Below are links to letters regarding various items on the upcoming election. Letters are shown in the order received and this page will continue to be updated as more letters come in. Letters for and against SJC Public Hospital District No. 1 Proposition No. 1 Authorizing Regular Property Tax Levy: Alison Longley Lee Sturdivant Warren  Continue Reading

The Pacific States/British Columbia Oil Spill Task Force is honoring Marta Green with a 2021 Legacy Award for her committed leadership in developing and advancing the San Juan Islands’ Oil Spill Prevention Strategy. Over the last five years, Marta secured grant funding and managed two projects to advance oil spill prevention measures for the shipping lanes through  Continue Reading

The EDC recently launched a survey to determine economic and social impacts to San Juan County residents, from recent Washington State Ferries service disruptions.  Initial findings show that most residents responding to the survey reported negative impacts. Key findings from the survey: 447 participants from San Juan County responded to the survey.  Of those, 94%  Continue Reading

Since the last update on Friday October 8th, there have been 20 new confirmed or probable cases in San Juan County. Current total case count is now 332. Of these 20 new cases, initial investigations indicate that 3 appear to have occurred in fully vaccinated individuals. There are approximately 9 unvaccinated close contacts of positive  Continue Reading

OLYMPIA–Washington State’s Recreation and Conservation Office is asking people to help determine how funding should be spent by taking a survey about what kind of outdoor recreation they do. The State is updating its statewide recreation and conservation plan, which includes a state trails plan, to unlock grants from the Land and Water Conservation Fund.  Continue Reading

The San Juan County Land Bank Commission will hold its monthly meeting on October 15, from 8:30am-11:30am via Zoom. The public is invited to attend. Click HERE to download the agenda (includes ZOOM link) and meeting materials. To learn more about your Conservation Land Bank, visit sjclandbank.org. If you’re interested in volunteering and/or joining our  Continue Reading

Medicare beneficiaries have an opportunity each year between October 15th and December 7th to review their insurance coverage and make sure that their current plans will be the right ones for them in the coming year. Why should you do this? Because your health may have changed or your plan may be different for next  Continue Reading

Washington State Department of Transportation shares this alert… EVERETT – Travelers who frequently use rest areas along Interstate 5 between Everett and the Canadian border will need to plan for long-term closures, beginning Friday, Oct. 15. The Washington State Department of Transportation closed the southbound I-5 Silver Lake Rest Area, located at milepost 188 in  Continue Reading

The Town of Friday Harbor has contracted with Redside Construction to replace its existing submarine sewer outfall line with new 18-inch diameter HDPE pipe via directional drilling and placement on sea bed. Then connect the line upland to existing sewer utilities from the Wastewater Treatment Plant. Two aerial views are provided to help understand the  Continue Reading

Islanders who are eligible for COVID vaccine boosters (review this FAQ for details) and who are vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine are encouraged to receive their third dose boosters beginning next week at free vaccine clinics throughout San Juan County. Please register in advance at: https://www.sanjuanco.com/1737/COVID-Vaccine-Info. San Juan County is also offering flu vaccine clinics  Continue Reading

We all felt the shock when the Life Care center in Friday Harbor closed in 2017. Since then, various approaches have been investigated to solve the problem. The hospital district placed a lid lift to its primary levy from approximately $0.34 to $0.70 per $1,000 in assessed value on the ballot this fall to implement  Continue Reading

Join the candidates for Fire Commissioner 2 – Bob Jarman and Dwight Colley and for Port Commissioner 3, Greg Hertel and Victoria Compton. Watch for updates on our Facebook page. Register at LWVSJ.forums@gmail.com for either or both of the forums and you will receive a link to the meetings which will be held via Zoom  Continue Reading

The Port of Friday Harbor intends to assume operations of the Albert Jensen and Sons Shipyard at 1293 Turn Point Road, Friday Harbor WA as of November 1, 2021. Boats currently in the boatyard will be able to be launched immediately upon assumption of operations by the Port. New lifts and boatyard work will not  Continue Reading

The following is a press release from SJC Public Hospital District and SJI EMS… In July 2021 the elected Board of the hospital district voted to move forward with the integration of EMS under San Juan Island Fire and Rescue. This requires a new EMS levy under the Fire District to replace ours. There have  Continue Reading

Since the last update on Friday October 1st, there have been 3 new confirmed or probable cases in San Juan County. Current total case count is now 312. Of these 3 new cases, initial investigations indicate that 2 appear to have occurred in fully vaccinated individuals. Lopez Island There are 0 new cases on Lopez  Continue Reading

Welcome Karl! The Town of Friday Harbor Historic Preservation Review Board recently filled one of the two recent vacancies. Our newest member is Karl Eberhard who has a wealth of experience in architecture and municipal historic preservation programs and citizen preservation advisory boards. Just one more…. The good news is that there is one more  Continue Reading

San Juan County Health and Community Services will be hosting a series of influenza vaccine clinics across the islands. For full schedule and to register, go to: www.sanjuanco.com/flu Occurring between October 20th and November 12th, these clinics will help ensure as many islanders as possible get their flu vaccine this winter. In addition to these  Continue Reading

Medicare enrollees have an opportunity every year between October 15 and December 7th to review their Medicare Part D drug plans and their Medicare Advantage plans to see if they want to make changes that will be effective in the new year.  Medicare beneficiaries can change from one Medigap plan to another at any time  Continue Reading

In the Update mailbag this morning we have this letter from San Juan County Council member Cindy Wolf… Hello Editor, Census numbers are in and the proposed redistricting maps are out. You can see them at https://www.redistricting.wa.gov/commissioner-proposed-maps. In my opinion, the strongest move we can make this week for the future of our ferry system  Continue Reading

Since the last update on Friday September 24th, there have been nine new confirmed or probable cases in San Juan County. Current total case count is now 309. Of these nine new cases, initial investigations indicate that six appear to have occurred in fully vaccinated individuals. Please note that if the vaccination rates in San  Continue Reading

Following a delay due to Covid-19, the Washington Plastic Bag Ban (RCW 70A.530) will go into effect statewide on October 1, 2021. This means that retailers and restaurants throughout the state will be prohibited from providing single-use plastic carryout bags. As Washington prepares for the statewide plastic bag ban to take effect, San Juan County  Continue Reading

San Juan County will be hosting another round of COVID-19 vaccine clinics October 5th through 7th. Both first and second doses of Pfizer will be available as well as the one-shot Johnson & Johnson series.  Registration is required.  More information can be found on the county’s website at this link.