Peninsula Daily News staff and Associated Press
Kokopelli to reopen
PORT ANGELES — Kokopelli Grill, 203 E. Front St., will reopen Friday (Feb.1) after a complete remodeling of the restaurant’s dining rooms.
Owners Michael and Candy McQuay said they promise “the menu is the same great seafood and steaks, all with a Southwest twist.”
Phone Kokopelli at 360-457-6040 for information.
Love letter project
PORT ANGELES — Hannah Brencher’s project “We Need More Love Letters” is being brought to Port Angeles by Thriving on the Olympic Peninsula, a collaboration between life coaches Kristin Halberg, Mindy Aisling and Marie McCartney.
An informational meeting for the project will be held at the Port Angeles Library, 2210 S. Peabody St., from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 6.
“We Need More Love Letters” has been described by the “Ted Talks” Internet lecture series as “a global organization that uses the power of social media to write and mail love letters to individuals in need.”
Brencher’s project started in New York City when she decided to meet her own depression by writing anonymous love letters, leaving them around town for perfect strangers.
The Chicago Tribune wrote: “Though written by and to perfect strangers, the human connection and tangibility of handwriting on stationery strike a personal chord.”
Completed letters will be distributed randomly in the community throughout the month of February.
If you know of someone who might benefit from a series of love letters, let organizers know.
Thriving on the Olympic Peninsula will supply all the materials.
For more information, visit www.moreloveletters.com or www.thrivingontheop.com or phone Halberg at 425-343-2374, Aisling at 360-393-8992 or McCartney at 360-460-5878.
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New practice open
SEQUIM — Psychotherapist Beth Lahren has opened Lahren-gitis Psychotherapy at 520 N. Sequim Ave.
The slogan of her practice is “When no one else can hear you, call me.”
After six years of full-time training in psychology, Lahren graduated last fall from Argosy University, Seattle campus.
Initial phone consultations with Lahren are free.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, contact Lahren at 360-461-1907 or via lahren-gitis.com.
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IRA rollover donations
PORT ANGELES — Tax season has officially begun, and a little-known option that came out of the “fiscal cliff” deal in Congress is getting wide praise from charities like United Way of Clallam County.
United Way officials note that under the “IRA Charitable Rollover,” taxpayers who are 70½ or older are eligible to move as much as $100,000 from their IRAs directly to qualified charities without having to pay income taxes on the money.
This provision is retroactive to Jan. 1, 2012.
In addition, Congress recognized the issues with a late extension and provided two special transition rules: qualified distributions made by Feb. 1, 2013, may be counted retroactively for the 2012 tax year.
Also, a taxpayer who took a distribution from an IRA in December 2012 may make a contribution to a qualified charity before Feb. 1, 2013, and treat the gift as a direct transfer.
This means individuals can transfer up to $100,000 a year directly from a traditional or Roth IRA to a qualified charity like Clallam United Way and avoid paying income taxes on the funds transferred.
These direct transfers from an IRA also can satisfy the IRS Required Minimum Distribution.
For more information, United Way officials say, contact your tax accountant or phone the Clallam United Way office at 360-457-3011.
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Declutter class
SEQUIM — Brenda Spandrio, aka The Declutter Lady, this week finishes up her series of three free workshops to share ways in which people can declutter and organize at home and at work.
The final workshop, “Managing Paper Clutter,” is at Quality Inn & Suites, 134 River Road, on Tuesday (Jan. 29).
Participants have a choice of attending one of two sessions: 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. or 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
RSVPs are requested. To RSVP or for more information, phone Spandrio at 360-504-2520.
Or email brenda@thedeclutterlady.com.
Her first two workshops, “Decluttering When You Don’t Know Where To Start” and “Conquering Computer Clutter,” were held earlier this month.
Spandrio, a professional organizer, said she scheduled the free workshops this month because January is national Get Organized Month.
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PA agency at expo
PORT ANGELES — Debbie Mangano, owner of We Promote You, a local marketing company, attended the The Expo in Las Vegas from Jan. 15-18.
The Expo is an annual industry show that brings together the industry’s largest collection of exhibitors, with nearly 3,300 companies representing every facet of the promotional products field.
While there, Mangano also took part in professional development sessions and attended a fashion show highlighting the newest trends in corporate and team wear.
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Nursery classes
SEQUIM — Peninsula Nurseries, 1060 Sequim-Dungeness Way, will hold a free workshop, “Insect and Disease Control,” at 10 a.m. this coming Saturday (Feb. 2).
The instructor will be R.T. Ball.
RSVPs are requested to 360-681-7953.
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Leave a legacy
PORT ANGELES — Thrivent Financial for Lutherans will host “My Legacy Matters: Living and Planning a Meaningful Legacy,” a free educational workshop for people at or near retirement.
The workshop will be held at St. Matthew Lutheran Church, 132 E. 13th St., from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday (Jan. 30).
The workshop presenter will be Stephen C. Moser.
A light complimentary dinner will be served.
