By San Juan Island Library The San Juan Island Library District has completed the purchase of 660 Spring St. in Friday Harbor for the future library building site. The site is the location of the former Life Care Center. The district considered alternative locations for a library for several years given the limitations of the  Continue Reading

By Governor Inslee’s Office On Dec. 23, Gov. Jay Inslee announced he will extend the eviction moratorium to March 31, 2021. The current eviction moratorium was set to expire on Dec. 31. “COVID-19 has had a significant financial impact on Washingtonians over the last nine months,” Inslee said. “I know this moratorium has been critical  Continue Reading

By Rep. Rick Larsen’s Office On Dec. 21, Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02) voted to deliver much-needed relief to families and small businesses in Northwest Washington who continue to struggle from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. “With a third wave of COVID-19 spreading across the country, this long-overdue pandemic relief package addresses the continued public  Continue Reading

By Skagit Regional Health and United General District 304 Board members of Skagit County Public Hospital District No. 1 (Skagit Regional Health) and Public Hospital District No. 304 (United General District 304) each voted on Friday, Dec. 18 to discontinue further consideration of a potential purchase agreement for Hospice of the Northwest. The two public  Continue Reading

By San Juan County The deadline for proposed amendments to the San Juan County Comprehensive Plan and Unified Development Code is 4:30 p.m. March 1, 2021.   The “Annual Docket of Comprehensive Plan Amendments” or “Docket” process allows interested persons, citizens, hearing examiners, and staff of other agencies to request amendments to the San Juan  Continue Reading

By Port of Friday Harbor A special Port of Friday Harbor meeting will be held at noon, Wednesday, Dec. 16 via Zoom. Visit https://www.portfridayharbor.org/december-16-2020-special-meeting-documents/ for instructions on how to log into the meeting. The Port of Friday Harbor has completed a conceptual design for a 15,000 sq. ft. Marine Technical Center and Island Oil Spill  Continue Reading

By San Juan County A recount of votes cast for governor in San Juan County’s Orcas East precinct matched exactly the original vote count in the race. The recount, which had been requested by a representative of a political party, was conducted Thursday by two teams of election workers.  The teams included Republican and Democratic  Continue Reading

By San Juan County Since the last update on Friday, Dec. 4, the total cases in San Juan County have increased from 66 to 71. One of these new cases is on Orcas Island, and four are on San Juan Island. Current positive case numbers are available online at the San Juan County Case count  Continue Reading

By San Juan County San Juan County Elections will be conducting a recount of the votes cast in Precinct 25, Orcas East, for the Office of Governor. The recount was requested by a representative of a political party.   The San Juan County Canvassing Board has scheduled the recount to begin at 9 a.m., Thursday,  Continue Reading

By Minnie Knych, NW Workforce Career Center In San Juan County, by far most businesses are seasonal and thrive during the summer but start to lay off employees in the fall. With the COVID-19 shutdown, the summer season has been difficult for the tourism industry everywhere, but especially here in San Juan County. Since March,  Continue Reading

By San Juan County The San 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 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  Continue Reading

Island Near Deer Harbor Now Permanently Conserved By San Juan Preservation Trust Earlier this fall, the San Juan Preservation Trust received a $4 million donation that enabled the Preservation Trust to purchase Reef Island, which lies just outside of Deer Harbor near Orcas Island’s Spring Point. The donor who made the acquisition possible is Malcolm  Continue Reading

Public and Nonpublic Employees Must Wear Masks By San Juan County As cases rise, it is worth taking another look at what employers and employees can do to protect themselves and their businesses from COVID-19 impacts. The basics are nothing new: cover our faces, wash our hands, stay home when sick. That said, it is  Continue Reading

By EDC The San Juan County EDC will host a listening session with State Representative Alex Ramel (WA-4o) from 5-6 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 10. The event will be held via Zoom and pre-registration is required. Representative Ramel hopes to hear from you about the challenges you’re facing throughout fall and winter, what successes you had  Continue Reading

By San Juan County San Juan County has been directed by the Washington Office of the Secretary of State to recount Orcas East Precinct votes in the race for Governor of Washington State. This direction comes following a request for a recount from a political party representative. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, pursuant to RCW 42.30,  Continue Reading

By Town of Friday Harbor The Town of Friday Harbor thanks the community for supporting the local food bank with their generous contributions to the Harbor Life Ring program this November. Town utility customer donations of $3,010 were matched with a $2,000 grant from the town for a total donation of $5,010 to the Friday  Continue Reading

By EDC The San Juan County Economic Development Council is resuming regular programming with the return of our Business Recovery Zoom Meetings, now called Business Recovery Workshops. This bi-weekly workshop, in a Zoom environment, will give business owners the opportunity to speak with professionals on a wide variety of topics related to the continuing economic  Continue Reading

By San Juan County Since the last update on Friday, Nov. 25, total cases in San Juan County have increased from 63 to 66. Two of these new cases are on San Juan Island, the other is on Lopez Island. Current positive case numbers are available online at the San Juan County Case count page.  Continue Reading

By San Juan County Starting Jan. 1, a new Washington state vital records law and rules go into effect. This will change the ordering requirements for birth and death certificates. The changes include: For increased security of personal information, only individuals with specific relationships to the person on the record being requested can receive a  Continue Reading

Vehicle drivers may not be aware of a recent law that allows bicyclists to treat a stop sign as a yield sign in some instances – and may be cynically assuming that the cyclists they see are breaking the law. The so-called “Idaho stop” (also known as the “safety stop”) became law in Washington State  Continue Reading

By Brendan Cowan, Director, Department of Emergency Management As part of an ongoing effort to increase community preparedness and self-sufficiency in the islands, the Department of Emergency Management has created a new online guide at www.islandsready.org. This tool is designed to be simple, easy to navigate and smartphone friendly. With specific sections for seniors and  Continue Reading

‘Little Bit’ Receives First Dog Tag Of The New Year By San Juan County The dog licensing season has begun! It was difficult to name just one celebrity dog this year, with so many of our canine companions providing much-needed support for their owners and friends. The honor went to Little Bit, an 8-year-old mixed  Continue Reading