Note: Current positive case numbers are available online at the County Case Data Dashboard. Since the last update on Thursday August 5th, total cases in San Juan County have increased from 213 to 237. Of these 24 new cases, nine appear to have occurred in fully vaccinated individuals- a number that is expected given the  Continue Reading

Wildfire smoke from fires in British Columbia and Eastern Washington has settled over the County and is expected to be here through the weekend.   Limit your time and activity level outdoors to limit your exposure to harmful particulate matter.  Some air quality monitors in the County are currently detecting levels that are both unhealthy,  Continue Reading

Ever wonder who the royal feline of the cat world may be? The Siamese, of course!  Who would be second in line?  Tortoiseshell!  What do you get when you mix a Siamese with a Tortoiseshell?  The most decorated member of all royal cats, Koko!   Even though Koko is a regal feline, she is not  Continue Reading

This story is shared with you from the SJC Land Bank… Wednesday afternoon, August 11, 2021, San Juan Island Fire & Rescue responded to an isolated brush fire adjacent to the Land Bank’s Mount Grant Preserve. The fire charred approximately one quarter acre of grass and brush before being extinguished. After visiting the site, Land  Continue Reading

As per a recent Health Officer order, all customers entering businesses in San Juan County will be required to mask up beginning at 5pm on Friday August 13th. San Juan County Health Officer Dr. Frank James highlights his thinking, “First off, I want to say that I truly hoped that vaccination rates in our nation  Continue Reading

COVID-19 updates from San Juan County around subjects on the minds of islanders Surging Cases: The Islands’ New Reality Fourteen new COVID cases were reported in San Juan County on August 10th. While 11 of these cases were tied to two household clusters, this is still an alarming number. The number of hospital beds devoted  Continue Reading

In 2020, the San Juan Island Community Foundation quickly adapted to a “virtual” San Juan County Fair by taking their popular annual matching grant event online. Nearly $140k was donated by hundreds of generous community members during the 4 days of the fair. After matching grants by SJICF were added, more than $170k was granted  Continue Reading

Between August 18 and August 22, the San Juan Island Community Foundation has pledged to match up to a thousand dollars given to PADs, the first program in North America to train dogs to detect an odor associated with Parkinson’s Disease. This great news was followed by a good-hearted anonymous donor who pledged to match  Continue Reading

Change is inevitable, but some things are worth preserving because they tell a story, our story. The Town of Friday Harbor is looking for an islander who appreciates Friday Harbor’s history and historic sites, values Friday Harbor’s unique sense of place, has experience and skills related to preservation, and who enjoys public service. Five citizen  Continue Reading

County Auditor Milene Henley is warning San Juan County residents about letters incorrectly generated on August 4 by the Washington State Department of Licensing.  The letters tell vehicle owners that their personalized plates have been cancelled.  The Department of Licensing sent out “thousands” of these letters in error.  They went only to vehicle owners who  Continue Reading

Q&A with Friends’ Staff at the Virtual County Fair We are all ready for some new connections and opportunities. Through the Virtual Fair, you have an opportunity to connect with Friends of the San Juans’ staff, ask questions, and hear the passion that drives their mission.  Join the virtual couch for Q&A sessions with Friends  Continue Reading

San Juan Island Yacht Club Wednesday August 11, 2021 at 12:00 PM Regular Meeting Agenda With Covid-19 restrictions lifted, the public is now able to attend the meeting in person. You may also dial into the meeting via the link listed below. Please note that if you are attending via the link, it will be  Continue Reading

Engineering for US All (e4usa), a national initiative to bring engineering courses to high school students, is expanding its reach for the 2021-2022 academic year. Two years ago, e4usa launched a novel engineering curriculum in high schools across the United States. This multi-institutional effort was initiated by five universities: Arizona State University, University of Maryland,  Continue Reading

Cody is a lonely boy…he is the last member of his litter that is looking for his forever people.  He has waited a long, long time and his concerns are starting to show on his face.  Even though his wrinkles are adorable, they are not necessary because we know that Cody is going to get  Continue Reading

For nearly four years now the Mullis Center has been working hard to implement recommendations made by Sustainable Connection’s energy audit to improve our building’s efficiency, reduce energy costs, and create a healthier environment. In 2018 our project began by switching to LED lighting, installing low flow aerators throughout the building, installing Ultra-High Efficiency toilets, and  Continue Reading

San Juan Community Theatre will finally be open to the public this fall. In addition to touring artist performances and the fall musical, Mamma Mia, SJCT will also be hosting multiple classes for all ages throughout the fall season. Regular classes are available for ages three and older.  SJCT will also be hosting Drama Club Nights for families, middle school students, and adults.  Continue Reading

Summer Sounds of the San Juans Three local bands will perform on Saturday, August 21st at the San Juan County Fairgrounds, from 6-10 pm, to raise money for the Soroptimist Cancer Treatment Transportation Fund. Tommy Dale and the Dangerfields, Desolation Sound, and the Rocky Bay Band will have you moving to the beat. Refreshments will  Continue Reading

The hospital district is happy to announce that it has reached agreement with San Juan Island Fire and Rescue to take over Emergency Medical Services on our behalf in 2023, pending voter approval. “It’s been a long process, but we’re ready to support the Fire District taking this to the public,” said hospital district commissioner  Continue Reading

On August 6, 2021, Eastsound Water Users Association (EWUA) and the Doe Bay Water Users Association (DBWUA) signed an agreement to work in partnership to manage the Doe Bay Water system. Eastsound Water will take over operations in Q2 of 2022 and perform all daily tasks including testing, monitoring and maintaining the Doe Bay Water  Continue Reading

Lots of people have lots of great ideas. But only a few turn their perceptive concepts into reality. The visionary-to-reality folks are the ones to follow. The Center for Whale Research’s Founder and Senior Scientist, Ken Balcomb, is one of these. Opening the ORCA SURVEY Outreach & Education Center in Friday Harbor in 2018 is  Continue Reading

Kairos & the Ghost of FHL: Writing in the Moment, by Holly Shelton Dr. Holly Shelton holds a PhD from the University of Washington in language and rhetoric along with MA degrees in Applied Linguistics and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. She has taught in Chile, Turkey, Canada, Kazakhstan, and the US; received  Continue Reading

Get rrrrready. This is Shugga and Mia here at PADs for Parkinson’s giving you a nosey nudge to mark your calendar for August 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22. These are the dates that you can easily double your efforts to help us and our 14 furry friends at PADs to keep sniffing for Parkinson’s  Continue Reading