Bus drivers (and some subs) include, left to right: Joel Swartz (sub), Joe Gamez, Bill Cumming (sub), Mike Erickson, Kris DayVincent, Po Powell & Kim Ryan. Not pictured, Mary Elford – Terresa Sundstrom photo

SJISD School Buses are rated Safe and 100% efficient

San Juan Island school buses have been awarded a Certificate of Achievement from the Washington State Patrol for outstanding school bus safety inspections and have been rated 100% efficient by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) for school year 2012-13,

OSPI’s “Efficiency Rating” is one component that the state uses to determine reimbursable funding for transporting students to and from school.

Data is gathered though a routine ridership survey that generates a student transportation allocation report, based on the number of school bus riders, the land area covered, road miles driven and the size of the buses that are used.

On San Juan Island, six school buses transport 490 “basic” student riders and 19 special needs student riders to and from school every day from all corners of San Juan Island.

“The Transportation crew is very proud of their record.” said District Transportation Supervisor Terresa Sundstrom, “And they should be. They are very professional and conscientious.”

The school district is very proud of this accomplishment.

The recently inducted 2014 Officers and Committee Chairs are from left to right, back row: Social Chair Jenny Wilson, Social Chair Ann Jarrell, Rear Commodore Bill Severson, Commodore Don Hendrix, Vice Commodore Don Jarrell and Trustee Terry Lush. Left to right, front row: Trustee Mark Sternitzke, Trustee Pat Megaw, Treasurer Susan Eberhard and Secretary Laura Jo Severson. Not pictured are Fleet Captain Howard Lewis and Staff Commodore Rebecca Hughes – Susie Hendrix photo

Marie DiCristina checks in with this report on the Sailing Club…

The Friday Harbor Sailing Club is gearing up for another fun year. FHSC is a friendly group of boating enthusiasts that keep busy all year. There are several boating organizations on San Juan Island with the United States Power Squadron offering extensive boating education and the San Juan Island Yacht Club offering a beautiful clubhouse and the usual Yacht Club activities. The Friday Harbor Sailing Club (non-profit) offers an alternative choice with a more relaxed group of both sailors and power-boaters who meet monthly, have summer bbq’s in Mitchell Bay, PHRF racing and many group cruises to great locations in Puget Sound and BC.

The club meets on the second Tuesday of each month. The meeting agenda includes the social hour then a tasty potluck dinner followed by informative guest speaker.  To attend a meeting as a Guest, please contact Membership: Rebecca Hughes at  298-1923 or Commodore: Don Hendrix at 378-4590 orvisit: www.FridayHarborSailing.com for more information. Please consider becoming a member of this active boating club.

Happy and safe winter boating to all!
Friday Harbor Sailing Club

Where were you in 1989?
On March 24 of that year, the Exxon Valdez tanker ran aground in Prince William Sound. 11+ million gallons of crude oil were spilled, covering 1,300 miles of shoreline. 25 years later, the effects of this tragedy are still being felt.

Some islanders will remember the news accounts, some islanders felt it first hand. Not one of us wants it to happen again – anywhere.

The San Juans Alliance* is taking this “let’s learn from our mistakes” opportunity to share information about our islands’ capabilities for oil spill prevention and preparedness by hosting a free lecture with Q & A’s for islanders.

Please take this occasion to learn what would happen “if”, and what we islanders can do about it.

Attend a Lecture
• Sunday, March 16 • 12:30-2:30 pm • San Juan Island Grange

Our Islands at Risk: Increased Vessel Traffic and Increased Risk of a Major Oil Spill

Gary Shigenaka, a marine biologist for NOAA, who specializes in marine life studies during oil spills, will talk about how various cargo and propulsion oils would likely behave if spilled in our marine environment.

Julie Knight, Executive Director of Islands Oil Spill Association (IOSA), will talk about local spill response preparedness.

*The San Juans Alliance is a consortium of Lopez NO COALition, Orcas NO COALition, San Juan Islanders for Safe Shipping, and FRIENDS of the San Juans. A diverse group of San Juan Islands’ citizens who call these islands home, San Juans Alliance is united in its concern about the likely adverse impacts to the islands’ economy and environment from the transport of fossil fuels through the Salish Sea.

DRAFT Academic Calendar 2014-2015 for public input

Parents and community members are encouraged to provide input on next year’s academic calendar prior to Board adoption, scheduled for late April. Comments will be taken through Friday March 28th.

You can view the calendar at this link (PDF).

Send your input to this email address:
publicomment [@] sjisd [.] wednet [.] edu

San Juan County Victim Services sends this announcement about the Crime Victim Service Center Community Planning Process meeting to be held in Bellingham next month:

Community Meeting for Region 12, Whatcom, San Juan, and Skagit Counties

The Crime Victim Service Center (CVSC) program, including Whatcom, San Juan & Skagit Counties will be holding an open meeting to discuss services for victims of crime in our community and the funding that support this program.

