News Stories - San Juan Islands

PARADE TIME CORRECTION - Orcas Island Chamber of Commerce parade to start at 11 a.m. on Saturday, July 5

CORRECTION: The Chamber of Commerce-sponsored parade will go through Eastsound, beginning at 11 a.m. on Saturday, July 5. Please call 376-2273 for further information.

3 on Orcas complete power & light apprenticeship

Four years and 8,000-plus hours on the job later, three of Orcas Power & Light Cooperative (OPALCO) apprentice linemen – Kai Burleson from Lopez, Roger Sandwith from San Juan Island and Dan Watters on Orcas (all native islanders) – are “topping out,” which is lineman lingo for completing the apprentice program and reaching the 100 percent mark on the union wage scale as journeymen linemen.

Governor Gregoire to meet public on Orcas Island

The Governor will be at Orcas Center in Eastsound on Saturday, July 5 at 1:45 p.m. to meet the public. All are welcome to attend.

School board to meet Monday, July 7 at 3:30 p.m. Report from June 26 meeting

At the Orcas Island School District (OISD) Board meeting on June 26 various reports on funding and staffing were given:

Fog Seal spraying on roadways may cause delays

National panel seeks applicants from environmental, academic, state, tribal, consumer and national constituencies. Applications deadline is July 21.

Fisheries Service seeks members for Advisory Panel

Everyone knows that summer officially begins with the fireworks, barbecues, fairs and parades that mark the national Day of Independence, July 4.

Orcas events surround the glorious Fourth - NOTE CORRECTION FOR PARADE START TIME

County Fire Marshal announces high fire danger

High fire danger means only recreational fires

June 25 outage causes minor grass fire on Blakely

Power outage caused by submarine cable failure

To make it easier to get to and from the Lopez Village activities, the Lopez Island Chamber of Commerce will offer free shuttle bus service from the ferry to Lopez Village and the South end from July 3-7. The bus will do extra duty on July 4th and late-night transportation to the ferry from the Village after the fireworks display is planned. For more information, call the Lopez Chamber at 468-4664 or visit www.lopezisland.com.

The Fourth on Lopez Island

Bill Gates Sr. speaks on San Juan

We are born wired to learn. By age three, our brains have one trillion synapses — more than we’ll have in adulthood. By age six, our brains are 95 percent the size of mom’s and dad’s.  We’ll spend 13 years in school preparing for college or the workplace. But it’s our first five years of life — those years before we ever set foot in a classroom — that have the most impact on our ability to learn, control our behavior and build relationships. By age five, we have the building blocks for success, or we have a tough road to hoe. 

Extra ferry service on July 4th weekend

Island Stage Left, the islands’ only professional theatre company, celebrates its 10th anniversary of “Shakespeare Under the Stars” by mounting Shakespeare’s glorious swansong “The Tempest.”

Theatre company to tour San Juans with Shakespeare's 'The Tempest'

They’re rubber, yellow, fit in the palm on your hand, and have been helping a local non-profit raise funds for its programs. The Lopez Island Family Resource Center (LIFRC) has been busy selling sponsorships for its Amazing Rubber Duck Race, enticing folks with the lure of an “edge of your seat” racing competition on Saturday, July 12, starting at 2:15 p.m. (right after the farmers’ market).

Lopez Island nonprofit organizes rubber duck race fund-raiser

Many years ago, Jim Scripps celebrated the Fourth of July by shooting off fireworks from a “rock” just off Charles Island.

Lopez July Fourth festivities to begin soon

George and Anne Willis have been viewing the world behind their camera lens as long as they can remember. Known locally for their island images of birds, sunsets, landscapes, and everything in between, the husband and wife photography team has released their first book, Under the Rainbow.

Free chartered bus for visitors to Lopez

Gourmet food, live music, spectacular desserts, and a few surprises are what’s in store for the annual Lopez Island Historical Society (LIHS) fundraiser.

Coast Guard and WSF assist in rescue after schooner runs aground near Shaw

The Lopez Island School District has a lot to be proud of. In this years senior class, 10 of the 22 graduates (over 45 percent) rank among the top 10 percent of 2008 graduates from Washington high schools.

Couple releases photo book inspired by Lopez Island images

Another great summer event from LIHS

Lopez graduates raise the bar

Review shows lack of follow-up on San Juan County dock permits

When Tom Cowan served on the San Juan County Commission from 1982-94, the county had two code enforcement officers to make sure projects were developed as approved in the permits. But of the Community Development and Planning Department’s 25 employees today, only one is devoted to code enforcement. The Policy Group reviewed 19 dock permits in Mitchell Bay, Garrison Bay, the east side of West Sound, east side of Stuart Island and the northeast corner of Lopez Island. The group found that half of the docks did not match conditions of their permits. Eight dock floats were, on average, 52 feet larger than allowed.

Quick Schedule of Fourth of July Events

A quick glance at Friday's island events.

Rough landings at Roche

No one was hurt in two separate incidents at Roche Harbor Airport — a wheels-up landing Friday afternoon and an aborted takeoff by a San Juan Airlines flight Saturday afternoon.

Profile: Jane Hutchison, F.H. Fire Department

Name: Jane Hutchison

Adventuress hits rock in Wasp Passage

The 133-foot schooner Adventuress ran aground in Wasp Passage Monday, forcing the evacuation of 27 passengers and crewmembers.

Political Notebook

The Waldron Community Meeting will host a forum July 12, 2-4 p.m., for candidates for County Council, District 4; and Superior Court judge.

Airlift Northwest stations crews on San Juan Island for summer

Airlift Northwest regional manager Jeff Richey is working with local EMS officials to post an air ambulance on San Juan Island for the summer.

Puget Sound 'recovery' meetings come to Friday Harbor July 21

The Puget Sound Partnership is hosting another round of public workshops, this time to solicit input on local priorities for an action agenda to restore and protect Puget Sound. One of the meetings is scheduled in Friday Harbor: July 21, 1-4 p.m., Friday Harbor High School, 45 Blair Ave.

San Juan waits on PeaceHealth to proceed with hospital study

The San Juan Hospital District Commission voted unanimously to accept and sign a non-binding letter of intent with PeaceHealth to further explore building a new integrated medical center on San Juan Island. The letter of intent must be approved by PeaceHealth’s Whatcom region Board of Directors as well as the system’s Board of Directors prior to taking effect. That approval is not scheduled until late July.

Do you know the men in this World War II-era photograph?

Peggy Cantrell of Friday Harbor saw the man take something out of the wallet he had just purchased at the Thrift Store, and toss it into the trash.