Waterworks gallery presents The Nature of Dreams featuring the work of artists Robin and John Gumaelius and Michael Dickter.

Cloud Illusions #5 – Art Work by Michael Dickter

“The gallery comes alive with kinetic ceramic creatures from Robin and John that cavort and play in an imaginary world created by this wife and husband team. The gallery walls reverberate with beautiful flowers and flying birds in Micheal’s painted mixed media landscapes.”

We hear from Leslie Baker with the SJI Library…

Your New Library Needs Your Help Now! 2020 Virtual County Fair Donations Needed. Donate online August 12 – 15, 2020.

A lot has happened since our last update in October 2019, and we are asking for your help now to fill an urgent need to prurchase the ideal property now, before it slips through our fingers!

In late 2019 we examined the requirements and actions needed to propose a bond levy in November 2020 to purchase the property and partially fund the building of a new library. We consulted experts in bonding and financial planning, and were ready to move ahead with the process. 

In early 2020 we also prepared to begin raising funds through a public/private fundraising campaign, and were ready to secure a Development Director to head those efforts over the next couple of years. Continue Reading

Mary Frances Smith, longtime resident of Friday Harbor, passed away on July 21, 2020 at the age of 92 in Seattle, Washington.

She was preceded in death by her husband Vincent “Smitty”, sister Jean Kink, and brother Tom Meehan. She is survived by her brother Joe Meehan, daughter Jean (Michael) Rogers, sons Paul (Carolyn) and Michael, grand daughter Katherine (Alan) Kalili, grandsons Jonathan Rogers, Noah and Joren Smith, and great grandson Declan Kalili.

She was born a leap year baby February 29, 1928 in Bellingham, Washington. She and Smitty raised their family in Seattle before moving up to Friday Harbor in 1976 to start King Typesetting in association with the Island Record. She was one of the founders of the Animal Protection Society of Friday Harbor and served as Treasurer for many years. After Smitty passed she began her world travels and discovered she loved it. She especially loved visiting famous waterfalls all around the world. When not traveling, Mary volunteered at the Library, and “worked the election” (in her words). She truly embraced her life on the island.

Mary maintained close ties with family, friends and neighbors- logging many nautical miles on the Washington State Ferries. Babysitting grandkids, traveling, going to lunch and attending live theater were some of her favorite activities. 

In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent in Mary’s honor to the Animal Protection Society of Friday Harbor. A virtual celebration of her life will be planned for the future. 

The Regional POF Study launched early in 2020 assesses POF service across the 12-counties bordering Puget Sound and on Lake Washington and Lake Union. The Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) hosted a webinar on April 15 to kick-off the study.

Since the webinar, PSRC has gathered feedback through a 12-county online survey exploring potential routes and priorities related to POF service. PSRC analyzed the survey input along with other data related to potential POF service to develop preliminary findings. PSRC is hosting a second webinar to share the survey results and preliminary study findings, hear your feedback and provide next steps in the study.   

DATE:  August 20, 2020

TIME: 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm

TO REGISTER: click here

This 1.5-hour online event will include a brief presentation from PSRC staff and the consultant team, followed by a facilitated question and answer discussion. The presentation will be available for review on the PSRC POF Study website following the webinar.

At last evening’s special board meeting, the San Juan Island School District Board of Directors approved a fall reopening plan for schools.  After several months of planning with the district workgroups and steering committee, Superintendent Fred Woods recommended to the Board that the San Juan Island public schools begin the 2020-2021 school year under a Teleschooling model. 

“We will start with a Teleschool model on September 3 and review the state of the pandemic after the first nine weeks,” explained Mr. Woods. “At that point it may be possible to bring students into the schools under a ‘hybrid’ model, meaning half the students at a time on a rotating schedule, or we may have to continue with Teleschooling.”

According to Mr. Woods, this fall’s Teleschooling model will be an improvement from last spring’s emergency online classes, as teachers and staff are more experienced and have had more time to prepare online-based curriculum. Continue Reading

COVID-19 updates from San Juan County around subjects on the minds of islanders

To be clear: Face shields have absolutely no ability to minimize the spread of droplets from someone infected with COVID. There is simply too much air flow around the shield for them to be effective. They are not an acceptable alternative to cloth face coverings.

