From Washington State Ferries The Samish, Cathlamet and Kaleetan vessels have been reassigned to full service on the Anacortes and San Juan Islands routes for Thursday, April 15.  The Chelan has been out of service since April 14 due to steering issues and needed repairs. This will restore full service, following earlier cancellations. Now,  M/V Samish  Continue Reading

From the San Juan Island Sculpture Park Join us from 9-11 a.m. every third Wednesday of the month through September to watch for our fine feathered friends at the San Juan Island Sculpture Park located next to Roche Harbor Resort. The next event is 9 a.m., Wednesday, April 21. Phil Green, a local bird enthusiast  Continue Reading

“Freezer-Burned: Tales of Interior Alaska” is a regular column on the San Juan Update written by Steve Ulvi. The Pitfalls of Fuzzy Thinking   A decade ago, our fourth summer here, my Alaska pal Archie left a phone message that he would be visiting in Washington state.  Waiting through his practiced, jolly jibes about us  Continue Reading

From the League of Women Voters of the San Juans The League of Women Voters of the San Juans is holding its membership meeting, which is open to the public, at noon, Monday, April 19 over Zoom. We have an exciting and informative speaker: our own Susan Martin, who is a league board member. She  Continue Reading

From San Juan County Land Bank The San Juan County Land Bank Commission will hold its monthly meeting from 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Friday, April 16 via Zoom. This meeting will include the Conservation Agriculture Resource Team’s final report on the Coffelt Farm Preserve on Orcas Island. The public is invited to attend. Download the agenda,  Continue Reading

Six Cases Out of 6.8 Million Doses Nationwide Resulted in Brain Blood Clots   From the Washington State Department of Health The Washington State Department of Health will pause the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine statewide starting immediately, following the guidance of the FDA/CDC. Use of that vaccine will be put on hold  Continue Reading

Items Can Include Mattresses, Scrap Metal, Furniture   From the Town of Friday Harbor The Town of Friday Harbor is pleased to offer its residential refuse customers a one-time-only curbside pickup of items that are too large or too heavy for their refuse cans the week of April 26-30. Pickup will take place on their  Continue Reading

By Susan and Peter Risser, San Juan Island Since Peter and I had the good fortune to serve in various roles, including the assistant chief for over 20 years with the now-defunct Friday Harbor Fire Department, we became fairly well acquainted with some of the challenges involved in providing good fire protection to our community.   Continue Reading

From the Animal Protection Society of Friday Harbor Age: approximately 1 year old Sex: Male Breed: Domestic Shorthair, Brown Tabby Application: www.apsfh.com/adoption-program/feline-application/ Meet Sorcerer! A magical little feline who casts love spells on everyone he meets…as well as his ultra-soft coat! Sorcerer is a charming, friendly, young cat looking for his forever family. He is  Continue Reading

By Hayley Day, San Juan Update Two people were rescued after a plane went down near Blakely Island Sunday. At about 4:30 p.m., April 11, the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office reported deputies — as well as fire, EMS and coast guard crews — were responding to a call of a downed aircraft south of  Continue Reading