Posted December 14, 2020 at 5:00 am by Hayley Day
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 members, with each team comprised of one Republican and one Democrat.
The entire process took about seven hours. Continue Reading
Posted December 14, 2020 at 4:30 am by Hayley Day
By Hospice of the Northwest Foundation
At their November board meeting, the Trustees of the Hospice of the Northwest Foundation voted unanimously to approve program funding requests from Hospice of the Northwest totaling $501,003.
The Hospice of the Northwest Foundation is able to fund these grants through the generous donations of individuals and businesses.
Since 2001, the Foundation has worked with donors and community members to enhance the end-of-life care Hospice of the Northwest provides in Skagit, Island, San Juan and Snohomish Counties.
Because of donors, programs like community bereavement, therapeutic massage and music, and direct patient assistance enhance quality of life at the end-of-life.
2021 funding will support uncompensated patient care, non-routine patient care, clinical education and training, integrative therapies like massage and music, bereavement services, outreach and education, volunteer programs, Veterans programs, and the purchase and maintenance of equipment and technology. Continue Reading
Posted December 13, 2020 at 5:30 am by Hayley Day
Contributed Image/FHFF
By Friday Harbor Film Festival
Friday Harbor Film Festival’s Director Series presents the Bristol Bay trilogy, three important feature films documenting the fight to protect Alaska’s Bristol Bay Sockeye salmon run threatened by the proposed Pebble Mine.
“Red Gold,” “The Breach,” and “The Wild” will be available online at fhff.org Dec. 14-31. View all three films for only $3.
A scheduled livestream filmmaker Q&A session, including audience participation, will follow.
One positive event in the struggle to protect salmon in the Kvichak and Nushagak rivers that feed into Bristol Bay is the Army Corps of Engineers’ denial of a key permit to the Pebble Mine in November 2020. The film festival presents these films in celebration of that decision.
Posted December 13, 2020 at 5:00 am by Hayley Day
Contributed Image/CDC
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 page. As indicated on that page, these numbers are only updated after case confirmation is complete, usually daily. It is possible that other information sources in the community may be quicker to report on new cases, but ensuring privacy and accuracy is critical for this official information source.
Posted December 13, 2020 at 4:30 am by Hayley Day
By San Juan County Economic Development Council
The following was announced at Washington State Governor Jay Inslee’s Dec. 8 press conference:
For more information, see this article from the governor’s office.
Posted December 12, 2020 at 5:30 am by Hayley Day
Contributed Photo/Greg Sellentin. Ride your bike to San Juan Island’s Jakle’s Lagoon.
By Meat Machine Cycles
Contributed Photo/Greg Selentin. South Beach Stormy Waves
Meat Machine Cycles — Friday Harbor’s only full-service bike repair and rental shop — is offering a new bicycle tour for photography enthusiasts.
Meat Machine’s professional photographer will guide guests on a mild bike ride to the most scenic and also lesser-known San Juan Island locations to learn the basic tenets of outdoor photography.
Professional guide Greg Sellentin will use his 30 years of experience to help participants capture picturesque shots of island lighthouses, wildlife, sunsets, wildflowers and more. Specific scenes can be tailored to riders’ interests.
Contributed Photo/Greg Sellentin. Sailboat in Griffin Bay
Join a tour, or schedule a private group with a minimum of two people. Participants can use their own bikes or opt for the shop’s standard or e-bicycles for this approximately 4-hour, 20-mile cruise.
E-bikes offer an efficient way to traverse the island with ease and low impact. Meat Machine staff will carry riders’ bulky equipment, like tripods and lenses, as well as healthy snacks and a gourmet lunch to enjoy among the scenic San Juan vistas. Continue Reading
Posted December 12, 2020 at 5:00 am by Hayley Day
Peace Island Medical Center on San Juan Island.
By Peace Island Volunteers
In March, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Peace Island Volunteers organized a mask-making project that would eventually include over 50 individuals making more than 4,400 masks.
The sewers were dubbed the Masketeers.
Like the Musketeers, their efforts were helping to protect their community from the COVID saboteur.
For the past eight months, Peace Island Volunteers and the Masketeers have continued making masks for Peace Island Medical Center patients and others in the community requesting them.
Peace Island Volunteers supports and promotes health care services provided by Peace Island Medical Center in the San Juan County community.
For information on how you may support their efforts, contact [email protected].
This video below, directed and produced by San Juan Islander, Max Mattox, showcases the efforts of these volunteers.
Posted December 12, 2020 at 4:30 am by Hayley Day
Contributed Photo/San Juan Island EMS
By San Juan Island EMS
This has been a challenging year.
COVID-19 has made many people reluctant to ask for help or see a health care provider, or even worse, caused some to think that they are an added burden if they ask for assistance.
We want to reassure the public that you can continue to call 911 and receive help.
San Juan Island EMS has adequate personal protective equipment, such as masks, and procedures in place to minimize risk. Our responders know how to deal with these risks and have the tools they need.
If you call 911 for EMS, you will be asked some questions to determine if you may have COVID-19. This is not to determine whether we will come or not. It is to determine whether we need to take extra precautions. However, precautions are taken on all calls to ensure safety for everyone involved.
