Victoria Compton of the Economic Development Council invites you to share your opinions in the survey linked below…

Dear All,

Please participate in the EDC’s new county business survey: www.surveygizmo.com/s3/2046680/EDC-Survey
It takes about 10 minutes to complete and is completely confidential.

Share your opinions on the county’s business climate and challenges, so that the EDC can work to address the issues that are most critical to our businesses and economy.

And please forward to other business owners and entrepreneurs.

Thank you!

Victoria

Click to enlarge poster

The Lions Health Screening Unit will be in your neighborhood providing FREE Health Screenings for:

• Blood Pressure
• Glaucoma
• Diabetes
• Sight
• Hearing

Friday Harbor Marketplace.

Friday and Saturday, April 3rd & 4th from Noon to 5:00 pm.

Click on the poster at right for more information.

Tuesday and Wednesday, April 14th & 15th.
9:00 am to 5 pm at the Friday Harbor Family Resource Center, 500 Market Street.

Division of Child Support (DCS) will be on the truck 4/15 to assist you with your case or questions.

Click here for poster with more info.

Don’t forget – it’s this coming Wednesday. Bonnie at the Senior Center sends over this reminder/invitation…

Click to enlarge poster

Could you please share with your readers that Senior Services and the Operations Committee of Mullis Community Senior would like to invite everyone to help us fundraise for a very important cause.

Please join us for an extra special lunch day on March 25. This lunch will help support our very important Nutrition Program and the Home Delivered Meals. Lunch is open to the entire community. Cost is $10.00 in advance or $15.00 at the door.

Tickets are available at the Mullis Center.

Entertainment will be provided by Jimmy Moe, aka Frank Sinatra impersonator.

Thank you!
Bonnie

Terry Whalen and Lori Williams of Design Build San Juan – Tim Dustrude photo

There’s a new business on the island – Lori Williams sent this press release to share with you. I visited their studio the other day to shoot the photo above.  They’re in that building just out Beaverton Valley Road where Island Glass is and they have quite a few samples of tile, cabinet doors & hardware, drawer pulls, etc. Here’s Lori with their story…

New Partnership and Design Studio for Shalen Inc. of Friday Harbor, WA

The Design Build San Juan studio at 1385 Beaverton Valley Rd. – Tim Dustrude photo

Terry Whalen /Shalen Inc has partnered with Lori Williams to become Design Build San Juan. Together they are a full service building and design firm offering whole house design, permit documents, design services, CAD drafting, construction, and remodeling.

With a new design studio located at 1385 Beaverton Valley Road Suite 4, they are well positioned to create the island home of your dreams. They carry a selection of cabinets, cabinet knobs and pulls, tile, granite, and interior-exterior finishes. Continue Reading

Rebecca Parks shares this cool story…

Friday Harbor man hopes to join the Race to Alaska – on homemade amphibian pedal/sail micro trimaran

Nick Wainwright at the helm of The Microship – Contributed photo

Put a young man with grand dreams together with a self-described old geek inventor with great toys, and you just might make magic. Nicolas Wainwright of Friday Harbor, a firefighter, sailor and social media guru, hopes so. He intends to join the first 750 mile “Race to Alaska” from Port Townsend to Ketchikan this summer. The rules of the race, which was started by “a bunch of sailors in Port Townsend,” said Wainwright, are that the vehicle must be self powered, with no motor of any type, no crew, and no ground support along the way. The daunting and dangerous race appealed to the 28-year-old when Wainwright, who said, “When I first heard about it, I knew I had to do it.”

Enter Steve Roberts and his amphibian pedal/sail/solar Microship. A ten-year project completed in 2001 in his lab on Camano Island, the Microship took Roberts on several adventures in local waters before his back protested and the Microship (on its own wheels) headed back to land. The funny-looking craft now sits indoors, sad, yearning for adventure – lucky to find someone like Nick Wainwright. Continue Reading

Gay Graham shares this letter of thanks with you…

To the Editor:
Soroptimist International of Friday Harbor held its signature fund-raiser, St. Patrick’s Day Extravaganza, March 14. It was fun! It was a success!

This success didn’t just happen. It took dedication, imagination and energetic participation by Soroptimists’ Extravaganza Committee (Marcy Aschoff, Sue Buettell, Dana Bune, Mary Campanella, Allie Carlson, Nancy DeVaux, Kim Galton, Marcy Hahn, Joan Kennedy, Peggy Long, Necia Quast and Ann Van Buskirk), our Publicity Committee (Dana Bune, Robin Jacobson, Valarie Keaton and Heather Spaulding), our auctioneer (Farhad Ghatan) and many other contributing members.

