San Juan Island School District will have a full day of classes Monday, according to the district’s most recent update, released at about noon.
Buses will be on snow routes, however, following the end of class at Friday Harbor elementary, middle and high schools, as well as for Griffin Bay.
The Trot gets underway — come rain or shine — on Thanksgiving Day at 9 a.m., in front of the Best Western Friday Harbor Suites, 680 Sprint Street, which doubles as the location of both the start and the finish lines.
The National Weather Service says that during a La Niña period, which can last from one to three years, strong Pacific trade winds blow warm surface water westward, allowing cold water to rise to the surface. Cooler air disrupts jet streams; a northern jet stream loops into Alaska and Canada.
Winter arrived in dramatic fashion as a prolonged — but isolated — hailstorm swept across the south end of San Juan Island late Wednesday.
It has been a tough financial year for many people. Your neighbors want to ease your mind a bit this holiday season. The community Thanksgiving dinners are a chance to relax, eat well, enjoy local company and not worry about the cost. They also provide a way to give back to the community through volunteerism.
San Juan County’s highest court will join nearly 20 other courtrooms across Washington state as courts and adoption workers celebrate National Adoption Day.
With a proposal from Orcas Island-based San Juan Sanitation in hand, the County Council on Monday agreed to continue its exploration of the pros and cons of privatization and whether getting out of the solid-waste business all together will be — in the end — both a financial blessing for the county and good public policy.
Harrison, who joined the library as its newest director in September, will be the marquee attraction at a public reception Thursday, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., at the library.
A small army of volunteers showed up Saturday as the San Juan Islands Agricultural Guild hosted a work party to prepare the former site of the Friday Harbor Brick and Tile Co., located at 150 Nichols St., for remodel and new life as the future home of a year-round farmers market and events center.
On one hand, we think we might have been too tough on Friday Harbor Mayor Carrie Lacher last week. In our editorial, “Continue to move forward — together,” we said the mayor “should have been aware of the state of her fire department and the sense of urgency regarding the need for an agreement” with Fire District 3 for fire protection services. District 3 commissioners deserved a proportionate share of noogie. It’s clear commissioners didn’t understand how town government works, with its established processes and its multiple issues of concern. Two of three commissioners tried to force their issue — a proposed contract for fire protection services — with tough talk and threats of not responding to fires in town. They could have gone to a Town Council meeting the next day and expressed their concerns, but chose not to. Whatever happened to just picking up the phone?
This editorial was written before the Friday Harbor Town Council voted Nov. 9 on an agreement that essentially hires Fire District 3 to provide “administrative, training and operational services for fire protection” within the town limits. In short, the agreement ensures fire protection service within the town limits, overseen by Fire District 3, until consolidation of the town and district fire departments is decided. It also provides for compensation for Fire District 3 for providing those services.
Professional opera singers bring a comic farce featuring Donizetti’s highly melodious music to San Juan Community Theatre on Nov. 13. The Seattle Opera’s Young Artist Program presents “Viva la Mamma!” at 7:30 p.m. on the Whittier stage.
Penelope Haskew has lost her months. The group of children assigned to play the roles of January through December are not yet on stage. Instead, they are outside, eating snacks on a park bench. Their energy is high and excited as Haskew shoos them inside, Pop Tarts and all. “I did children’s theater as a child, and I remember it being the best of everything … I loved the way that anything you could think of, you could do … everything seemed so possible,” Haskew said. This sense of narrative possibility infuses Haskew’s new piece, “Stars Lore: A Mythological Musical,” Nov. 19-21 at San Juan Community Theatre.
