The City of Sequim has a new Public Works Director, and he’s coming from Alaska with more than a decade of transportation leadership under his belt.

Christopher Goins, a former regional director for the Alaska Department of Transportation, started June 8 and was introduced to the City Council that evening. Goins told councilors he made a “major life decision” to move to Sequim, saying his family fell in love with the area during a visit last summer.

Goins wasn’t actively job?hunting, but when Sequim’s opening appeared, he said he wondered whether “the stars [were] aligning.”

He replaces Paul Bucich, who retired June 12 after two years with the city. Bucich spent his final week helping Goins get up to speed.

City Manager Matt Huish says Goins rose to the top of a pool of more than 40 applicants and was the unanimous choice of staff interview committees.

In a statement, Huish praised Goins’ experience and his “strong culture of staff development, individual ownership, and team accountability.”

Goins spent 11 years with Alaska DOT, most recently overseeing highways, airports, and ferry terminals as Southcoast Region Director. He’s also held engineering and construction leadership roles and has been quoted in Alaska media on high?profile issues, including the delayed Cascade Point ferry terminal project and regional flood response.

He told councilors his former job had become “exceptionally political” and made being a “family guy” difficult — another reason Sequim appealed to him. What stood out most, he said, was how people here “take care of one another.”

In a city press release, Goins said his goal is to build trust by listening first and working alongside employees, residents, tribes, businesses, and community partners “to help Sequim thrive.”

Before his Alaska tenure, Goins worked as an engineer for the City of Albany, Oregon. He holds a civil engineering degree from Oregon State University and has completed national executive?leadership programs focused on transportation agencies.

PHOTO: City of Sequim

KSQM is pleased to welcome veteran broadcaster Al Brady to the all-volunteer staff of our radio station.  With 45 years of professional radio experience, Brady has agreed to accept the position of Program Director to lead programming for Sequim’s community radio station.

Brady’s extensive experience brings a background in programming, on-air performance, and community engagement. He recently relocated to Sequim after nearly a decade serving as Assistant Manager and Program Director at WVLG in The Villages, Florida.

Brady says joining KSQM is both a thrill and an honor.

He calls local radio a vital link to the community — a way to be there when listeners need it most — while sharing the timeless music people remember and love.

Often described as a walking encyclopedia of the rock ’n’ roll era, Brady has worked alongside legendary artists and broadcasters. In the mid-1980s, he served as a DJ and master of ceremonies at Little Darlin’s Rock ’n’ Roll Palace near Walt Disney World, where he co-hosted a nationally televised show with Hall of Fame broadcaster Wolfman Jack.

George Dooley, President of Sequim Community Broadcasting, says Brady brings passion, knowledge, and a genuine love of radio. Dooley says Brady’s leadership will strengthen the station’s mission and enrich the listening experience across the community.

KSQM first signed on the air December 7th, 2008. Broadcasting at 91-point-5 FM, the station is licensed to Sequim Community Broadcasting, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Operated entirely by volunteers, KSQM provides commercial-free programming throughout the greater Olympic Peninsula and Victoria, B.C., featuring local news, emergency information, timeless music, and community-driven programs and shows.

Brady will stepping in to fill the shoes of Tama Bankston who has been serving as interim Program Director for the past year.

The Sequim Food Bank has named its new executive director. She’s Jen Colmore who has been serving as the food bank's community engagement coordinator. The announcement comes after a nationwide search led by the board of directors and outgoing executive director Andra Smith.

Board president Deon Kapitan says Colmore stood out for her vision, compassion and practical leadership, noting her deep understanding of the organization and her long record of service to the community. In her role as community engagement coordinator she has strengthened donor relationships, expanded partnerships and helped shape organizational strategy.

She first joined the food bank as a volunteer and later led its first annual fundraiser “Everyone at the Table” which brought in more than $70,000.

