run from January through April.

Information will soon be available on the library’s website, www.ptpubliclibrary.org.

For more information, contact Darrock at 360-390-4061 or kdarrock@cityofpt.us.

Discussion group

SEQUIM — The Sequim Great Decisions Discussion Group will meet at the Sequim Library, 630 N. Sequim Ave., from 10 a.m. to noon Friday.

The day’s topic is U.S. trade policy.

“America’s foreign policy tools are not limited to sanctions, treaties or military campaigns,” a news release said. “They also include the sales pitch. The logic behind this pitch, or ‘economic statecraft,’ is simple: promote the benefits of democracy and the free market.

“In so doing, the U.S. will gain valuable and stable partners, both in business and in diplomacy. Now, as China and other emerging nations battle the U.S. for global influence, Secretary Kerry will take the reins as a free market matchmaker.”

The suggested background reading for the discussion is the article “U.S. Trade Policy” from the 2014 Great Decisions Briefing Book, published by the Foreign Policy Association.

New members are welcome.

For more information, and a schedule of future meetings, visit www.tinyurl.com/SequimGreatDecisionsDiscussion.

Fall carnival set

CHIMACUM — Chimacum School’s fall carnival will be in the school’s multipurpose room, 91 West Valley Road, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday.

The evening is billed as an event for families with children 12 and younger.

Pizza, hot dogs, popcorn, soda and juice are on the dinner menu.

Admission is free; game tickets are 25 cents each.

The Chimacum PTSA is sponsoring the event.

For information, contact Elma Beary at 360-379-6519 or elmabeary@gmail.com.

Peninsula College seeks volunteer tutors

PORT ANGELES — Peninsula College in Port Angeles, Forks, Sequim, Port Hadlock and Neah Bay is looking for volunteer tutors who can help students with high school-level math, reading and writing in its Adult Education or English as a Second Language (ESL) programs.

No prior training in education is necessary.

Volunteer schedules are flexible. The only requirement for tutors is that they be willing to devote a minimum of one hour at least once a week.

Sites where volunteers are needed and the hours are:

■   Port Angeles — ESL: Tuesday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-noon; Adult Education: Tuesday-Friday, 8 a.m.- 1 p.m.

■   Sequim — ESL: Tuesday-Friday, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.; Adult Education: Monday-Thursday, 8:30 a.m.-noon.

■   Forks — ESL: Tuesday-Friday, 5 p.m.-9 p.m.; Adult Education: Monday-Thursday, 8:15 a.m.-11:45 p.m.

■   Neah Bay — Adult Education: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

■   Port Hadlock — ESL: Tuesday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-noon; Adult Education: Tuesday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-noon.

For more information, email htaga@pencol.edu or phone 360-417-6512.