As more unemployment fraud reports continue to come in, it may be helpful for our victims to have a greater understanding of the vastness of this. 

Investigators from the U.S. Secret Service have information suggesting that the scheme is coming from a well-organized Nigerian fraud ring.  They are still working to pinpoint who is involved and exactly where they are.  The fraud is being aided by mules in the U.S. who are being used as intermediaries for money laundering after making connections with the fraudsters online. 

The Secret Service reports that Washington State has emerged as the primary target thus far, but there’s also evidence of attacks in Florida, Massachusetts, North Carolina Oklahoma, Rhode Island and Wyoming.  This scheme appears to be fairly sophisticated and the dollars lost in Washington State so far is in the millions.  As an example, Western Washington University has had more than 400 out of about 2,500 total employees targeted. 

The state hotline has been inundated with calls so they’ve hired additional help to answer the phones.  They continue to request that victims report their circumstance online:

https://esd.wa.gov/unemployment/unemployment-benefits-fraud

Ron Krebs
Sheriff

At the request of San Juan County Health Officer Dr. Frank James (link to recommendation letter), and with the support of both the San Juan County Board of Health and the County Council, public health staff are preparing a variance request that, if approved by the Secretary of Health, would allow the County to move into Phase 2 of WA State’s phased reopening plan.

Governor Inslee recently announced new criteria that allow additional counties to apply for variances to move into Phase 2 of his four-phased Safe Start Washington plan. San Juan County was one of 10 counties the Governor identified as eligible to apply.

San Juan County Council Chair Rick Hughes highlights the Council’s support for the move, “We’re looking at this as very much a soft-reopening. The Governor’s non-essential travel ban is in place until Phase 3, and the goal is to carefully start to reopen, but our intent is for this to be a way for residents to directly support these businesses and services that have been closed for so long. We agree with Dr. James that the systems are in place to do this safely and responsibly.” Continue Reading

On May 22^nd, San Juan County Health Officer Dr. Frank James extended his order limiting non-essential transient lodging operations. The order was previously set to expire on May 31^st.

In his extension (Order 2020-5), Dr. James ties the future ending of the order to the lifting of Governor’s Inslee’s ban on non-essential travel, currently scheduled to happen when San Juan County moves to Phase 3 of the Governor’s four phased reopening plan.

According to Dr. James, “This makes more sense than setting an arbitrary future date that may need to be modified down the road. Until non-essential travel is allowed in San Juan County by the Governor, it doesn’t make sense to allow non-essential lodging.”

In addition to the limits on lodging, the order also continues to limit playground access, transient moorage, and camping in the County, although the order has been revised to prohibit camping on only the four major ferry-served islands. Requirements that signage be posted on ferries and ferry terminals, ports, marinas, and marine transport vessels remain in place.

Dr. James explains further, “I realize the incredible strain that these state and local limits are placing on our lodging operators and all other visitor supported businesses, and I wish that there was a way to give a definitive date for reopening. Unfortunately, this is a fluid situation and we are timing our actions to be in lockstep with the Governor’s decision to move to Phase 3. As indicated in the order, the current expectation is that Phase 3 will likely occur no earlier than mid- to late June unless the Governor’s phased approach is altered due to changes in circumstances or local waivers applied at the state level.”

For more information about COVID-19 and the local response, please visit www.sjccovid.com

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

With roots dating back to the Civil War, Memorial Day is a time for our nation to remember and honor military personnel who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. In addition, Memorial Day weekend is the traditional kick-off to the summer vacation and tourist season, especially here in the San Juan Islands. Sadly, the 2020 Memorial Day weekend is looking nothing like previous years.

The islands have done an amazing job of staying focused on frequent hand washing, respecting social distancing guidelines, and embracing mask wearing as part of our daily rituals. Our commitment and care has helped the San Juan Islands avoid the severe impacts we have seen elsewhere. The islands’ track record to date has been remarkable and we want to keep it that way.

While our islands slowly move through the stages of the global COVID-19 pandemic, we need to focus on keeping ourselves, our families, and our neighbors safe. This crisis is far from over, and the disease is still around us. The goal is to avoid any sort of local spread that threatens our ability to move forward.

We want you to find enjoyment this weekend but balance your activities with staying healthy.

As we go into this long weekend, please remember: Continue Reading

A note from Island Stage Left…

Normally at this time of year we would be asking you for money. But what’s normal now?
For the first time in Island Stage Left’s twenty two year history, we must cancel our summer “Shakespeare Under the Stars”, which was to have been Shakespeare’s romantic comedy, “Much Ado About Nothing.”

We worked hard last winter auditioning and assembling the cast and crew. As of May 1, our cast was complete, our posters designed, our music chosen, our script edited, our design and production concepts developing – when it was my sad duty to call all sixteen actors and crew members and inform them that there would be no employment this year. We have every hope of mounting the show a year from now, and they are all invited back for 2021 if we’re able to continue then. We are certainly well prepared for it! Continue Reading

Friday Harbor’s latest Free Little Library is at the Post Office, dedicated to Serendipity Books and its owners Carol Jackson and Dilys Goodman.

