The Regional POF Study launched early in 2020 assesses POF service across the 12-counties bordering Puget Sound and on Lake Washington and Lake Union. The Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) hosted a webinar on April 15 to kick-off the study. Since the webinar, PSRC has gathered feedback through a 12-county online survey exploring potential routes  Continue Reading

Election results thanks to Louise Dustrude… The five-person county council primary race on San Juan produced two clear leaders for the November general election: Christine Minney with 1978 votes and Ryan Palmateer with 1458. Others in that race were Sharon Kivisto, 812, Steve Wehrly, 295, and Daniel Miller, 289. The incumbent, Bill Watson, chose not  Continue Reading

San Juan County Courts prepare to resume jury trials come fall – you will start seeing juror summonses again soon. The San Juan County Superior Court and District Court are taking steps to resume conducting jury trials for the first time since early March, when the COVID-19 global pandemic hit Washington State. Although it is  Continue Reading

State launches access and speed test survey to document service gaps, prioritize expansion needs and investments…   OLYMPIA, WA — The Washington State Broadband Office and state Public Works Board have launched a mapping initiative to identify gaps in high-speed internet service and areas of broadband infrastructure needs in order to advance the state’s goal  Continue Reading

The County Council is searching for San Juan County citizens to fill current and upcoming vacancies on various boards and commissions. Additional information about each committee is available on the County’s website at: http://sanjuanco.com/641/Board-Committee-Vacancies. Persons interested in serving on a board or advisory committee should fill out an Advisory Committee Application or Contact the Council  Continue Reading

The San Juan Update is pleased to reprint this interview by Minor Lile with San Juan County Public Health Officer Dr. Frank James as published 7.30.2020 in Orcas Issues News & Views… As Public Health Officer for San Juan County, Dr. Frank James has played a prominent role in the community response to the Coronavirus  Continue Reading

Be sure to get your ballot in the mail by August 4. You can also pop it in the ballot box by the courthouse by 8 pm August 4. Better yet, get your ballot in early. No postage is necessary. Need help? Link to the online Voters pamphlet (see link below) or to register go  Continue Reading

OLYMPIA–Communities wanting to conserve forestlands now have a state grant program to help, the Recreation and Conservation Office announced today. Beginning September 1, communities can apply for grants of up to $3 million in the newly created Community Forests Program. The grants must be used to buy at least 5 acres of forestland and the  Continue Reading

The Town and its Friday Harbor Arts Commission have published Friday Harbor Poetry Gardens–a book of the winning entries in its first poetry garden contest. Thirty of the 271 entries submitted by local poets were selected for publication and for display at four outdoor poetry gardens within the town. The limited edition book is available  Continue Reading

San Juan County Public Hospital District No. 1 is providing notice of a Special Meeting to be held jointly with San Juan Island Fire and Rescue on Tuesday July 28, 2020 at 4:00 p.m. This meeting will be online due to COVID-19: members of the public may call 509-824-1884 and enter 919 848 360# This  Continue Reading

As positive test results continue to occur in San Juan County, the County COVID-19 Response Team is going to adjust the reporting strategy and schedule. Going forward:   – The Case Count Page will be updated when positive test results are received and initial investigation has confirmed the result.  – A weekly summary of positive  Continue Reading

On July 23, Governor Inslee issued new requirements for all of Washington State in response to increasing infections. In addition, Washington Secretary of Health Wiesman added additional requirements to the existing face covering order. Below is some preliminary information on what the new requirements mean for San Juan County. This summary is based on initial  Continue Reading

One new positive COVID-19 case has been reported on San Juan Island, which brings the total number of cases in San Juan County to date to 26. The initial case investigation is complete. A small number of close contacts have been identified and are in quarantine and the patient is isolating. The findings from the  Continue Reading

One new positive COVID-19 case has been reported on Orcas Island, which brings the total number of cases in San Juan County to date to 25. The initial case investigation is complete. Close contacts are in quarantine and the patient is isolating. The findings from the case investigation suggest the transmission source was a large  Continue Reading

In the San Juan Update mailbag this morning we find this letter from Karin Agosta… A friend asked me yesterday about Ryan Palmateer’s strengths as a candidate for San Juan County Council District 1. This is a great question in today’s confusing, demanding world. Here’s what I wrote her: First, his work in sustainable construction  Continue Reading

The Port of Friday Harbor will hold a Port Commission Meeting (Call in Information Below) Wednesday July 22, 2020 at 12pm Special Meeting Agenda The public is prohibited from attending in person due to COVID-19 restrictions but may dial into the meeting via the link listed below. Comments can be e-mailed to the Port or  Continue Reading

Two new positive COVID-19 cases have been reported on San Juan Island. These cases were identified through testing of close contacts of a previous case. All three individuals are self-isolating at home. Total number of cases in San Juan County to date is now 24. This is a good opportunity to emphasize the following critical  Continue Reading

The Orcas Women’s Coalition (OWC) announced their endorsement of Christine Minney for San Juan County Council (District #1, San Juan Island seat). Christine went through the OWC endorsement process and attended two ZOOM teleconference interviews with members. In an email to OWC members shared with Christine, they reported, “The strong majority of votes submitted were  Continue Reading

San Juan County Public Hospital District No. 1 is giving formal notice of a Special Board Meeting on July 18th, 2020, at 9:00 am, via MS Teams. Members of the public should call 509-824-1884 and enter 588 227 188# in order to attend. An Agenda is attached. This meeting on July 18th is for strategic  Continue Reading

Digging Deeper into Contact Tracing A more detailed look at how public health staff work to limit the spread of COVID in our community. This is by no means our most concise Hot Topic, but does contain useful info for those looking to understand a bit more about the public health response. As of July  Continue Reading

As the islands enter the 6th month of the COVID crisis, the likelihood of local families, individuals, and businesses being connected to someone with a confirmed positive test result continues to increase. We created this FAQ to highlight answers to likely questions in the event of a positive test result in either an employee, or  Continue Reading

In the mailbag this morning we have this letter from Katie Fleming… Dear Editor, I support Ryan Palmateer for the County Council District 1 position. I have worked with Ryan for 3 years on energy conservation, renewable energy promotion, and climate action programs in the San Juan Islands. Ryan is very committed to the resiliency  Continue Reading