Restaurants, Gyms Open at 25% Capacity On Feb. 14 From Washington State Gov. Jay Inslee’s Office Gov. Jay Inslee announced Feb. 11 five new regions have met the metric requirements to progress to Phase 2 of the Healthy Washington reopening plan, starting this weekend. The West and Puget Sound regions have maintained their metric requirements  Continue Reading

From San Juan County San Juan County Health Officer Dr. Frank James recently released expanded guidance to local school district leaders regarding the opening of schools, in particular, grades 7-12. The only modifications to the existing guidance are: -Dr. James supports school district leadership in their effort to develop plans that expand their reopening strategies  Continue Reading

From OPALCO Three OPALCO employees have tested positive for COVID-19 on Lopez and others are under quarantine, following the San Juan County protocol. At this time, the employees who tested positive appear to have mild to no symptoms and are resting at home. As their quarantine periods are up over the next week or so,  Continue Reading

Friday Harbor Mayor Farhad Ghatan signed the following proclamation on Feb. 4. WHEREAS, the mission of the SJI Chamber of Commerce is to promote the economic vitality of our community and support its membership through educational programs, networking opportunities, visitor information services and community events which reflect our unique island culture; and WHEREAS, our island  Continue Reading

From San Juan County When COVID vaccine registration opened at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 10, many hundreds of islanders logged on and searched by their zip code for available clinics, just as they were advised to do in our instructional video. Unfortunately, the zip code search feature was not working. While most applicants were  Continue Reading

From San Juan County Arts Council Enter a spring-themed art contest to win cash prizes. Accepted mediums include painting, illustration, sculpture, pottery, quilt, mix-media, jewelry and photo. First prize for those 18 and older will receive $500, second place wins $250 and this place wins $100. First prize for those 17 and younger will receive  Continue Reading

From the Center For Whale Research The team at the Center For Whale Research wants to hear your whale love stories. Is there a whale that holds a special place in your heart? Or a whale encounter that still makes your heart go pitter-patter? Or perhaps you developed a special friendship with someone because of  Continue Reading

Patos Lighthouse – Contributed Photo From Arcadia Publishing Since 1893, a light has been shining from Patos Island, the northernmost island in Puget Sound. Built to guide ships through treacherous waters, the lighthouse was also a happy home for many, including Edward Durgan and his family in the early 1900s. Boundary waters smugglers and rumrunners  Continue Reading

From the Friday Harbor Film Festival Join the Friday Harbor Film Festival’s free livestream Q&A event about the films from the series “In Search of the Great Song,”at 10 a.m., Friday, Feb. 12. A recording of the livestream will be available free at www.fhff.org for those unable to watch at the scheduled time. The Friday  Continue Reading

Store To Close Feb. 14-March 2 For Vacation By Nancy Larsen, Griffin Bay Bookstore We at Griffin Bay Bookstore have you in our hearts as we turn our uplifted spirits to thoughts of deep appreciation for our customers, to the gratitude we hold for your encouragement and support, and to the joy we feel knowing  Continue Reading