We treat anyone who needs us, without hesitation. Continue Reading
Posted December 11, 2020 at 5:30 am by Hayley Day
By Animal Protection Society of Friday Harbor
Age: Approx 12 years
Sex: Male
Breed: Cattle Dog mix
Application: https://www.apsfh.com/adoption-program/canine-application
Rowdy is a staff favorite and with good reason…he is as sweet as they come!
He was recently brought to APS-FH from a rescue group in Texas after his owner passed away.
Rowdy loves going for short walks and enjoys spending time with people and other friendly dogs. He was previously an “outdoor only” dog, but because he is now a senior and is hard of hearing, we are hoping to find Rowdy a warm, comfortable retirement home where he can be safe and relax for the rest of his days.
This charming guy still has a lot of love and life left, it would be so wonderful for him to find his forever home very soon!
Posted December 11, 2020 at 5:00 am by Hayley Day
Contributed Image. Learn about Medicare during this Zoom meeting.
By Island Hospital
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.
The event will be held via Zoom at 1 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 6.
To register, please provide your name, email and phone number to [email protected] or leave this information with SHIBA at 360-299-4212.
You may also register directly at https://bit.ly/3oIjNDS.
SHIBA (Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors) is a program of the Office of the Insurance Commissioner and is sponsored locally by Island Hospital.
SHIBA provides free, unbiased information on Medicare and related options to all people.
You can read more about SHIBA at https://www.insurance.wa.gov/about-shiba-services.
Posted December 11, 2020 at 4:30 am by Hayley Day
By EDC
San Juan County software and web professionals, including retired or aspiring, are invited to a virtual meetup hosted by the Economic Development Council on Thursday, Dec. 17.
Our archipelago is home to many people in information-focused professions who work remotely or in local businesses.
The goal of this event is to help people make connections with neighbors working in their industry, connections that will facilitate professional and business success in San Juan County.
This event will focus on software and web design/development; future events will focus on other information-centered industries. Continue Reading
Posted December 10, 2020 at 7:14 am by Hayley Day
Contributed Image.
By Friday Harbor Film Festival
The Friday Harbor Film Festival Director Series presents Benjamin Ree’s “The Painter and the Thief,” now playing on-demand at fhff.org through Sunday, Dec. 13.
A scheduled livestream filmmaker Q&A session will follow. Audience members are welcome to participate.
The cost to view this film is $5.95.
The Director Series provides movie lovers the opportunity to view impactful documentary films highlighting heroic adventures, sustainable agriculture, marine ecology, social justice, the environmental crisis, and human-interest stories.
Friday Harbor Film Festival will present films on-demand 24/7 for 10-14 days each month through September. Continue Reading
Posted December 10, 2020 at 5:30 am by Hayley Day
Contributed Photo/Jayne Siroshton. Rookscroft and Company store.
Jayne Siroshton, Owner, Rookscroft and Company
Contributed Photo/Jayne Siroshton. Samuel Sippers.
I am happy to announce that I will be reopening my little shop Rookscroft and Company in town next spring.
I know this has been a hard year for many of us and the opportunity to be back in the community and offer a little extra magic and whimsy is very exciting.
If you haven’t visited Rookscroft before, it’s a shop featuring my many animal friends and the fantastical world that they share. After a year of working hard from home, there are new characters, a second book, “The Circus of the Crescent Moon” and a myriad of silly delights to tempt you.
Our new location is on Spring Street opposite the chocolate shop. To find us, keep an eye out for a hanging sign featuring Whittington the sailer cat and Samuel Sippers a rather large Walrus who is insisting on standing in the window.
Posted December 10, 2020 at 5:00 am by Hayley Day
By San Juan Island Library
The next Open Mic Night will be held at 7 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 12, on Zoom.
Held on the second Saturday of the month, Open Mic Night is for anyone interested in writing.
Don’t be shy, come read your work or just listen. You will be inspired to write more!
To register, email [email protected] or [email protected].
All library programs are currently Zoom events and require an invitation. To attend, request an invitation via email from the designated program coordinator at least 30 minutes before the program begins.
Posted December 10, 2020 at 4:30 am by Hayley Day
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, Dec. 10.
The recount will take place at the Elections Office at 55 Second St., Suite A, in Friday Harbor. If needed, the recount will continue at 9 a.m., Friday, Dec. 11.
A canvassing board meeting to certify the results will follow the recount. The meeting is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 11.
Both the recount and the canvassing board meeting will be live-streamed on the San Juan County Elections YouTube page. To view the live streams, find the events under “Important Notices and Dates” on www.sanjuanco.com/elections. A link to the YouTube channel will appear next to each event.
Additional information concerning the recount may be obtained by calling the elections office at 360-378-3357.
Posted December 9, 2020 at 5:30 am by Hayley Day
Contributed Photo/Kristina Concord. Inside Mi Casita.
By Gregg Ford, Owner, Mi Casita
From the little yellow house on Nichols Street to our Spring Street location, I always thought that I would go 25 years and then be out of Mi Casita, either selling it to someone who recognized its worth or passing it on to my sons if they were so inclined.
Instead, the hotel owner and his management team have decided to go in “a different direction” with our space and have terminated our lease with six years remaining.
After much back and forth with lawyers involved, it’s been determined that as of Dec. 31, Mi Casita will be no more.
We’re not leaving the way we expected to, but it’s time to say so long. Continue Reading