As with any successful venture, it takes a community of generous donors. The following are those whose gracious support made The Extravaganza spectacular: Continue Reading

Dear Island Neighbors,

Spring is here and we are hoping for another great community turnout on Thursday, March 26th for the annual Dining for Scholars day. Our “Dining” goal is to raise $6,000 for our scholarship fund and you can help by simply dining out for breakfast, lunch or dinner (or all 3!) on this day. The 2015 graduating class has a high participation rate in the Service Scholarship program, so we really need your support to meet our scholarship awards.

This year the following restaurants are graciously offering to donate a portion of their proceeds to our scholarship fund:

Rocky Bay, Café Demeter, Market Chef, Hungry Clam, Roche Harbor’s Lime Kiln Café, Blue Water, China Pearl, Spring Street Deli, Vic’s Drive In, Haley’s, Cask & Schooner, Mi Casita, Coho, Roche Harbor’s McMillan’s Room, The Place and The Rumor Mill.

The mission of San Juan Island Service Scholarship (formally Dollars for Scholars) is to support higher education and promote volunteerism among our community’s youth. Students who have completed a minimum of 80 hours of volunteer community service during their high school career are eligible for a scholarship through our program.

If helping to grow volunteerism in our community appeals to you, please join us March 26th. See our online ads for dining locations and times, or visit us on the web at www.sjiservicescholarhship.org. We are a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization and your direct donation is fully tax deductible.

With sincere appreciation for your support,

June Arnold
President

Opalco Board Candidates Announced
Annual Meeting On Saturday, May 2, 2015

Our local member-owned electric cooperative, Orcas Power & Light Co-op, announces the slate of candidates for its Board of Directors. This is each member’s opportunity to influence who sets Co-op policies and rates. Every OPALCO member has the right to vote in each election, regardless of their home district, with one vote per membership.

For this 2015 election, there are four candidates running for two open positions in District 2 (Orcas, Armitage, Blakely, Obstruction, Big Double, Little Double and Fawn Islands). The 2015 candidates are: Winnie Adams (incumbent), Randy J. Cornelius, Ed Sutton and Chris Thomerson (incumbent). Candidate bios are sent by mail to each Co-op member with their ballot, and are available online at www.opalco.com. This year, there is one member-initiated bylaw amendment.

Ballots and a voting guide will be mailed the week of April 8, 2015 and the Annual Report will be posted online. Co-op members can vote one of three ways: online, by mail or in person at the Annual Meeting. Voting online is the preferred method; it is secure and it saves co-op resources. A survey on this year’s ballot will ask you how you prefer to vote; beginning next year paper ballots will not be sent to those who prefer to vote online. Continue Reading

Rich Warin, coach of the FH Wolverines baseball team shares a quick recap of last week’s game…

Friday Harbor beat Lynden Christian 11-0 in their first game of the year. Gabe Lawson got the win and had 2 hits.

Bill Revercomb led off the game with a homer. Brandon Allen had 2 RBI’s

The next home game is Tuesday at 2:30 against Orcas.

Snow Geese – Tamara Weaver photo

Tamara Weaver shares this great shot of Snow Geese. Happy Saturday and Happy first day of Spring! Thanks Tamara!

Here’s some recent news from the Whale Museum…

On February 25, NOAA’s survey team aboard the research vessel Bell M. Shimada spotted a new calf (L-121) with her mother Calypso (L-94) and other L Pod whales about 15 miles west of Westport WA.

Click here to see the video! This is the third baby born to the Southern Resident killer whales since December 2014. The population, now at 80, is still precariously small. NOAA researchers spent 21 days this year tracking the Southern Residents off the coast of Washington and Oregon, collecting prey and fecal samples, acoustic recordings, and other data to better understand the whales’ winter range and food sources.

During this survey, Nyssa (L-84) was tagged. The satellite linked tag is still transmitting data. For more information on whale movements and research efforts click here.

San Juan Island School District Superintendent Position

Dr. Danna Diaz – Contributed photo

The San Juan Island School District Board of Directors announced today that Dr. Danna Diaz has accepted the position of Superintendent for San Juan Island School District. Currently the Board and Dr. Diaz are considering the terms and conditions of her employment contract. When the document is complete to the satisfaction of both parties, the Board will adopt the contract. The first opportunity for this would be during the regular Board meeting on March 25.

