In the SJ Update mailbag this morning we find this letter from Bob & Shannon Wilson… Vote YES for our schools! This year, more than ever it is so important that we vote YES on the school levy. It is NOT a new tax, but a renewal of the one that has existed for many  Continue Reading

Greetings Students, Staff, Parents and Community Members: When we hear news of school-related tragedies, we, as a school district, become ever more resolved in our commitment to student safety. San Juan Island School District principals and school staff have been working hard to create a safer environment for our students. One year ago the school  Continue Reading

Merri Ann Simonson shares this real estate information… IRS Section 1031 – Tax Deferred Exchange Another positive sign of real estate market recovery for our County is an increase in buyers and sellers utilizing a 1031 exchange. During the recession when appreciation was non-existent there were no gains for buyers and sellers to defer. Many  Continue Reading

Notice of Town Hall Meeting with District 1 County Council Chair Bill Watson Council Chair Bill Watson will be holding a Town Hall meeting on Thursday, April 5th at the San Juan Island Fire Department, 1011 Mullis Street, Friday Harbor at 5:30 PM. Mr. Watson and County staff will present 2017 accomplishments and 2018 goals  Continue Reading

The telepsychiatry program at PeaceHealth Peace Island Medical Center (PIMC) was recently featured in a case study for the March 2018 publication of the American Hospital Association’s (AHA) Members in Action.   The telepsychiatry program is a service of PIMC that offers weekly psychiatric services to residents living in the remote setting of San Juan  Continue Reading

  Homemade holiday treats and a Spring raffle basket are part of the Community Arts Theatre Society’s (CATS) annual Elegant Edibles on Saturday, March 31. The gourmet bake sale is from 10 a.m. to 12 noon in the San Juan Community Theatre’s lobby and features dozens of elegantly prepared goodies by CATS members, including signature  Continue Reading

Fiber Customers Can Now Get 1,000 Mbps In Their Homes Rock Island Communications, the only provider of fiber-optic broadband in San Juan County, announced last Wednesday that gigabit Internet (1,000 Mbps) is now available to the home. “When we started our efforts just over three years ago, the average download speed in the county was  Continue Reading

Here are some happenings and some updates… This just in – FHHS Athletic Director Rod Turnbull says the golf match has been cancelled today.  Lummi did not have enough players to participate in a match. Also, today’s girls tennis match with South Whidbey is postponed due to weather.  He will get the new date out  Continue Reading

Loren DeShon shares this update on the recent flight class… Island students completed eight 3-hour introductory classes at Westwind Aviation over the last two months and the last night all in attendance got to take a flying tour of the islands, landing at Orcas, Roche and Friday Harbor. The class covered introduction to aerodynamics, navigation,  Continue Reading

Construction on this starts next week. Here’s the latest from WSDOT… Customers traveling to the Anacortes terminal during the spring and summer should be aware of construction planned at the intersection of SR 20/SR 20 Spur (Sharpes Corner) in Anacortes. Around-the-clock lane reductions will start on Monday, April 2 and are expected to be in  Continue Reading

Rock Island shares this heads up with you… ALERT: County-Wide Communications Blackout Coming April 12th On April 12th from 9:00 pm to April 13th at 6:00 am, the county is going to experience a county-wide communications outage.  The 48-count fiber-optic cable carrying all data and voice traffic from San Juan County for ALL providers is going to be relocated just  Continue Reading

EDC, NWWD, SJISD to present free Career Fair for high school students The San Juan County Economic Development Council (EDC), in partnership with the Northwest Workforce Development Council (NWWD) and San Juan Island School District (SJISD) will present a free Career Fair for high school students, featuring local trades businesses on Wednesday, April 25th from  Continue Reading

Griffin Bay Bookstore & The San Juan Island Library present Growing A Revolution – Bringing Our Soil Back To Life by David R. Montgomery, Saturday, April 7th at 7:00 pm at the library. David R. Montgomery returns to San Juan Island just in time for gardeners and farmers who are busy preparing their soil for  Continue Reading

Someone very wise once said, “Women and cats will do as they please. Men and Dogs should just get used to the idea.” My name is Smudge, and I wholeheartedly agree. If you are looking for a friend to join you in doing as you please, we should meet. I’ll be at the animal shelter  Continue Reading

Two Grandparents and a 13-Year-Old: Self-Driving the Back Roads of Namibia Join Val and Leslie Veirs as they recount their 2-week trip to Namibia with their 13-year-old grandson, Liam Reese. Driving over a thousand kilometers, they encountered the oldest and highest sand dunes in the world, mobs of southern fur seals, ancient petroglyphs of giraffes,  Continue Reading

Lana Hickman, SJIMA Family Art Days instructor, shares this story with you… San Juan Islands Museum of Art in Friday Harbor is a truly cultural community center. A continuous and vibrant program of world class art that will some day include new artists’ names. These may be the names of children who attend the museum’s  Continue Reading

The Washington State Transportation Commission is seeking customer feedback on Washington State Ferries, and invites you to join the Ferry Riders Opinion Group (FROG) at http://ferryridersopiniongroup.com/. Share your thoughts about WSF’s customer service, reservations, fares, food, and more. Sign up today so you don’t miss the next survey in early spring; you’ll get a notification  Continue Reading

In the SJ Update mailbag this morning we find this letter from Gay Graham… Dear Editor: Something extraordinary and exciting happened on our island last Wednesday, March 21st.  The San Juan Community Home Trust barged in two more “classic” homes from the Victoria/Oak Bay areas of Vancouver Island. The Nickel Bros. barge arrived at 5  Continue Reading

Mini-poll Extended Until April 19, 2018 for the Draft Lopez Village Subarea Plan The Lopez Village Planning and Review Committee seeks your input on the draft Lopez Village Subarea Plan. Please review the draft plan and weigh in on the proposed Lopez Village vision, goals and policies, land use, parking, and connectivity plans, development regulations  Continue Reading

By Louise Dustrude A cheerful crowd of a few hundred teenagers and adults, many wearing bright orange, joined the nationwide March for Our Lives at noon on Saturday, beginning and ending on the courthouse lawn. Friday Harbor Mayor Farhad Ghatan welcomed the crowd and then turned the mic over to the young organizers of the  Continue Reading

SVC Named among the Top 100 community colleges for Adult Learners Skagit Valley College (SVC) is pleased to announce that it has received national recognition as one of the best community colleges in the nation. Washington Monthly magazine published its ranking of the Top 100 Best Two-Year Colleges for Adult Learners and SVC was named  Continue Reading

On Wednesday March 28, 2018, the San Juan Island School District Board of Directors will hold a Special School Board Meeting at 3:00 pm in the School District Office.  This is an open public meeting. On Wednesday March 28, 2018, the San Juan Island School District Board of Directors will hold a Regular School Board  Continue Reading