May 2020 Dear Wonderful Community Members, The 2019-2020 school year is winding to a close, and what a year it has been! We started last summer with our Aerospace Design team under the guidance of teacher Dan Garner, becoming international champions and we end this school year with our First/Second grade Science Team under the  Continue Reading

Know Your Islanders: Thane Pratt, Kokoda Sketches: A Birding Trek across Papua New Guinea Lace up your (virtual) hiking boots and join wildlife biologist Thane Pratt and artist Szabolcs Kokay on a trek across the mountain ranges of Papua New Guinea.  We’ll relive some of the adventures and experience the biological wonders of this, the  Continue Reading

FREEZER BURNED: Tales of Interior Alaska is a new regular column on the San Juan Update written by Steve Ulvi… After gritting through another sub-arctic winter, there was celebratory pleasure in first plying the roiling, wood-strewn waters of the Yukon River in spring. The boat season followed seven to ten days of heavy running ice.  Continue Reading

This story has been updated since it was first published… The variance application submitted Friday afternoon was approved by the Secretary of Health mid-day on Saturday, allowing San Juan County to proceed to Phase 2 of the Governor’s four-phased Safe Start Washington plan effective immediately. San Juan County Council Chair Rick Hughes highlights the importance  Continue Reading

“I am pleased to see this Project come online,” said Friday Harbor Mayor Farhad Ghatan. “It is incumbent on us to do what we can to use renewable resources. It is not only environmentally beneficial but provides a benefit to our ratepayers.” Next week the Town of Friday Harbor will activate its first solar power  Continue Reading

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  Continue Reading

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  Continue Reading

On May 22nd, 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 31st. 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  Continue Reading

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  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  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  Continue Reading

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  Continue Reading

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  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  Continue Reading

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  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  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  Continue Reading

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  Continue Reading

-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  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  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,  Continue Reading

Dear SJCT Family, On May 5th, we wrote to inform you of the launch of the From ‘Going Dark’ to ‘Lights Up’ campaign to address the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on SJCT operations. Following the cancellation of events in March, April, and through the end of the summer, the campaign seeks to raise $193,000 of community support by September 30th.  Continue Reading