Topic: Technology

Look Up at Night This Week

Written on May 24, 2018 at 6:07 pm, by

It’s prime viewing time this week to see the International Space Station from your backyard. Check out this article on the Seattle Times website.

FHHS Wins at “Imagine Tomorrow”

Written on May 23, 2018 at 5:52 am, by

FHHS Team wins ‘Best Project from a Newly Competing Team’ at WSU’s Alaska Airlines Imagine Tomorrow science fair competition Over the weekend of May 18th – 20th, two teams from Friday Harbor High School (FHHS) competed in the Alaska Airlines Imagine Tomorrow Science Fair at Washington State University. The competition challenges 9th – 12th graders  Continue Reading

FHHS Island Orbital Technologies Wins Design Competition

Written on May 1, 2018 at 5:52 am, by

Friday Harbor High School’s Island Orbital Technologies Wins Northwest Semi-Finals of the International Space Settlement Design Competition (ISSDC) Over the weekend of April 28-29, the Friday Harbor Aerospace Design Team, known as Island Orbital Technologies, competed in and won the first ever Northwest Semi-Finals of the International Space Settlement Design Competition (ISSDC). This event, held  Continue Reading

Scheduled Communications Outage Tonight

Written on April 12, 2018 at 6:10 pm, by

Dan Burke, SVP of Sales & Operations with Rock Island shares this update with you… Please be aware of the communications outage TONIGHT due to construction in Anacortes. New release attached.   Please help spread the message! This will affect all communications providers using a physical path back to the mainland, not just Rock Island.  Continue Reading

PIMC in the News

Written on March 29, 2018 at 5:48 am, by

The telepsychiatry program at PeaceHealth Peace Island Medical Center (PIMC) was recently featured in a case study for the March 2018 publication of the American Hospital Association’s (AHA) Members in Action.   The telepsychiatry program is a service of PIMC that offers weekly psychiatric services to residents living in the remote setting of San Juan  Continue Reading

Rock Island Offers Full Gigabit Internet Service

Written on March 29, 2018 at 5:46 am, by

Fiber Customers Can Now Get 1,000 Mbps In Their Homes Rock Island Communications, the only provider of fiber-optic broadband in San Juan County, announced last Wednesday that gigabit Internet (1,000 Mbps) is now available to the home. “When we started our efforts just over three years ago, the average download speed in the county was  Continue Reading

Communications Blackout Coming

Written on March 28, 2018 at 5:43 am, by

Rock Island shares this heads up with you… ALERT: County-Wide Communications Blackout Coming April 12th On April 12th from 9:00 pm to April 13th at 6:00 am, the county is going to experience a county-wide communications outage.  The 48-count fiber-optic cable carrying all data and voice traffic from San Juan County for ALL providers is going to be relocated just  Continue Reading

Morning Arrival

Written on March 21, 2018 at 8:49 am, by

Kevin Holmes shares this photo from early this morning. This is the barge arriving at Jackson’s Beach with 2 new homes for the SJ Community Home Trust. High tide at 5:00 AM was the best time for unloading. The homes are now on their way across the Lafarge Open Space (the old gravel pit) to  Continue Reading

Pre-Sales for OPALCO’s Community Solar Project Open March 21st!

Written on March 16, 2018 at 5:39 am, by

Beginning at 10:00am on Wednesday, March 21st, OPALCO members can purchase units of the Co-op’s first Community Solar project, while they last. To get yours, go to www.opalco.com/solar and fill out the participation agreement (live 3/21). The one-time cost to participate is $150 per unit (75W) and members can purchase multiple units in this 350KW  Continue Reading

Evolution of Organic: A Film and Discussion

Written on March 14, 2018 at 5:50 am, by

From filmmaker Mark Kitchell (Berkeley in the Sixties, A Fierce Green Fire) comes a new film: Evolution of Organic. Narrated by Frances McDormand, It’s the story of organic agriculture, told by those who built the movement. A motley crew of back-to- the-landers, spiritual seekers and farmers’ sons and daughters reject chemical farming and set out  Continue Reading

Amateur Radio Training

Written on February 2, 2018 at 5:42 am, by

San Juan County’s amateur radio volunteers form a critical communications link between islands and to the mainland in the event of a major emergency or outage. The San Juan County Amateur Radio Society (www.sjcars.org) is hosting a training in Friday Harbor to prepare islanders to take the Amateur Technician test. This certification allows islanders to  Continue Reading

OPALCO’s Submarine Cable

Written on September 29, 2017 at 5:15 pm, by

OPALCO is making good progress on laying the new submarine cable “George” across Griffin Bay from Lopez to SJ Island. It’s been a project long in the making and the end is now nearly in sight. It all began in 2011 during routine maintenance when divers discovered significant damage to the 1977 cable. Over the  Continue Reading

Upcoming OPALCO Events

Written on September 18, 2017 at 5:46 am, by

Lots of Opportunities to Participate in Your Local Co-op! OPALCO is a member-owned cooperative committed to democratic member control and community involvement. In the coming weeks, there are a number of opportunities for OPALCO members to join in conversation with the Board, staff and each other. Members are encouraged to participate! The second in a  Continue Reading

Solar Survey Results

Written on September 16, 2017 at 5:46 am, by

Survey Results Show Support for Community Solar Proposals sought for design and construction More than 1,200 members responded to OPALCO’s online survey about Community Solar, measuring preferences, appetite and collecting narrative comments. In a nutshell, the membership is very interested in Community Solar so long as it doesn’t affect rates. A request for proposals was  Continue Reading

Electric Cars at the Mullis Center Sunday

Written on September 1, 2017 at 9:14 am, by

On Sunday there will be a free presentation, Around the World in “80 Days” via an Electric Car, at the Mullis Center. (Come for the Pancake Breakfast stay for the electric cars!). Presenter Alan Soule of Sebastopol, California will share his around the world adventure…  You are invited to a free (public) slide presentation at the  Continue Reading

OPALCO Submarine Cable Named for George Goff

Written on August 26, 2017 at 5:54 am, by

Golden Ticket Winners Chosen This September, a historic event takes place that ensures islanders can maintain their quality of life for the next 50+ years. OPALCO will install 13,596 feet of a new, efficient and modern submarine cable in the crossing between Lopez and San Juan islands. More than thirty OPALCO Co-op members entered a  Continue Reading