Supported by the San Juan County Council, the Board of Health, and the Department of Health and Community Services, San Juan County Health Officer Dr. Frank James issued a Health Officer order over the weekend regarding the public use of face coverings to reduce the spread of COVID-19 illness. A Frequently Asked Questions addressing all aspects of the order,  Continue Reading

By Louise Dustrude Five candidates have filed for county council from District 1 (San Juan) and three from District 2 (Orcas). Filing from San Juan this week were: Sharon Kivisto, Daniel Miller, Christine Minney, Ryan Palmateer, and Steve Wehrly. Incumbent Bill Watson did not file for reelection. On Orcas incumbent Rick Hughes filed for reelection,  Continue Reading

This week “COVID-19 Community Conversations” continues with another set of videos highlighting specific efforts from organizations and people in our community that provide key services and crucial leadership around the county. You can find our entire collection of videos on our YouTube channel “San Juan County COVID-19 Response” at www.sjccovid.com/conversations. This week we have two  Continue Reading

> By Louise Dustrude The road adjoining the gravel pit and connecting Turn Point Road near the shipyard with Pear Point Road at the gravel pit will get its final chip-sealing this coming week, perhaps as soon as Tuesday according to county engineer Colin Huntemer. After that, and after any loose rocks are swept off,  Continue Reading

The Town of Friday Harbor sees the health of our trees as vital to our sense of well-being and as a defining characteristic of our community. Healthy trees provide us the daily benefit of cleaner air, shade and source of aesthetic beauty. The Tree City USA signs at the Town’s entrances tell visitors that this  Continue Reading

The Town of Friday Harbor helped its customers jump start their spring cleaning with free pickup of oversized refuse the week of April 27-May 1. This is the fifth year the Town has offered the Spring Cleanup service to its residential refuse customers. Refuse employees Dave Smith and Jon Munn picked up a total of  Continue Reading

This week in a Special Board Meeting the hospital district, in a unanimous vote, suspended the integration of San Juan Island EMS and San Juan Island Fire and Rescue. This project was initiated in 2018 with a Citizen’s Advisory Group, making this action a significant change for the district.  All interagency discussion, planning, or steering  Continue Reading

San Juan Island Fire and Rescue’s (SJIF&R) Commission Chairman Jarman and commissioners are disappointed by the actions taken last night by Public Hospital District’s (PHD) to cease the creation of a single all hazard emergency services agency. The timing and actions of the PHD Board’s unilateral decision in the middle of a global health pandemic  Continue Reading

In person meeting or call in?? Read on… San Juan County Public Hospital District No. 1 is giving public notice of a Special Meeting to be held on Tuesday May 5, 2020, 6:00 p.m. at the Hospital District Offices ( 849 Spring Street Unit B-5). Call-in information for the public follows: Call-In Number: 509-824-1884 Conference  Continue Reading

COVID-19 updates from San Juan County around subjects on the minds of islanders Antibody Testing: There Are No Shortcuts to Success There is nothing anyone of us wants more right now than to put the COVID-19 crisis behind us and get down to the work of reopening and restoring our communities. There is an inclination  Continue Reading

Need an excuse to get outside? (safely and and while maintaining self-distancing, of course…) OLYMPIA–The Washington Invasive Species Council, state agencies and researchers are calling for a census in May to help determine the location of Scotch broom throughout the state. “We need everyone’s help to size up the problem,” said Justin Bush, executive coordinator  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

On April 27th, Governor Inslee announced a May 5th partial opening of some outdoor recreation activities. Included in his action was a opening of many State Parks across Washington for day use activities. However, he held off on announcing any opening of San Juan County State Parks, pending support from San Juan County decision makers.  Continue Reading

Concurring with an April 29, 2020 decision by the San Juan County Board of Health, San Juan County Health Officer Dr. Frank James has extended his order limiting transient accommodations, camping, and access to playgrounds from May 4th until May 31st. This decision is intended to align with Governor Inslee’s May 1st announcement that as  Continue Reading

Here’s a note from Brendan Cowan at SJ Dept. of Emergency Management… On Friday Governor Inslee extended his Stay at Home Order through at least May 31st. Below is a chart highlighting the basics of his phased plan for reopening. The devil is in the details of course, and the next few days will provide  Continue Reading

The San Juan County Economic Development Council (EDC) invites community leaders and businesspeople to join in a conversation with Congressman Rick Larsen on the economy, recovery and the news from Washington DC.   The meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 6th from 10-11 a.m. via Zoom. For more information, please visit https://www.sanjuansedc.org/business-call.

In the SJI Update mailbag this morning we have a letter from our San Juan County Council… As islanders continue social distancing to help slow the spread of COVID-19, you are probably wondering how to help your community from home. One easy, impactful way to help? Fill out and return your 2020 Census. By now,  Continue Reading

If you have business at the San Juan County Courthouse, please STOP before you go inside the building! Many county departments now have drop boxes just outside the courthouse doors. Because of the COVID-19 public health crisis, the county courthouse is only open for essential business, and several county departments have closed their physical doors  Continue Reading

Governor Inslee Allows Some Low-Risk Construction to Resume As of Friday April 24, Washington State Governor Jay Inslee has allowed some construction activities to resume across the state, including in San Juan County. The Governor’s announcement of the decision is available HERE. Specific requirements established to ensure the safety of both workers and the community  Continue Reading

If you have ever wanted to be an elected official, now is your chance.  Candidate filing for positions open for election in 2020 is about to begin. The list of offices available for filing is below. In addition to President (sorry, you can’t file for that one), all statewide elected officials and all State Legislative  Continue Reading

Land Bank Preserves continue to remain open despite other federal and state public land closures because we believe people need access to nature close to home, especially when nothing else in life seems normal. We islanders are fortunate enough to live in a place where we can get outside and take in fresh air while  Continue Reading

This week “COVID-19 Community Conversations” continues with three short videos that highlight efforts from organizations and people peoviding key services and crucial leadership in our community. You can find these videos on our YouTube channel at  San Juan County COVID-19 Response. Or click on the videos below: Norvin Collins, Chief of San Juan Island Fire  Continue Reading