Here’s the official word from Washington State Ferries about service disruption coming up next week… Reduced service on Anacortes/San Juan Islands route Oct. 22 to Nov. 4 With seven of our ferries in need of attention, we made the difficult decision late last week to temporarily downsize our Anacortes/San Juan Islands/Sidney, British Columbia route from  Continue Reading

Merri Ann Simonson is back with more Real Estate information… All of us Island property owners received our tax assessment notices from the County recently. As real estate agents we have been fielding many questions about the statements and new assessments. As you may recall, the State has mandated that our Assessor’s office convert to  Continue Reading

San Juan Island School District is happy to announce that we have achieved two-year contracts with both the teachers’ union, San Juan Education Association (SJEA), and the classified employees union, Public School Employees of Washington (PSE).  Both contracts target additional funds for the purpose of honoring employees with the greatest longevity in the school district.   Continue Reading

Allen’s Generosity Created Greater Safety and Connection in San Juan County The world lost a true friend in the passing of Paul Allen. Many are telling the stories of his incredible contributions to science, technology and humanity around the world and particularly in Washington State. You may not realize it, but Allen’s generosity is responsible  Continue Reading

The students at the Shaw Island School recently won first place in a statewide contest promoting earthquake preparedness and safety. Sponsored by the Cascadia Regional Earthquake Workgroup, the competition solicited videos from schools across Washington. Timed to promote the Great Shake Out earthquake drill, this is the second year of the contest, and the second  Continue Reading

Nine school- and preschool-aged children have CONFIRMED cases of varicella (chickenpox) on Lopez, Orcas and Shaw islands, with additional possible cases awaiting evaluation from health care providers within the county.  Schools have been alerted of the current outbreak. Parents are encouraged to check their child’s vaccination status and ensure their children are fully immunized against  Continue Reading

Skagit Valley College to offer two travel abroad opportunities to Spain and Portugal If a visit to the Iberian Peninsula is on your bucket list, then you will want to join SVC Music Department Chair, Dr. Diane Johnson, on one of two travel abroad opportunities to Spain and Portugal in 2019. Dr. Johnson will lead  Continue Reading

Summer may have gone but Fall is here, which means it is time to gear down and reconnect with others interested in learning more about the Salish Sea! Everyone is welcome to come join us for two big events this weekend being put on by The Whale Museum: Saturday, October 20: Gear Down Workshop for  Continue Reading

Here’s the latest from San Juan Community Theatre… Have you seen the show that everyone is raving about? There are just four more chances to do so! Thursday, Friday, and Saturday’s performances are at 7:30 pm (and Thursday is Pay What You Can) and we finish the run with a matinee on Sunday at 2:00  Continue Reading

The Class of 2019 Kicks off Grad Night Fundraising The Friday Harbor High School Senior Class of 2019/PTSA is now taking orders for their annual Holiday Wreath sale. Get your beautiful, aromatic, long-lasting, 24” Northwest Noble Fir wreath with pinecones, berries, and a handmade bow in the color of your choice for only $25! These  Continue Reading

Heidi Green, yoga instructor and co-author of Yogadevotion: Practicing in the Presence, is conducting a special 2-hour workshop this Saturday, Oct. 20, from 2-4 pm at Saint David’s Episcopal Church. This workshop examines the benefits to body, mind, and spirit of a simple breath prayer practice tied to the Seven Daily Offices. The Daily Offices  Continue Reading

Island Senior is a regular column on the SJ Update written by Peggy Sue McRae… On the second Friday of the month the Mullis Center hosts Fun Friday Bingo. For ten dollars you get a delicious seasonally themed lunch and 15 cards of Bingo. On Friday I enlisted my friend Therese Finn and we joined  Continue Reading

  A panel of San Juan Island Master Gardener volunteers will share their ornamental obsessions and inspire you to join them in their love of salvias, roses, and plants with beautiful leaves at the Annual Gardening Workshop, this Saturday, October 20th. Ornamental garden plants aren’t ‘idle lovelies’ – they create pollinator habitats and bird joy,  Continue Reading

San Juan County’s Preliminary Budget for 2019 has been published. With a theme of “Finish What We’ve Started,” the 2019 budget focuses resources on projects and initiatives already underway within the County. The County has enjoyed several years of remarkable growth in sales, lodging and real estate excise taxes, growth that has allowed the County  Continue Reading

San Juan County Treasurer, Rhonda Pederson would like to remind county property owners that the second installment of property taxes and personal property taxes are due October 31st.  Please note that even if you deposit the envelope with your local post office, it may not be postmarked on the same day.  Plan ahead and mail  Continue Reading

  Northwest artist Gareth Curtiss has been selected by the Town of Friday Harbor to complete a life-size bronze sculpture of town founding father Captain Edward D. Warbass. The piece will include Mr. Warbass sitting on a park bench with his dog, Bob, by his side.   The artwork is scheduled for installation on the sidewalk  Continue Reading

Tamara Weaver writes about St. Francis’ Blessing of the Animals… On October 4, people all over the world celebrated the feast day of the Patron Saint of Animals, Saint Francis of Assisi. It’s customary that in remembrance of St. Francis of Assisi’s love for all creatures, animals are led to churches for a special ceremony  Continue Reading

Friends of the San Juan Island Library cordially invite you to “A Very British Evening: Jane Austen Meets the Royal Navy”. Please join Heidi Green, a lifetime member of the Jane Austen Society of North America. This event sponsored by the Friends of the SJI Library is in celebration of the 200th Anniversary of the  Continue Reading

Name: Farrah Status: Single. Haven’t found my soulmate. Yet. Sign: Aries. Virgo rising. Likes: Hip Hop, Chinese food, BBC World Radio, belly rubs, chardonnay Dislikes: Plastic wine glasses, opinions that differ from mine, Tibetan throat singing, beady eyes What Intrigues Me: Dogs eating peanut butter, flatulence, I Love Lucy re-runs Favorite Movie: The Swamp Thing  Continue Reading

The next Department of Community Development (DCD) community workshop will be held on October 18th from 6:00 – 7:30 pm at the fire station at 1011 Mullis Street in Friday Harbor to gather community input on the Comprehensive Plan update.  The public is invited to provide input on policy issues that will guide the County  Continue Reading

  Messy Me returns this year with even more sense-engaging fun! We’ll play around in the elementary school gym with different ‘sensory bins’ filled with mediums such as water and sand while searching for dinosaur molds and model fish. Painting with marbles will be a new, exciting activity this time around, as well as balloons  Continue Reading

In the SJ Update mailbag we have this letter from Bill Appel… This will have been a hotly contested election. There have been allegations of errors, omissions and behavior, some of which but for the public stature of the targets, might arguably be libelous, and in the time-honored tradition of one corner of our community,  Continue Reading