Key Peninsula News

Key Peninsula resident Sharron Dean shared this photo of the composting bins her husband built for their home garden.

Embrace the Compost — Your Garden Will Thank You and So Will Your Food Waste

When we built our vegetable garden more than a decade ago, complete with raised beds and an 8-foot tall fence, it included three compost bins. We hailed from Seattle with a small yard. The only thing … more

Sara Thompson, KP News | 5/31/23

The smallest of North American chickadees, this chestnut-backed chickadee is one of two species commonly sighted here.

What to Watch for This Month in the Skies, Trees and Waters

Venus has phases, like the moon. Our neighbor planet is putting on a show these days, high in the western sky, the first point of light to appear as sunset fades. On June 4 it will reach its greatest … more

Chris Rurik, KP News | 5/31/23

Simple Brownies and Other Chocolatey Things That Are Good to You but Not for You

Brownies. It’s hard to remember a time when the thought of biting into one didn’t make my mouth water. Personally, I like mine dense and fudgy. Nuts are nice, but totally optional. My mom … more

Sara Thompson | 5/31/23

Reading William L. Shirer, or Why I Miss the 20th Century

Maybe you miss it too. Or maybe you just missed it, or missed most of it. Not that it was all lollipops and moonbeams. There was plenty of horrible stuff. But looking back, a lot of important things … more

Jack Dunne | 5/31/23

Penrose State Park Reopens for Day Use, Camping to Follow in August

Penrose State Park on the west side of the Key Peninsula near Home reopened for day use only May 15 after being closed to the public Jan. 16 for extensive repairs to its septic system. The campground … more

Staff Report | 5/31/23

“She’s a horse girl and a Key Pen farm kid in the most stereotypical sense ... When I saw that look in her eye, I just knew.”

Harmony on Horseback: Local Teen Competes for Spot on U.S. Equestrian Team

It seems like a circus act, but it’s in a barn. It looks like gymnastics, but there’s no mat. It feels like figure skating, but it’s on dirt. It’s kind of like dancing, but … more

Eddie Macsalka, KP News | 5/31/23

Mary McGriff with her husband Tony at their home in Vaughn.

The Heart of a Survivor: Blood, Courage, Triumph

Mary McGriff looks like she may blow over in the breeze. The 5 foot-2 inch, 100-pound 60-year-old Vaughn resident walks slowly because of a bad hip. Her shoulder movement is a little stiff and her … more

Eddie Macsalka, KP News | 5/31/23

Ted Ralston and Joanna Gormly at Brighton Jetty in Adelaide, Australia, January 2019.

Trial Begins for Vaughn Couple Murdered in 2020

Jury selection began May 1 in the trial of Ezra Ralston and Sean Higgins for the murders of Ted Ralston, 71, and Joanna Gormly, 73, in their Vaughn home in 2020. Testimony began May 11. The trial is … more

Ted Olinger, KP News | 5/31/23

Spencer Abersold’s 21-year career as KGHP-FM station manager is coming to an end in June. He and 14 other Peninsula School District employees had their jobs eliminated due to budget cuts to help compensate for low enrollment.

KGHP’s Future is Up in the Air as Station Manager is Laid Off

KGHP-FM station manager Spencer Abersold saw the proverbial writing on the wall that his job was nearing an end. He had been hearing rumblings that the 35-year-old Peninsula School District … more

Eddie Macsalka, KP News | 4/27/23

Local beach combing kindled an outdoor pursuit for Shannon Fenton that entertains and inspires her to discover more about geology.

Can You Dig It? Rockhounding on the KP

“What’s the beach offering today?” Shannon Fenton asked herself. A recent storm had churned the water in Case Inlet. It was high tide and overcast on a late March morning, and … more

Eddie Macsalka, KP News | 4/27/23

John Jewell’s sculpture “Balancing the Books,” was commissioned and paid for by the Friends of the Key Peninsula Library.

Friends of the Key Center Library Returns from the Pandemic

Three years after COVID-19 stopped its work, Friends of the Key Center Library is reconstituting to continue supporting the library and Key Peninsula community, and they’re looking for … more

Ted Olinger, KP News | 4/27/23

You would be a happy rooster too, surrounded by all these chicks

Got Eggs? Bypass the Grocery Store and Buy from the Backyard

With things like supply chain issues, avian bird flu and inflation driving egg prices up, some Key Peninsula residents are fighting costs by going straight to the source. The idea of pet poultry … more

Eddie Macsalka, KP News | 4/27/23

Jim Watts of Watts Solitary Bees places wooden blocks with predrilled holes inside totes for female mason bees to lay eggs.

Keeping the Bees

For Jim Watts, spring means time on the road with hundreds of thousands of bees in his truck. One by one he visits an ever-growing list of home orchards, hobby farms, clearcuts and gardens. At each, … more

Chris Rurik, KP News | 4/27/23

Getting Hazed and Being Humbled by Your Garden

The month of May is when the garden finally starts to look like a garden. The seeds I sowed two to four weeks before the last frost date have finally sprouted and the transplants of lettuce and kale … more

Kamryn Minch | 4/27/23

Spring into Summer with Some Easy Appetizers and One Dessert

While the calendar tells us summer is still a little way off, it’s never too early to plan ahead for the warm days we know are surely coming. Thoughts of picnics, barbecues and spur of … more

Barbara Van Bogart | 4/27/23

Learning from a Memoir

Do you know what nonbinary means? If you don’t care to know, do you think others should have the opportunity to read about it if they so choose, like at a library? What if … more

José Alaniz | 4/27/23

Early Looks at the New Pentheroudakis Preserve

The wren is basically a mouse. It weaves through ferns. Then it appears on a stump not 10 feet away. It glances at us and, without a second thought, goes about its inspection of the stump’s … more

Chris Rurik, KP News | 4/27/23

Artist Chris Bronstad, left, with his portrait of Marcia Harris, center, and her husband, Jeff.

Veteran Educator is Key Peninsula Citizen of the Year 2019

Marcia Harris of Longbranch received the 36th Key Peninsula Lions Club Citizen of the Year Award during a ceremony and celebration at the KP Civic Center March 25 for her decades of service to the … more

Ted Olinger, KP News | 4/27/23

PSD Success Coach Jennifer Buys (left) congratulates Henderson Bay High School senior Hailey Ruckle on signing a letter of intent to play softball at Columbia Basin College next year.

Softball Star Shares Her Struggles, Successes

Hailey Ruckle isn’t afraid to admit it: School isn’t easy for her. She has a tough time reading. Big classrooms make her nervous. She doesn’t like when … more

Eddie Macsalka, KP News | 4/27/23

Ben Rasmussen and Jesse Routely played a quick round of disc golf at Volunteer Park.

Chasing the Perfect Toss: Lakebay Residents Advocate for More Disc Golf

Besides the occasional sound of plastic hitting a metal chain, Volunteer Park is quiet on an early Friday afternoon. “Look, disc golfers are the only ones here when there’s no baseball … more

Eddie Macsalka, KP News | 3/29/23