Even with COVID-19 still prevalent across the region and joined late in 2022 by other respiratory and seasonal viruses, community groups and events throughout Sequim began to increase toward pre-COVID activity levels.
Sequim saw new leadership emerge, at the school district office (superintendent Regan Nickels), at city hall (mayor Tom Ferrell) and at Olympic National Park (superintendent Sula Jacobs).
The Dungeness River Nature Center celebrated its major expansion, Miller Peninsula residents and others asked Washington State Park officials to pump the brakes on plans for a “destination park,” and locals got a good look at plans for an off-channel Dungeness River reservoir.
Also of note, Sequim’s school stadium got two new names, one honoring longtime fan Myron Teterud and the other the ancestral lands of the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe.
Here’s a look back at the stories that made headlines in Sequim in 2022:
January
Sequim School Board members hired interim superintendent Joan Zook on Jan. 3, agreeing to a six-month contract with the former Shelton School District lead administrator and Sunland resident, as they sought a permanent superintendent later in the year.
Sequim city councilors ended the controversial tenure of mayor William Armacost by electing Tom Ferrell its new council leader on Jan. 10. Ferrell will serve through Dec. 31, 2023. Armacost was in the regional and national spotlight during his tenure, in part for his comments about QAnon and his role (along with three other former councilors) in calling for the resignation of former city manager Charlie Bush in January 2021.
On Jan. 20, First Sgt. Kent Keller of Sequim, who works at Joint Force Headquarters for the Washington national Guard, presented the Purple Heart belonging to Marvin D. Actkinson to Linda Featheringill of Port Angeles. Actkinson, a cook in the U.S. Army, was reported missing in action in Korea on Dec. 2, 1950 and officially presumed dead on Dec.31, 1953. His remains were finally recovered in 2018 and identified in 2021.
The bodies of at least 13 coyotes were found near Ward Bridge off of Woodcock Road in mid-January. State fish and wildlife officials noted that “the coyotes were shot and killed and that there was no evidence that they were poisoned, trapped, or that any other unlawful means of harvest were used.”
February
Clallam County staff on Feb. 3 recommend the Hearing Examiner deny Olympic Disposal’s plan to build a transfer station and recycling center in Carlsborg. A scheduled public hearing was pushed to July and eventually cancelled; however, Olympic Disposal shifted their plans later in the year to adjacent property in Carlsborg, spurring legal action from several groups to stop the project.
U.S. figure skating competitor Karen Chen used music by Sequim composer Jennifer Thomas at her performance at the 2022 Beijing Olympics on Feb. 6.
Sequim school board directors elected Maren Halvorsen to the five-member board on Feb. 7, ending a months-long vacancy created when Kristi Schmeck resigned her position despite being elected to the seat.
The bodies of an Agnew man and his girlfriend were found on Feb. 24 in the front seat of a vehicle near their home in Agnew. Clay Lee Haltom, 60, and Bryana Emila Presler, 43, were found shot dead with wounds to the back of their heads. Christopher Haltom, in Clallam County jail on unrelated allegations, was reported to be under investigation in November following a nine-month investigation into the incident.
Isabella Williams was named queen for the 127th Sequim irrigation Festival at the festival’s royalty pageant on Feb. 26. Princesses are Katherine Gould, Ellie Turner and Lauren Willis.
March
Lawmakers in Olympia on March 11 approved funds for a 16-bed mental crisis center to be located at the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe’s property in Sequim, adjacent to the Healing Center. They also looked to fund a project to improve safety on Sequim’s east end by completing on- and off-ramps at Simdars Road/U.S. Highway 101 as part of the approximate $17 billion “Move Washington Ahead” transporation package.
Clallam County lifted its mask mandate for indoor gatherings on March 12.
Former Sequim city councilor Mike Pence died on March 19.
Sequim school board directors agreed to hire Regan Nickels, then the superintendent of Regional School Unit 22 in Hampden, Maine, on March 24.
In late March, the developer of Mariner Outlook II — an 82-lot, single-family home development along West Sequim Bay Road — got the approval from Sequim city councilors to start construction.
Jean Wyatt was named the 2021 Sequim Citizen of the Year on March 29 by the Sequim-Dungeness Valley Chamber of Commerce. She was lauded for her years of work behind the scenes of the Sequim Irrigation Festival.
April
Roger Schmidt, founder of Sunny Farms Country store, died on April 5. Organizers of the Clallam County Fair later bestowed to the Schmidts the 2022 Farm Family of the Year.
Arthur James, a 69-year-old Sequim man, died while kayaking in the waters off Clallam County’s West End on April 7.
A Sequim man was taken into custody on April 27 after allegedly trying to kill his neighbor. James Donald Luoma, 66, was arrested at the scene after police officers discovered a 49-year-old woman covered in blood who ran out of her home screaming for help. As of December, court action awaits pending mental evaluations.
