By Susan and Peter Risser, San Juan Island Since Peter and I had the good fortune to serve in various roles, including the assistant chief for over 20 years with the now-defunct Friday Harbor Fire Department, we became fairly well acquainted with some of the challenges involved in providing good fire protection to our community.   Continue Reading

Plans Include Pocket Park Near Grange, Sidewalks on Lampard   By Duncan Wilson, Town of Friday Harbor Administrator Year after year, the services and responsibilities undertaken by the Town of Friday Harbor grow as population and business activity increase. Beyond daily town operations that include administration, finance and community development, our most expensive and complex  Continue Reading

From San Juan County Due to a significant surge in positive COVID cases in the San Juan Island community, residents are instructed to take the following actions to prevent further spread. Immediately limit high-risk indoor contact with those outside of your household. This includes vehicles, workspaces, socializing between children, and other sources of prolonged high-risk  Continue Reading

From San Juan County The San Juan 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. Those interested in serving on a board or advisory committee should fill out an advisory  Continue Reading

From San Juan County Are you an Orcas resident who is passionate and knowledgeable about affordable housing in San Juan County? San Juan County is seeking a new member for the Housing Advisory Committee to fill the Orcas Island position on the committee. The committee is the main advisory body to the San Juan County  Continue Reading

From San Juan Island EMS The retirement announcement of Superintendent Pamela Hutchins on March 25,  marks the end of a critical era for the San Juan County Public Hospital District No. 1. First hired in April 2005 as the financial officer for the old Inter Island Medical Center, she played a role there until it  Continue Reading

From The Town of Friday Harbor The Town of Friday Harbor is seeking a qualified candidate to fill the position of lead finance clerk. The lead finance clerk is responsible for varied and complex financial duties, including some of the duties of the finance director in their absence. The lead finance clerk performs a variety  Continue Reading

From San Juan County San Juan County is excited to announce the county launched its new and improved website March 25. With the new changes and updated look, citizens and visitors will be able to find what they need in a faster and more intuitive manner, as well as keeping up with new and important  Continue Reading

From San Juan County The San Juan County Superior Court and District Court are once again resuming jury trials, after postponing trials in November of 2020 due to a surge in COVID-19 cases. Thanks to transmission rates falling regionally and statewide, and technological and physical updates to the courtrooms to improve safety measures, both courts  Continue Reading

From San Juan County A “logic and accuracy” test of ballot tabulating equipment used in San Juan County for the April 27, Special election is scheduled for 11 a.m., March 23 at the elections office located at 55 Second Street, Suite A, in Friday Harbor. The test works by tallying the results of a prepared  Continue Reading

From Island Rec Island Rec’s levy funding request will be on the April 27 ballot for San Juan Island voters. The request is for a renewal of the existing property tax levy rate of 38.5 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value. To validate the election Island Rec needs 2,550 people to vote and then  Continue Reading

From Washington Governor Jay Inslee’s Office Gov. Jay Inslee announced March 11 that Healthy Washington: Roadmap to Recovery will be transitioning from a regional approach to a county-by-county evaluation process. The governor also announced a new third phase of the Roadmap, a return for in-person spectators for professional and high school sports. Effective March 22,  Continue Reading

From San Juan County Are there changes to San Juan County’s Charter that you would like to have considered during the November election? The San Juan County Charter Review Commission will be conducting two town hall meetings on Friday, March 12 and Saturday, March 13. Click here to learn how to join. Come one, come  Continue Reading

From The Town of Friday Harbor The Town of Friday Harbor has contracted for the replacement of damaged sidewalk panels on West Street, near the Kings Market parking lot, where tree roots and weathering have caused cracking and buckling of the concrete. Construction begins Thursday, March 11, and is estimated to last approximately two weeks.  Continue Reading

From San Juan County The Washington State Department of Health will be sending San Juan County Health & Community Services a shipment of vaccine that is specifically allocated for K-12 educators and pre-school and childcare providers in the islands. The shipment will contain doses sufficient to vaccinate all eligible educators in San Juan County. “This  Continue Reading

From San Juan County San Juan County is seeking volunteers to write opposing arguments for measures on the ballot in the April 2021 Special Election. Four measures will be on the ballot. All measures have “pro” committees, and all are in need of “con” committees. The Town of Friday Harbor is running a measure that  Continue Reading

From San Juan County As most are aware, the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine is now the third vaccine approved for use in the United States. While it is unclear when this vaccine might become available in San Juan County, some supplies could potentially arrive in the near future. If you have an opportunity to  Continue Reading

The following is an open letter to the San Juan County Council from dozens of San Juan Island businesses, including Mike’s Café and Wine Bar, San Juan Hostel, Crystal Seas Kayaking, Island Pets, On Point Barber Shop and more. Dear San Juan County Council, We are strongly opposed to the moratorium that you have recently  Continue Reading

From San Juan County As vaccine distribution efforts continue, it is worth looking at what vaccine has been received to date in San Juan County. These numbers are just a snapshot. Please recognize that this is a constantly evolving situation. To date, seven vaccine providers in San Juan County have been approved to distribute vaccine  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

By Randall Gaylord, San Juan County Prosecuting Attorney On Thursday, Feb. 25, a narrow majority of the Washington Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional a state statute making it unlawful to possess controlled substances upending a 50-year-old statute and tens of thousands of criminal convictions in Washington state. “I don’t expect to see meth and heroin users  Continue Reading

From the Town of Friday Harbor   The Town of Friday Harbor Council adopted Resolution No. 2618 declaring town support for approval of Proposition 1 by the San Juan Island Parks and Recreation District, also known as Island Rec, in the April 27 special election.   Learn more about the levy at www.islandrec.org/levy.   Read  Continue Reading