On Monday, June 10 from 5-6:00pm the Friday Harbor High School Aerospace Design Team will hold a community presentation where they will explain the program and proposal work that earned them a spot at the world finals for the International Space Settlement Design Competition. The students will share their future aspirations for themselves and the  Continue Reading

On Tuesday, May 28th, leadership from OPALCO and T-Mobile met with Governor Inslee to share the Rock Island Communications broadband success story in support of the Governor’s new statewide broadband office and initiatives. With its robust fiber and LTE foundation in place, OPALCO is excited to help move some of Governor Inslee’s key initiatives forward  Continue Reading

It’s the last “Best of the Fest” show for this year. Tuesday night, June 4th at 7:00 PM at the Grange, join Tami Ashcraft for the true story “Adrift”. A story of love, tenacious survival and creative problem solving. Tami will be available for Q & A.

The 2019 Garden Tour is sponsored by the San Juan Island Garden Consortium. It’s June 8th from 10am to 4pm. Tickets are $15 and are available now at Ace Hardware, Browne’s Garden Center and Griffin Bay Books. Proceeds contribute to community projects of each organization.

Washington has proclaimed June Family Reunification Month, to commemorate parents who have worked hard to successfully reunify their families after significant struggles. On June 4, 2019 at 9:00 a.m., the San Juan County Council will declare June Family Reunification Month in San Juan County. The Washington Legislature declared the family unit a fundamental resource of  Continue Reading

New York’s Western Female will play at Alchemy Art Center on San Juan Island, Friday June 14th at 8pm in The Dome. Western Female is the musical project of songwriter and former Orcas Islander, Melanie Beth Curran. Through channels of Americana, Old Time, Honky-Tonk, Croon, Early Jazz, French Chanson, Rock n’ Roll, and Spoken Word,  Continue Reading

The Center for Whale Research has received photographs taken by the Tofino Whale Centre of a calf accompanying J pod off of Tofino on May 30, 2019. Researchers at the CWR have confirmed that the calf is a new addition, and based on its coloration and body condition was likely born some time in the  Continue Reading

Island Senior is a regular column on the SJ Update written by Peggy Sue McRae… Artist Thrinley DiMarco is offering a collage workshop at the Mullis Center on June 15 and 16. Says Thrinley, “The mystery and magic of creativity is simply seeing what everyone sees but thinking what no one else has thought. Out  Continue Reading

Just heard from Caroline Armon with the San Juan Island Naturalist Program. She wants to let you know that naturalists will be at the Land Bank’s Westside Preserve, south of Lime Kiln State Park, to answer your questions and share information about the whales and the Salish Sea. Friday, May 31 from 2pm-5pm Saturday, June  Continue Reading

Vote counting equipment testing June 19 at 11:00 a.m. A “Logic and Accuracy” test of ballot tabulating equipment used in San Juan County for the August 6, 2019, Primary is scheduled for June 19 at 11:00 a.m. The test works by tallying the results of a prepared set of ballots to see if the results  Continue Reading

Here’s a letter to you from Kathrine Morningstar-Simon… It’s not about lunch. It’s about community. Early this month the Mullis Center Operations Committee announced we would no longer be standing for the prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance at noon before announcements. The folks at the table at which I frequently sit were aghast. We  Continue Reading

Jill Urbach shares this quick report from Tuesday… While in town the other day to discuss broadband issues and progress, Governor Inslee took time to congratulate the FHHS students who won the national International Space Settlement Design Competition and will be traveling to the Kennedy Space Center in July to compete in the World Finals.  Continue Reading

Tourism to San Juan Island NHP creates $19.3 million in Economic Benefits Report shows visitor spending supports 164 jobs in local economy Friday Harbor, WA – A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that 255 thousand visitors to San Juan Island National Historical Park in 2018 spent $15.1 million dollars in communities near the  Continue Reading

Paul Walsh is an amateur astronomer and the content editor for astromart.com. He’s also a poet, a webmaster, an actor, a meadow mowing maniac, and a very happily married man. All that aside, come hear what he has to say about SPACE.   Refreshments will be served courtesy of the Friends of the Library and  Continue Reading

The San Juan Community Home Trust is pleased to announce the election of two new board members, Kate Eltrich and Jonathan Sherman, who joined the board on May 1, 2019. The board is composed of 12 members from the San Juan Island Community. 4 members are homeowners of a Home Trust home. 4 members represent  Continue Reading

  Island Rec is offering a one-day class that will visit and traverse the intertidal seaweed flora at Cattle Point. Dr. Ryan Drum will lead the day’s excursion to attempt to identify all of the different seaweeds encountered! Dr. Drum is a Waldron Islander of 40 years and has a PhD in Botany. He has  Continue Reading

Scott Sluis, Islanders Bank Senior Loan Officer and Chamber Board President of SJI Chamber of Commerce checks in with Chamber Chat for May 2019… We hope you all had a great Memorial Weekend and got to enjoy a little bit of it for yourselves! Thank you to the American Legion for your participation in the  Continue Reading

Lodging Tax grant funds available to promote 2020 tourism in Friday Harbor. The Town of Friday Harbor’s Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC) is now accepting applications for grants to fund tourism promotion of events and activities taking place within the town in 2020. Preference will be given to those operations and activities that encourage tourists  Continue Reading

Come join us tonight to share your thoughts and learn more about possible ferry fare changes. To provide San Juan Islands residents opportunity to comment on potential changes to fares, the Washington State Transportation Commission (WSTC) will host a public meeting in Friday Harbor, which will include a brief presentation by WSTC and WSF staff  Continue Reading

On May 22, 2019, the Board of San Juan County Public Hospital District No. 1 voted to give $15,000 for the feasibility study looking into long-term care in the county. This money will go to the 501(c)(3) Inter Island Healthcare Foundation, or IIHF, which is serving as the financial agent for the project. We understand  Continue Reading

In the mailbag today there is this letter to you from Evan G. Perrollaz, Administrator – The Village at the Harbour… Op-Ed Regarding Long-Term Care Fundraising Efforts It’s easy to forget how fragile life is. About a year ago, I got a call from a gentleman who was in a nursing home up in Bellingham  Continue Reading

John Miller caught this image of tubing on Sportsman’s Lake with his drone about 100′ above the lake. Thanks for sharing John!