May
A couple is accused of stealing multiple trucks, tools and mail throughout Sequim on a crime spree in May 5. Joanie Squires, 33, of Tacoma, was arrested after crashing a truck on a rock in front of Hurricane Ridge Veterinary Hospital. Days afterward, David Brown, 32, of Lynwood, was arrested in Jefferson County. Brown later received an eight-year sentence and Squires a 19-month sentence.
Bret Allen Kenney, 34, allegedly attempted second-degree murder and assault on a Sequim Police Officer — later identified as Daniel Martinez — in the early morning hours of May 19. Three men — Daniel Anselmo, James “Mike” Blouin and Ryan Ross — were honored with Citizen Commendation Awards in September for coming to Martinez’ said.
Tracy Bloom of Sequim received the top prize — a new Toyota Corolla — in the 33rd-annual Great Olympic Peninsula Duck Derby on May 22. The event raises funds for the Olympic Medical Center foundation and netted (after expenses) $124,000, a new event record.
June
Members of Olympic Theatre Arts celebrated local theatre icon Olivia Shea on June 1, presenting her with her own brick on the walkway to the OTA facility on North Sequim Avenue. Shea was one of the founding members of the acting organization, contributing four decades of acting and directing to OTA.
New Olympic National Park superintendent Sula Jacobs was named to the position on June 1, and started with ONP in late July.
Sequim High School graduates-to-be were awarded nearly $4 million in scholarships to pursue their college and vocational education, as announced by the school on June 1. Nine days later, about 175 SHS seniors turned tassels as part of the school’s annual commencement ceremony.
Longtime animal advocate Chris Cornell, obedience and rally chairman for the Hurricane Ridge Kennel Club, died on June 2. He was less than three weeks away from judging the Masters Obedience Championship at Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York.
Community leaders, advocates and residents came out in droves to celebrate the opening of the Dungeness River Nature Center on June 5. As yet incomplete, the multi-million-dollar expansion saw upgrades and new features to nearly each aspect of the popular environmental center at Railroad Bridge Park, including expanded meeting spaces, a gift shop, rain garden, hands-on Discovery Area and more.
About 200 protesters came to downtown Sequim for March for Our Lives on June 11, a nation-wide protest urging a ban on assault weapons, asking for universal background checks and votes for candidates promoting stricter gun control.
Stormy weather on June 13 forced several crews competing in the 2022 Race to Alaska to postpone or alter their sea-faring travel, with a half-dozen teams taking shelter at the New Dungeness Light Station for the better part of two days.
Three men were arrested and charged after a burglary and theft at Coastal Farm & Ranch on June 24. Among items taken were 13 shotguns. All three agreed to plea deals with the third awaiting sentencing in February 2023.
Sequim School Board directors on June 27 agreed to name the district’s athletic stadium and field on West Fir Street. Celebrated with a ribbon-cutting and presentations in September, the naming ceremony bestows stáʔčəŋ — a S’Klallam word meaning “wolf” — on the stadium and the field to Myron Teterud’s Field, after the longtime late Sequim High sports fanatic. The community joined tribe and school leaders with a celebration of the namings on Sept. 16.
City officials on June 27 agreed to purchase three lots adjacent to the Sequim Civic Center for $457,500, ending a decade-plus-long negotiation with owner Ron Fairclough. For several years, the properties were reported to the city as the site of criminal activity and code compliance issues.
Sequim hosted what organizers believe is the city’s first Pride Celebration on June 28.
July
Sequim city councilors on July 11 agreed to a tentative contract with Bird Rides, Inc., to bring electric stand-up foot scooters to the city. No action has been announced by the agency as of December.
Sequim’s housing median sales price climbed to a record-high $575,000 in 2022’s second quarter, said E. Michael McAleer, managing broker with RE/max Prime, in late July.
Sequim’s Lavender Weekend returned in full force in 2022, including a 140-vendor street fair (from the Sequim Lavender Festival) that had been on hiatus since 2020 because of the COVID pandemic.
Dash Air in late July suspended scheduled flights and began refunding ticket sales after Kenmore Air filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Transporation. Dash Air had hoped to restore commuter plane service from the Olympic Peninsula to Seattle with its inaugural flights taking off on Aug. 11. However, the 96-page complaint by Kenmore — which operated passenger service for more than 10 years out of Fairchild International Airport in Port Angeles until November 2014 — sparked the investigation into what Kenmore said was unfair and deceptive business practices and a lack of certifications.
August
U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm visited the Pacific Northwest Laboratory-Sequim at its campus on Aug. 10. The former governor of Michigan, Granholm came to see work related to tackling climate change, alternative energy sources and other innovations.
Sequim School Board directors on Aug. 15 named Erin Fox, a 2000 Sequim High graduate, as SHS’s new principal.
The Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe and hundreds of people on Aug. 20 celebrate the grand opening of The Healing Clinic, a facility that opened July 6 to help people treat opioid use disorder.
Hearings Examiner Andrew Reeves on Aug. 29 imposed 65 conditions on the 215-home Rolling Hills project, though the development was allowed to go forward after no Superior Court appeals were filed later in the year. The project, planned on 44.1 acres off McCurdy Road and South Seventh Avenue, features “middle income” homes ranging in lot size from 4,217 to 7,942 square feet.
September
Owners of Sequim and Port Angeles Sears stores began the process of closing down the stores in early September.
Sequim school staffers reported finding threatening messages at two campuses — Helen Haller Elementary School and Sequim Middle School — on Sept. 4 that include swastikas and a reference to the Sandy Hook school shooting. The incident led to a school safety forum, and later in the year school officials agreed to put installation of security equipment near the forefront if its capital projects.
The Washington Supreme Court in early September agreed to hear an animal cruelty lawsuit involving the Olympic Game Farm in Sequim filed by Animal Legal Defense Fund, an animal rights group.
Sequim City Band members on Sept. 11 celebrated the breaking ground of the expansion of its Rehearsal Hall just north of Carrie Blake Community Park.
Jim Stoffer, Sequim School Board director since 2015, resigned his position on the board on Sept. 19. A month later, fellow directors selected Michael Rocha, a local car dealership owner, to fill the position.
Human remains were found washed ashore on the Dungeness Spit on Sept. 16 that law enforcement officials believe came from a Sept. 4 seaplane crash near Whidbey Island.
A 49-year-old Sequim man, later identified as Terris Vincent Hetland, died from a gunshot wound in his chest at his residence on Priest Lane on Sept. 22. Sought for a domestic violence incident, Hetland was shot by a Washington State Patrol Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) officer after he fired a weapon at officers during a standoff, according to law enforcement officials.
CH Investment Fund in late September announced the purchase of Sunland Golf Club. Having already made strides to do so, company representatives said the course was fully open to the general public.
October
Sequim city councilors on Oct. 10 approved an ordinance that allows for duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes in more areas throughout city limits, in an effort to address housing shortages in the area.
Three large senior living communities — the Fifth Avenue, The Lodge at Sherwood Village and Sherwood Assisted Living — that were started by Bill and Esther Littlejohn were sold by the family to Chicago-based Oxford Capital Group, LLC, the company confirmed in October.
Area residents greeted Washington State Parks representatives with a massive turnout and critical eye toward the state’s plans for Miller Peninsula State Park at an open house at 7 Cedars Resort on Oct. 18. State Parks officials later said plans for expansion at the property, a park long targeted to be developed as a “destination park,” are on hold.
Seattle-area rapper Macklemore made a stir in the Sequim area on Oct. 19 with his visit — and videos of — Reddog Coffee Co. He was on the Olympic Peninsula for about a week shooting a video.
With a unanimous vote on Oct. 24, Clallam County commissioners agreed to officially rescind theeir COVID-19 emergency declaration (effective Nov. 1). The declaration was first put into place March 17, 2020.
November
A strong windstorm on Nov. 4 snapped power poles, toppled trees, felled fences and did damage across the North Olympic Peninsula.
It was a mixed bag for local political incumbents’ results in the Nov. 8 general election. State representatives Steve Tharinger and Mike Chapman successfully won reelection. However, Bill Peach was unseated from his Clallam County commissioner position by challenger Mike French, and former Sequim mayor Ken Hayes topped incumbent Will Purser for Clallam County Public Utility District commissioner. Bruce Emery won handily in the race for Director of Community Development over former Port Angeles mayor Cherie Kidd, as did Brian King (over Mark Titterness) in the race for the seat of Clallam County Sheriff.
The election drew plenty of attention — including a number of ballot box watchers concerned about ballot security issues.
Sequim surfer and roofer Gabriel Connors drowned off Crescent Beach on Nov. 27.
A 44-year-old Sequim woman, Ekaterina Alekseevna Parrish, was arrested and held in Clallam County jail on two charges of attempted first-degree murder after driving herself and her two children over a hillside on Bell Hill on Nov. 29.
December
Neighbors and a host of others on Dec. 6 got up an-close look at preliminary plans — what’s called a “30 percent design” — for the Dungeness Off-Channel Reservoir, a project that supporters say will improve salmon restoration, provide irrigation water for farmers, protect city stormwater infrastructure and establish a 400-acre county park along River Road.
Sequim school leaders announced efforts to raise $1 million of local funds and in-kind services to seed a $15-$20 million vocational facility on school grounds. City councilors agreed to put the question to voters about the funding in a 2023 public hearing.
Helen Haller Elementary School saw a change of the principal position, with former administrator Becky Stanton retaking the role and Kristi Queen shifting to a principal-on-special-assignment position at the district office.