The San Juan Island School District’s Food for Thought Program is back at it! Though most of the staff was furloughed, Chef Andy, Ashley Spendiff and Kerri Starr are working hard to provide healthful FROM SCRATCH meals to all children in San Juan County ages 1-18 FOR FREE. Check out the school website for current  Continue Reading

A mass of smoke is currently sitting over Southwestern Washington.  This smoke, from wildfires in Washington, Oregon and California is expected to move north starting tomorrow and likely impact much of Western Washington through the weekend as it is pushed by southerly winds.   The Department of Ecology smoke forecast for tomorrow predicts that air  Continue Reading

Effective September 10, San Juan County Health Officer Dr. Frank James has signed Order No. 2020-9, lifting the 50% capacity restrictions on transient lodging. Operating at 100% capacity is allowed immediately. This order also immediately lifts the closure of all public playgrounds and playground equipment. Dr. James explains, “Island residents and visitors have done an  Continue Reading

Due to fire danger and stretched resources, the San Juan County is extending the current burn ban to prohibit all outdoor fires, effective immediately and until further notice. This change is prompted by several factors. Hot and dry weather has made conditions ripe for ignition and fast fire spread, and forecasts predict more of the  Continue Reading

Alchemy’s Kid Pods are perfect for children and young people who want to learn, explore, and be creative- outdoors and in person!   Alchemy is signing up groups of 4-5 kids on a rolling basis for personalized outdoor creative programming that includes ceramics, printmaking, drawing, t-shirt decoration, games, nature exploration, and more.   Classes take place once  Continue Reading

I saw this article online and thought it was worthy of sharing, so the author, Jen, wrote this short introduction for the San Juan Update. We humans really need to wake up and make some changes… The world’s oceans are being polluted by trash every minute of every day. At least 8 million metric tons  Continue Reading

San Juan Island writer, artist and translator, Ian Boyden, releases his new book, A Forest of Names, today (September, 8). Published by the prestigious Wesleyan University Press, the book is available through local bookstores and online. The genesis of the book began in 2016, when Boyden curated the exhibition Ai Weiwei: Fault Line at the  Continue Reading

Skagit Valley College’s Worker Retraining program covers tuition, books, and school-related fees to help those who are Unemployed. Skagit Valley College is pleased to announce that we are offering you new options for Fall Quarter taught by our trained, experienced online instructors. Classes start Tuesday, September 22 and registration is going on now. Are you  Continue Reading

San Juan County Waterfront Parcels  If you own a waterfront parcel in the County, or hope to purchase one, I have detailed below some items to take into consideration.  Historically, waterfront parcels were the most coveted investment in the islands but due to ever changing regulations, they are now the most confusing parcels to develop.   Continue Reading

Small businesses are relying more than ever on your support as they creatively cope with COVID.  Here’s the first of a series of stories about their survival: San Juan County businesses are being creative and adapting during these very tough times. Right now, our three Chambers of Commerce, the San Juan County Economic Development Council, and the  Continue Reading