Beyond her local work Colmore brings decades of non-profit leadership. Since 2005 she has served as Executive Director of Living Compassion. That’s a development initiative in Zambia supporting more than a thousand children and families.

Outgoing Executive Director Andra Smith says the organization is in excellent hands, praising Colmore’s clarity, steadiness and respect for the people the food bank serves.

PHOTO: Sequim Food Bank

The Sequim City Council has elected Rachel Anderson as Mayor and Nicole Hartman as Deputy Mayor at the City Council meeting on January 12.  Both are two-year terms that expire on December 31, 2027. 

Anderson was appointed to the City Council in February 2021, elected in November 2021, and re-elected in 2025. She currently serves on the Clallam Transit System Board, the Peninsula Regional Transportation Planning Organization, the Housing Solutions Committee, the Council Finance Committee, the Clallam County Economic Development Council, Clallam County Solid Waste Advisory Board, and as the liaison to the Sister City Association and the Sequim Dungeness Valley Chamber of Commerce. 

Anderson earned her Advanced Certificate of Municipal Leadership from the Association of Washington Cities in 2021.

Hartman was appointed to the City Council in April 2024. She was elected to a four-year term in November 2025.  Hartman serves on the Council Finance Committee and as the Sequim Planning Commission liaison.

PHOTO: City of Sequim

Olympic National Park rangers are asking for the public’s help as they search for a missing hiker whose car was found over the weekend at the Sol Duc trailhead.

Twenty-six-year-old “Angel” Alleacya Boulia of St. Louis was last seen in Port Angeles on November 17th. Park officials say her rented vehicle — a 2025 black Ford Bronco Sport — was located Sunday after the rental company picked up a signal showing it was parked at the Sol Duc Trailhead.

Boulia is described as 5-foot-7, about 135 pounds, with dark curly hair, brown eyes, and a tattoo on her left arm.

She was reported missing on Thursday. Since then, multiple agencies have been combing the Sol Duc area — using search dogs, drones, and teams on foot. That includes crews from Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Port Townsend Police, Kitsap and Jefferson County Search and Rescue, Kitsap Search Dogs, and Olympic Mountain Rescue. A technical team has also searched along the river corridor.

Rangers are urging anyone who may have seen Boulia or has information about her whereabouts to contact the NPS Investigative Services Tip Line at 888-653-0009. Tips can also be submitted online or by email through the National Park Service website.

The Makah Tribe’s long-awaited return to traditional whaling has been pushed back yet again — this time by more federal delays, according to a report by KNKX radio.

Despite securing a key federal waiver last year affirming their exclusive treaty right to hunt gray whales, the NOAA permit needed to begin a hunt is now unlikely for at least another 18 months.

The tribe applied for that permit in March, expecting quick approval after more than 20 years of review. But this summer’s hunting window came and went with no decision from NOAA.

Makah Chairman Timothy Greene says the tribe is determined to get back on the water, calling the hunt vital for future generations to see their culture in practice.

NOAA officials say only that the Marine Mammal Protection Act requires both a waiver and a detailed permit before any whale hunt can begin. The Makah application outlines proposed seasons in 2025 and 2027 and complies with strict federal criteria on methods, safety, and whale-management limits.

The waiver allows the tribe to take up to 25 gray whales over 10 years.
Some observers, including UW professor Joshua Reid, argue the continued delays amount to the federal government bogging down treaty rights through bureaucracy.

Archaeological evidence indicates that the Makah people have hunted whales going back at least 2,000 years.

Continuing the traditional whaling practices is at the heart of Makah citizens' identity, spiritual beliefs, subsistence practices, and ceremonies. Makah ceremonies, songs, dances, art, basketry and traditions are all connected to their whale relatives. Makah citizens are deeply spiritually and ecologically connected to the whales and the ocean — not just hunters, but stewards of the whales in a reciprocal relationship that is honored through ceremony before the whale is hunted and before it is harvested.

PHOTO: Makah Tribe website