To our loyal customers: Your outpouring of support, along with your heartfelt messages of encouragement, has given us the steam to keep on as booksellers during this fraught time of the pandemic and consequent shutdown of community and economic life. Our doors may be closed, but we are still open for business, albeit only through  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

The Organizers of the San Juan Island Artists Studio Tour regretfully wish to inform patrons and visitors that the June 6th & 7th event is cancelled. This decision was made with significant concern for the safety of both visitors and artists during this time of the CoV19 pandemic. We remain hopeful for a positive outcome  Continue Reading

The “COVID-19 Community Conversations” series continues this week with three short videos that highlight efforts from organizations and people providing key services and crucial leadership in our community. You can find these videos on our YouTube channel “San Juan County COVID-19 Response” at www.sjccovid.com/conversations. Jennifer Armstrong: Armstrong is the Director of the Joyce L. Sobel  Continue Reading

Compass Health debuts revolutionary mobile telehealth system to provide vital mental health and substance abuse treatment during COVID-19 social distancing, and for future care Cloud-based Compass Health Bridge platform virtually connects front-line behavioral health providers with clients in community or home settings EVERETT – Compass Health has announced the organization-wide launch of its mobile telehealth system, Compass  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

Update on our COVID-19 response and post pandemic response and service lessons learned By Bob Jarman, Chair of Fire District #3 Timing is everything. More than one year ago, San Juan Island Fire and Rescue (SJIF&R) and San Juan Island EMS began working through recommendations from the citizens to join emergency services together into one  Continue Reading

Do you find Medicare a mystery? Are you unsure which Medicare plan is best for you? Join SHIBA online for a virtual Medicare 101 class where we will cover the “A, B, C, Ds” of Medicare. Our certified SHIBA volunteers will be available to answer all of your questions. SHIBA (Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors)  Continue Reading

COVID-19 updates from San Juan County around subjects on the minds of islanders For being one of the smallest counties in Washington, San Juan County has a remarkably robust community healthcare network. Whether it be Emergency Medical Service (EMS) responders, or the clinics, hospital, and provider practices across the islands, a resilient and responsive group  Continue Reading

Don’t Delay Necessary Care As the island communities continue to focus on social distancing, hand-washing and masking to flatten the curve, PeaceHealth Peace Island Medical Center is beginning to plan for the future with a focus on safely returning to care and reopening services. While the medical center and clinics are not easing current practices  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

SJICF Launches Community Response Hub, Distributes $70k in Grants The SJI Community Foundation continues to work closely with nonprofits and other county services to ensure a coordinated response to the COVID-19 crisis. To create a publicly accessible resource for both residents and nonprofit services, SJICF has launched the San Juan Island Community Response Hub website:  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. This move was expected and welcomed by the San Juan County Council, who  Continue Reading

  Are you missing your morning fitness class routine? Island Rec is continuing to carry classes with Jacquelyn Reiff and Katerina Wen through the end of May via Zoom. All classes will be accessed through a live Zoom video link that is sent to you each morning of class. Sign up for the whole month,  Continue Reading

$10 million now available to address some of estimated 25,000 applications from businesses up to 10 employees OLYMPIA, WA – The Washington State Department of Commerce today announced a doubling of funds available to very small businesses impacted by COVID-19 through the Working Washington Small Business emergency grant program. The program launched April 7 with $5 million from  Continue Reading