Town of Friday Harbor to Double Regular Match

By Town of Friday Harbor

All donations made in November to the Town of Friday Harbor’s Life Ring utility assistance fund will be forwarded to the Friday Harbor Food Bank.

The town will match community donations up to a total of $2,000. This is twice the match offered in past years.

Utility customers can donate by marking the Harbor Life Ring line item on their bills that are going out on Nov. 1st. Read More »

By Island Rec

Check out the following basketball options for kids.

Youth Basketball Camp

The focus of this league is development and improvement of individual and team skills. Think skills, drills and scrimmages.

Previous team experience is not required. Participants practice once per week beginning the week of Nov. 2.

Volunteer coaches and referees are needed! Practice times will be based on volunteer coach availability and will be one day per week for an hour.

Games are played on Sundays for three weeks, and each game is a maximum of 1 hour in length, on Nov. 8, 15 and 22. Join for $25, and register by Oct. 31.

Future Hoopsters

Get ahead of the game with this 3-Class developmental basketball program.

Open to youth in kindergarten and first grade, this program is an excellent opportunity for boys and girls to learn about and enjoy the game of basketball. Read More »

Below is an interview that Janet Thomas of San Juan Island did with Mike Cohen of San Juan Island. For more information on the interview, visit www.ecopsych.com/janetinterview.html.

Mike Cohen. Contributed Photo

By Janet Thomas, San Juan Island

Mike Cohen has decades of educational experience with his Project Nature Connect work.

He is also a widely experienced musician. Due to Covid 19, his Monday night contra-dances are on-hold at the grange, where Mike is a long-time member. The grange sells his books at the farmer’s market.

And because he was a National Park volunteer of the year, the National Park sponsors his weekly contra dances. Mike has played with local musicians at the market, at the grange and in many other venues for 27 years. Read More »

By Washington State Department of Health

The Washington State Department of Health continues to make progress with our COVID-19 vaccine distribution planning efforts.

Today we posted our interim vaccine distribution plan. Now, as one component of a larger engagement strategy, the department is seeking additional feedback to help us understand the best ways to equitably distribute the vaccine as the department moves forward.

Throughout the month of October, DOH has been reaching out to the communities, workers, partners and business sectors who have been most disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 to gather feedback for COVID-19 vaccine planning. We are using surveys, interviews, focus groups and community conversations to gather this important feedback from key groups. Read More »

Contributed Image

By San Juan County

The most efficient way to submit building applications to San Juan County is online at sanjuanco.com/opc.

You can also use the dropbox at the entrance to the courthouse to submit forms and payments for burn permits, land use, building, right of way, water availability, birth and death certificates, and septic designs and inspection results.

We will no longer be accepting documents and payments from the DCD window. Thank you for your cooperation.

You can see letters from individuals at the links below. As more letters come in, this list will be updated so be sure to check back.

Letters are posted in the order received in support of:

Ryan Palmateer
Winnie Adams and Bob Gamble
Steve Ulvi and Lynette Roberts
Christopher Minney

Cindy Wolf
Winnie Adams and Bob Gamble
State Representative Debra Lekanoff
Michael Durland
Natalie Menacho
Marc Cohen
Sally O’Brien

Rick Hughes
Steve Ulvi and Lynette Roberts
Susan Kollet

Christine Minnie
Sandy Strehlou
Chuck Dalldorf
Susan Kollet

Merri Ann Simonson – Contributed photo

By Merri Ann Simonson, Coldwell Banker San Juan Islands

The third-quarter results for San Juan Island and San Juan County were consistent with the first quarter results; very robust.

The second quarter was in COVID shock but that gave way to a strong third quarter.

Per the NWMLS, the dollar volume year-to-date on San Juan Island was $139,281,708 with a total of 188 transactions. This reflects a 65% increase in the dollar volume and a 38% increase in the number of transactions.

For San Juan County, the total dollar volume was $292,879,941 with a total of 430 transactions. The county also had an increase which was 41% in dollar volume and 34% in the number of transactions.

Based on the active market, we will complete this year above the 2005 dollar volume, which was when the volume and number of transactions reached an all-time high. Read More »

By Kathryn Clary, RN, BSN, CHPN, Hospice of the Northwest, San Juan Island

Currently, the only Medicare-based hospice in our county is Hospice of the Northwest.

Two years ago this hospice was listed as the No. 1 hospice agency in the United States. HNW provides medical hospice services no matter one’s ability to pay.

Medicare hospice services are provided in this state by owning a Certificate of Need (CON). HNW holds the CON for San Juan County as well as Skagit, Island and Snohomish Counties.

HNW is owned by a joint venture (JV) of Skagit County Public Hospital District No. 1 and United General District No. 304.

Hospice of the Northwest is not affiliated with our local San Juan Island volunteer hospice, Hospice of the San Juan.

I learned last week of the possible sale of HNW to Bristol Hospice, a for-profit hospice that is a portfolio company of the Massachusetts-based Webster Equity Partners. Read More »