Openings with Ag Resources, Libraries, Fair and More From San Juan County The San County Council is searching for San Juan County citizens to fill current and upcoming vacancies on various boards and commissions. Additional information about each committee is available at http://sanjuanco.com/641/Board-Committee-Vacancies. Persons interested in serving on a board or advisory committee should fill out  Continue Reading

“Freezer Burned: Tales of Interior Alaska” is a regular column on the San Juan Update written by Steve Ulvi. Cold Weather and Fuzzy Thinking Whenever I look into the rearview mirror of my life gone by in Alaska; feeling nostalgic, needing a laugh and reality check, I call up Archie. But like pickled herring piled  Continue Reading

By Hayley Day, San Juan Update The San Juan County Council will hold their virtual retreat at 9 a.m., Tuesday, Jan. 5. View the agenda and watch the live stream here. According to the agenda, “the January retreat is intended to accomplish several tasks necessary to establish structure and function and to complete a high-level  Continue Reading

From San Juan Island Library The San Juan Island Library will host a virtual class called “Intro to Online Zoom Meetings,” at 10 a.m., Wednesday, Jan. 6. Learn the Zoom video conference application features in a low-pressure environment. During COVID-19, many of us have had to learn Zooming on the fly, or never had an  Continue Reading

“Island Senior” is a regular column on the San Juan Update written by Peggy Sue McRae. Happy New Year! As the old year comes to a close, whether you are in the habit of making resolutions or not, the Mullis Center offers several ways to gently improve your life. To bring joy and wellness into  Continue Reading

From San Juan Island Library Receive “tech help” thanks to the San Juan Island Library, at 3 p.m., Mondays, Jan. 4, 11 and 25. Get help with computers, tablets and smartphones via Zoom. After determining your needs, you will work one-on-one with a volunteer. This class is designed to help you learn to use your  Continue Reading

From San Juan County Since the last update on Friday, Dec. 25, the total cases in San Juan County have increased from 78 to 79. The new case is on Orcas Island. Current positive case numbers are available online at the San Juan County Case Count page. As indicated on that page, these numbers are  Continue Reading

From San Juan County San Juan County Health and Community Services staff provided the first COVID-19 vaccine to islanders on Wednesday, Dec. 30. As per state and federal guidelines, initial distribution is limited to health care professionals, emergency responders, and long-term care facility staff and residents. This group is known as “Phase 1A.” This first  Continue Reading

From San Juan County Economic Development Council The San Juan County Economic Development Council is continuing to analyze the details of the just-passed stimulus package. Our comprehensive summary with links can be found here. We are still days away from the Paycheck Protection Program applications reopening. However, businesses that qualify and are interested in doing  Continue Reading

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.