After more than 118 years, the name of St. Joseph Hospital is changing. The name is now PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center. PeaceHealth officials said the change “more accurately reflect(s) the range of healthcare services now provided by the hospital, as well as its clinics, centers, laboratory and medical group. As the community served by the hospital has grown over the past century, so have the community’s healthcare needs and PeaceHealth’s efforts to meet those needs.”
Friday Harbor Town Councilman Felix Menjivar was on duty as a sheriff’s deputy Thursday and missed the noon council meeting. Then, in the council’s evening session, he was on his way from a regular session to a closed session to talk about possible property acquisition. He had time only to give a one-word answer to a question: Yes. And with that, Menjivar entered the race for San Juan County sheriff.
I lived in Alaska and worked as a commercial fisherman in 1989 when the Exxon Valdez oil spill occurred in the then-pristine Prince William Sound. I worked on the front lines during the spill. I coordinated the vessel leasing office to assist in the cleanup. I also did dead seabird counts, bags and bags and bags of them. It was a nightmare, like a war zone … very difficult even now to watch the news about the Gulf spill without feeling emotional!
Twelve Islands Oil Spill Association volunteers are on a list to help clean oiled wildlife, in the event help is needed, in the Gulf region. Jackie Wolf of IOSA contacted the BP Horizon Hotline; a BP representative called her back, had Wolf fill out a form, and passed the information on to BP’s wildlife coordinator. “They have thousands of people who have volunteered already. But 12 local volunteers have called me and said they want to go if they are needed,” Wolf said.
Randall K. Gaylord is seeking a fifth term as San Juan County prosecuting attorney. The primary election is Aug. 17, the general election is Nov. 2. The prosecuting attorney serves a four-year term and is paid $130,000 a year. The state pays 60 percent of the prosecuting attorney’s salary, the county pays 40 percent.
Lead Detective Brent Johnson announced his candidacy Thursday for San Juan County sheriff. His announcement came two days after Sheriff Bill Cumming announced he will not seek a seventh term in November. Johnson, 55, lives in the North Forty neighborhood of San Juan Island with his wife, Lynne-Anne, and daughter, Lenora. He has lived in the San Juans since Cumming hired him as lead detective nearly eight years ago.
A sage once said of the importance of history, “You can’t know where you’re going unless you know where you’ve been.” The Friday Harbor Town Council takes a walk on that road Thursday, proclaiming May Historic Preservation Month, appointing a member of the Historic Preservation Review Board and touring the San Juan Historical Museum.
Washington State Ferries will host a San Juan Islands Community Meeting May 6, 11:35 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. on the interisland ferry. The ferry departs Friday Harbor at 11:35 a.m., Orcas at 12:25 p.m., Shaw at 12:40 p.m., and Lopez at 1 p.m. Topics for discussion include: recap of the legislative session, priorities for 2010, fare change process and emergency service planning. At least one islander plans on bringing up the issue of the summer schedule.
Mike Macdonald resigned May 4 from the San Juan County Solid Waste Advisory Committee, citing a failure to “provide honest public accountability at every level,” “unnecessary land purchases,” and “serious errors in judgment” which have led to a worsening situation for trash collection. MacDonald submitted the following letter to County Council Chairman Richard Fralick and Solid Waste Advisory Committee Chairman Sam Jacobson.
The San Juan Dragons won the Skagit Conference lacrosse title Tuesday with a 12-4 win over Whatcom, at Whatcom Community College. The Dragons (10-2) host North County (1-10) on Saturday at 2 p.m. to close out the regular season; North County lost its last meeting with the Dragons 13-5. Division II playoffs had not been scheduled by Wednesday morning.
In a special meeting Tuesday, the San Juan County Council gave the Public Works Department conditional authorization to proceed with plans to convert the current San Juan Island transfer station to a “drop box” facility to enable it to continue to operate after June 30. The council asked to be consulted again if the cost of conversion was to be higher than $50,000 or the facility could not be modified to handle trash packer trucks from the Town and franchise hauler San Juan Sanitation deposited directly in the drop box.
Sheriff Bill Cumming announced Tuesday he will retire at the end of the year. He will not run for reelection in November. Cumming, 62, said he will continue as an elected member of the Island Rec board. Here is the statement he issued by e-mail.
A classic is a tricky thing to perform. A show like “My Fair Lady” has so many years of public adoration behind it, a new performance cannot help but attract high expectations. “It’s been a lot of fun to be part of, but it’s hard too,” says Julie Hagn, who acts in the upcoming San Juan Community Theatre production. She describes how she loves the story, but is not immune to the sense of responsibility that comes with performing one of the best-loved musicals around.
