Richard Olin’s “El Dorado” was more than a 50-foot wooden boat. It was home. And as crews worked to raise the vessel and contain fuel Wednesday, bystanders likened the boat’s sinking to a house being destroyed by fire.
The terrible tragic death of veteran trainer Dawn Brancheau at Sea World Florida has suddenly generated a nationwide public examination of our feelings about captive orca shows. We’ve now seen the harm they can do even to compassionate humans, and the mental distress captivity can cause in the orcas. Google shows at least 6,892 articles on the trainer’s death. No other single news event has brought out such a groundswell of emotions doubting the ethical wisdom of using captive orcas for entertainment.
Abby, our beloved pound puppy for 16 years, passed from this world Feb. 25. She was there with us as we raised three children, sailed the sound, hiked the high country and finally settled on San Juan Island.
Now is our chance to join in and be counted. The U.S. Census happens once every 10 years, so it is important that when it does come around we get the numbers right. So many of our community social services and infrastructure improvements rely on federal funding. We stand to receive federal dollars based primarily on the Census count not just for this year but for the next decade. That money goes toward our schools, roads, libraries, food banks, emergency medical and senior services, hospitals and more.
The San Juan County-Town of Friday Harbor Department of Emergency Management reports there is no risk of tsunami in the San Juan Islands resulting from the 8.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Chile early today.
Donald E. Eaton was serving today as Superior Court commissioner. Effective March 22, he’ll be serving as Superior Court judge. Gov. Christine Gregoire today announced Eaton’s appointment to the San Juan County Superior Court, effective March 22. He will succeed Judge John O. Linde, who died in December.
Byron E. Harrell passed away from pneumonia in Island Hospital on Jan. 23, 2010. He was born in St. Paul, Minn., and attended the University of Minnesota. After serving in World War II, he took courses in vertebrate paleontology at the University of Michigan, where he met and married Joyce.
Calling Class of 2027 high school graduates! If your child was born between Sept. 1, 2008 and Aug. 31, 2009, bring your baby for a group photo on Feb. 27, 2010 — Saturday — at 10 a.m. in Friday Harbor Presbyterian Church.
The Friday Harbor Town Council voted 3-2 to pull out of the proposed purchase of the permanent farmers market site, saying there’s no guarantee the contribution of lodging tax funds for the purchase will clear the state auditor.
Warehouse Coffee, 301 Tucker Ave., has new owners. Look for more changes and a new name. Ramona Hayes and Cory Eglash bought Warehouse Coffee from Dwight Ware on Feb. 8. Clinton Mills, who bought the business from Ware in September, stopped making payments in January and closed shop, Ware said. He had changed the business name to Solid Grounds Coffee Shop, added karaoke, expanded the menu, and applied for a license to sell beer and wine. But the license application didn’t sit well with Ware or community members concerned about beer and wine being sold so close to Friday Harbor High School.
Theodore Paul Lehn was a lover of life, father, husband, brother, son, and friend, architectural designer and builder, finish carpenter, environmentalist, volunteer, world traveler, gardener, and gourmet cook.
Peace of Mind Pet Sitting has expanded into farm and house sitting. Peace of Mind is owned by Jaileen Panger, a professional pet sitter who is certified in pet first aid and CPR, and is soon to be accredited with Pet Sitters International. She is trained by American Humane to shelter animals in an emergency, and she is looking into getting certified in large animal rescue by the Washington State Animal Response Team.
A Northwest food historian explores the art of dining in a special free lecture at San Juan Community Theatre on March 3. Humanities Washington and Living History Lectures, in conjunction with the SJCT production of A.R. Gurney’s “The Dining Room,” present Tames Alan’s “Trial by Fork: Formal Victorian Dining Demystified.”