For more information or to register for the workshop, phone Thrivent Financial’s office in Sequim at 360-681-8882 or email stephen.moser@thrivent.com.
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Security promotion
PORT ANGELES — Julie Sell has been promoted to manager of safety and security at Olympic Medical Center.
Sell has been with OMC since August 2009 and succeeds Michael Hall, who recently retired.
“Those of us who have worked with Julie find her to be knowledgeable, energetic, helpful, hard-working, productive and determined,” said OMC’s chief human resources officer, Richard Newman.
“She is always supporting and promoting OMC’s mission of providing outstanding health care to our patients. We are pleased to see her move into this new role.”
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Consultant on staff
SEQUIM — Deon Kapetan has joined Cherry Creek Mortgage Co. Inc. as a senior mortgage consultant.
Kapetan will provide lending services and run the day-to-day operations at the new Sequim branch at 564 N. Fifth Ave.
She has been involved in real estate and mortgage lending for almost 19 years.
Prior to joining Cherry Creek Mortgage, Kapetan was the regional team leader for residential lending for a community bank.
“She brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her mortgage lending and is particularly experienced at construction to permanent financing,” said branch Manager Roger Rheinheimer.
A longtime Sequim resident, Kapetan is an active volunteer, currently serving as director of the Sequim Irrigation Festival. She has served on the festival’s board since 1999.
She is also a board member of the Dungeness Chamber of Commerce and Jeff Caterina Foundation, which assists severely ill children in Jefferson and Clallam counties.
Kapetan is also an affiliate member of the Sequim Association of Realtors, in which her previous lending team was awarded “Affiliate of the Year” in 2009.
The mortgage lender offers in-house underwriting, control of the appraisal process and a wide variety of loan programs, including FHA, USDA, VA, reverse mortgages, construction loans and conventional products.
For more information, phone Kapetan at 360-683-1515 or visit www.ccmcsequim.com.
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Gallery to open
SEQUIM — A grand opening and ribbon-cutting for Sequim’s LARC Gallery, 166 E. Bell St., will be at 12:30 p.m. Friday (Feb. 1).
Owner Shirley Mercer said the Local Artist Resource Center Gallery, which will rent space by the linear foot to artists, will be open for the First Friday Art Walk from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. that day.
LARC also will host art classes.
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Fitness expert talk
SEQUIM — Jay Bryan, exercise physiologist of Anytime Fitness, will speak on whole foods that are beneficial to the cardiovascular system in a “Heart Health Month” presentation at Nash’s Farm Store, 4681 Sequim-Dungeness Way, at 4 p.m. Tuesday (Jan. 29).
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Facility to expand
SEQUIM — Owners of Dungeness Courte Alzheimer’s Community were joined by Sequim-Dungeness Valley Chamber of Commerce officials for groundbreaking ceremonies last week.
The facility is expanding with an additional four semi-private rooms, a new beauty salon, additional storage and a new gazebo to the facility at 651 Garry Oak Drive.
The remodel also will include new furnishings and updates to the existing building.
Dungeness Courte recently received a citation-free survey of its facilities from a state inspection.
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Faire applications
SEQUIM — The Sequim Lavender Farm Faire is now accepting applications for arts, crafts and merchant booths for the July 19-21 Sequim Lavender Weekend.
Applications can be downloaded at www.sequimlavenderfarms.org.
The booth fee is $275.
For more information, email info@sequimlavenderfarms.org or phone 360-452-6300.
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New brand added
SEQUIM — Best Friend Nutrition, a health food store for pets, has added The Honest Kitchen brand to its current frequent-buyer program lineup.
The program offers customers credit for the purchase of various sizes of The Honest Kitchen’s dehydrated dog and cat food products.
After the purchase of a certain number of boxes, the customer receives a free box.
Other frequent-buyer brands are Orijen, Acana, Fromm 4 Star, Blue Buffalo, Blue Buffalo Wilderness, Solid Gold, Primal Pet Foods and Nature’s Logic.
For more information, phone 360-681-8458 or visit the store at 680 W. Washington Ave.
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Maples cut down
SHELTON — Twenty-one full-grown maple trees — some as old as 100 years — have been chopped down inside 89-acre Jarrell Cove State Park on Harstine Island in Mason County.
Many of the trees were left behind, chopped up into pieces.
Ranger Mischa Cowles said it appeared the thieves were looking for high-quality, 2-foot sections of maple to be used to make violins or guitars.
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Crab boat aground
LONG BEACH — Four people and a dog were rescued from a 61-foot crab boat that ran aground on the southwest Washington coast, and crews were working Saturday to pump an estimated 1,200 gallons of fuel off the vessel.
The Coast Guard responded early Friday to the Genesis A after the Warrenton, Ore., boat got stuck on a sand bar at the entrance to Willapa Bay.
Fish and Wildlife officials closed a mile-long section at the northwest end of the Long Beach Peninsula to keep razor clam diggers away from the vessel.
The state said 90 percent of the beach remains open for a three-day clam dig.
The boat owner was trying to recover his crab catch from the hold.
