I’m Sharon Kivisto and I’m campaigning to be the council member representing Residency District 1 on the San Juan County Council. My 20+ years of experience as a journalist in the islands has provided me with insight about the needs of islanders and the workings of county government. I’d like to use the knowledge I’ve  Continue Reading

Update to District Residents Your local hospital district is committed to making sure that island residents have resources available to them to ensure care for their health. In an era where rural healthcare is under pressure nationwide, our innovative public-private partnership with PeaceHealth provides high-quality care to the public that is financially sustainable. Our Emergency  Continue Reading

July 2, 2020: Today Governor Inslee announced that a minimum of a two week hold will be placed on all current applications to advance through the Governor’s four phase plan. This decision applies to San Juan County’s application to Phase 3 submitted to the State on June 25th, in addition to current applications from a  Continue Reading

A friendly reminder that all personal fireworks are prohibited in San Juan County. This includes firecrackers, mortars, sparklers, and bottle rockets. Personal firework discharge is a crime punishable by fines from the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office. Furthermore any fires linked to the use of personal fireworks are subject to billing from all agencies that  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

2020 Primary Vote counting equipment testing July 20 at 11:00 a.m. A “Logic and Accuracy” test of ballot tabulating equipment used in San Juan County for the August 4, 2020 Primary election is scheduled for July 20 at 11:00 a.m. The test works by tallying the results of a prepared set of ballots to see  Continue Reading

While there isn’t a vaccine against COVID-19 yet, the good news is that vaccines can protect children from 14 other serious diseases. Delaying or missing vaccines could put your child, your family and your community at risk for these diseases. Vaccinating children on time is the best way to protect them. Talk with your child’s  Continue Reading

The last day to apply for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) is June 30th, 2020. As of today, June 26th, there is plenty of money in the program, and restrictions which may have deterred some businesses have been loosened. To apply for this program, contact your banker. If your bank is no longer offering these  Continue Reading

The League of Women Voters of the San Juans will hold candidate forums on the video conference platform Zoom at 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, July 7, and Wednesday, July 8. To attend the forums, please send a message to [email protected] to register. The League will provide a link to the Zoom meeting shortly before the scheduled  Continue Reading

June 24, 2020: Following a recommendation from San Juan County Health Officer Dr. Frank James, both the County Board of Health and the San Juan County Council approved submitting an application to the WA State Secretary of Health to enter a modified version of Phase 3 of the Governor’s four-phased Safe Start Washington plan. The timing  Continue Reading

June 24, 2020: Over the past week, San Juan County reported three new COVID-19 cases. Two were on San Juan Island and one on Lopez Island. The County Health & Community Service Department’s surveillance team has performed initial investigation, contact tracing, and testing for each of these cases. It is important to know that monitoring  Continue Reading

June 21, 2020: San Juan County Health and Community Services staff have been notified of a new positive COVID-19 test result in San Juan County, from a resident of Lopez Island. This brings the total number of cases in San Juan County to 18. This is the first confirmed case on Lopez Island since April  Continue Reading

June 20, 2020: San Juan County Health and Community Services staff have been notified of a new positive COVID-19 test result in San Juan County, on San Juan Island. This brings the total number of cases in San Juan County to 17. This is the second positive case of COVID-19 on San Juan Island in  Continue Reading

COVID-19 updates from San Juan County around subjects on the minds of islanders There are some relatively simple best practices that our local businesses and community organizations should be following to ensure the safety of employees and volunteers, the safety of customers, and the ability to remain open and providing service. These are unusual times  Continue Reading

Drivers and pedestrians are urged to exercise patience and safety. San Juan County Public Works (SJCPW) will chip seal Second Street in the Town of Friday Harbor starting the week of June 22nd. The exact date for resurfacing depends on the County’s ability to complete other sections of roadway on San Juan Island that week.  Continue Reading

San Juan County Health & Community Services wishes to announce to eligible organizations the County’s intention to release a Notice of Funds Available (NOFA) for a 2020 funding round for the Home Fund program. The County intends to release this NOFA on July 1, 2020 with responses being accepted through August 5, 2020. Applications will  Continue Reading