By Learner Limbach, Orcas Island Have you ever looked at your choices on a ballot and thought, “I’m just not excited about any of these”? I have, and I’m tired of being coerced into voting for the “lesser evil”. I think many others are, too. Ranked-choice voting is one idea that is giving me hope,  Continue Reading

By Dale Heisinger M.D., Noel Monin, John Geyman M.D., Christine Minney, Jamie Stephens, Cindy Wolf, Kyle Davies, San Juan County Board of Health   Recently the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and University of Wisconsin published the county health rankings for states.   The rankings were based on health outcomes and health factors (see countyhealthrankings.org for comprehensive view).   In Washington  Continue Reading

By Bob Jarman, chair of the board of commissioners, San Juan County Fire District 3 On behalf of the elected board members of San Juan County Fire District 3, our career staff and our volunteers, we thank the voters of San Juan Island and the Town of Friday Harbor for your overwhelming support in the  Continue Reading

From Animal Protection Society of Friday Harbor The Animal Protection Society of Friday Harbor would like to acknowledge the San Juan Island Community Foundation for the many opportunities it provides for San Juan Island nonprofits to receive support from the foundation and its donors. On March 9, the animal shelter received two grants from the  Continue Reading

 By Janet Wright, San Juan Island I wrote an e-mail to our state legislators April 14 about the ferry situation. Another broken-down ferry.  Hmmm, I have lived here over 40 years and it has never been this bad. I have two friends who were trying to get to the mainland for surgeries and they were  Continue Reading

By Susan and Peter Risser, San Juan Island Since Peter and I had the good fortune to serve in various roles, including the assistant chief for over 20 years with the now-defunct Friday Harbor Fire Department, we became fairly well acquainted with some of the challenges involved in providing good fire protection to our community.   Continue Reading

By Nancy Young, San Juan Island For many years we have supported, through our taxes, this important levy, as it does so much to enhance the youth on the island. My husband has been a volunteer for over 20 years in the roller hockey program. Now, more than ever, our young people need to have  Continue Reading

By Susan West, San Juan Island Island Drug, in Oak Harbor, has hundreds of vaccine appointments available each day online for eligible recipients. Signing up is easy, and receiving the vaccine is free.   Island Drug has all three brands of vaccine — the one-and-done Johnson & Johnson, the Pfizer which is approved for anyone  Continue Reading

By Tony Fyrqvist, San Juan Island I strongly support the Island Rec Levy. We have lived on the island for 30 years and I have seen the improvement has made in the community. The levy is a small price divided among many to provide a great return for all. In the early ’90s, Cindy Baker  Continue Reading

From Jeffrey Struthers and Rick Christmas, OPALCO Orcas District Representatives It is time to vote for Orcas district directors for OPALCO and Rock Island. We, your current Orcas district directors — Jeffrey Struthers and Rick Christmas — ask for your vote. Here is why we believe you should return both of us to the board  Continue Reading

From the Purple and Gold Booster Club The Purple and Gold Booster Club fully endorses the Island Rec levy renewal. We support Friday Harbor High School by running concessions at the games and collecting tickets for events. We fill in some of the gaps that are not covered by the Island Rec levy such as  Continue Reading

By Gib and Jen Black, San Juan Island Please join us in supporting Island Rec by voting in favor of renewing its levy. Our family, like many here on San Juan Island, receive a value from Island Rec that far exceeds what we contribute in taxes. We benefit from daily walks at the Gravel Pit  Continue Reading

By Missy Martin, Friday Harbor Dear Editor: I encourage Islanders to vote YES for the upcoming Island Rec levy! They are requesting funding at the same rate, without an increase from the previous six years. The fact that Island Rec funds high school sports is reason alone to voice my support and vote. But the  Continue Reading

By Martha Alvarado, Floyd Bourne, Stephanie Buffum, Katie Fleming, Darla Jungmeyer, Kari McVeigh, Brian Moore, Katy Taylor-Jacobson Through this levy, Island Rec funds our high school sports program which allows our school district to focus on academia. Places to play and sports are important for child development.  Athletic participation improves self-esteem, teaches time management, builds  Continue Reading

The following is an open letter to the San Juan County Council from dozens of San Juan Island businesses, including Mike’s Café and Wine Bar, San Juan Hostel, Crystal Seas Kayaking, Island Pets, On Point Barber Shop and more. Dear San Juan County Council, We are strongly opposed to the moratorium that you have recently  Continue Reading

By Travis and Jennifer Ayers, Friday Harbor We encourage all eligible voters to join us and vote YES for the renewal of Island Rec’s levy on April 27. This is not a new levy; it remains at $0.385 per $1,000 of assessed property value. It is worth noting that this rate is only 64% of  Continue Reading

By Karen Meenan, San Juan Island I was asked to be on the Island Rec Levy Committee and I gladly said yes.  Let me tell you why.  I love Island Rec.  What a gem for our community; such a robust set of programs for a little community like ours.  Most of us use or support  Continue Reading

Frank James MD, health officer for San Juan County, sent this open letter to county schools on Jan. 30. I am recommending that schools consider opening grades K to 6 for in-person education. The Washington state metric for opening in-person education has not been met due to high rates of infection in our four-county region,  Continue Reading

By San Juan County Public Hospital District No. 1 Thank you to all the advocates raising their voices. At the Skagit Valley Hospital District board meeting on Dec. 18, the hospital districts that jointly own Hospice of the Northwest announced that they would not sell to Bristol Hospice. San Juan County Public Hospital District No.  Continue Reading

By Donna Sandstrom, Whale Trail director and former member of Governor Inslee’s Orca Recovery Task Force Last Friday, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Commissioners approved rules for commercial whale-watching that will make it easier for the endangered southern residents to forage and rear their young in these next few critical years. Commercial whale-watching on  Continue Reading

By Fred Woods, Superintendent, San Juan Island School District It is with sadness and frustration that I must announce the return to teleschool for all grades in the San Juan Island School District. As a community, San Juan Island is beginning to experience increased levels of the COVID-19 virus, and though we have maintained a  Continue Reading

As cases spike dramatically in San Juan County, Washington, and the United States, we would like to urge islanders to scale back their holiday plans. Over recent months, we’ve been able to enjoy a slow reopening of our islands. Restaurants, gatherings, shops, gyms, and most recently schools have all made slow progress towards returning to  Continue Reading