Posted February 18, 2014 at 5:15 pm by Tim Dustrude
The Building Advisory Council (BAC) will be holding their regularly scheduled meeting on Thursday, February 20, 2014, at 11:30 a.m., at the Fire District 3 Station, 1011 Mullis St. If members of the public would like to provide input, we invite you to do so during the public comment period.
See Agenda at this link (PDF)
Posted February 18, 2014 at 5:09 pm by Tim Dustrude
Girl Rising tells the stories of nine extraordinary girls from nine different countries; each story was written by a celebrated writer from the girl’s own country and is narrated by a renowned actress. The film showcases the strength of the human spirit and the power of education to change the world. The featured girls face arranged marriages, child slavery and other heartbreaking injustices. Despite these obstacles, the brave girls offer hope and inspiration. By getting an education, they’re able to break down barriers and create change.
Girl Rising (109 minutes) – Click here for trailer.
Posted February 18, 2014 at 5:50 am by Tim Dustrude
New puncheon being installed on the temporary Bell Point-Westcott Bay Trail – NPS photo
Saturday February 22nd, 1:00 – 4:00 pm: Meet Lee Taylor, Superintendent of San Juan Island National Historical Park, to walk the new Westcott Bay Trail at English Camp and learn about the park’s plans for the recently added 70 acres. This trail leads to a lovely cove, and then back. Meet and park at English Camp in the main parking lot. Length round trip, is approximately 3 miles. Rating is moderate. Terrain is wooded park trail. Dogs on leashes are welcome. Rain or shine. For more info, go to www.sanjuanislandtrails.org.
Posted February 18, 2014 at 5:40 am by Tim Dustrude
Here’s another update from coach Rod Turnbull…
Friday Harbor Boys Basketball will play University Prep at University Prep High School in the first round of the Tri-District playoffs this Wednesday, 2/19. Game time is set for 5:00. A win and we will play again on Friday at Mountlake Terrace. A loss and we are out.
Complete brackets can be found at www.nw1a2bathletics.com then select the boys basketball tab.
Go WOLVERINES!
Posted February 18, 2014 at 5:39 am by Tim Dustrude
Sunday, February 23, 2014 at 7:00 PM
CPE BACH CONCERTO FESTIVAL
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788) – Harpsichord Concerto in D Minor, Wq. 17
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach – Flute Concerto in D Minor, Wq. 22
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) – Suite in B Minor, BWV 1067
Johann Sebastian Bach – Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D Major, BWV 1050
San Juan Island Grange
152 – 1st Street · (360) 378-6632 · Friday Harbor
The suggested donation (a free will offering) is $15 or $20, and youth 18 and under are free.
www.salishseafestival.org
Posted February 18, 2014 at 5:34 am by Tim Dustrude
Gaining control over finances is one of the most important skills to learn as a business owner or an individual. The San Juan County Economic Development Council will present a FREE two-hour workshop entitled “Finance 101” on San Juan Island, on Tuesday, March 4, from 9-11 a.m. Advance registration is required.
The workshop course material will be presented by Carrie Brooks, Assistant Vice-President and Loan Officer at Islanders Bank.
Ms. Brooks will cover the basics of financial literacy, covering a variety of topics including: setting priorities, understanding credit, budgeting, understanding personal investing, and the basics of banking.
Whether you’re starting from scratch, in debt, or just looking for a refresher on the basics, this course is a must-do. Participants in the workshop will leave with the knowledge they need to take control over their finances.
Details: Tuesday, March 4, from 9-11 a.m. at Islanders Bank’s community room (in the corporate offices of Islanders Bank). Advance registration is required; please call 360-378-2906 to reserve your space, or email:
info [@] sanjuansedc [.] org.
The EDC thanks Islanders Bank, San Juan County government, the Town of Friday Harbor, the Port of Friday Harbor and the Port of Lopez for supporting our Business Education Series.
Posted February 17, 2014 at 5:55 am by Tim Dustrude
Here’s a letter from Shaun Hubbard about the open public comment period for the rebuilding of the Spring Street Landing building...
Posted February 17, 2014 at 5:52 am by Tim Dustrude
FHHS Student, Rachel May
Dear Editor,
Hello, my name is Rachel May and I am a student at Friday Harbor High School. My goal in this letter is to raise awareness about teen drinking and binge drinking. I believe this is an important subject to bring to light because I have seen binge drinking effect some of my friends, even when they aren’t the ones doing it.
Drinking does not just affect you, but those around you.
