In The News

March 17, 2024

It literally cut Tacoma in two 60 years ago. Now the city has $1.3M to study fixes

by Craig Sailor

When Interstate 5 was built through Tacoma in the 1960s, it cleaved the city in two. Now, the Biden administration is providing $1.3 million to the city of Tacoma to study ways to improve connections between the city’s eastern and western halves. On Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer announced the grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Reconnecting Communities Pilot and Neighborhood Access and Equity program. “Infrastructure should be about connecting people to everyday destinations … Continue Reading


March 09, 2024

POINT OF VIEW: Your neighbors are fighting for a stronger local economy

by Derek Kilmer U.S. Congressman

GROWING UP IN Port Angeles, the hum of mills was more than just a backdrop for daily life — it was a symphony of livelihoods, an indicator of economic strength, and a testament to a resource that was the backbone of our economy. I was a student at PA High when the timber industry took it on the chin, and I saw the impacts. Since then, I’ve spent most of my adult life trying to figure out how to ensure folks don’t get left behind in our economy. I studied economic development policy, worked … Continue Reading


March 07, 2024

‘No one likes to think about that stuff’: Kilmer introduces continuity plan ahead of SOTU

by Justin Papp

Rep. Derek Kilmer swears he’s still a fun hang, even if he keeps bringing up mass casualty events and the hypothetical collapse of Congress. “I would say the colleagues that I hang with are tired of me saying, ‘Hey, here’s something you may not know.’ I’m a real hoot at dinner parties,” the Washington Democrat joked this week. “I probably talk about it too much.” But Kilmer, who announced last fall that he won’t seek reelection, feels a sense of urgency around the issue. And on Thursday he … Continue Reading


February 28, 2024

Local Outlets Get Federal Designation to Help With Maritime Training

WASHINGTON DC - Two north Olympic Peninsula entities are getting a special federal designation to improve the local workforce in marine trades. Peninsula College in Port Angeles and Port Hadlock’s Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding have been designated Centers of Excellence for Domestic Maritime Workforce Training and Education by the U.S. Maritime Administration. Sixth District US Congressman Derek Kilmer says this federal designation will help get more people trained for high-paying … Continue Reading


February 21, 2024

One plan to modernize Congress? A coworking space

by Justin Papp

At the end of a drab hallway on the fourth floor of the Cannon House Office Building, a group of couches holds the promise of a new era. Or at least that’s the idea, said Rep. Stephanie Bice. In the rigidly partisan place that is Capitol Hill, staffers can go days without speaking to anyone outside their own circles, and these seats are meant to change that. A mural on the wall announces this is a “Staff Collaboration Space,” to make the intention clear.  “We felt like we kept hearing over … Continue Reading


January 30, 2024

‘Delusions of immortality’: These lawmakers want Congress to get real about continuity

by Justin Papp

Brian Baird didn’t see the plane hit the Pentagon, but from the window of his seventh-floor office in the Longworth House Office Building, he could see the smoke in the distance. “I had this surreal moment of running, thinking, ‘Are we about to die?’ And then thinking, what happens constitutionally if we do die?” Baird recalled recently. On that day in 2001, the Democrat and his staff fanned out across the building, urging others to evacuate. In the end, the Capitol was spared on 9/11, but … Continue Reading


January 20, 2024

Grant covers installation of electric chargers

by Peter Segall

PORT ANGELES — The federal government awarded $2 million to the City of Port Angeles for the installation of 50 electric vehicle charges in an effort to expand infrastructure and support tourism. Another $14 million grant will go to Energy Northwest — a Washington-based public power utility — to install 40 fast and 12 Level 2 EV chargers across Western Washington and Oregon, including Forks, Sequim, Quilcene, Port Ludlow, Shelton, Raymond, Ilwaco, Kamilche, Longview and Kalaloch. U.S. Rep. … Continue Reading


January 03, 2024

County County Approves $500k Grant to Habitat Housing Project

SEQUIM - Clallam County Commissioners approved a half-million dollar grant Tuesday to help Habitat For Humanity of Clallam County get a step closer to beginning site work on a 50-unit affordable home development in Sequim. The funding will come from what is left of the $15 million in federal stimulus funding the County received during the pandemic in 2021, known as ARPA funds. At the time, County Commissioners identified eight priority areas that they would dedicate the ARPA funds to, and … Continue Reading


January 03, 2024

Clallam, Jefferson counties named as finalist for $50 million grant

by Peter Segall

A coalition of Clallam and Jefferson County organizations was awarded a planning grant and named as a finalist for larger grants that could bring roughly $50 million to the region. The North Olympic Peninsula Recompete Coalition — made up of North Olympic Peninsula counties, cities, tribes and others — was awarded $500,000 for planning as part of the Distressed Area Recompete Pilot Program, a new federal program designed to inject tens of millions of dollars into economically struggling … Continue Reading


December 29, 2023

Groundbreaking welcomes Patsy Surh Place

History was made on Dec. 20 when ground was officially broken for an ambitious new housing development coming to the Eastside. On that day, community members and dignitaries gathered in the Lincoln District to celebrate the coming of Patsy Surh Place, 77 units of affordable housing for seniors 55 and older being built in partnership between the Asia Pacific Cultural Center (APCC) and the Low-Income Housing Institute (LIHI).  Set to open in 2025, the structure will be six stories tall with 47 … Continue Reading


