This is not a story about just one woman; it is about an entire village. However, it takes one woman to tell the story, and that is exactly what Kitty Sorgen does. On a gray day in October, the 66-year-old Friday Harbor resident stands before the Lions Club to talk about Kenya, quilting and hope. An unlikely combination, Sorgen nevertheless recounts how she set out to aid under-privileged Kenyan women by teaching them how to quilt.
Adoptive parents are the first to mention the paperwork. And then the time spent waiting. And then the time spent worrying, while waiting. But parents like Sandy Strehlou caution against forgetting that behind this logistical rollercoaster is, after all, a child. It is this humanized perspective that November’s Adoption Month hopes to provide. On the 15th, from 6-8 p.m., the San Juan Island Library will host a Q&A time with several adoptive parents, social workers and adoption representatives.
Jeff and Kim Fitts of Friday Harbor announce the birth of their son, Sean Daniel, on Aug. 19, 2009 in Islands Hospital in Anacortes. Sean weighed 8 pounds 2.5 ounces. He was welcomed home by his sister, Emily, 7; brother, Ethan, 5; and sister, Sierra, 3. Sean and Emily share the same birthday.
San Juan County health officials announced Monday that the groups currently given priority for receiving H1N1 vaccinations now includes adults age 25-64 who suffer from a chronic health problems that place them at greater risk of suffering serious complications from H1N1 influenza.
On Nov. 4, Lisa Anderson, president of the San Juan Public Schools Foundation, joined the Friday Harbor Leo Club in its morning meeting at the high school. Her purpose was to formally receive the Leo Club’s donation of $500 to be put toward October’s Phone-a-Thon total. As Anderson noted to the group, a matching gift from King’s Market meant that the full total would be $1,000: A lion-sized achievement for a small group.
A commemorative page in Wednesday’s Journal of the San Juan Islands honors the mayors of Friday Harbor — from Gene Gould (1909-10) to Carrie Lacher (2010-). The keepsake page was developed to commemorate the election of the first woman mayor of Friday Harbor, which is celebrating its centennial this year.
The Knights of King’s High School took control early on, tallied six touchdowns and bounced Friday Harbor out of post-season play with a 42-15 victory at home Thursday in the opening round of the District 1 playoffs
The Internal Revenue Service is looking for Washington state taxpayers who are missing 2,652 refund checks totaling more than $2.9 million that were returned to the IRS by the U.S. Postal Service because of mailing address errors. The average refund is $1,099.
Tuesday’s election was historic: Election of the first woman mayor of Friday Harbor. Funding of school sports through a recreation district. Creation of a recreation district on Orcas Island. There were surprises as well.
Nov. 7, 2009 will mark the one-year anniversary of the passing of my father, Rusty Pollock. Each day that passes becomes harder to comprehend that he is no longer here with us. It is hard not seeing him each day and give him big hugs when he walks through the door. My father was not only an amazing dad and husband, but also an amazing person with a heart of gold. He loved life and loved living it to the fullest each day.
The Town of Friday Harbor and the San Juan Island Family Resource Center are collecting clean, gently used coats and jackets as part of the One Warm Coat community service project. Coats of all shapes and sizes are welcome. Town Permit Technician Roxanna Zalmanek told the Town Council Wednesday that 80 coats had been donated so far.
If only every other month this year had been like July. Friday Harbor has received $147,012.78 as its portion of sales tax revenue generated in town that month — the best month in town history. All other months this year, not so good.
Kevin Carlton said it was the worst fire he’s seen at Roche Harbor in his 29 years as harbormaster. But it could have been worse. There were no injuries in the fire that claimed two 32-foot powerboats this afternoon at Roche Harbor Marina’s D dock. Both boats were destroyed; one of the boats sank, The Journal’s Scott Rasmussen reported from the scene.
