Here’s this month’s history column from the San Juan Historical Society and Museum… Here’s a little trivia question for you: When did farming first begin on San Juan Island? If you said “about 1850” or “with Hudson Bay Company’s Belle Vue Sheep Farm” you would not be alone, but that’s not quite early enough.  Too  Continue Reading

A message from Dr. House… Our initial selection of VSee as a client to host our telemedicine proved to be the wrong choice as they couldn’t keep up with our demand or needs. As such we’ve switched our Telemedicine service to Zoom. Please download the Zoom client onto your phone or tablet. It’s also available  Continue Reading

A message from Dr. House… Huge thank you to patients that have reached out to request telemedicine. Out of my 18 visits Tuesday 6 of those were via telemedicine. We’re scheduling more every day and we’re working with other providers both in our office and outside our walls to expand this service. We had planned  Continue Reading

Washington State Ferries will extend its current winter sailing schedule through the end of next month due to declines in ridership from COVID-19. The spring sailing schedule will now tentatively begin on April 26 rather than March 29. Customers should continue following the winter schedule. All vehicle reservations made for dates between March 29 and  Continue Reading

A message from the county with more to come… Second confirmed positive case on Orcas Island: A close household contact of the first positive case has also tested positive for COVID-19. This positive result was anticipated by San Juan County Public Health Staff and close contact tracing was completed over the weekend to ensure the individuals  Continue Reading

To defeat COVID-19, we’re hunkering down. Last night, I issued an order to every Washingtonian: “Stay home, stay healthy” for at least the next two weeks. Let me take a moment to explain to you why and what it means. Washingtonians are required to stay home unless they need to pursue an essential activity. All  Continue Reading

A message from Alchemy Arts… At Alchemy Art Center we believe that art is essential, especially in times of crisis. That’s why we are redirecting our resources into free online art classes, as well as an ambitious community mural project, in order to best serve our community during this challenging time Just because our physical  Continue Reading

COVID-19 updates from San Juan County around subjects on the minds of islanders… Our community has a strong history of neighbors helping neighbors – a quick scroll through our online news and local Facebook pages exemplifies that spirit with posts centered around getting supplies to those in need; supporting local businesses; caring for our most  Continue Reading

A reminder from Merri Ann Simonson to be sure to fill out your census form. It only takes a few minutes, you can do it online, and it brings critically needed funds into our county… It is imperative that you complete the 2020 census report as it aids in improving the quality of life in  Continue Reading

On Friday, March 20, the Washington Supreme Court issued a new emergency order outlining required procedures in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency. As our state’s highest court, the Washington Supreme Court’s order is binding on San Juan County courts. In response to this new directive, San Juan County Superior and District Courts have  Continue Reading