King’s Market and Friday Harbor MarketPlace are offering a $50,000 matching grant in the San Juan Public Schools Foundation’s annual Phone a Thon to benefit local schools.
Vernadel Peterson, formerly the executive director of the Centralia-Chehalis Chamber of Commerce, is the new executive director of the San Juan Island Chamber of Commerce. Today is her first day on the job. She succeeds Debbie Pigman, who retired Sept. 15.
This profile is part of a periodic series of profiles of volunteer firefighters with Friday Harbor and San Juan District 3 fire departments.
Larry Edlen, founder of Island Glass and Glazing on San Juan Island, died peacefully in Redmond, Wash., on Sept. 29. He was 83. Lawrence Monroe Edlen was born in Sabula, Iowa on May 23, 1926. He enlisted in the Navy at the age of 16 and served from 1942-46. He met his wife Pat at a dance while stationed in Seattle. After the war, Larry and Pat settled in Seattle and Larry made his living first as a glazier and later as an electrician. They bought vacation property on Cady Mountain in 1971 and built a cabin there. They moved to the island full-time in 1981 and Larry opened Island Glass and Glazing.
I’m writing in support of Bob Low’s run for Mayor. I generally keep quiet about a lot of political stuff, but after reading and hearing about the decisions Bob’s opponent has been making, I felt I had to speak out.
At last, a first, a woman campaigning for mayor. About time, especially since this woman, Carrie Lacher — active, assertive and dynamically thoughtful Friday Harbor Town Council member — seems to have all the right civic qualities to make one fine Mayor for Friday Harbor.
As a long-time resident and business owner, I urge the residents of Friday Harbor to vote for Carrie Lacher for mayor. I recently had a one-on-one sit-down meeting with her and I came away from it with the belief that she has the qualities necessary to make a great mayor. I immediately liked her ability to listen and her common-sense approach to issues.
I’m not a letter writer but I feel I have to do it this time because if things keep going the way they are, I won’t be able to afford to live in town any more. I’m in support of Bob Low for Mayor.
The Journal of the San Juan Islands won seven awards in the 2009 Better Newspapers Contest hosted by the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association. The awards included a Best Special Section first place for the newspaper’s Friday Harbor Centennial special section published in February.
The love was thicker than the lasagna, sweeter than the dessert brownies. And the man of the hour, Greg Sawyer – known as much for his play by play coverage of high school football games as he is teaching – was speechless. “It’s kind of overwhelming,” Sawyer said as he arrived to the Friday Harbor High School Jazz Band’s version of “Vehicle” by Blood, Sweat & Tears. Islanders packed the Roche Harbor Pavilion and outdoor banquet court Friday to show support for Sawyer, who needs a kidney transplant. The event raised more than $17,000 to help defray his costs. But it did much more than that.
Sharon Kivisto comes to the Friday Harbor Port Commission race with a unique perspective: She’s a former elected official who knows what it’s like to make decisions affecting quality of life and tax dollars, and she’s an online journalist who has been observing and reporting on government for more than 10 years. “As a reporter, you’re always on the outside being an observer. I felt like I wanted to be back participating,” she said. “It’s a small community, so it’s not unusual for someone to be wearing several hats. I have a lot of knowledge about different jurisdictions and all these different plans. It would be kind of nice to use that knowledge in a different way instead of just writing.”
During his tenure, the port district built Skagit Valley College San Juan Center, leased land to San Juan County Fire District 3 for the main fire station on Mullis Street, purchased San Juan Marina and rebuilt it as Spring Street Landing, leased land to the Animal Protection Society for an animal shelter, installed a boat launch at Jackson’s Beach, installed ADA-accessible ramps on the main dock at Friday Harbor Marina, and developed a traffic turnaround at the end of Front Street to improve the movement of traffic.
Now, the federal government wants to hear from you. On Monday, 7-9 p.m., in the Grange Hall in Friday Harbor, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, will host a meeting to hear public comment on its vessel distance and no-go zone proposal.
