News - Journal of the San Juans

'The World': It's luxurious. It's big. And it's coming to Friday Harbor

The World, a luxury residential ship that is owned by its residents, will visit Friday Harbor for 48 hours on Sunday. At 644 feet 2 inches, it is believed to be the largest cruise ship ever to anchor in Friday Harbor waters, Harbormaster Tami Hayes said. The ship has a beam of 97 feet 2 inches and a draft of 22 feet. By comparison, the Bremen, which anchored off of Brown Island during a visit about 11 years ago, is 364 feet in length, with a 58-foot beam and a 16-foot draft.

Happy Fourth of July; here's what's happening today

Arguably, this will be an island Fourth of July celebration unlike any other. Representatives of the Lummi Indian Nation — the First People of San Juan Island — are special guests at the town’s Fourth of July celebration, including participation in the Fourth of July Parade. The town fire department celebrates its 100 years of service to the community with several events. And regular annual events also take place: the parade, Rock the Dock, activities in Roche Harbor, as well as fireworks shows in Friday Harbor and Roche Harbor.

Airlift Northwest bases helicopter in Friday Harbor for much of summer

Airlift Northwest will again base one of its helicopters at Friday Harbor Airport this summer to expedite emergency services for residents and visitors in the San Juan Islands. The helicopter will be at the airport during the day on alternating weekends and during the San Juan County Fair.

Boater charged with violating orca protection law

The skipper of a Bayliner photographed getting too close to an orca off the west side of San Juan Island in May has been charged with violating the state law related to protecting Southern resident killer whales. Specifically, the skipper is charged with approaching within 300 feet of an orca, according to the San Juan County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. The penalty is a fine of $1,025.

Tourist facilities receive 'status quo' funding for 2010

Some will get more. Others will get less. But for the most part, San Juan County's tourist-related facilities will have to get by next year with about the same amount of public support that's helping them to pay the bills this year.

PeaceHealth's local governing board meetings, records may be public under state law

Meetings of a PeaceHealth-appointed governing board for a proposed hospital on San Juan Island could be subject to the state's Open Public Meetings Act and the Public Records Act, according to an analysis by the state Attorney General's open government ombudsman. Tim Ford, assistant attorney general for government accountability, said the governing board could be considered a public agency, rather than just an arm of the non-profit PeaceHealth system, depending on how it was created, how much tax funding it will receive, and if it performs a governmental function.

PeaceHealth appoints officer to lead San Juan hospital implementation

Jim Barnhart, CEO for PeaceHealth's Siuslaw Region, has been named to lead the planning and development of the proposed critical access hospital and integrated medical center on San Juan Island. Barnhart will report to Nancy Steiger, CEO of the PeaceHealth Whatcom Region, which includes St. Joseph Hospital in Bellingham and PeaceHealth Medical Group. He will begin working in this new role part-time on July 1 while transitioning from his responsibilities at Peace Harbor. He will assume his San Juan Island-based duties full-time in July 2010.

San Juan County Council may reduce business hours

Islanders would have a little less time to conduct business at various county departments under legislation that's designed to help offset the impact of $1 million or more of pending budget cuts. In a 5-1 decision, the San Juan County Council voted June 9 to put the proposal into the pipeline and have its legal team prepare it for possible approval at a July 14 public hearing, which begins at 2:10 p.m.

$4.6 million to remove derelict fishing gear from region's waters

The Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative has been awarded $4.6 million in economic stimulus funding from NOAA to pull derelict fishing nets from Puget Sound. These funds, directed to the non-profit foundation arm of the Northwest Straits Initiative, will allow the immediate hire of vessels and crews to remove an estimated 3,000 nets from the seafloor. The project will employ 40 people, restore 645 acres of marine habitat, and will be completed in 18 months.

County will start removing illegal signs

In response to complaints from islanders and business owners about illegally placed signs, San Juan County has been tagging non-compliant signs with a courtesy notice stating that they must be removed within a specified period of time.