“Dr. Diaz is grounded in the fundamentals of the learning process and child development yet is also keenly aware of the regulations that provide accountability to our citizens,” commented Board Chair Jack McKenna. “She has a strong record of responding to challenges with successful initiatives.”

“Our process brought five excellent candidates to the forefront,” said Board member Jenn Furber, “any one of whom would have done a good job as our Superintendent. The problem of choosing between strong candidates is a problem that is good to have. As a parent with young children I’m keenly interested in making our schools academically successful. Our schools must also be places where students are excited to go, feel safe, and have a strong sense of belonging. Dr. Diaz shares these values and I’m glad she will be working with us.”

Fred Woods, FHHS Principal is impressed with the depth of her resumé. “She has the skills and knowledge to move us forward as we work to make sure our graduates continue to have an education that is well matched to the next steps of their lives, whether that is the world of work or further education.”

Current San Juan Island Superintendent Rick Thompson will be the new Superintendent in Chimacum School District on the Olympic Peninsula.

Opalco Scholarship Applications Due March 27
Get $500 + Coop Leadership Camp

What do San Juan County high-school scholars say about the Youth Rally and OPALCO’s Scholarship Program?

“My sense of the world was changed …”
–Brodie Miller, Spring Street School

“I made friendships that will last a lifetime…”
–Cameron Schuh, Orcas Island High School

“I had an amazing time at the Rally. They did a perfect job of balancing education and fun.”
–Marné Cook, Lopez High School

“The Rally changed my outlook on the future…”
–Peter Kamin, Orcas Christian School

OPALCO established the Nourdine Jensen Cooperative Youth Scholarship Program in 2010 to honor longtime Co-op board member Nourdine Jensen. The program is open to sophomores and juniors of OPALCO member households. The award includes a $500 OPALCO college scholarship, an all-expenses-paid trip to the Youth Rally Co-op leadership camp in Idaho, and the chance to compete for additional scholarship awards at the Rally.

The Youth Rally is a fun-packed week of activity including a day at the water park, roller skating, volleyball, bowling, social dances, team-building games and educational sessions on leadership and the

The new IMA building up on Spring Street – Tim Dustrude photo

If you enjoy art, and are able to spare a few hours a month, you might love volunteering as a docent at San Juan Island’s newest museum.

Being a docent enables you to learn about exciting and ever changing art exhibits, share your knowledge with visitors from near and afar, and become a part of a community of people committed to educating and inspiring others through art.

You don’t need to be an artist or have an art background to be a part of this; we provide training. If interested, please join us at the museum for an informational gathering on Wednesday, March 25, 2015, from 5:00 to 6:30 pm. We will give you a tour of the museum, tell you more about what it means be a docent, and answer any questions you may have.

San Juan Islands Museum of Art, 540 Spring Street, Friday Harbor, WA 98250

Library to be Closed
Next week on Monday and Tuesday, March 23rd & 24th, don’t forget – The Library will be closed for a software upgrade. No new hold requests, purchase requests or interlibrary loan requests until Wednesday March 25. See you at the Library then!
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Literary Salon with Laurie Orton
Thursday, March 19, at 7:00 pm
San Juan Island Library, free.

Unlike a book club, you choose what you read, but we join together to share impressions. Join us for refreshments and refreshing talk!

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Tragedy of the Commons Documentary Series with Ken Crawbuck
Saturday, March 21, at 7:00 pm
San Juan Island Library main salon, free.

Join host Ken Crawbuck for a special screening of a brand new film made here in the Pacific Northwest: Totem Pole Journey. It follows the journey of a newly carved totem pole, which actually came to San Juan Island in the fall of 2014 as part of its travels through the Dakota Territory, Montana, Washington, British Columbia and Alberta to its final installation site. Lummi elder and Master Carver Jewell James accompanied the totem to spread the message of shared responsibility for the Earth and for each other. Representatives of the Lummi Tribe, Sierra Club and Friends of the Library will be present. The popcorn is always organic.
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Conscientious Projector Documentaries presents THRIVE Update 2015
Monday, March 23, at 7:00 pm
San Juan Island Library main salon, free.

Do you think THRIVE, the 2011 movie is just a collection of “conspiracy theories” (that popular “media term” used to close off critical thinking)? Well, think again. Come see an alternative view that THRIVE is about attempting problem solving from the local up to an international scale. Come see what has been happening since 2011. Consider if it is possible for us to really THRIVE. Organic popcorn and other refreshments courtesy of the Friends of the Library.

Please note that films presented as a part of this series do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Library.