It is totally understandable why some might think that they work as well as cloth face coverings, but unfortunately, that is not the case.

As orders requiring face coverings have become universal in Washington and beyond, nearly everyone has experienced the inconvenience of a covered face. Most of us are aware that we’re doing this to protect others from possible infection should we be asymptomatic and infected, and not to keep ourselves safe- but highlighting that point is important. Continue Reading

Dr. Jamie Baugh – Contributed photo

On Sunday, August 2, five North Carolina hound-dog mixes arrived at Animal Protection Society – Friday Harbor where they will be cared for until adopted. Landing in their “forever homes” will be an incredible end to an epic journey for these dogs.

The story begins with a kind and generous gentleman bringing a stray dog into APS-FH and offering to sponsor the dog should the owners not be found. The owner was quickly located but the dog had already provided the spark that would ignite a generous man, three animal welfare organizations, one volunteer veterinarian, and a Cessna Citation X to embark on an unusual rescue mission.

A conversation ensued between APS-FH Executive Director Cristin Felso, and Shelter Manager Beth Anderson, and “the gentleman” – who prefers to remain anonymous. The man learned from Seattle Beagle Rescue (SBR) about a dire situation for dogs in Raleigh, North Carolina and said he wanted to help save lives by funding a transport of dogs out of this high-risk situation and into Washington State. Continue Reading

Artwork by Jan Murphy – Contributed photo

We hear from artist and animal activist Jan Murphy…

Friday Harbor Artist Jan Murphy uses her art to help exploited Asiatic Bears. Jan is an artist at the Friday Harbor Atelier, 313 Spring Street.

“Hi, my name is Jan Murphy, and at 59 years old, I can finally say that I no longer feel timid about calling myself an artist. I started making art about 20 years ago as a form of therapy. Having been involved in animal rights and animal rescue from a very young age, I knew that the creative process would help me deal with the stress and sadness I encountered every day as a witness and advocate for those who have no voice.” 

Follow her on Instagram @jan_murphy_art.
Friday Harbor Atelier, 313 Spring St., Friday Harbor, San Juan Island, WA, 360.317.6563 for info.
To read more and order prints link to: Friday Harbor Atelier

We hear from Maude at the School District…

Election results thanks to Louise Dustrude…

The five-person county council primary race on San Juan produced two clear leaders for the November general election: Christine Minney with 1978 votes and Ryan Palmateer with 1458. Others in that race were Sharon Kivisto, 812, Steve Wehrly, 295, and Daniel Miller, 289. The incumbent, Bill Watson, chose not to run for re-election.

On Orcas, Cindy Wolf with 2182 votes will face incumbent Rick Hughes, with 2079. Another candidate, Michael Durland, had 622 votes. 

All of these totals are expected to go up as more votes are counted, but the winners are so far ahead no change in rankings can be expected.

School levies on Orcas and Lopez passed easily. The Orcas vote, for Replacement Educational Programs and Operations Levy, passed by about 70% to 30%. The Lopez Technology Capital Projects Levy passed by about 67% to 33%.

In the 2^nd Congressional District race, Democratic incumbent Rick Larsen led the field with over 50% of the votes. Facing him in November will be Republican Timothy Hazelo, who received 14.3%. Continue Reading

Governor Inslee announces education recommendations for 2020-2021 school year…

San Juan County is among 5 counties in Washington State that are considered “Low Risk” for COVID-19. Plans regarding school reopening are made by the local health jurisdiction and school district.

Gov. Jay Inslee, Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal and DOH’s state health officer, Dr. Kathy Lofy, announced new guidance for school reopening at a press conference today.

The “decision tree” framework issued by DOH emphasizes that schools are not islands. Community transmission must be low in order for schools to reopen safely for in-person learning.

DOH’s “decision tree” framework offers metrics based on three COVID-19 activity levels in counties:

More than 75 cases per 100,000 in 14 days is considered a high COVID-19 activity level for a community. At this level, DOH recommends distance learning with the option for limited in-person learning who need it most – such as children with disabilities. Sports and extra curricular activities should remain on pause.

