From the San Juan County Economic Development Council Those seeking to enter a new career or boost their job skills are invited to learn Computer Aided Design, or CAD, in a free, online class offered by the Economic Development Council. Brett Paul, staff engineer at Luxel, will be teaching a five-week introduction to CAD, from  Continue Reading

From the Washington State Department of Agriculture The Washington State Department of Agriculture’s COVID-19 Sector Recovery grants are available thanks to a partnership with the Washington State Department of Commerce, and will provide grant funds to small businesses in four sectors: Small-scale shellfish growers Farmers market organizations Agritourism farms Small breweries, cideries, wineries, and distilleries  Continue Reading

From San Juan Island Sculpture Park San Juan Island Sculpture Park is looking for an activity coordinator from June through September. Duties include helping to select and facilitate two artist positions for our community art events scheduled every Saturday from June 19 through Sept. 4. Advance work would include event promotion and coordinating with artists.  Continue Reading

Coming soon to visit Friday Harbor, Lopez, Orcas… Sun-E-Land Bikes is a new Electric Bicycle Company based in Bellingham, now open for business and will be coming to the San Juan Islands to feature and promote the Sun-E-Land City Cruiser. Matt Holmes is the owner and operator of Sun-E-Land Bikes. Sun-E-Land Bikes offers affordable electric  Continue Reading

From the San Juan County Economic Development Council The Working Washington 4 Portal opens March 29. Working Washington Round 4 offers grant relief funds to small for-profit businesses, especially those that were required to close due to public health and safety measures. To learn eligibility requirements, visit https://commercegrants.com. To register, visit  https://wsbdc.ecenterdirect.com/events/99271442 Unemployment benefits have  Continue Reading

From San Juan County Economic Development Council Join the conversation on “What’s Next: The Islands Economy” at the 11th Annual EDC Economics Luncheon, held online 11-12:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 28, featuring economist Yoram Bauman and San Juan County Auditor Milene Henley. This year, participants are invited to “B.Y.O.L.” (bring your own lunch) to share a  Continue Reading

From San Juan County Economic Development Council The San Juan County Economic Development Council urges businesses and residents to hire local workers and contractors as the economy starts to reopen. In an effort to connect island workers with local businesses, the EDC will host a virtual job fair from 10-11:30 a.m., Wednesday, March 31, via  Continue Reading

EDC Offers Free Application Help From the San Juan County Economic Development Council The Economic Development Council reminds business owners and managers that the deadline for the SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program is approaching. Small businesses with fewer than 20 employees can apply during an exclusive application period for microbusinesses, until March 9, 2021. All businesses  Continue Reading

From San Juan County Economic Development Council The San Juan County Economic Development Council, in partnership with WSU Extension’s San Juan County 4-H program, is creating activities for children to introduce them to different trades in a fun and hands-on program that is offered remotely. The first installment on fire preplanning will launch on March  Continue Reading

By Hayley Day, San Juan Update At 9:15 a.m., Tuesday, Feb. 23, the San Juan County Council is scheduled to hold a public hearing on its vacation rental permit application moratorium. The council approved a six-month moratorium on vacation rental permit applications from Jan. 13 through July 13. The resolution states that “while this moratorium  Continue Reading

By Travis Ayers, Friday Harbor High School Grad Night Volunteers are raising funds for Friday Harbor High School Grad Night by selling four delicious meals at Haley’s Bait Shop. Order the meals online by Wednesday, Feb. 24, and pick up the meals from 4-7 p.m., Wednesday, March 3. Enter Sunshine Alley off First Street with  Continue Reading

From San Juan County Economic Development Council Makers – from craftspeople to engineers and from hobbyists to business owners – are invited to join the Economic Development Council of San Juan County to begin asset mapping with the San Juan Makers Guild on Friday, Feb. 26 from noon-1 p.m. on Zoom.  Presenters are Marcy Montgomery  Continue Reading

From Cynthia’s Bistro Grab a free dinner from 4:30-6 p.m., Today, Thursday, Feb. 18, at Cynthia’s Bistro, 65 Nichols Street in Friday Harbor.  The bistro is offering free takeout meals on the restaurant’s front porch to anyone who needs a meal or wishes to have a home-cooked meal; no questions asked, just free food. The  Continue Reading

From the San Juan Island Chamber of Commerce It’s a three-day weekend and Valentine’s Day on Sunday. Usually, it is the winter big weekend for restaurants, inns and stores.   This year, that is not the case, but you can still help make the holiday the best possible under the circumstances.   Support businesses if  Continue Reading

Restaurants, Gyms Open at 25% Capacity On Feb. 14 From Washington State Gov. Jay Inslee’s Office Gov. Jay Inslee announced Feb. 11 five new regions have met the metric requirements to progress to Phase 2 of the Healthy Washington reopening plan, starting this weekend. The West and Puget Sound regions have maintained their metric requirements  Continue Reading

From OPALCO Three OPALCO employees have tested positive for COVID-19 on Lopez and others are under quarantine, following the San Juan County protocol. At this time, the employees who tested positive appear to have mild to no symptoms and are resting at home. As their quarantine periods are up over the next week or so,  Continue Reading