Widely recognized as an island treasure, Serendipity became a reality when two former librarians and neighbors, Carol and Betty Stewart, launched their business next to the ferry landing. Dilys joined the business several years later when Betty was unable to continue.

The bookstore was greatly enhanced by Phill Jackson’s computerized inventory, which was innovative in 1995. Carol and Dilys are also having milestone birthdays this year so it is a triple celebration.

The talents of all these individuals have made the business the success it is and Serendipity so endearing. Appreciated by islanders and visitors alike, online reviews of Serendipity are glowing. Located in a charming Victorian house, Serendipity Books has been the location for photo shoots as well as having attracted celebrity visitors like Tom Hanks who was looking for a copy of Moby Dick for his son. Continue Reading

Boats on Moorings – Mark Gardner photo

The 2020 boating season is officially upon us, and soon our anchorages will begin to fill with local and visiting private boats.

Our amazing group of islands, where boaters find wonder and relaxation, are also where fish and wildlife find food and shelter. One of the Salish Sea’s most critical and sensitive marine habitats is eelgrass.

This flowering plant grows in shallow, light-filled marine waters. Eelgrass nurtures many species, including crabs and juvenile Chinook salmon and is where Pacific herring lay their eggs. 

Pacific herring are small schooling fish that play a big role in marine food webs by supporting salmon, which in turn feed the Southern Resident orcas. In San Juan County, there are just four remaining herring spawning areas:

• East Sound on Orcas Island
• West Sound on Orcas Island
• Blind Bay on Shaw Island
• The Mud Bay and Hunter Bay region of Lopez Island.

Historic herring spawning areas were located in the Westcott/Garrison Bay region of San Juan Island; areas where significant declines in eelgrass have also occurred. Continue Reading

Presely Clark, Daniel Garner, Emma Mughal, Islay Ross, Keegan Bailey, Will Leeming, Darcy Ayers and Arlo Harold – Not pictured: Sander VanHamersfeld, Emmett Carrier, Evan Foley, Hank Erickson, Tyler Fleming, Levi Wolf, and Ayana Berube

Last summer, the Friday Harbor High School Aerospace Design team brought home a World Championship title from the International Space Settlement Competition held at NASA.

This year, the FHHS Aerospace Team (Island Orbital Technologies) has once again earned their way back to the International Space Settlement Design Competition World Finals with a top-four design proposal entry. 

After putting in hundreds of hours of work on this year’s proposal (the crux during the first weeks of quarantine), this is great news. The team worked tirelessly on a ‘cycler settlement’, dubbed Benevectoras, meant to service Mars exploration. Their innovative ideas and thoroughness came through clearly in the 60-page design proposal, which ultimately scored high enough for a top-four worldwide placement. This result automatically sends the team on to the World Finals, skipping over the quarterfinal NW competition. Continue Reading

Commerce, EDC announce local recipients of the Working Washington Small Business Emergency Grant

The Washington State Department of Commerce and the Governor’s office, in partnership with the EDC, have announced the recipients of the Working Washington Small Business Emergency Grant (WWSBEG) in San Juan County.  The program was created to provide small grants to businesses with 10 or fewer employees, to help them survive the downturn caused by Covid-19.

21 businesses in San Juan County – on Lopez, Orcas, San Juan and Shaw Islands – have been awarded grants totaling $149,699.  The grants were awarded from the Governor’s emergency fund and will allow businesses to pay for essential expenses like rent.  Governor Inslee noted, “I hope this a bridge to get them to the other side”.

“In speaking with our businesses over the past two and a half months, it’s been clear they need access to capital and technical assistance to weather this storm.  As a very small nonprofit, we can provide the technical assistance, but could not offer grants.  We were absolutely thrilled when the Governor’s office and Commerce created this funding mechanism to support our local business owners,” said Victoria Compton, EDC Director.

For more information on these grants and for a list of recipients, please visit:https://www.sanjuansedc.org/wwsbeg-announced/ .

We’re Online with You!

Skagit Valley College announces Summer Quarter will be offered mostly online

Yes, Skagit Valley College is open! We’re just doing things a little differently. Our key focus is to meet you where you are right now. We’ve adapted our instruction, services, and resources to meet your needs and support the health and safety of the SVC community.

Skagit Valley College is gearing up for Summer Quarter! Your path to a new career or transfer degree starts at SVC. Enjoy hands-on learning and labs in several of our career programs as well as a welcoming and supportive online learning environment. If you need help paying for college, additional financial aid, scholarships, and emergency funds are available!

Summer Quarter classes will start Monday, July 6 and will be offered online and/or in a controlled lab environment.

