By Barbara Jensen, President, San Juan Islands Audubon Last Saturday, Dec. 26, we did our annual Christmas bird count circle. First, I want to thank the 93 people who participated in the count. This is the highest number of people we have had on a count. So many of you stepped forward to count at  Continue Reading

By San Juan County The San Juan County Planning Commission will have an online meeting at 8:30 a.m., Friday, Jan. 15. Learn how to join the meeting here. You can join on your computer or mobile app by clicking here. Use the phone number 360-726-3293 and conference ID 613 618 865#. The meeting will also  Continue Reading

By Katie Schmidt, San Juan Builders Association Congratulations to the winners of the San Juan Builders Association’s Gingerbread Contest! It was so hard picking winners as each entry was absolutely wonderful. Thank you to all who participated. You can pick up your entries between 4-6 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 29 at 260 Spring St. I will  Continue Reading

By Rick Larsen’s Office On Dec. 28, Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02) voted to override President Trump’s veto of the annual National Defense Authorization Act. Larsen, a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, voted by proxy after testing positive for the COVID-19 virus last week. “I voted to override the president’s veto to support  Continue Reading

Two new San Juan County Councilwomen will be sworn in at 11 a.m., Tuesday, Dec. 29. Christine Minney and Cindy Wolf will both take the oath in person with San Juan County Superior Court Judge Katheryn Loring. However, guests must view the ceremony virtually thanks to COVID-19 restrictions. Wolf shared instructions to join, below. Join  Continue Reading

By Fish For Teeth We at Fish for Teeth are excited to announce our January dental clinic:  Jan. 13-16, at the Mullis Center on San Juan Island.  Yes, four days! Fish For Teeth has received additional funding to sponsor a mobile dental van for four-day clinics on San Juan Island, four times a year. Due  Continue Reading

By Governor Inslee’s Office On Dec. 27, Gov. Jay Inslee announced the state will provide funding for almost 100,000 Washingtonians who will lose federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance benefits following President Trump’s refusal to act on the federal coronavirus relief package. The president had until midnight on Dec. 26 to sign the sweeping relief bill to  Continue Reading

Walter Harold MacGinitie | Aug. 14, 1928 – Dec. 17, 2020   Walter MacGinitie, age 92, was born in Carmel, California, the only child of marine biologists George and Nettie MacGinitie. In 1950 Walter married Ruth Kilpatrick and they raised two daughters, Mary and Laura. Walter spent the last 40 years of his life living  Continue Reading

By San Juan County Since the last update on Friday, Dec. 18, the total cases in San Juan County have increased from 75 to 78. All of the three new cases are on San Juan Island. Current positive case numbers are available online at the county case count page. As indicated on that page, these  Continue Reading

By Town of Friday Harbor The Town of Friday Harbor will collect Christmas trees for residents inside town limits on Friday, Jan. 8, 2021.  Trees must be placed at the curb no later than 9 a.m. and must be separate from other unbundled trash and woody waste.  To ensure the success of the tree recycling  Continue Reading

By San Juan County Recent San Juan County COVID-19 case investigations have revealed a trend of lax COVID safety protocols on various construction and building sites across the islands. As in any workplace, consistent masking is a critical tool for preventing disease transmission. Work done alone or outside with greater than six feet of separation  Continue Reading

By Helen Machin-Smith and Daniel Mayes, Island Stage Left Founders With the season of goodwill and hope upon us, we at Island Stage Left are ready to do our bit to brighten your spirits and celebrate hope. With that in mind, our gift to you is this professionally recorded audio version of “Christmas Memories” (the  Continue Reading

Even during a pandemic, San Juan Island School District students still put on a holiday concert. Listen to Friday Harbor Middle and High School students play holiday songs in their virtual concert below.   

Wolf Hollow staff (and critters) wish everyone a happy holiday. They also thank the community for its continued support. Wolf Hollow’s mission is “to promote the well-being of wildlife and their habitats through rehabilitation of injured and orphaned wildlife, public education and non-invasive research.” For more information, visit wolfhollowwildlife.org.

In his post on Facebook on Wednesday, December 23rd, Washington State Congressman Rick Larsen has said that he received a positive test result for COVID-19. Here’s what he said: Yesterday, I received a positive test result for the COVID-19 virus. I am quarantining in accordance with CDC guidelines and am not experiencing any symptoms. I  Continue Reading

High-risk Health Workers, First Responders First In Line By San Juan County San Juan County Department of Health and Community Services has just received a shipment of 600 doses of the recently approved Moderna COVID-19 vaccine from the Washington State Department of Health. Department staff is actively completing the recently released vaccine-specific training, and these  Continue Reading

By San Juan Island Library The San Juan Island Library District has completed the purchase of 660 Spring St. in Friday Harbor for the future library building site. The site is the location of the former Life Care Center. The district considered alternative locations for a library for several years given the limitations of the  Continue Reading

By Animal Protection Society Of Friday Harbor Age: Approximatly 3 years Sex: Female Breed: Chihuahua/Dachshund mix Application: https://www.apsfh.com/adoption-program/canine-application/ Penny is ready and waiting for her forever human!  It’s been a tough year for her…sadly, her previous owner passed away and she is in desperate need of a warm lap and loving home. Penny really enjoys  Continue Reading

By Governor Inslee’s Office On Dec. 23, Gov. Jay Inslee announced he will extend the eviction moratorium to March 31, 2021. The current eviction moratorium was set to expire on Dec. 31. “COVID-19 has had a significant financial impact on Washingtonians over the last nine months,” Inslee said. “I know this moratorium has been critical  Continue Reading

By Island Rec Start your year off right! Join Island Rec for the 6th annual Resolution Run/Walk 5K. This year, the event is virtual. We are sprinting into the new year with enthusiasm and health and fitness as our goal. How does a virtual race work?  You still have to go all 5K (3.1 miles);  Continue Reading

By San Juan County Public Hospital District No. 1 Thank you to all the advocates raising their voices. At the Skagit Valley Hospital District board meeting on Dec. 18, the hospital districts that jointly own Hospice of the Northwest announced that they would not sell to Bristol Hospice. San Juan County Public Hospital District No.  Continue Reading

By Donna Sandstrom, Whale Trail director and former member of Governor Inslee’s Orca Recovery Task Force Last Friday, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Commissioners approved rules for commercial whale-watching that will make it easier for the endangered southern residents to forage and rear their young in these next few critical years. Commercial whale-watching on  Continue Reading