San Juan County is exploring options to centralize government operations in an efficient and community-centered new Civic Campus building located near the courthouse in Friday Harbor. A design team has developed a concept that was informed by the first public survey in March 2018, as well as discussions with County staff who would be providing  Continue Reading

The Town of Friday Harbor has hired SFE Global to perform “smoke testing” of the sewer systems within your neighborhood beginning September 4, 2018 through September 6, 2018. The purpose of smoke testing is to identify areas of leaks and cross-connections where rainwater and other surface drainage may be entering the sanitary sewer system. The  Continue Reading

San Juan County: A Burn Ban [began] Tuesday, August 21, 2018 at noon. Elevated temperatures for extended periods and our lack of precipitation has created a high fire danger in San Juan County, and across the region. San Juan County will be prohibiting all outdoor burning with the exception of propane barbecues. No outdoor fires  Continue Reading

Fellow Film Buffs, Here is a description of our next movie… Dark Money Tuesday August 21 7:30 pm Documentary 99 minutes Dark Money examines one of the greatest present threats to American democracy: the influence of untraceable corporate money on our elections and elected officials. The film takes viewers to Montana – a front line  Continue Reading

The SJC Democrats invite you to this event on Wednesday night… Please join us at 5:00 pm on Wednesday, August 22 at Brickworks in Friday Harbor to hear and participate in a discussion of recent developments in U.S. foreign, trade, and immigration policies in the Trump era, followed by Q&A. The discussion will be led  Continue Reading

Mayor Farhad Ghatan is seeking one youth representative for appointment to the Friday Harbor Arts Commission (FHAC). This appointee willl join seven other commissioners in representing the interests of the Town, community, and local artists as they advise the Town Council on the cultivation, selection, acquisition, and placement of public art. “This is an excellent  Continue Reading

Air monitors in our region today are reporting ‘unhealthy’ levels of particulate matter in the air due to wildfire smoke, largely from fires burning in British Columbia. San Juan County Health & Community Services is advising the public to limit time spent outdoors and avoid strenuous activities outdoors. Outdoor smoke contains very small particles and  Continue Reading

In the SJ Update mailbag this morning… My thanks to those who voted in the primary election.  Shortly after the election, Team Gaylord removed most of the Re-Elect Gaylord for Prosecutor signs from our scenic roadways.  I believe residents and visitors deserve to finish the summer with a landscape without interruption. I hope voters will  Continue Reading

Voters in San Juan County will decide two local measures in the November election. (People who don’t vote won’t decide anything.) On Lopez, the annual one-year levy for the Lopez Solid Waste Disposal District will be on the ballot. The district is once again asking for $105,000 to support operations of the district. Countywide, voters  Continue Reading

This is from Ron Krebs, SJ County Sheriff… There is understandable and significant concern throughout the islands following the discovery on Monday of an improvised explosive device (IED) on the San Juan County Land Bank Turtleback Mountain Preserve property on Orcas Island. The ongoing investigation is being led by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms,  Continue Reading

The following is from the Dam Sense news Room… This piece is in response to Governor Inslee’s Interview with Simone Del Rosario of Q13 Fox on July 26th.  It is meant to serve as a correction of mis-information due to lack of appropriate information. “We can’t wait for that study, we need to reduce the  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

To the Editor: We thank Representative Kris Lytton for her service to the 40th District and wish her well in her retirement. Kris Lytton did so much to support education in our state. We now need a leader who will work effectively to ensure the future for all of our children and grandchildren. Alex Ramel  Continue Reading

Further to what Sandy Strehlou just wrote about the other day, here is the county asking for your input… 2018 Fairgrounds Master Plan – Take the Survey! The San Juan County Fairgrounds Master Plan, which was last updated in 2012, provides a roadmap for developing and operating the fairgrounds in a manner that is responsive  Continue Reading

In the SJ Update mailbag this morning… I am Colleen Kenimond and I am the adult public defender for San Juan County. This is my sixth year in this position, and my 24th in criminal practice both as a defender and as a senior deputy prosecutor in other counties. Normally I would not broadcast my  Continue Reading

UPDATED – The SJ Update has just learned there will be another event here on San Juan Island as well. So – 2 events, One at the UW Labs on August 8, and one on Orcas in Eastsound on August 9th… This past March, Washington state successfully passed a law phasing out open-water Atlantic salmon  Continue Reading

The following was shared with you by the SJC Prosecutor’s Office… Former Teacher Gerald Grellet-Tinner’s petition for a citizen complaint for a misdemeanor charge against former Detective Stephen Parker was rejected today by District Court Judge Stewart Andrew.   Judge Stewart Andrew wrote that the “Prosecutor’s office has shown no bad faith or inappropriate reasons for  Continue Reading

SJC Auditor Milene Henley adds to her notice from yesterday… After my recent post about the “Primary Election – What’s New?” I was reminded by an astute Lopez reader that the long ballot has a very important second side. That long list of Senate candidates not only required special paper, it also pushed local issues  Continue Reading

We are writing in strong support of Alex Ramel as a candidate to represent us in the 40th district. Among his many strengths, he has a proven ability to bring people together to work for specific goals. As one example, he built a coalition to create the Community Energy Challenge, an energy upgrade program which  Continue Reading

Here’s SJC Auditor F. Milene Henley with some answers about this year’s election… This year’s primary election is generating a lot of questions. That’s not unusual; election cycles are long – four years between elections for most positions – and it’s easy to forget what a particular type of election looks like. But this year  Continue Reading

Here’s a letter from Nick Power regarding his candidacy for SJC Prosecuting Attorney… I’m running for San Juan County Prosecuting Attorney to bring meaningful change to the way the office performs its duties.   I have lived on San Juan Island with my wife Penelope Haskew and our two daughters Chiara and Alison for over ten  Continue Reading

In the SJ Update mailbag we have this letter about the upcoming election… Vote for Debra Lekanoff, Washington 40th Legislative District By Sandy Strehlou and David Meiland, San Juan Island Debra Lekanoff is running for the 40th Legislative District seat currently held by State Representative Kristine Lytton, who is stepping down. Lytton has been a  Continue Reading