December 22, 2023

Clallam, Jefferson counties named as finalist for $50 million grant

by Peter Segall

PORT ANGELES — A coalition of Clallam and Jefferson County organizations was awarded a planning grant and named as a finalist for larger grants that could bring roughly $50 million to the region. The North Olympic Peninsula Recompete Coalition — made up of North Olympic Peninsula counties, cities, tribes and others — was awarded $500,000 for planning as part of the Distressed Area Recompete Pilot Program, a new federal program designed to inject tens of millions of dollars into economically … Continue Reading


December 21, 2023

$500,000 awarded to address employment gap in region

U.S. Representative Derek Kilmer (WA-06) announced that $1 million in new federal funding from the Economic Development Administration (EDA) has been allocated for two economic development initiatives on the Olympic Peninsula. The funding is being awarded through the Recompete Pilot Program, a new law authored by Rep. Kilmer, which aims to alleviate persistent economic distress and support long-term, comprehensive economic development and job creation. EDA awarded a $500,000 Strategy … Continue Reading


December 21, 2023

High-speed rail with potential Everett stop misses out on $198M grant

by Jenelle Baumbach

EVERETT — After pursuing a $198 million grant from the federal government, the state received just $500,000 to continue planning an ambitious high-speed rail project that would link Seattle, Portland and Vancouver, British Columbia, with a potential stop in Snohomish County. The grant is a drop in the bucket for the project’s total cost. In 2017, construction cost estimates ranged from $24 billion to $42 billion. On Monday, several Democratic members of Congress representing Washington, … Continue Reading


December 12, 2023

Tacoma to receive $600,000 for safer, accessible streets

TACOMA 12/12/2023 - Today, U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer (WA-06) announced that the City of Tacoma will receive $600,000 in new federal funds through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant Program. The funding is made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, legislation Rep. Kilmer supported and the largest long-term investment in America’s infrastructure and competitiveness in nearly a century. "All people deserve to feel safe on our roads, … Continue Reading


December 12, 2023

House members seek study on state readiness for quick elections

by Chris Marquette

A bipartisan group of House Administration Committee members have called on the Government Accountability Office to study the ability of states to quickly fill House vacancies following a mass casualty event. The eight lawmakers sent the GAO a letter on Dec. 8 that said the information would further inform Congress’ work to “prepare for the continuity of government and operations during an emergency.” “In light of a worrisome increase in the number of serious, credible threats against … Continue Reading


November 28, 2023

AHA-supported bill would ban health plan fees for electronic fund transfers

A bipartisan group of House members Nov. 28 introduced AHA-supported legislation that would prohibit health insurers from charging fees for standard electronic fund transfers to pay health care providers for services. Commercial insurers often automatically charge health care providers a percentage-based fee for EFT payments.  “These fees effectively reduce contracted rates and cost hospitals and health care systems substantial amounts of money that could otherwise be invested into patient … Continue Reading


November 16, 2023

Rep. Kilmer on spending fights, leaving Congress

The two-track government funding bill is heading to President Biden for his signature, after passing the House and Senate, but it doesn't fund additional military aid to Israel and Ukraine. Here & Now's Robin Young speaks with Rep. Derek Kilmer, Democrat of Washington, about the bill, what to expect in coming spending fights, and his decision not to seek … Continue Reading


November 15, 2023

Kilmer will not run for reelection in ’24

by Olympic Peninsula News Group

U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer is leaving the House of Representatives, where he has served for nearly 11 years. The Democrat from Gig Harbor, a native of Port Angeles, said on Nov. 9 he won’t seek reelection to the 6th Congressional District — which includes the North Olympic Peninsula — in 2024. It has been an honor to serve, he said, but it’s time to move on from Congress. “I’ve looked at life in chapters,” Kilmer said in a press release. “The decade I spent working in economic development. The … Continue Reading


November 13, 2023

It would bring low-cost childcare to hundreds — plus jobs. On Hilltop, it’s big news | Opinion

by Matt Driscoll

Grassroots. It’s a description that gets thrown about to the point it’s become almost meaningless. One-person soup kitchens are labeled that way. So are well-oiled political campaigns with millions in backing. Gail Neal probably wouldn’t use such a term to describe the Hilltop childcare center she launched nearly two decades ago, at least as a way to attract attention, even if it was fitting in the truest sense of the word. She’s too humble, and the spotlight isn’t her thing. They’re two … Continue Reading


November 10, 2023

Congressman will not run for reelection in ’24

by Peninsula Daily News

U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer is leaving the House of Representatives, where he has served for nearly 11 years. The Democrat from Gig Harbor, a native of Port Angeles, said Thursday he won’t seek reelection to the 6th Congressional District — which includes the North Olympic Peninsula — in 2024. It has been an honor to serve, he said, but it’s time to move on from Congress. “I’ve looked at life in chapters,” Kilmer said in a press release. “The decade I spent working in economic development. The … Continue Reading

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