By David Bayley, Friday Harbor I’m writing to enthusiastically endorse the reelection of our town’s mayor, Farhad Ghatan. I have known and admired Farhad for almost 30 years, and have been continually impressed by his intelligence, energy and commitment to public service.  Experience matters, folks! Farhad’s background in local governance, chairing the Planning Commission for  Continue Reading

From San Juan County After more than a month of no new cases locally, San Juan County has three new breakthrough cases of COVID-19. This means that each person is fully vaccinated and it has been more than two weeks since the vaccine series was completed. There is one case each on Lopez, Orcas and  Continue Reading

From San Juan County Fair The countdown to 2021 “Lettuce Entertain Ewe,” the virtual fair, is underway. While staff has worked hard to host some recent, smaller in-person activities, the Aug. 18-21 event will remain online.  There are two more weeks for exhibitors to register online. The goal for this year is to beat the  Continue Reading

From San Juan County The San Juan County Department of Community Development is now open to the public. Staff is available for walk-in questions from 8:30-10:30 a.m., weekdays. Staff will be available from 10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. for appointments, excluding noon-1 p.m. for lunch.  Use this new scheduling app to book an appointment.

From the San Juan County Prosecutor’s Office Two lawsuits over the Orcas Road improvements brought by Jeff and Angie Johnson settled with a net payment of $140,000 to Jeff and Angie Johnson. The Johnsons, who own 38 acres at the corner of Nordstrom Lane and Orcas Road, first filed suit over alleged damages caused by  Continue Reading

From the Washington State Department of Health An outbreak of vibriosis in Washington has already surpassed the highest number of cases ever recorded by the state for the month of July. Recent high temperatures and low tides in Washington state are likely to blame for the increased rate of illness, which is associated with eating  Continue Reading

From SeaDoc Society Bottoms Up will be a virtual one-hour event at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 9. Join us for an evening of science, education, storytelling and, most of all, fun. We’ll look back on a unique but incredibly productive year for SeaDoc Society from the seafloor to the surface. Don’t miss the journey! Registration is  Continue Reading

From the San Juan County Elections Office San Juan County has three issues in this year’s primary election. Friday Harbor voters will vote in a runoff between three candidates for Mayor, with the top two vote-getters moving on to the general election in November. Lopez voters will vote on two measures: an EMS levy and  Continue Reading

From the Animal Protection Society of Friday Harbor Age: About 1 year old Sex: Female Breed: Chihuahua Mix Application: www.apsfh.com/adoption-program/feline-application Robin is a true party girl at heart. She knows how to have fun, is an excellent tiny dancer, and her high spirits are contagious – assuring to keep the party going long into the  Continue Reading

By Nicole McIntosh, Chief of Staff, WSDOT Ferries Division The state’s reopening and the start of summer are bringing us a surge in ridership. We carried almost 86,000 riders on Saturday, July 3. That beats our old pandemic high of nearly 80,000 on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend on May 29. July 3 was  Continue Reading