Philip Watness

Port Townsend: Ex-resident awaits word whether she’ll return to 200 miles from Afghanistan

Kazakstan awaits former Port Townsend newspaper reporter Miranda Bryant's return, but the Peace Corps hasn't decided whether she'll go back. The terrorist attacks Sept. 11… Continue reading

Port Townsend: Mill still considering paper-bag production situation

PORT TOWNSEND -- No decision has been made regarding the paper bag-making plant at Port Townsend Paper Corp. Company President John Begley had planned to… Continue reading

Hollywood secrets from a Saint

PORT TOWNSEND -- Actor Cary Grant was the best kisser, director Otto Preminger treated the stars well but not the extras, and Alfred Hitchcock let… Continue reading

Peninsula: What will happen when Hood Canal Bridge is closed in 2006?

PORT TOWNSEND -- More than 15,000 vehicles cross the Hood Canal Bridge every day. That number jumps to nearly 20,000 cars, trucks, semitrailers, RVs and… Continue reading

Students, community rally around flagpole at Port Townsend High

PORT TOWNSEND -- Businesses are rallying around a flagpole project planned by the senior class of Port Townsend High School. The support has been so… Continue reading

Port Townsend: Skipper of Coast Guard cutter steps down Friday

PORT TOWNSEND -- The headlines don't impress Coast Guard Master Chief Petty Officer Bill Sheretz. It's the footnotes that gain his respect and admiration. As… Continue reading

Alarm sounded on Fire Bell Tower funding

PORT TOWNSEND -- The historic Fire Bell Tower atop the bluff overlooking Port Townsend once called volunteers to fight fires. Now, preservationists are sounding the… Continue reading

Fort Worden birthday celebration planning under way

PORT TOWNSEND -- Plans for Fort Worden State Park's 100th birthday next year include celebrations in May, July, October and December. Centennial coordinator Perry Spring… Continue reading

Jefferson County budget OK — for now

The Jefferson County budget looks OK for the immediate future, but projections indicate the county could face a $5.65 million shortfall by 2006. The General… Continue reading

Port Hadlock: Auto repair shop wins governor’s praise

PORT HADLOCK -- Environmentally friendly and automobile repair are two phrases rarely said in the same breath. Yet Reto and Jana Filli built their six-bay… Continue reading

Jefferson election results: Chimacum, Ludlow EMS levies pass; Okerman and Knoepfle will battle in November

The Port Ludlow and Chimacum fire districts will never again have to ask voters to approve an Emergency Medical Services levy. That's because both districts… Continue reading

Jefferson: Election in three fire districts concludes today

Port Ludlow and Chimacum fire district officials hope for approval in today's primary election of their request for a permanent emergency medical services levy. The… Continue reading

Jefferson: Courthouse clock tower in need of $3.5 million in repairs

PORT TOWNSEND -- Jefferson County officials say it will cost $3.5 million to reinforce structural defects in the courthouse clock tower. County Public Works Director… Continue reading

Port Townsend: Hundreds gather to remember victims

PORT TOWNSEND -- The vapor trail of a jet airliner served as an impromptu flyby during memorial services at the Jefferson County Courthouse on Friday.… Continue reading

Marrowstone: Woman tapped for relief work, but can’t get to New York City

MARROWSTONE ISLAND -- Rita Kepner of Marrowstone Island has seen suffering first hand -- from the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma to earthquake… Continue reading

Destruction vivid for those with Peninsula ties

Plumes of smoke rose from the debris that once was the twin towers of the World Trade Center. A thick dust-ash mixture coated everything within… Continue reading

Port Townsend: Fire chief details ambitious inspection plan of historical buildings

PORT TOWNSEND -- The city's historical downtown core has escaped conflagration for more than a century. Fire Chief Ed Edwards worries that luck could be… Continue reading

Chimacum: Band director pleads innocent in theft

PORT TOWNSEND -- Chimacum High School band teacher David Ralph Jones pleaded innocent Friday to first-degree theft for allegedly stealing $4,000 raised by band students… Continue reading

Port Townsend: New exhibits tell tale of Peninsula’s natural history

PORT TOWNSEND -- An old building with new exhibits will reach back in time to tell the natural history of the North Olympic Peninsula. Building… Continue reading

Port Townsend: Mayor, residents oppose cutting down trees to make room for ferry holding lanes

PORT TOWNSEND -- Residents don't want their poplar trees along Sims Way cut down to make way for more ferry traffic lanes. Mayor George Masci… Continue reading