Friday Dec. 7 at 1:00 AM the ocean freighter “Cape Apricot” from Panama ran through and destroyed a coal conveyor system at Westshore Terminals in Vancouver, BC. It destroyed part of the largest of the port’s two berth and spilled an undetermined amount of coal into Georgia Strait.

County PIO Stan Matthews reports that the Critical Areas Ordinance passed this past week after a long deliberative process – here’s more: Council Approves Final CAO Updates At a special meeting December 3, the San Juan County Council completed the often contentious process of updating of the County’s Critical Areas Ordinance (CAO). The update is required by  Continue Reading

The film below is a bit over five minutes, but shows a mature cinematic storytelling touch, I think….Isabel, Sam & Matthew pull together a good team in this short film adaptation of Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher , which they turned in as an English project at Friday Harbor High School. Song: Wonderwall by Oasis.  Continue Reading

The tree lighting ceremony drew a pretty good crowd Friday night. Got down there just in time to hear the final song sung by the Elementary School Choir and snap this photo as the ferry came in. Good times!

Lenore Bayuk sends along this letter: Letter to Editor December 7, 2012 As Commissioners for San Juan County Public Hospital District #1, we want to express our greatest appreciation to all the former staff of the Inter Island Medical Center.  You all have worked hard to provide healthcare to our community over many years and  Continue Reading

Clayton Banry to Receive “Sixth Wolverine Award” Between the Friday Harbor High School’s girls and boys basketball games against Bear Creek High School on Saturday, Clayton Banry will receive the first ever “Sixth Wolverine Award”.

It’s always good to stay in touch with what John Miller creates with his photos…here’s a new one he just offered to share. Thanks, John!

Lots going on around town & the island….changes upon changes. Let’s see what’s up: • The Tree Lighting & Caroling is tonight – here’s more from the Chamber of Commerce’s Rebecca Parks: The first Friday of December every year, islanders gather for warmth, good cheer, caroling and watching the big tree down at Memorial Park  Continue Reading

Tim Dustrude continues his series with photos & stories about people around the island – here’s more about Ted Buganski and his carpet cleaning business: You’ve probably seen his van with the red “Ted’s 3-C Carpet Cleaning” on the sides. Ted bought the company in 1981 and says, “I’ve been loving every minute of it.  Continue Reading

San Juan County joins the rest of the state in legalizing same-sex marriages on December sixth…so how does that work? Here’s more from County Auditor Milene Henley: History will be made on December 6, 2012, when same-sex couples can legally apply for a marriage license in Washington.  The approval by voters of Referendum 74 will  Continue Reading

Tim Dustrude continues his series with photos & stories about people around the island – here’s more about catering maven Cynthia Burke: Cynthia Burke is the owner of Cynthia’s Of Course, a catering and personal chef service here in Friday Harbor. She has been in the food and hospitality business for over 35 years, including  Continue Reading

Samuel Alexander Carter: 1982 — 2012 Samuel Alexander Carter of Friday Harbor died Friday, Nov. 23, 2012, of an accidental drowning, sometime after 12:30 a.m. He was 30 years old. Born March 5, 1982, in Grand Forks, British Columbia, Canada, Sam is the son of Thomas R. Carter and Nina A. White. Sam attended 1st-12th  Continue Reading

I just heard that Mona the Camel may be leaving our island if she can’t find a warmer place for her feet. Her owner Steve King says her feet get cold in the Winter at her current location on Roche Harbor Road (lots of wet runoff on that property) and it’s not good for her  Continue Reading

It’s something you can bring the kids to….and it’s this weekend. Here’s more from Jan Bollwinkel-Smith at the Community Theatre: Outlandish Funnyman Joins Comedy Tour The Curious Comedy Tour returns to the San Juan Community Theatre on December 7 with a new twist: comedian Bill Robison. The Tour wowed families last year when juggler Matt  Continue Reading

Science. Technology. Engineering. Mathematics. The school district’s kids just got a boost from the state in these areas – here’s more from the school district’s Maude Cumming: The San Juan Island School District has been named one of five STEM Lighthouse Districts by the State of Washington via a state-wide competition. The Lighthouse designation acknowledges  Continue Reading