The Port Townsend Film Festival has opened its submission periods for its next short screenplay competition, as well as for films to be included in its 26th annual in-person …
Port Townsend Sunrise Rotary has named Zen Cook and Sage Harrington the club’s December Students of the Month.  Both students are seniors at Port Townsend High School and are …
The following short items have been culled from the archives of The Leader and the University of Washington library. Text and style appear verbatim from the original printing, including any errors. …
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office responded to a total of 288 calls for service from Jan. 3 to 10. Deputies conducted 164 traffic stops, of which six resulted in criminal …
Arts and Entertainment
Bass player Charles Clements and guitarist George Clements will be joined by drummer Pele Greenberg and fiddler Carolyn Kendrick at the Palindrome on Jan. 16.

‘An evolving journey into Americana music’: Aunt in PT urged The Clements Brothers to play the Palindrome

    The suggestion to play the Palindrome came from the aunt of the twins that anchor The Clements Brothers band. “Our Aunt Francie told us, ‘You have to play the …
The Community Chorus with Jon Stafford (in plaid shirt) last spring, the last time he directed them.

Chorus to sing music by contemporary composer

    Jon Stafford, spring director of the Community Chorus of Port Townsend and East Jefferson County, has selected music by Shawn Kirchner to center the chorus’ next …
Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson modernize decades-old erotic thriller tropes in Halina Reijn’s “Babygirl.”

Movie Review: ‘Babygirl’ inverts traditional power dynamics in its troubled romance

    Writer-director Halina Reijn’s “Babygirl,” starring Nicole Kidman and Antonio Banderas, is inspired by 1992’s “Basic Instinct” and …
“Fort Wonder’s Magic Mountain,” by Mike Biskup.

Northwind plans fine-art pop-up sale this weekend in PT

    In its first-ever Pop-Up Sale on Saturday, Jan. 18, through Monday, Jan. 20, Northwind Art will offer fine art and furnishings at what it deemed “unheard-of …

News from local businesses

Unlock Your Savings Potential for the New Year

The start of a new year is the perfect opportunity to reassess your financial goals and take control of your savings. Whether you're starting from scratch or looking to maximize your current savings …

Give Your Kids a Gift that Keeps Giving: High-Yield Savings


The holiday season is upon us—a time for joy, giving, and meaningful connections with loved ones. While toys and gadgets often top the wish lists, there’s a unique gift that grows in …

In other news ...
Obituaries

Susan Valentine Poe

It's with great sadness and heartache that we announce the passing of our sister Susan Valentine Poe. Susan was the first-born daughter to Charles Walter Guthrie and Patricia Margret (small) Guthrie. …

Kim Williams

Kim Williams, 72,  of Port Hadlock and Everett, WA areas died on December 21, 2024 at home with family at Port Hadlock, WA after a long battle from lung cancer. Born July 20, 1952 in …

Judith Anne Rudolph

Judith Anne Rudolph, of Port Townsend WA passed away at her home on November 19, 2024 at the age of 77, after a valiant resistance to cancer. Judy grew up in Issaquah, graduating from the University …
Calendar of events
Opinion & Columnists
Mi Ga Vietnamese Roasted Chicken Noodle Soup.
Brighten winter with weekly soup getaways | Kitchen to Kitchen
The days are short, the skies gray, but we can transform the winter blahs with a soup adventure — a cozy cook-the-books. The cookbook “400 Soups,” edited by Anne Sheasby, is perfect …
Carole Marshall
Personal attitude: Embracing the little things that bring big laughs | Aging In Good Spirits
The number of articles on aging seems endless. The more I delve into aging info, the more Google thinks I need. My daily news feed is swamped with stuff on managing old. After a while it becomes …
Cyrus Gubelman
Newsstand and subscriptions: Bringing a silver lining to a tough decision | Guest Column
As someone on the business side of running The Leader, it’s never occurred to me to write a column. Our recent decision to raise the price of the newspaper has given me …
Jason Victor Serinus
The city’s wonderful new community-building initiative | As I See It
Something wonderful is taking form in Port Townsend: the city’s new Community Services Department. Under the guidance of its new director, current (and continuing) Port Townsend Library …
Camas Prairie heritage too rich for development | Guest Column
    As members of Native Connections Action Group and the číčmǝhán Trail Team, we worked with the Jamestown S’Klallam and Port Gamble S’Klallam tribes …
Kenna Eaton
Food Co-op taking fresh steps to do better by workers, shoppers | Guest Column
I’m writing to respond to comments in last week’s paper from Owen Rowe, the former board president of The Food Co-op. Rowe was a mainstay on our board of directors and he and I have …
TOONS

BLOGS
  After seeing her star-making turn in Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” last year all that Hulu had to do to get me to watch its true-crime miniseries …
Letters
    • Shhhhhhhhh!  

        I fear the days of a quiet library may be over. I recently went to Jefferson County Library looking for a quiet place to study. …

    • Farewell to lake-protector

      I was recently saddened to hear that our community lost a true treasure. Cher Albright, who for some 40 years has lovingly watched over and …

    • Support for RFK Jr.

        We need to implement the overwhelming mandate to address the existential health crisis in America, the sickest of all developed …

    • Marcia Kelbon’s modest proposal

        The Swiftian proposal of an alliance between volunteers and empowered police isn’t going to get us anywhere new. And …

    • Grandson pride

        Ian Eisenman was the first New Year’s baby on the peninsula on Jan. 1, 2008. Seventeen years later, on Jan. 6, 2025, he earned …

    • The bank did it

        Nowhere to run nowhere to hide. The unanswered question: what lender hands over hundreds, thousands, let alone millions of   …

Photo Gallery

Photos of efforts to contain Jupiter fire near Brinnon

John and Christy Strickland sit in lawn chairs and watch as ground and airborne firefighters attempt to tame the wildfire on Mount Jupiter, west of Brinnon on Friday, August 17.
Photos taken of the wildfire on Mount Jupiter near Hood Canal, where firefighters have been battling the blaze since Wednesday, Aug. 14.
Sports
    The East Jefferson Rivals team finished second out of the eight teams in the second annual East Jefferson Team Dual Tourney, winning four dual matches before losing a …
    The East Jefferson Rivals Wrestling Team finds itself in its third week of practice the first week in December. The athletes have been working hard in the practice room …
    Several former Port Townsend High School cross country athletes have continued to pursue their sport collegiately and have just concluded their seasons. Aliyah Cassidy …