Holiday Wishes in the San Juans … our annual holiday guide is filled with 28 pages of local activities and shopping ideas. The guide includes a calendar of events for all the islands — from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day. You’ll find the magazine in today’s Journal of the San Juan Islands.
As of today, only 15 spots are left in Roche Harbor’s first annual
Hook ‘em & Hold ‘em Salmon Derby & Texas Hold ‘em Tournament, Dec. 3-5. As of today, there are only seven spots left in Roche Harbor’s seventh annual Salmon Classic Invitational, Feb. 4-6.
An Indian head bronze by noted sculptor William Sharles (valued at $2,500). A scenic flight for three on Westwind Aviation. A Mexican fiesta dinner for eight complete with decorations and margaritas. A selection of handmade birdhouses from island woodworkers. CATS’ annual Festival of Trees “20 Magical Years” is brimming with generously donated auction items — and a lot of new elements to the holiday celebration.
The H1N1 virus was not a contributing factor to the unexpected death of a 33-year-old San Juan Island woman on Nov. 12.
The county communications office reported Friday that results of the H1N1 test performed on the woman were negative.
“A cause of death is not expected to be announced until next month when the results of tests are completed and analyzed,” the Communications Office reported.
The San Juan Island Fitness Swim Team competed in its first intramural swim meet Saturday at the San Juan Island Fitness pool. Events consisted of 25-yard freestyle for the younger group to a 200-yard freestyle relay and most everything in between.
Friday Harbor goalkeeper Hannah Snow was named an All-Region award winner by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America for her contributions on and off the field over the course of the 2009 season. The NSCAA award program is designed to recognize excellence in soccer, academics and service to the game by collegiate, high school and youth players across the nation. Each year, the NSCAA recognizes as many as 10,000 players at all levels for their contributions to the game of soccer.
I am writing to you in the hope of gaining some well-deserved recognition for the San Juan Youth Soccer teams and coaches who have represented our island so well this fall and will continue to do so until their season ends in early December. These teams play in off-island leagues against other teams who play year-round soccer and often have 50+ players turn out to try out to make the team. In spite of this, our teams play heroically, ferociously, and have a lot of fun. They are a joy to watch and make our island proud every weekend.
Bellevue Police have determined that a Sammamish woman whose body was found on a boat off Orcas Island in August was murdered in Bellevue. Detectives have evidence that Albert Carl Beutler of Bellevue strangled Rhan Rha around 2 a.m. on Aug. 12, when she was visiting his condominium apartment. Beutler, who had been dating Rha, took her body with him to Seattle and then to the San Juan Islands in a powerboat.
Friday Harbor Postmaster Dan Fleming is being transferred to Oak Harbor, effective Saturday. Fleming, Friday Harbor’s postmaster since April 1, 2008, said Thursday he was notified the day before that he was being transferred and that his first day at Oak Harbor is Saturday. His last day in Friday Harbor is today. In Oak Harbor, he is reportedly succeeding a postmaster who was transferred to another job.
High winds forced a freighter onto Conconi Reef in Navy Channel near Pender Island on Wednesday night, the Gulf Islands Driftwood reported online. The 241-meter bulk carrier Hebei Lion, from Hong Kong, dragged its anchor in the storm and ended up on the reef overnight, the Driftwood reported.
The number of accepted offers on real estate bumped up in the San Juan Islands in October, thanks in part to the federal tax credit for first-time homebuyers and prices lowered in response to the recession. Ditto in Western Washington, which saw a 63 percent jump in pending sales in October compared to the same month a year ago, according to the Northwest Multiple Listing Service, which tracks real estate transactions listed with agents in 19 counties. The MLS does not track sales by owner.
A woman found strangled on a boat off Orcas Island in August had been killed in her Bellevue condo, The Seattle Times is reporting. The woman’s boyfriend then took her body to the boat, which he piloted to the San Juans where he killed himself when authorities boarded his boat.
A SanJuanJournal.com slideshow pays tribute to the mayors of Friday Harbor — from Gene Gould (1909-10) to Carrie Lacher (2010-). A commemorative page was published in the Nov. 11 Journal. Copies are available at The Journal office, 640 Mullis St., Friday Harbor; or by calling 378-5696.
