PORT ANGELES — NOAA’s Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary is seeking applicants for four seats on its advisory council.
The council ensures public participation in sanctuary management and provides advice to the sanctuary superintendent.
Applications are being accepted for the following seats: citizen-at-large (primary and alternate) and research (primary and alternate).
Candidates are selected based on their expertise and experience in relation to the seat for which they are applying, community and professional affiliations, and views regarding the protection and management of marine resources.
The chosen applicants should expect to serve a three-year term, with a term end date of Dec. 31, 2019.
The advisory council consists of 22 seats with 42 primary and alternate members, representing a variety of public interest groups, state and federal agencies, and tribes.
Applications are due Wednesday, Nov. 30.
To receive an application kit or for more information, contact Karlyn Langjahr at 360-457-6622, ext. 31, or Karlyn.Langjahr@noaa.gov; contact Norma Klein at 360-457-6622, ext. 10, or Norma.Klein@noaa.gov; or mail the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, 115 E. Railroad Ave., Suite 301, Port Angeles, WA 98362.
Application kits can also be downloaded from the sanctuary’s website at http://tinyurl.com/pdn-sanctuaryapp.
Jazz at the Pub
PORT ANGELES — Jazz at the Pub will take place in Peninsula College’s Pirate Union Building (PUB), 1502 E. Lauridsen Blvd., from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.
This is a non-smoking, alcohol-free, informal environment in which to hear “America’s Classical Music.”
The PC Jazz Ensemble features Robbin Eaves on vocals with a 16-piece jazz big band. Along with their usual complement of saxes, brass and rhythm, they will be joined by Kate Powers on electric violin.
Classic standards from the pens of Jules Styne, Vincent Youmans, George Shearing and Henry Mancini will be heard along with jazz tunes by John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Thad Jones, Chuck Mangione and Freddie Hubbard.
In addition, two new works created to feature Powers on violin by the band’s director, Dr. David P. Jones, will be given their world premiere performances at this concert.
Guests are invited to bring a lunch, buy lunch at the Bookaneer Market and Deli on campus, bring books to study or just listen. Admission is free.
For more information, contact Jones at 360-417-6405 or djones@pencol.edu.
Allegations made
SEATTLE — Sen. Maria Cantwell is asking the Federal Trade Commission to investigate allegations that Office Depot is making people buy unneeded computer repair packages and software.
The Seattle Democrat sent a letter to FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez on Friday saying the office supply store offers free computer scans to customers to check for viruses and malware.
Citing a report by KIRO-TV, Cantwell said Office Depot often tried to convince people to buy expensive repair services by telling them their computers had viruses or malware, even if the computers were new and unused.
In a statement, Cantwell said people rely on their computers for school, work and other matters and “Office Depot’s exploitative behavior is particularly disturbing.”
Office Depot said in a statement that it “in no way condones” the behavior described in the media reports.
It said it’s reviewing the allegations “and will take appropriate action.”
The company said it was suspending its personal computer tune-up services while the review was ongoing.
Farm ruling
GIG HARBOR — A state Court of Appeals has ruled against a proposed Kitsap Peninsula geoduck farm, handing a citizens’ group a key victory.
The court last week affirmed a decision by a state hearings board to deny an aquaculture permit for the 5-acre site along Henderson Bay near Gig Harbor.
The Kitsap Sun said the appeals court found the proposed farm would harm eelgrass, a fragile marine plant.
Olympia-based shellfish company Chelsea Farms had proposed installing about 56,000 plastic tubes planted with geoduck, a large clam that fetches high prices in Asia.
The Coalition to Protect Puget Sound Habitat, a citizens group, petitioned the Shorelines Hearings Board to intervene after Pierce County approved the farm’s permit in 2013.
The hearings board found that the buffers the county approved for the farm wouldn’t adequately protect eelgrass.
Chelsea Farms President Kyle Lentz said his dad started the project 14 years ago and “no one would have predicted it would end this way.”
Homelessness up
SEATTLE — A federal report said the state of Washington has 7.3 percent more homeless people this year than in 2015.
The Seattle Times reported that, according to a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development report released Thursday, there were 1,408 more people sleeping outside and in shelters.
The increase is the second largest in the country, falling behind only California. In all, there were 20,827 homeless people counted in Washington state.
Homelessness has grown in the Seattle-King County area while it has dropped in Everett-Snohomish County, Tacoma-Pierce County, Spokane, Yakima, Vancouver-Clark County and the rest of Washington.
Overall, 13 states saw increases from 2015 to 2016. In seven, including Washington, at least half of the people counted were sleeping without shelter.
Garden club meet meeting today in PA
PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles Garden Club will meet at First Presbyterian Church, 139 W. Eighth St., from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. today.
This month, Jaye T. Moore, executive director of the Northwest Raptor & Wildlife Center, will give a presentation.
Moore has over 30 years of experience working with wildlife.
The program will be followed by a general business meeting, a presentation on horticulture and floral design, and an informal lunch.
The public is welcome to attend.
The garden club is affiliated with the Washington State Federation of Garden Clubs.
For more information, visit www.portangelesgardenclub.org.
Guild grant
SEQUIM — The Sequim-Dungeness Hospital Guild recently granted Sarah Duce of Port Angeles a $1,500 Schoenberg Scholarship.
Duce is working toward a degree in the Purser Paramedic Bachelor’s Program at Central Washington University. She will be a paramedic when she finishes the program.