The meeting will be held on: Thursday April 3rd, 2014, 10:30 AM at Brigid Collins Family Support Center, 1231 N. Garden St., Conference Room, Bellingham, WA.

We will be discussing crime victim services that are provided by our CVSC, direct services provided since July 2013, areas in which services are lacking, steps to expand service, and introduction to our CVSC partners.

Crime Victim Advocacy services are for adult, child, and juvenile victims of crime.

Advocacy services include 24/7 – hotline crisis intervention, listening to a victim’s experience without judging him/her, talking about options that may help, speaking on the behalf of victims to law enforcement, employers, prosecutors, landlords, etc., and can accompany victims to court hearings or to medical appointments. CVCS can provide information on useful local or state resources.

If you plan to attend and need any assistance at all please call 360-370-7610, or give a call to discuss your ideas and views.

Ed Yourdon photo

Attention Baseball and Softball Players:

Little League tryouts are on Sunday March 16th

Minors at 12:00 pm
Majors at 1:30 pm

If you have not yet registered, do so now at fhball.org (You have to be registered to try out.)

There will be an equipment exchange, bring any cleats, gloves, uniforms, etc. to tryouts.

Snack shack will be open.

Sharon over at Safe Harbor Insurance has this to share with you…

There is still time to sign up for health insurance during the open enrollment window for the Affordable Care Act.

Safe Harbor Insurance in Friday Harbor will be holding special weekend hours on Saturday, March 22, 2014 (10:00 am – 2:00 pm) to assist islanders in applying for health insurance before the deadline of March 31st.

The Affordable Care Act requires most Americans to enroll in a health insurance plan or pay a penalty. For those who don’t have coverage through an employer or Medicare, this means signing-up for one of the many individual/family plans available in Washington State. Many people will qualify for free health insurance through WA Apple Health, the state’s Medicaid program. Many others will qualify for private insurance with substantial tax credit assistance to make the cost affordable, and some, who do not qualify for assistance, will need help in determining the best plan for their budget and needs.

Those who need help should call (360) 378-2949 in advance to schedule an appointment, and plan to bring the following information to their appointment: Continue Reading

Click to enlarge poster

The annual Seniors vs Staff basketball game will be held March 21st in Turnbull Gym. Prior to the game a dinner fundraiser will be served at 4:30pm. The cost is $7.00 and includes hamburger or hot dog, salad, chips and a drink.

Game time is at 6:00 pm and will include games for prizes as well half-time entertainment. There is no admission charge for the game but donations are greatly appreciated. All donations support the Senior 2014 Graduation Night.

Grad night is an all-night event of top secret fun planned by parents, supported by the Prevention Coalition and enjoyed by our Senior class for their final time together.

Please come out and support our kids and have a great night of food, fun and games. Mark your calendars, bring your family and join us for the fun!

Danny proposes to Jamie – Click for larger image- Contributed photo

Sue Nielsen is very proud to announce the engagement of her daughter Jamie Lee Nielsen Thornton to Daniel Murphy Roberts. Jamie and Danny are both graduates of the University of Washington.

Jamie is a 2007 graduate of Friday Harbor High School and is a Real Estate Appraiser and Property Manager in Seattle. Danny is the son of Phil and Pat Roberts of Burien and is a Field Engineer with PCL Construction Services of Seattle. Jamie is the daughter of Sue Nielsen and the late Chris Thornton and the grand-daughter of Joyce Nielsen and the late Einar Nielsen.

Danny proposed to Jamie while skydiving on their five year anniversary. They will be married on August 16, 2014 at the Huntley Lodge in Cle Elem.

Heidi Evans, new owner of Alphabet Soup preschool – SJ Update photo

Heidi Evans took over ownership of Alphabet Soup preschool on January 1st of this year, and she will be hosting an Open House for everyone to come in and tour the center and meet the teachers. The Open House will be on Saturday, March 22nd from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm at the preschool, 300 Marguerite Street. 378-9166.

Heidi was born and raised in Friday Harbor where she grew up riding horses and playing sports all through school. After high school she went to UW and graduated with a  degree in Latin American History with a minor in Spanish. Following college, she worked on private yachts around the world gaining sea time and went back to school to receive her captain’s license from the United States Coast Guard.

After more than 5 years of travel she was ready to set some roots of her own and decided to come back to the island to build a home and soon a family.

Having added an Associate’s Degree in Early Childhood Education, Heidi is looking forward to working with the families and children at Alphabet Soup and is very excited to give back to this small community what it gave to her while growing up – a positive environment where she was able to look to many of its members for support and positive guidance. She hopes to provide that support to the children in the center by giving them a healthy and safe environment to grow and learn.

Left to Right: Jaime Ellsworth, Jennifer Rigg, Allison Lance, Kim Koon, Jan Murphy – Contributed photo

Kim Koon, (2nd from right in photo) Director of Investigations and Rescue OPS for Pasado’s Safe Haven in Sultan visited Friday Harbor on Saturday to meet with members of San Juan Island’s ATF, Animal Task Force, to discuss ways in which to effectively intervene and deal with cases of animal neglect and abuse here on the island.