25–75 cases per 100,000 in 14 days is considered a moderate COVID-19 activity level. At this level, DOH recommends distance learning as described above, with gradual expansion of in-person education, beginning with elementary students. Younger students under the age of 10 benefit the most from in-person learning while also posing less risk for transmitting COVID-19 than older students. Most sports and extra curricular activities should remain on pause.

Below 25 cases per 100,000 in 14 days is considered a low COVID-19 activity level. At this level, DOH recommends full-time in-person learning for all elementary students and hybrid learning for middle and high school, eventually moving to in-person for middle and high school.

Plans regarding school reopening are made by the local health jurisdiction and school district. Parents can find the most up-to-date information about their child’s school by contacting district or school administrators.

You can watch today’s press conference on TVW.

San Juan County Courts prepare to resume jury trials come fall – you will start seeing juror summonses again soon.

The San Juan County Superior Court and District Court are taking steps to resume conducting jury trials for the first time since early March, when the COVID-19 global pandemic hit Washington State. Although it is uncertain what local health conditions will look like in the fall, both courts are working hard to be ready for jury trials to resume if conditions allow – and that means sending out jury summons.

On March 18, 2020, the Washington State Supreme Court suspended all civil and criminal jury trials as a result of COVID-19. The Washington Supreme Court has recently allowed jury trials to resume, and each county can decide when it is safe to do so in their region. Because jury trials are a cornerstone of our democracy and a constitutional right, courts across the state have been working to hold trials again. Continue Reading

Wendy Pinnow of M & W Auto – Contributed photo

M & W Auto has been in business renting and selling cars in Friday Harbor for thirty-two years. Wendy Pinnow, the founder and owner of M & W Auto, has lived on San Juan Island most of her life, having moved to the island from the Seattle area with her family at the age of ten. From an early age she worked in her family’s grocery store in town and at the family-owned campground, gaining first-hand experience in the challenges of business operation and customer service geared to the island community. Wendy opened M & W Auto in 1988, moving to the current location at 725 Spring Street in 1996.

M & W Auto is committed to serving islanders and tourists alike, offering all kinds of vehicles for sale and rent, including small, medium and large cars, convertibles and multi-passenger vans. Rentals can vary from half-day and twenty-four hour to weekly and monthly. Two-person Smart car rentals are a specialty. They offer a unique, fun and affordable way to see the islands. Smart car convertibles and hard-tops easily travel safely at all island speeds, no helmets required.  Rent any convertible with room for up to four people for only $79.95 for twenty-four hours.

M & W Auto – 725 Spring Street (360) 378-2886 [email protected]
Link to: M & W Auto

State launches access and speed test survey to document service gaps, prioritize expansion needs and investments…

OLYMPIA, WA — The Washington State Broadband Office and state Public Works Board have launched a mapping initiative to identify gaps in high-speed internet service and areas of broadband infrastructure needs in order to advance the state’s goal to have universal broadband access in Washington by 2024.The first step is for Washington residents to perform a one-minute access and speed survey found at broadband.wa.gov. Using the easy-to-follow instructions and a simple link, anyone can complete the speed test at home using any computer or mobile device.

Those with no internet access at their homes are encouraged to visit a local library or drive-in hotspot in their community, or use their mobile device to take the survey and check the “no available service” button to record their physical address. This simple access and speed survey will result in statistically valid data and mapping for decision makers to plot a course for Washington’s ambitious broadband expansion plans. Continue Reading

From San Juan County Department of Emergency Management…

San Juan County is shifting to a weekly roll-up of new cases. This is the first of those reports. Going forward, the report will be issued on Thursday of each week. In addition to providing for additional time to review results of case investigations and draft releases, this approach also allows for a bit more info to be shared since details aren’t tied to a single case, unless there has only been one case in a given week. If there are cases that pose an immediate threat to wider public safety or involve particularly notable locations or facilities, info will be released as soon as received and confirmed.

Since last case update on July 23rd, there have been four new cases reported in the islands. One each on Orcas and Lopez Islands and two on San Juan Island. These cases bring the total San Juan County case count to 30.

Of the cases, two of them are tied to travel to the islands by family or friends of San Juan County residents. One case is tied to islanders traveling off island and then returning home. A fourth case in an island resident is of indeterminate cause at this time but may be related to family contacts. All five individuals were tested after experiencing COVID-like symptoms. Continue Reading