Discovery Sea Kayaks is moving from Front and Spring streets to the former Blue Dolphin space at 185 First St. Owner Richard Swanson said he expects to move into the space in two or three weeks. Jennifer Rigg of Loea Design is designing graphics for the window. Where a large blue dolphin once enticed passers-by in for breakfast, a pod of orcas will entice passers-by to go kayaking.
State lawmakers may be balancing the budget, but it’s on the backs of nursing home residents and the people who care for them. Proposed cuts would take $40 million away from Medicaid payments to nursing homes – that’s $93.8 million if federal matching funds are included. Currently, 62 percent of our population at Islands Convalescent Center rely on Medicaid to help pay for their care.
Eight Good Stewardship awards were presented at “Sustainable San Juans: Greening Your Home, Business and Food,” an Earth Day event held Saturday in Friday Harbor. The awards were part of a three-day celebration of environmental stewardship sponsored by the San Juan Stewardship Network and the San Juan Island Community Foundation.
Purple & Gold, the support group for San Juan Island School District athletics, is sponsoring a fund-raising event to pay for the Friday Harbor High School fall sports program. A barbecued dinner, dance, live music and auction are scheduled May 2, 5 p.m., at Beaverton Valley Business Park.
Alternative-bluegrass singer Aoife O’Donovan teams with Heather Masse of the Wailin’ Jennys for a night of folk in the San Juan Community Theatre, Friday, 7:30 p.m.
I had the pleasure of riding the ferry with the San Juan Dragons lacrosse team on Saturday. They were traveling to Bellingham to play Whatcom and I am not surprised to read they won that game. This team presented themselves, both in behavior and appearance, as winners.
Forest Dayton scored five goals, had two assists and snagged five ground balls in the San Juan Dragons’ 9-6 defeat of the Whatcom Warriors, Saturday at Roosevelt Park. With the win – San Juan’s fifth consecutive – the Dragons improved to 5-2 and took possession of second place in the WHSBLA Skagit Conference, behind Mukilteo (6-0). Next up for the Dragons: They host Stanwood (4-2) on Thursday, then Lynnwood (3-3) on Saturday. (Whatcom, which is now 3-2, defeated Lynnwood 9-8 on March 27).
A kindergarten transitions program is open to all children who register to attend kindergarten at Friday Harbor Elementary School. Kindergarten registration is scheduled for April 20-21 at the elementary school. The transitions program offers services and support for children and parents during the summer months prior to the first day of kindergarten.
Earth Day is April 22, and several events are being held through the weekend as a precursor to the Big Day. “Sustainable San Juans: Greening Your Home, Business and Food,” began today at The Whale Museum with a celebration of the 30th anniversary of the founding of The Whale Museum, the San Juan Preservation Trust and Friends of the San Juans. A stewardship fair and workshop is scheduled Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Friday Harbor Middle School. The fair will feature displays from local stewardship groups and green businesses, as well as presentation of the 2009 Good Steward Awards, a lunch prepared by the Experience Food Project and local chefs, and a series of workshops on how to live green at home, in the kitchen and at work. Registration is $5 before the event or $10 at the door.
I am utterly dismayed by the letter from Glenn Kaufman that appeared on SanJuanJournal.com (“Opposed to PeaceHealth/San Juan Community Hospital Committee proposal,” March 9). I am the administrator of the Orcas Medical Center and am deeply concerned that I was misrepresented in paragraphs four and five of this letter.
Can you trust the advertising campaign (read: “propaganda”) of big energy corporations as they attack Secretary Salazar’s goal to free U.S. from their mega-mega-profiteering heartless war against the American people’s health and fair economics?!?
To any lawyers whom may be inclined to help: I am Jeffrey S. Bryant, a previous resident of Friday Harbor. Like many youths, I found my way into trouble with the law. But unlike many, I grew from the experience and have done everything I can to better myself and my community.
In the 1950s and 1960s, conservatives argued that interracial union was a threat to the institution of marriage. Legalizing interracial marriage has not diminished or threatened our culture in any way. The institution improved, when it became accessible to more people. In similar fashion, we will strengthen marriage by allowing it to include same-sex unions.
