This was the Audience Favorite from the 2016 Friday Harbor Film Festival: “The Babushkas of Chernobyl”

For nearly 30 years a community of unlikely heroines have lived in Chernobyl’s post-nuclear disaster “dead zone.” Stylish and stubborn, these fascinating women have survived, and even thrived, on some of the most toxic land on Earth. They are the last survivors of a community who refused to leave their ancestral homes after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986.

But the babushkas aren’t the only risk-takers: scientists, bureaucrats and even young men and women called “Stalkers” (who break in illegally to pursue their video game-inspired fantasies) explore the dystopian zone and seek out its radioactive grandmas.

First-time feature documentary filmmakers Holly Morris and Anne Bogart’s portrait of a community tells a remarkable tale about the pull of home, the healing power of shaping one’s own destiny and the subjective nature of risk.

Tuesday, April 4th at the Grange – 7:00 pm

In the SJ Update mailbag, we have this letter from Richard Davenport at FH School of Massage…

Hello SJ Update,

Time to check in. The Friday Harbor School of Massage is about to complete the first year in three weeks. All four students that attended will graduate. In the next two weeks we still have openings for Student Clinic Massage, Tuesday after 1:30 pm or evenings 5 or 7 Wednesdays or 1:30 pm Monday, Thursday or Friday.

Currently enrollment is open for a limited number of students for the next session, starting in September 2017 through Mid-April 2018.

Thanks,
Richard.

A luncheon to benefit Meals on Wheels and More Featuring tunes by Paul Arroyo and Friends.

• Herb Seared Chicken Breast
• Pasta with Pesto Garlic Butter
• Oven Roasted Squash
• Breadstick
• Salad Bar
• Tiramisu

Wednesday, March 29, at 12:00pm

Mullis Community Senior Center, 589 Nash Street, Friday Harbor.
Tickets cost $15 and are available at the Mullis Center

60’s attire encouraged!

For More information, call (360) 378-2677

Seraphina is this week’s Pet of the Week – Contributed photo

Always a bridesmaid, never a bride. The last one picked for the team. The lonely girl in the corner that no one will dance with. That’s me.

I’m Seraphina and when I arrived here in Friday Harbor I was just a kitten. That was ages ago… now I’m almost seven months old! My brothers and sisters got adopted right away, but here I sit, waiting for someone to choose me. I fear I am destined to become a bitter, old spinster… won’t someone out there love ME?  

I’m here at the animal shelter, waiting for you.

Animal Protection Society of Friday Harbor
111 Shelter Road
(360) 378-2158

Rick Larsen Town Hall meeting at Brickworks – John Miller photo

Congressman Rick Larsen’s Town Hall on Sunday at the Brickworks attracted just over a hundred residents from San Juan and other islands. 

Larsen started with comments about the failure of the Republicans to end the Affordable Care Act, with the heavily Democratic crowd erupting in applause several times. He cautioned the group that while one battle has been won, “the contest isn’t over yet.” 

He credited the grass roots activity across the nation for the outcome. He had asked for people’s personal experiences with Obamacare, and over 300 people in his district “wrote or called or did a video” about how they had been helped by the act, and he shared those reports with some of his colleagues in Congress.

Larsen said the act had reduced the number of uninsured in the state from 14.8% to 5.8% and that uncompensated care at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Bellingham, as just one example, was reduced from about $29 million annually to $20 million. 

He then responded to questions for about an hour and a half before heading down to the ferry. Mostly, it seemed, he gave the answers people wanted to hear, but in at least two instances he did not. When he was asked about single-payer health insurance, as called for this week by Sen. Bernie Sanders, he said no, he thought it was more appropriate to stick with defending Obamacare, not to change in the middle of the controversy. And when he was asked about the noise from Whidbey Naval Air Station growlers, he said he had called for a building that would help reduce the volume as they warm up. When a questioner said that wouldn’t help with the noise while they’re in the air, he said no, but it would help his constituents who live on Whidbey Island.

Larsen said his office will push back on Republican cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency and the various agencies that help with affordable housing, and he will do all he can in Congress to overturn the Citizens United decision of the Supreme Court allowing corporations to spend unlimited money in elections. He said the Federal Elections Commission “does a poor job” of enforcing the spending limits that do exist and that he’s not sure how Congress can force it to do better. 

Story by Louise Dustrude

Classical Charms at SJCT April 1

The annual Melodious Notes Over the Harbor concert takes center stage at San Juan Community Theatre on Saturday, April 1 at 7:30 p.m.

Clarinetist Sue Collado, a former principal clarinetist for the La Jolla Symphony, set out to create the annual chamber music event on the Whittier stage six years ago; her intent was to show off island and Northwest musicians playing diverse “bits of music” from a variety of composers.

