The Friday Harbor Town Council has scheduled a Nov. 20, 5:30 p.m. public hearing on the proposed annexation of the so-called Buck/Boreen property.
Jawaad Reaves pleaded innocent Friday to a charge of second-degree murder in the death of his brother, Jermaine. Superior Court Judge John O. Linde scheduled trial for Feb. 9. Bail was reduced from $100,000 to $50,000. Reaves posted bail Saturday and was released from Island County Jail. His employer, Miller Drywall, said he was back at work Monday.
Officers were left to sort out the details after the driver of a Honda sedan struck a woman riding a mo-ped on Blair Avenue at about 1 p.m. today. Sheriff’s deputies and paramedics arrived at the scene just minutes after the collision occurred. The woman, strapped and secured to a body board, was transported by ambulance to Inter Island Medical Center for evaluation.
Philanthropist Edgar B. Stern Jr., longtime member of the board of the San Juan Community Theatre and contributor to numerous community endeavors, died Sunday in Seattle. The cause of death was not released. He was 86.
Statewide taxable retail sales declined 2.4 percent to $29.1 billion during the second quarter of 2008, the state Department of Revenue reported today. Among counties, travel destinations appeared to be hardest hit, with San Juan and Island counties experiencing 15.6 percent and 13.7 percent declines in retail trade, respectively. Skagit County retail sales dropped 10.9 percent.
The Washington Council of Police and Sheriffs has endorsed Steve Van Luven for election to the 40th District state Senate position. Van Luven, Republican, is a Samish Island native who represented Bellevue in the state House of Representatives for more than 17 years. He now lives on Samish Island. He is running against San Juan County Councilmasn Kevin Ranker, the Democratic Party nominee.
About this series: The Journal’s series of Candidate Q&As for the Nov. 4 election continues this week with candidates for San Juan County Council, San Juan South.
About this series: The Journal’s series of Candidate Q&As for the Nov. 4 election continues this week with candidates for San Juan County Council, San Juan South.
As of Monday, more than 1,000 local voters had been listed as “inactive” and might not receive a ballot for the upcoming November election.
Six orcas have apparently disappeared from the Southern Resident orca pods this year, dropping the population to 83, the lowest since 2003. The Center for Whale Research and others are blaming marine pollution, depleted salmon runs, and acoustic impacts from dredging, seismic testing and military sonar for the decline in the population. The Southern Resident orcas are listed as endangered in Canada and the U.S.
A long-time visiting scientist at the U.W. Friday Harbor Labs has won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for discovering a luminous green substance in jellyfish that redefined the way researchers uncover biological processes.
Leadership San Juan Islands will host three open houses this month to recruit current and aspiring leaders for the Class of 2009. LSJI seeks candidates from all sectors of the community, from businesses and non-profits, to education and government. Alumni from LSJI Classes 2005-08 are also invited to the open houses, as well as graduates of other leadership programs held around the country who now live and/or work in the San Juans.
Twenty employees of the Town of Friday Harbor were recognized by the Town Council Thursday for their years of service. Among the honorees were Jerry Gates of the Street Department, who has worked for the town since February 1974. Mike Wilks, Town Shop superintendent, joined the town in September 1976.
