Two people were injured when the main mast broke on the 127-foot charter sailing vessel Zodiac, Sept. 25. The double-masted boat was sailing between Orcas and Lummi islands when its main mast broke in half. Coast Guard Station Bellingham responded to the scene with two 33-foot response boats, along with an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Port Angeles, Wash.
Brent Johnson and Rob Nou have experience as sheriff’s officers and as city cops. But Johnson said his big city experience – as a police sergeant in populous Albuquerque, N.M. – sets him apart as the more qualified candidate for sheriff. Johnson worked as a sergeant for a department that fielded 40,000 calls for service a month. He regularly supervised a squad of eight to 10 officers — prioritizing, delegating and motivating in a demanding environment. “No one in this department has that type of experience,” he said. “That’s what sets us apart.”
The National Park Service will work with rabbit advocates, Fish and Wildlife officials and tribal government representatives to “find common goals and a common solution” in managing the rabbit population on the American Camp prairie. San Juan Island National Historical Park officials said Friday that the park will “take no action to implement the preferred alternative” — to remove the rabbits by shooting – contained in the environmental assessment of the prairie restoration plan.
Twila May Stephens passed early Sunday, Sept. 19 at her home in Friday Harbor. She was 66. Twila migrated to the island shortly after her mother Sidonia Barker moved here in 1986. Twila was a jack of all trades, capable of fixing almost anything, in the most innovative ways. She loved anything Indian and was especially gifted at carving.
The San Juan Island Community Foundation presented $1,287,433 to PeaceHealth for the construction of Peace Island Medical Center and awarded $50,000 in grants to local non-profits at its 10th annual Breakfast of Champions, Friday at Mullis Community Senior Center.
Lori Williams of Island Aesthetic Design on San Juan Island is marking her business’s fifth anniversary — and her second anniversary as a general contractor — with a new website and a 10 percent discount on services. Williams’ website address is www.DesignBuildKitchensandBaths.com.
Classically trained Karnatak vocalist Archana Bennur will perform this traditional style of Asian Indian music Sunday, Sept. 26, 7 p.m., in the San Juan Island Library. Born into a family of classical musicians, Bennur has performed all over the world and is traveling the Pacific Northwest to educate others about this style of traditional music from India. Karnatak music evolved from ancient Hindu traditions, and most compositions have been written specifically to be sung.
Friends of Lori Holforty will celebrate her life on Sunday, Sept. 26, 11 a.m. at South Beach. Bring your stories and memories to share. There will be a gathering at Dos Diablos afterward from 12:30-2 p.m. For more information, call Candace at 298-4392.
Most of us enjoy looking at beautiful forests and lovely fields of wildflowers, but island-bred Ryan Browne views them with a keen eye — not for their beauty, but for the bounty they yield. Ryan is a forager, someone who goes out and searches for provisions — whether they be for food, medicine, soaps, cosmetics, tools or shelter. Where you and I might look out our backyard and see weeds, Ryan sees remarkably abundant gifts of nature.
For tourists and locals alike, the farmers market is a feast for the senses. The brightness of flowers and produce, the sweet and savory scents of food, the fun of local musicians, all contribute to this image of bucolic loveliness. Its loveliness, however, is not the whole story. Indeed, as Friday Harbor Farmers Market manager Rosa Blair said, people don’t realize that the market has been an incubator for some successful local businesses.
The Special Pal Program (otherwise known as P.I.P.) at Friday Harbor Elementary School has been a favorite program of teachers, students and parents for over 20 years. It provides one-on-one and small group time for kids who are going through a difficult time. The program provides them with a caring adult to listen to them, helps them feel more linked to school, and 75-100 percent of the time consistently shows results such as increased positive behavior by students who are enrolled in the program.
A glance at the voter turnout record for the recent primary election in San Juan County shows that out of 11,491 registered voters in the county, only 7,400, or 64.4 percent, voted. This is a dismal response from a county that sends ballots out in the mail and we don’t even have to show up at a polling place. It doesn’t even require a postage stamp to vote. There is a drop box on Orcas Island at the senior center. allowing one to drop off their ballot and have it delivered for free. We’re talking about a location a few blocks from Island Market, of which, I am confident, most Orcas Island residents frequent from time to time.
To continue to do nothing is no longer acceptable. The time for action is NOW. Together we can and will make a difference! As Captain Charles Moore points out, public waste has polluted our largest natural food resource — the oceans — to the point that our fish and seafood, and thereby us, are being poisoned at an alarming rate.