The ensembles she brings together are musicians with professional and educational backgrounds in their field, some working full-time in that field and others crossing into other careers. “When you leave the professional world, it takes a lot of determination and grit and perseverance to keep a high level of performance skills,” said Collardo. “Melodious Notes is a perfect opportunity to perform at that higher level and keep your day job. There is just a love of music that keeps this going.”

This year, Collado is collaborating with pianists Kay Zavislak, currently on the music faculty at Western Washington University and Elizabeth Schaltenbrand, a registered nurse who works in the emergency room and inpatient unit of Peace Island Medical Center; flutist Kim Breilein, owner of Enchanted Flute Productions, a Northwest chamber ensemble event company; bassoonist Pat Nelson, who appears on the Crystal Records label with the highly regarded Westwood Wind Quintet ; cellist Sasha von Dassow, owner of the independent trucking company, SJI Transport and director of the Friday Harbor Chamber Music Festival; and violinist Hanneke Klein-Robbenhaar, a researcher of astronomy filters for Luxel Industries.

Highlighted composers for the concert include the Island’s own Alex Shapiro and Richard Hieronymus, as well as works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Darius Milhaud, Bill Douglas, Robert Muczynscki and Astor Piazzolla.

The Business Partner for Melodious Notes Over the Harbor is Heritage Bank. Tickets are $19 for adults, $9 for student reserved and $5 student RUSH at the door. The SJCT box office is open Tuesdays through Fridays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tickets are also available on-line at www.sjctheatre.org

Many thanks to this incredible community for its support of United Way of San Juan County! and many thanks to United Way’s dedicated Board, Grants committee and Executive Director for including Hospice of San Juan as a recipient of donated funds. United Way is one of very few sources of unrestricted funding for our operational expenses. We are a “virtual” business; we have no building to house our agency nor do we have employees that need to be paid since we are all-volunteer. However, we do have fixed operational costs such as voicemail, liability insurance, postage, photocopies, training materials. Without United Way unrestricted grant money, we could not function.

Hospice of San Juan (www.hospiceofsanjuan.org) is a primary support service of those providing in-home care to persons who are homebound or at the end of life, benefitting those who live on San Juan Island at no cost to existing systems. Founded in 1984 by a small group of dedicated island nurses and caregivers, we received non-profit status in 1985 and Federal 501(c)3 status in 1993. We currently work both independently and alongside Medicare-funded hospice services that come from Skagit County. United Way of San Juan County’s support helps us deliver our entirely volunteer-operated programs of caregiver respite, medical equipment lending, grief support, Music & Memory program, and training and education of volunteers and community caregivers. Many many thanks to all of you who donate to United Way, and many thanks for your ongoing support of Hospice of San Juan!

Mariluz Villa
Main Operations Manager
Hospice of San Juan

Have you seen the new bench being installed in town? It’s on Spring Street on the corner of First Street. On the King’s Market side. Looks like it will be pretty cool when finished.

In the SJ Update mailbag this morning, we have this letter from Richard Davenport at Lavendera School of Massage…

Hello SJ Update,

Time to check in.

The Friday Harbor School of Massage is about to complete the first year in three weeks. All four students that attended will graduate. In the next two weeks we still have openings for Student Clinic Massage, Tuesday after 1:30 pm or evenings 5 or 7 Wednesdays or 1:30 pm Monday, Thursday or Friday.

Currently enrollment is open for a limited number of students for the next session, starting in September 2017 through Mid-April 2018.

Thanks,
Richard.

On sunday the 26th at San Juan Fitness there will be a circuit workout class in the boxing space at 3 pm. All are welcome, and the fee will be 10 dollars with an opportunity to donate more if one would like.

The purpose of this class is to raise money for the Family Resource Center’s youth program.

New location for the Cheesecake Cafe & Bakery

The Cheesecake Cafe and Bakery has found a new home. Remember the Cheesecake Cafe in the Anacortes Ferry terminal? Same owner, new location. After Washington State Ferries would not renew her contract, Margie Aipopo heard about a vacancy here on the island where The Place used to be and she took advantage of it.

Mother & Daughter business partners Emily (L) and Margie (R) Aipopo – Tim Dustrude photo

She and her daughter Emily have been working pretty much non-stop since January 1st making some layout changes and getting the building ready – Removed an interior wall, added some tables and counters with wood from Egg Lake Sawmill; installed a soda machine that dispenses all-organic, non-gmo sodas from Tractor Soda out of Idaho, and soon there will be an additional door out the side of the building toward the ferry dock.

It will be a full service restaurant serving things like Lemon Poppyseed Pancakes or White Trash Hash for breakfast; Fish n Chips, Burgers and Sloppy Joes for lunch/dinner just to name a few. 