The San Juan Island Animal Task force was formed in late 2012 to address several known cases of abuse and neglect here, involving both farm and companion animals. As San Juan County does not have an animal control officer as part of the Sheriff’s Department, a group of concerned citizens formed the group to find ways to legally and effectively find solutions to cases where animals are in imminent need of rescue due to lack of proper food, shelter or water.

Koon met with ATF members to discuss ongoing cases as well as Washington State Animal Control Laws and pending legislation that addresses issues regarding animal health and safety. In her role at Pasado’s Safe Haven, Kim has jurisdiction over the entire state of Washington to assist law enforcement agencies in animal cruelty cases. She has offered to serve as a resource here in San Juan County when need arises.

Koon also gave the group guidelines on “Body Condition Systems”, a method of determining if a specific type of animal is within the proper weight range and body mass index. The group also discussed the legal area that can be designated per animal by square foot and acreage among other related topics.

ATF member, Jan Murphy said, “One way that the community can help ease the suffering of animals is to report abuse or neglect when you see it.” Reports can be made to the Sheriff’s Department at 378-4151, or to ATF directly by calling the Animal Protection Society of Friday Harbor at 378-2158.

Are you a weather fanatic? Want to help the National Weather Service with observations and data collection? Check out this free training.

Lopez Island
Saturday, April 5th
11:15am – 1:45pm
Lopez Island Fire Station

Shaw Island
Saturday April 5th
3:30pm – 6:00pm
Shaw Community Building

The National Weather Service will train new and veteran spotters on how to look for and report significant event-driven weather events. Training includes video demonstrations.

Spotters are needed, particularly in the out-of-town and waterfront areas of the San Juan Islands.

Ideal spotters will already own basic weather instrumentation, especially an anemometer, or will be interested in buying one soon.

For more info on the Weather Spotter program, visit: http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/sew/spotter.php

The following is a press release from OPALCO:

The OPALCO Board voted unanimously to ensure that all co-op members would be granted a vote and a voice in electing and retaining board members. The co-op model relies on the premise of one vote for each member.

Article I, Section 10 of OPALCO’s bylaws has been revised to give all members the opportunity to vote in the case of a call for board member removal or replacement. The original language would have excluded absentee members from having a voice in the matter. To review the details of the bylaw revision, please go to www.opalco.com/bylaws.

Randy J. Cornelius, General Manager, says the bylaw language was found to be out of compliance with current state law (RCW 24.06.110). “The Board’s action today is meant to uphold and protect our members’ right to elect their directors,” said Cornelius. “This is integral to the strength and unity of our Co-op.”

The issue came up during the regular meeting of the Board in February when OPALCO’s legal counsel discovered the flaw in our bylaws. The Board determined that, because of the timing of the Annual Meeting (May 3rd), immediate further discussion was warranted on this bylaw issue. The Board met by phone on March 6, 2014, in keeping with our bylaws on special meetings, to discuss and act on the matter.

In honor of the recently departed Chris DeStaffany, friends are invited to convene at the San Juan Community Theatre around two o’clock in the afternoon on Saturday, March 22nd for quiet remembrance, progressing from there to the Rumor Mill about three or three-thirty for a properly boisterous wake where beverages will be available and you may, if you wish, bring a favorite dish to share.

The Friday Harbor Food Bank will be closed on Saturday, 22 March, to facilitate a modest remodeling project. Individuals normally receiving distributions on Saturdays may receive them instead on Wednesday, 19 March. The remodel should be complete in time for opening at noon on Wednesday, 26 March.

Planned changes include adding 80 square feet, improving internal customer and restocking flows, and increasing the shelf and counter space. Additionally, the building will gain enhanced electrical service to allow relocation and better circuit protection of the freezers and refrigerators. The project’s estimated cost is about $10,000.

The Food Bank relies entirely on donations. Contributions may be sent to P.O. Box 1642, Friday Harbor, WA 98250. For more information, please call 378-2036, or visit the website.

It’s next Tuesday at the Grange – the Friday Harbor Film festival’s Tuesday Night Films…

On March 24, 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil supertanker ran aground in Alaska, discharging millions of gallons of crude oil and thus becoming the biggest environmental catastrophe in North American history. It didn’t take long before dramatic images appeared across the world: thousands of carcasses of dead seabirds and sea otters covered in oil, a thick black tide rising and covering the beaches of once-pristine Prince William Sound. For the next 20 years, marine toxicologist Riki Ott and the fishermen of the little town of Cordova, Alaska, waged the longest legal battle in U.S. history against ExxonMobil, the world’s most powerful oil company. In this compelling documentary, we learn about the environmental, social and economic consequences of the black wave that changed the lives of thousands of people forever.

Tuesday, March 18, 7:00 PM at the Grange – Black Wave (82 minutes)

Click here for trailer and more info.