I am not attending the Spring Street School but I am helping the Rock Solid Youth Group make posters and coming up with power points, to raise awareness about teen drinking. We have made a few songs and poems about how teen drinking affects everyone. The name of the song is #underage. We are going to be presenting the song to the community in the future and have shared it on the San Juan Island Prevention Coalition Facebook page. We also will be asking our local Sheriff’s Office to help us in spreading these messages. As many people know, it is illegal to supply alcohol to minors, and as a minor to drink it. However, around school, I still hear about teens who have been drunk.
Some part of teen drinking and binge drinking being such a problem is lack of education or awareness to it’s dangers. Did you know that binge drinking is considered having 4 to 5 drinks in one sitting? Alcohol has also been known to lead to life threatening diseases, it is not only a temporary buzz.
I’m hoping this letter helped inform you, and we encourage you to help us in joining the cause in raising awareness. Anyone can help, by encouraging friends and family not to binge drink or supply alcohol to minors (or if you are a minor not to drink alcohol). Please don’t binge drink, it affects more than just you.
Thank you and sincerely,
Rachel May
Rock Solid Youth Group
San Juan Island Prevention Coalition
Posted February 17, 2014 at 5:48 am by Tim Dustrude
Capt. Jim Maya saw J-pod in Haro Strait yesterday and shares this beautiful photo. Thanks! Jim!
J-Pod in Haro Strait. Click for larger image – Jim Maya photo
Here is an image of our encounter with J Pod today in Haro Strait, ten minutes from our dock at Snug Harbor. We saw Granny for sure and it seemed that all of the Js were there. We were the only whale watch boat to see them today, though one of the boats from Orcas might have gotten to them.
Posted February 17, 2014 at 5:45 am by Tim Dustrude
Anani is this week’s Pet of the Week
This beautiful girl is “Anani” and she just arrived at our shelter over the weekend from off-island. Her previous owners relinquished her to an over-crowded shelter in Snohomish County. Her crime? She hissed when they brought their new baby home from the hospital. We thought she deserved better and offered to give her a place to stay until she finds her forever people. She is five years old and has such nice manners. She’s very gentle and friendly, although clearly very sad now that her life has been turned upside down. She’s spayed and up to date on vaccines. Stop by the shelter to meet her and see for yourself how sweet she is.
Posted February 17, 2014 at 5:35 am by Tim Dustrude
Janet Thomas is holding a couple of Memoir Writing workshops this weekend. Here she is with the story…
Writing memoir is sharing story. And sharing our stories is what keeps life going. In these sound-byte disposable times, it is essential to share the depth & breadth of our experiences. Memoir is not a self-indulgent act, it is of vital importance, a responsibility to life.
Saturday, Feb 22, is about delving into what makes a memoir.
Sunday, Feb 23, is about writing a mini-memoir. You can take either or both of the workshops. Workshop times are: 10 – 4 on Saturday, Feb 22 (explore) and 10 – 4 on Sunday, Feb 23 (write). $40/obo each. Does not include lunch. Contact Janet Thomas for more info. 360-378-3854
Posted February 15, 2014 at 10:39 pm by Tim Dustrude
Hobbes is back with this week’s update and says Gray Whales Are Heading This Way…
Definitely a great start to the week — hearing our Southern Residents known as J pod on the Lime Kiln hydrophones on Monday. We think they were hanging around in the Straits of Juan De Fuca, but with the high winds and rough seas this week it was hard to tell. Transient orcas are still being seen, with the most recent sightings down in the Puget Sound and up in the Nanaimo BC area. I forgot to mention last week that maybe as many as 200+ Pacific White Sided Dolphins were reported by one of the BC Ferries, with about a dozen transient orcas chasing them. A mother and calf gray whales have also been seen this week. (See story below.) Sea lions, seals, porpoise, eagles and seabirds are being seen on almost every trip. Check out the SJIVB and the PWWA websites to see who’s running trips, and tell your guests and friends to come out and visit the real sea world! Cheers from the PWWA
Record Number of Gray Whales Heading This Way – Pacific Whale Watch Association Crews Report First Sightings in the Sound and Straits
