The Friday Harbor Port Commission on Oct. 14 approved the following tribute to Nourdine Jensen, a member of the first Port Commission.
Jensen, 95, died Oct. 11.
As moderator Susan Dehlendorf speed-read the ballot statement against the Islands Rec levy Tuesday, there was little doubt the candidate forum – seven candidates, five ballot arguments – would finish on schedule. In fact, it finished about 15 minutes early. “Did you even take a breath while reading that,” a reporter asked Dehlendorf. “She didn’t have time,” Island Rec levy proponent Brent Snow responded. There was humor, there were stumbles, there were no-shows at the forum presented by the League of Women Voters Tuesday in the Friday Harbor Middle School Commons.
A calf has been born to L pod, bumping the Southern Resident killer whale population to 86. Center for Whale Research director Ken Balcomb said today that the calf was born sometime between Sept. 20, when the pod was last seen without a new calf, and Oct. 10, when the calf was sighted off Port Townsend.
At first glance, the Island Rec levy on the Nov. 3 ballot seems an easy sell: A renewal of 10 cents per $1,000 of assessed property valuation would keep Island Rec’s stable of youth and adult programs going for another six years. An additional 7 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation would provide a stable source of funding for school sports programs for six years. Meanwhile, a school bond measure of 60 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation expires at year end. So even if voters approve the Island Rec levy, their property tax bill will decrease 43 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation – for most property owners, a savings of about $300 a year. But proponents of the Island Rec levy aren’t taking any chances.
Even if county government is facing a real budget problem, there is something truly disheartening in the cynical way it is asking us taxpayers to raise our taxes. It is as if the County Council has become its own cadre of tea baggers and decided that if the fictional notion of “Death Panels” can undercut meaningful discussion about health-insurance reform, then perhaps “Death Panels” can scare county voters into increasing our property taxes.
Two different Friday Harbor soccer teams took the field against North Sound Christian Tuesday at home. The first team seemed to find every possible way to not score despite outshooting their opponents 50-2, allowing the first half to end 0-0. A bit of coaching “encouragement” perhaps helped turn things around for the final 40 minutes.
Since Georges Bizet’s “Carmen” premiered in 1875, the comic opera and its music (“Les Toreadors,” “Habanera”) have become immortalized on stage and in film. Hard to infuse something unique into such a classic, particularly after so many film adaptations (the 1983 film directed by Carlos Saura was nominated for a Best Foreign Film Oscar, and Beyonce Knowles starred in an MTV “hip hopera” version in 2001). And yet, Opera Pacifica’s “Carmen” — Oct. 24 and 25 at the San Juan Community Theatre — will have its own unique flair.
The Evergreen State pulled up to the ferry landing as Dave Jorgensen and Sonia Mattoon exchanged wedding vows on the Orcas Hotel lawn Aug. 15. It was an extra special moment for the bride, who might have considered the ferry more wedding guest than seagoing vessel. She was born on the ferry 30 years ago.
He designed and/or built more than 150 boats in his tenure at the yard while at the same time serving his community in capacities such as: first Friday Harbor Port Commission, 1950-1973; Friday Harbor Town Council, 1953-1959; OPALCO board, 1965-69 and 1975-2008; and as a school board member, a volunteer firefighter, member of the Friday Harbor Presbyterian Church, charter member of the San Juan Island Yacht Club, and member of the San Juan Masonic Lodge for more than 60 years.
I don’t live in Friday Harbor anymore but I’ve been following the mayor’s race. I’m leaning toward Carrie Lacher, simply because of her experience on the council and knowledge of the local government.
I wish to add my name to the list of those who have publicly endorsed Carrie Lacher as their candidate for mayor of the Town of Friday Harbor. During the months that I have served with Carrie on the council, I have noticed two traits that make her an exceptionally qualified candidate.
The Journal has been covering the campaign issues since long before the campaigns began. We’ve watched the issues develop, we’ve covered the discussions in public forums, we’ve talked to the candidates as they emerged and became involved. We’ve questioned the candidates, investigated their claims, explored their pledges. The following candidates are the ones we feel have the best understanding of issues, the most solid plans for the future, the most ability to build consensus on difficult issues, and the best skills to get the job done. We recommend their election.
People are visiting Friday Harbor but spending less. That’s what the statistics seem to say: The town has received $518,304.58 as its share of sales tax this year, almost $102,000 less than the same period last year. But the town has received about $9,400 less in lodging tax than it received last year. Month-by-month lodging tax revenues have been about $1,000 less than in the same months of the previous year.
