Topic: People

Paying It Forward

Written on July 2, 2020 at 9:28 am, by

This FHL Tide Bite was written by Jen Burnaford… My first trip to UW Friday Harbor Labs was in 1995. After completing my undergraduate thesis on freshwater zooplankton and spending a post-bac year chasing primates through the jungles of Borneo, I had been accepted into the PhD program at Oregon State University in the Menge/Lubchenco  Continue Reading

Thriving Anywhere

Written on July 1, 2020 at 7:28 am, by

Sharp eyed Update reader Josephine Swan saw this flower and called John Miller to take these shots Sunday because she could not believe her eyes.   Of these photos she says: “The soul’s roots planted in good soil will thrive anywhere.”

Merri Ann’s Video Series

Written on July 1, 2020 at 7:24 am, by

Merri Ann Simonson has a new entry in her San Juan Island Lifestyle Video series. This one is about San Juan Island Real Estate and COVID

Hospice in the Time of Covid19

Written on June 30, 2020 at 4:08 pm, by

In the SJ Update mailbag today we have this letter from Beth Helstien… A huge shout out to Hospice of San Juan and San Juan County Senior Services for all their services! Do you know that our local hospice organization loans all kinds of equipment to the community whether you need Hospice volunteer services or  Continue Reading

She Loves Me; She Loves Me Not

Written on June 30, 2020 at 11:45 am, by

How are you coping with staying at home and social distancing? Things getting a little boring or mundane? Maybe this image shared by John Miller can help. He calls it “She Loves Me; She Loves Me Not”. Thanks for sharing John!

Against Common Sense: White Male Privilege and Me

Written on June 29, 2020 at 8:40 am, by

In the SJ Update mailbag this morning we have these thoughts from David Kobrin… As an historian, I know there can be two opposing accounts of the same event, both of which are equally accurate. I’m not alluding to “alternative facts” or made up fictions. I mean exactly what I wrote: two stories that contradict  Continue Reading

League of Women Voters holds virtual primary election forums for San Juan County Council

Written on June 25, 2020 at 1:08 pm, by

The League of Women Voters of the San Juans will hold candidate forums on the video conference platform Zoom at 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, July 7, and Wednesday, July 8. To attend the forums, please send a message to [email protected] to register. The League will provide a link to the Zoom meeting shortly before the scheduled  Continue Reading

New Business in Town: San Juan Striping LLC

Written on June 24, 2020 at 9:23 am, by

Reyes Rodriguez initially moved to San Juan Island in 1991 from Mexico. After living here for more than a decade, he found his calling working overseas doing Relief Work around the world, in 2003 he married Martha Alvarado, after a few years working abroad they dreamed of returning to the island and having children, the  Continue Reading

The Odds are Good, But the Goods are Odd

Written on June 24, 2020 at 9:04 am, by

FREEZER BURNED: Tales of Interior Alaska is a regular column on the San Juan Update written by Steve Ulvi… In case you have never heard this pithy phrase describing a single woman’s chances of meeting Mr. Normal in Alaska, I did not come up with it. Some form of this lament surely has echoed everywhere  Continue Reading

Merry-Ann Keane to leave PeaceHealth

Written on June 23, 2020 at 2:14 pm, by

FRIDAY HARBOR, Wash., June 23, 2020–Charles Prosper, chief executive of PeaceHealth, Northwest, announced today that Merry-Ann Keane, chief administrative officer for PeaceHealth Peace Island Medical Center, had informed him of her decision to leave PeaceHealth to be closer to family abroad. Keane’s last day will be July 17, 2020. In a statement that was sent  Continue Reading

Visitors Bureau Awards $3000 in Scholarship

Written on June 19, 2020 at 8:03 am, by

The San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau is pleased to announce the recipients of its 3rd Annual Tourism/Business/Communications Scholarships, awarded to four members of the Class of 2020 who are graduating from island high schools. Congratulations to Tyler Sovelove (Lopez Island High School), Camryn Thompson (Orcas Island High School), Josephine Crosby (Friday Harbor High School), and  Continue Reading

Soroptimists Award $3,000 Scholarship

Written on June 17, 2020 at 7:40 pm, by

Soroptimist International of Friday Harbor is the local club of a world-wide service organization whose mission is improving the lives of women and girls. This year, through the generous support of our Friday Harbor community, we are excited to award a $3,000 STEM scholarship to Rachel Snow of Friday Harbor High School. Rachel will attend  Continue Reading

Letter from Ron Whalen

Written on June 17, 2020 at 7:33 am, by

In the SJ Update Mailbag this morning we have this letter from Ron Whalen… I request posting of the following; June 7th Amanda Azous posted a letter titled Fact Check of Whalen Petition. Therein Amanda alleges I request signing a petition to eliminate the Land Bank (LB). She alleges I have spread falsehoods and attempted  Continue Reading

Self Directed Retirement Accounts For Real Estate

Written on June 16, 2020 at 9:51 am, by

Merri Ann Simonson checks in with another Real Estate tips column… Do you realize that you may use all or a portion of your retirement funds to invest in real estate?   Retirement accounts are basically Trust accounts for your benefit when you retire.  In the 1970s, the IRS approved real estate as an investment option  Continue Reading

Marshall Phillip Sanborn

Written on June 12, 2020 at 5:20 pm, by

On May 21, 2020 Marshall Phillip Sanborn, age 91, died peacefully at his home on San Juan Island, WA with his wife, Beth Helstien, at his side. Despite declining health due to COPD, heart disease, and cancer Marshall was active and vibrant until shortly before he died. Born in 1928 in Longmont CO to Kent  Continue Reading

Surface Water in a Subarctic Desert

Written on June 10, 2020 at 6:16 am, by

FREEZER BURNED: Tales of Interior Alaska is a new regular column on the San Juan Update written by Steve Ulvi… Nearly every molecule of water that now covers 70% of our planet was spewed in awesome volcanic eruptions or carried frozen in asteroids or comets that pummeled a lifeless earth for eons.   Any given water  Continue Reading