The Great Migration of 22,000 Eastern North Pacific gray whales is well underway, and the first of these epic travelers are already showing up in the Sound and Straits of Washington and British Columbia. Pacific Whale Watch Association (PWWA) crews are gearing up for an earlier-than-expected gray whale watch season. As spring approaches, these majestic creatures, which can reach 50 feet and 40 tons, begin a journey of between 5,000 and 6,800 miles from the warm-water calving lagoons in Mexico’s Baja Peninsula and Gulf of California to the Bering and Chukchi Seas of Alaska, traveling constantly at about five knots and averaging 75 miles per day. It’s the longest migration of any mammal on Earth. “This northern migration has been extraordinary,” explains Shari Tarantino, President of Seattle-based Orca Conservancy, who’s currently in northern California working with The Center for Whale Research and other research groups in tracking Southern Resident orcas off the coast. “We’ve seen record numbers of grays making their way north, and we’ve been documenting some spectacular and very unexpected behavior from them. Read more at http://www.pacificwhalewatchassociation.org/media-news
Capt. Hobbes Buchanan
San Juan Island Whale & Wildlife Tours & Water Taxi Services
Marine Mammal & Wildlife Monitoring
PO Box 1345, Friday Harbor, WA 98250
www.sanjuanislandwhales.com
360-298-0012
Posted February 14, 2014 at 7:20 am by Tim Dustrude
Back by request, here is a video Ian made and posted a couple of Valentine’s Days ago, and it shows what happens when and island says “I Love You”…
Posted February 14, 2014 at 5:52 am by Tim Dustrude
CJ and Jazmin accept the keys from Suzy
San Juan Taxi has new owners. That’s CJ and Jazmin Mason accepting the keys from previous owner Suzy Juul. Yesterday was Suzy’s last day driving the taxi as a regular driver, however she did say she would be happy to help out and fill in from time to time, and that she is really going to miss all her regular customers. So she’s kind of torn – looking forward to newer freedoms, but really going to miss it as well.
CJ and Jazmin are excited to be here – they’ve just moved from Las Vegas so they’re experiencing a bit of culture shock as you might expect. Especially with how friendly everyone is. One of the big reasons they came here was to have a better environment to raise their kids – a 9 year old girl and a 4 year old boy. They’ve been official owners since January first. Kenneth is still driving and Jazmin fills in when needed. They will likely be adding a 3rd vehicle and driver when things pick up in the summer and they eventually look forward to running smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles.
Not only did they pick up the Taxi business, but they also bought Herb’s Tavern as of February 1st, and they are busy making improvements down there. Resurfacing floors and renovating the restrooms tops the list, and then some reworking of the woodwork on the walls. New kitchen equipment and some menu changes are in store as well and I was lucky enough to be there for part of the test kitchen phase – I had the jalapeño-cheddar hot dog, as well as the standard beef hot dog, and they both passed my taste test with flying colors. I’m sure I’ll be back for more of those!
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KO’s new owner Lisa Finelli. Don Adams was not available for photo – said he was worried it would break the camera. Head on down and say hello.
And speaking of new business owners, have you noticed Ken Oberreit hasn’t been at KO’s Subs lately? He moved to Fort Lauderdale and sold the place. Lisa Finelli of Bellevue is the new owner and her long time friend (and long time islander) Don Adams is managing the place for her. She is up for a days as a kind of “working vacation” to get more acquainted with the shop, but she said don’t expect to see her around all the time because she has lots keeping her busy down sound. Don will be around though and he will be upgrading the menu with several new items including some soups and a French Dip sandwich among other things. Just look at the chalkboard to see what’s new when you walk in. The sub shop is open Monday through Saturday 11:00pm to 3:00pm.
Posted February 14, 2014 at 5:40 am by Tim Dustrude
Joe Kantor, Seth Dunlap, Marc Franklin, Brett Paul, Roger Paul, Tim Thomsen, and James Frampton – Click for larger image
Attention all Ping Pong Players! Join Island Rec for their third annual table tennis tournament. The tournament will be held in Turnbull Gym, March 16th starting at 11am. The early registration fee is $23.00 until March 6th , $28.00 thereafter.
Prizes will be awarded to top table finishers. Must be 16 or older to play. For more information call 378-4953, visit our website at www.islandrec.org, or stop by the office at 580 Guard St. Open Monday through Friday, 1:00 – 5:00 pm.
Posted February 14, 2014 at 5:35 am by Tim Dustrude
Nominations are open for Washington State Teacher of the Year. Anyone can nominate any teacher for this award. Even if it ended right there, that teacher would feel acknowledged and rewarded by the nomination. But, if the nominated teacher chooses, s/he can then apply to be considered as the State Teacher of the Year.
Wouldn’t it be great for our teachers AND for our community if one of our teachers could receive this award?
Information about the competition is available at http://www.k12.wa.us/educationawards/TOY/default.aspx
You can nominate a teacher at http://ospi.2015toynomination.sgizmo.com/s3/