To get started, visit www.skagit.edu/summer-2020/ Registration dates are as follows:

• Registration for Continuing students is going on right now;
• Registration for New Advised/Applied students starts today, May 20;
• Summer Quarter classes start Monday, July 6;
• Trending programs for Summer include High School completion, Spanish GED and computer classes, and university transfer courses.

New to Online Learning? Continue Reading

In a joint effort between the Port of Friday Harbor, the Islands’ Oil Spill Association (IOSA), and San Juan County, plans are underway for construction of an oil spill response operations base in Friday Harbor, Washington.

The intent of the project is to provide office space, maintenance bays for upkeep of boats and trailers, storage for equipment, flexible open space for both training and a response command post, and parking and dock space for spill response trailers and vessels.

When complete, this facility will be an essential resource to the San Juan Islands, dramatically improving response capability and providing a long needed base of operations for the Islands’ Oil Spill Association, a local non-profit community based spill response organization.

The facility will be sited on the Jensen’s & Sons Marina property now owned and operated by the Port of Friday Harbor. Continue Reading

The Town of Friday Harbor would like to thank the community for their generous donations during the month of April to the Harbor Life Ring program. A total of $14,441 was donated which was then matched with a $5,000 grant from the Town and a second $5,000 from King’s Market.

The total amount collected was then distributed to the beneficiaries, the Family Resource Center’s Utility Assistance fund at the Town and the Friday Harbor Food bank. Each group received the sum of $12,220.50 to be used to help relieve the impacts of job and income disruptions as a result of the COVID 19 pandemic.

Thank you again to all that participated and thank you to King’s Market for providing their matching grant to make every dollar go further.

Photo by ProjectP

In many places, people are wearing masks when they’re in public because of coronavirus (COVID-19). It’s an important way to help slow the spread of the virus.

At first, it was mostly doctors, nurses, and others in health care settings who wore masks. But now, as other people wear them, more and more kids are seeing something they’re not used to seeing. For them, it can be strange or a little scary, especially if they need to put on masks too.

Most kids can feel comfortable seeing people in masks, as long as adults:

• Use simple words to explain why people are wearing masks.
• Give kids time to look, watch, and get used to what’s new.
• Answer kids’ questions.
• Give support.

Some toddlers and young children may feel uneasy about masks. They may need extra support and comfort from parents. Parents also can help kids understand why they might need to wear a mask, and make them more comfortable and even fun to wear. Continue Reading

Photo by ProjectP

-Dr. Mark Fishaut and Dr. Frank James

En muchos lugares, la gente está llevando mascarilla en los lugares públicos debido al coronavirus (COVID-19). Es una forma importante de ayudar a reducir la velocidad de propagación del virus.

Al principio, quienes llevaban mascarillas eran, sobre todo, los médicos, los enfermeros y otro tipo de personal que trabajaba en marcos sanitarios. Pero ahora, al llevar mascarilla mucha más gente, los niños están viendo cada vez más algo a lo que no están acostumbrados. A ellos, les puede parecer extraño y hasta les puede llegar a asustar un poco, sobre todo, si ellos también tienen que llevar puesta una mascarilla.

La mayoría de los niños se pueden sentir cómodos viendo a personas con mascarillas, siempre que los adultos:

• Usen palabras sencillas para explicarles por qué la gente está llevando mascarillas.
• Les den tiempo para ver, observar y acostumbrarse a lo que es nuevo.
• Contesten a sus preguntas.
• Les brinden apoyo.

Algunos niños pequeños pueden mostrar inquietud ante las mascarillas. Y pueden necesitar más apoyo y consuelo por parte de sus padres. Los padres pueden ayudar a sus hijos a entender por qué pueden tener que llevar puesta una mascarilla en los lugares públicos, hacer que se sientan cómodos con ella e, incluso, que hasta les resulte divertido llevarla puesta.

¿Cómo reaccionan los niños ante las mascarillas? Continue Reading

As you may have heard, asian hornets (a.k.a: Murder Hornets) have found their way to the United States and have been detected in Washington. They are an invasive species and will decimate honey bee hives.

If you would like to help the State of Washington, here is a project you can do on your property – Build an Asian Giant Hornet Bottle Trap, (Instructions below) but be careful. Here’s the warning from the State of Washington Department of Agriculture: Continue Reading

Supported by the San Juan County Council, the Board of Health, and the Department of Health and Community Services, San Juan County Health Officer Dr. Frank James issued a Health Officer order over the weekend regarding the public use of face coverings to reduce the spread of COVID-19 illness.

A Frequently Asked Questions addressing all aspects of the order, including a link to the original document is here is online at: https://www.sanjuanco.com/DocumentCenter/View/20393/200518-Health-Office-Order-4-FAQ

The order is intended to ensure that all individuals at public indoor settings wear face coverings over their nose and mouth. The order went into effect on May 16, 2020, and will become mandatory for people inside businesses when San Juan County moves to Phase 2 of the Governor’s four phase plan for reopening. Continue Reading