Bar style table from Egg Lake Sawmill

They’re hoping for a “soft opening” next week on March 28th, but Margie says don’t write that in ink. That date is significant though as it will be 1 year to the day that they had to be out of the ferry terminal in Anacortes.

For the soft opening, they will serve a limited menu – cheesecake (of course), soups, cookies and espresso – and then they hope to be fully open a week or so after that. They’re looking at probably 6am to 6pm to start with and then maybe 6am – 9pm when the summer season fully kicks in.

More photos below

Continue Reading

Crisis in U.S. Health Care: Corporate Power vs. The Common Good, published this month by John Geyman, M.D. of Friday Harbor, discusses the issues currently being debated in Congress.

This book takes a 60 year view of our health care system, 1956-2016, from the perspective of a family physician who lived through those years in two rural communities, including Friday Harbor, and as a professor of family medicine in medical schools, a journal editor and researcher/writer about health care for over four decades.

It is an objective, non-partisan look at major trends in health care including increasing technology, uncontrolled costs and depersonalization. The concluding chapters present three health care reform options: ObamaCare repair, Republican proposals for health care, and Medicare-For-All or national health insurance.

Dr. John Geyman, Ph. D. – Contributed photo

“John Geyman, one of America’s most distinguished family doctors, has given us a masterful overview of what’s wrong with our health care system and how to fix it. He supplements the daunting facts and figures with an engaging account of his life as a country doctor and medical leader.” Comment by David Himmelstein, M.D. and Steffie Woolhandler, M.D., both general internists, health policy experts, and professors of public health at the City University of New York.

The book is available locally at Griffin Bay Books, Island Studios and the Office Center.

Sophie Rice LMP, of Sole Intentions Studio and Island Ashiatsu, and local artist Mattias Anderson invite you to their first Open House and Artist’s Reception. Island Ashiatsu will be offering 10% off all Gift Certificates purchased and massages booked that day.

Ashiatsu, also known as Oriental Barefoot Bar Therapy, is a modality utilizing body weight and gravity to create a deep compression massage.

Original artwork by Mattias will be on display. Mattias uses a variety of materials to create unique and vibrant pieces. He will be on hand to discuss his work as an artist and answer any questions.

Stop in and enjoy some snacks and bubbles this Sunday March 26th from 3-7. Sole Intentions Studio is located upstairs in the Warren Building at 580 Guard St., Suite C.

We look forward to seeing you!

Artwork by Mattias Anderson

The San Juan Island Library Board of Trustees is pleased to announce that the Washington State Auditor’s Office has given the Library a clean accountability audit report for fiscal years 2013, 2014, and 2015.

The Washington State Auditor’s Office reviews the financial records of the San Juan Island Library District every three years. Their independent audits assess the Library’s use of public resources, compliance with state laws and regulations and its own policies and procedures, and applicable internal controls. This most recent audit focused on the areas of procurement/prevailing wages, payroll, and disbursements.

The SAO notes that “independent audits provide essential accountability and transparency for District operations. This information is invaluable to management, the governing body and public stakeholders when assessing the government’s stewardship of public resources.”

The State Auditor’s Office is established in the state’s Constitution and is part of the executive branch of the state government. You can find current and past audit reports for the San Juan island Library District at http://portal.sao.wa.gov/ReportSearch.

Decision on Sixth Grade Transition Postponed until April Board Meeting

The decision by the San Juan Island School District Board of Directors on whether or not to move the sixth grade from the Friday Harbor Elementary School to Friday Harbor Middle School will be postponed until the regular school board meeting scheduled for April 26, 2017.

At the January 18, 2017 special school board meeting/public hearing, the elementary staff made a presentation to the board in favor of the move, citing supportive research in pedagogy and issues of crowding in the elementary school. The Board is requesting information on the impact to the 2017-2018 school year budget before making a final decision. The decision process is compounded by the uncertainty of state funding to be received by the district in the next two years. Additional information is needed for district staff to provide a clear financial projection to the board.

If there are further delays by the state legislature in approving a state budget, this decision may even be pushed back to a May special board meeting.

Tickets are moving fast for Pacific Northwest-based songwriter duo Dave McGraw & Mandy Fer in concert this Saturday, March 25 at 7:30 pm, at the San Juan Community Theatre.  (Their first concert here in 2015 was a near sell-out).

The duo is showcasing songs from their latest self-produced/recorded release Off-Grid Lo Fi, an intimate, authentic and refreshingly honest exploration into the genres of folk, rock, and roots music. 

Known as a standout electric guitarist and multi-instrumentalist, Mandy is unafraid to dominate the stage for an extended guitar solo. Dave McGraw’s emotional songwriting riffs on natural elements of the world around him. They will be joined by drummer Andrew Lauher. 

See Dave and Mandy  in action HERE