The Journal of the San Juan Islands won awards in the news, special sections and Web divisions of the state Better Newspaper Contest, an annual competition presented by the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association. Two of the winning staff members: Senior reporter Scott Rasmussen and multimedia reporter Jane K. Fox.
Bruce Conway of MacMan Computer Services will be working and living in Boulder, Colo., this winter, where several large book publishing projects are presently under way. Conway plans on returning to the islands in April, and will resume his Macintosh tech-support services then.
Town of Friday Harbor business license renewals are due by July 31. There is a 50 percent penalty for late renewals — bumping what you owe from $42 to $63. All businesses that are no longer in business must notify the town in writing because the state auditors require written notification.
Bob Coleman announced his resignation this week as president of Islanders Bank, citing medical concerns. “I’m old enough to retire,” Coleman said. “I’ve got some medical things to take care of so I thought it would be in the best interest of me and my family, and certainly the bank, not to be a burden on anybody.”
Dr. Bo Turnage of Friday Harbor has completed continuing dental education provided by Baylor University in the area of oral healthcare for the geriatric patient.
Photographer Mark Gardner is shooting free portraits at South Beach on July 17, 4-8 p.m. You get a free 5×7, files for use on the Web, and a 25 percent discount on additional prints.
San Juan Heating has new offices: on Web Street, next to The Big Store. San Juan Heating was founded in January by Kevin McCullough, a career electrician and certified “refrigeration guy.” McCullough, 33, grew up in San Antonio, Texas, where he learned his trade from his father. He was a certified refrigeration technician at 18, and worked as a self-employed electrician on San Juan Island for 12 years before starting San Juan Heating.
At Robert Kolowitz’s old job at the San Juan Island solid waste transfer station, there was a saying, “Garbage in, garbage out.” Now, he’s changed his mantra to “Laundry in, laundry out.” Kolowitz, former supervisor of the transfer station on Sutton Road, is the new owner of Sunshine Laundries on 80 Web St., Friday Harbor. He purchased the laundries on June 1 from Teresa Strong. Terms were not disclosed.
If you’ve got a soft spot for Detroit metal and muscles cars, here’s an event that you won’t want to miss. CarQuest will celebrate 20 years of business on San Juan Island June 26 — Saturday — with a blend of music, muscle cars and a whole lot more.
The Best Western Friday Harbor Suites has named Ron Bates its new general manager, effective June 28. Bates is widely known in the community as former advertising manager and assistant publisher of The Journal of the San Juan Islands (2000-2010). His local connections, marketing abilities and customer service skills are well suited for the hospitality business. He and his partner, Sandy Montana, also own the Mosquito Fleet Mercantile in downtown Friday Harbor.
King’s Market and Friday Harbor MarketPlace are transitioning to compostable meat and seafood trays. King’s Manager John McBride has been looking for ways to phase out polystyrene containers and packaging at his store since becoming involved in the San Juan Island Anti-Litter Initiative. The initiative, working with lead advocate Doris Estabrooks, lobbied for bans on polystyrene food to-go containers in San Juan County and the Town of Friday Harbor. The bans took effect in April. A similar ban took effect in Seattle in July.
The San Juan Island Chamber of Commerce is hosting a business group discussion on upcoming revisions to the San Juan County Solid and Hazardous Waste Management plans. The discussion is Wednesday, 8:30-10:30 a.m., in the San Juan Island Library Community Room.
The Journal of the San Juan Islands is pleased to announce the hiring of Julie Corey as its new marketing and sales representative. Her first day was Monday. She succeeds Ron Bates, who recently resigned after 10 years to pursue a new direction.