Tuesday, in the news….

Coming on the road away from the Marine Labs....

 Let’s see what’s going on around the island, and around the region:

That's Ann, to the left with the longer blonde hair - on hand as the governor signs the Discover Pass bill.

• Remember Ann Larson, who worked for the County Council for a while here on the island? She got a job working with Kevin Ranker when he became a state senator, and now works at Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife, where she’s the special assistant to the director, in legislative affairs.

She was on hand when the governor signed a slew of bills. One of the most watched bills she signed was the new law that allows Discover Passes to be used on more than one vehicle. It’s an attempt to boost sales to stop any more cuts, avoid parks going seasonal or even closing.

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• In the Edmonds paper, the island’s Ken Balcomb (The Center for Whale Research) addresses the horrific death of L112, a 3-year-old killer whale whose necropsy he attended…he contends she was killed by an explosion. Here’s more, from Ken.

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John Nelson Simon sent over this photo yesterday of visitors dropping in from Whidbey Island....

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• Nice writeup by the Yahoo! News folks about our local artist Kurt Wenner, with a nice display of his pictures – check it out.

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The folks at Windermere Real Estate & their furry friends....

• It was nice to hear from Tawny at the Animal Shelter how the food drive went – here’s her report:

The 2012 Valentine’s Day Community Pet Food Drive hosted by the Animal Protection Society/Friday Harbor was a huge success.  The APSFH pushed beyond their total from last year of just over 700 pounds to reach a new record of 1200 POUNDS.  “It is PAWsATIVELY humbling to see how committed our San Juan Island Community is to the betterment of the lives of people and pets. Their level of passion is what allows the APSFH to accomplish as much as we do,” said Leslie Byron, Shelter Director and Fundraiser Coordinator.

Collections of wet and dry pet food started on Valentine’s Day and commenced two weeks later till February 28^th at the 4^th Annual Spay-ghetti Dinner, an APSFH fundraiser and community outreach event for their Spay & Neuter Programs. The 1200 Pounds gathered by the APSFH will be handed over to the Friday Harbor Food Bank for distribution to families in need.  With the downturn of the economy there has been a significant increase in need at the food bank as well as an increase in the number of dogs and cats surrendered.  “We are trying to keep families together and happy pets in their homes,” adds Leslie.

On the last day of the Pet Food Drive, with only 600 pounds collected, the Brokers and Staff of Windermere San Juan Island tipped the scale bringing in a whopping 575 pound mix of cash, checks and pet food.  “Being in the business of homes, with 99.9% of our office pet lovers and our commitment to community, it was only natural we step up and help the APSFH reach its goal of 1000 pounds,” according to Gary Franklin of Windermere, when asked about their participation in the 2012 Pet Food Drive.

The APSFH sends sincere gratitude to their family and friends for all their help and support with the food drive and sends a special thank you to the local businesses who helped as collection locations: Islander’s Bank, Whidbey Island Bank, Friday Harbor Pet Supply, The Barking Bird, Island’s Veterinary, Harbor Vet and The Friday Harbor Market Place.

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The island is for lovers...it was cool to see the "XOOXOOOX" on this car's tags on the island, earlier this week....

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Paul

• Just got this my friend Wendy:

You may have heard that our island neighbour and friend, Paul Mercer, is recovering from a brain aneurysm.  While he faces this challenge, a benefit account has been set up at Whidbey Island Bank to help offset some of the medical expenses.

To learn more, please contact Whidbey Island Bank, and ask about making a deposit to the “Paul Mercer Donation Fund.”

Sincerely,

The Friends of Paul Mercer (The Bug Guy)

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