Island News
Local headlines from around the San Juans
Breton Carter: Katherine Bryant Ingman for County Council
Katherine is a thoughtful and intentional leader who is truly dedicated to serving our island communities. Whether volunteering as a high school track coach or leading the Catherine Washburn Medical Association when the Lopez Clinic sought a new provider, she brings professionalism and a deep care for others to her work. While serving on the […]
Town seeking applicants for open positions on Friday Harbor Arts Commission.
The Town of Friday Harbor is accepting applications for open positions on the Friday Harbor Arts Commission (FHAC). Commissioners are volunteers who consider the interests of the Town Council, community, and local artists when advising the council on the selection and placement of public art. Meetings are held at 4 p.m. the second Tuesday of […]
Larsen, Colleagues Succeed in Delaying New CBP Rule Harming Access to Lower-Cost Medications
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today October 20 2026, U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) released the following statement: “In the past few months, my office has received dozens of messages from constituents worried about how they are going to afford prescription medications if the Trump administration’s new CBP rule goes into effect on October 22. I urged the […]
Local fire districts issue burn permits as of October 12
Beginning this 2026-2027 burn season, the local fire districts will be processing all burn permits for residents. Formerly accessed through the County website, burn permits are now managed through each island’s fire district and are available on their respective websites. Why is the County no longer issuing burn permits? In order to streamline the response […]
Jeremy Nash: Heads Up Friday Harbor, Utility Rates!
The Town of Friday Harbor is getting ready to raise utility rates again. At Thursday’s Town Council meeting, staff proposed 2027 increases of 7.5 percent for water, 3 percent for sewer, 4.5 percent for refuse and 25 percent for stormwater. For an in-town single family residence, the Town’s example would take the basic monthly charges […]
Woodbridge: Swanson has a proven track record
To the Editor: Jennifer Swanson has my wholehearted support for the San Juan County Council, District 3. Jennifer brings an exceptional and effective combination of thoroughness, thoughtfulness, practicality and kindness. She has the rare ability to bring together people with divergent points of view. She’s a pleasure to work with and to know, and her […]
Shannon: Swanson is a uniter
I have known Jennifer for over 20 years. We served on the Shaw Island School Board together for many years and I have admired her quiet and effective leadership. She is one of the best listeners I know and she has an innate ability to carefully process all sides of an issue with empathy, common […]
Ekstrom: Supports Jennifer Swanson for San Juan County Council Position 3
To the editor, We support Jennifer Swanson for San Juan County Council Position 3. For many years Jennifer has been at the center of making the Shaw community run smoothly. She serves effectively as a leader on local and county boards, a careful and patient listener, respectful of others’ opinions. We are eager to see her courtesy, […]
Guest Opinion: Getting to Know Katherine: What I Bring to the Table
First and most importantly, I bring to the County Council a deep love for these islands and the people who live here. I’m running for County Council to improve the lives of everyone who lives here — especially those of us most impacted by the challenges and uncertainties that we face. I know how knowledgeable, […]
November General Election ballots mailed to all eligible voters by Oct. 16
OLYMPIA — County elections offices statewide will mail ballots to every eligible voter for the Nov. 3 General Election by Friday, Oct. 16. Over 5.1 million registered voters will be mailed a ballot for the midterm elections. Voters will decide on local, state, and federal contests, as well as three statewide ballot measures. Voters participating in […]
Meehan-McNeill: Endorses Jennifer Swanson for county council
I want to recommend Jennifer Swanson for County Council District 3′ I’ve worked with Jennifer through Shaw Islanders Inc, where she’s been the Recording Secretary for the Shaw Inc board for the last three years’ She’s steady, organized and easy to work with. She keeps things on track and communicates clearly, which makes a big […]
Orcas Island Fire and Rescue Bonds Available to Local Investors
Orcas Island Fire and Rescue (San Juan County Fire Protection District No. 2), San Juan County, Washington (the “District”) is in the process of issuing phase 1 of voter approved Unlimited Tax General Obligation Bonds (the “Bonds”) to provide $14,000,000 to construct, acquire, equip, renovate and make capital improvements to apparatus and facilities of the […]
Guest Column by Ron Krebs: Understands the challenges facing the Sheriff’s Office
To the Citizens of San Juan County, As we approach the upcoming election, I want to share my priorities for the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office and my commitment to the community we serve.Having served as your Sheriff from 2015 to 2022, and with 19 years of experience in the Sheriff’s Office, I understand the […]
Jamie Stephens: Katherine Bryant Ingman Gets Things Done
District Three deserves a Councilmember who District Three voters chose. That’s Katherine Bryant Ingman. Between Katherine and Jennifer Swanson, primary voters of District Three voted 61% to 39% for Katherine. There are differences between the two candidates. A graduate of Leadership San Juans, she is a leader that gets things done. Issues that affect us […]
Eames: Endorses Katherine Bryant Ingman for county Council
Katherine Bryant Ingman has my support to be our next San Juan County Council Representative for District 3 for many reasons: Every SJC District Representative is sworn to support the welfare of the entire San Juan County. I firmly believe, as shown by Katherine’s efforts to reach out to the Waldron, Shaw, Decatur, San […]
San Juan County receives $660k Public Safety Grant
SAN JUAN COUNTY, WA – October 14, 2026 – San Juan County has received a $660,000 grant from the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission (CJTC) to increase staffing in the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office. On September 29, CJTC notified the County of its grant award funded by the state’s relatively new Public Safety […]
Guest Column: Jay and Trudi Inslee and Former Leaders Endorse Katherine
From Katherine Bryant Ingman for San Juan County Council To the voters of San Juan County, Former Washington State Governor Jay Inslee and former First Lady Trudi Inslee have endorsed me for San Juan County Council, District 3. I am proud that the members of AFSCME Local 1849, the union representing San Juan County employees, […]
Jeff Asher is write-in candidate for San Juan County Sheriff
Wow! I am truly taken aback by the outpouring of support encouraging me to run for Sheriff. Thank you all for the calls and texts requesting my participation in the upcoming Sheriff’s election. When I was first asked to consider this opportunity, I was hesitant, as it is not something I take lightly. As many […]
October 14: Candidate Forums in Eastsound
The League of Women Voters of San Juans is presenting three candidate forums. All forums begin at 5:30 p.m.: Monday, October 12 — Grace Episcopal Church, Lopez Island Tuesday, October 13 — The Mullis Senior Center, Friday Harbor, San Juan Island Wednesday, October 14 — Orcas Senior Center, Orcas Island The San Juan County Auditor oversees county elections, financial reporting, […]
Jeremy Nash: San Juan County by the Numbers
San Juan County recently put out a press release announcing that the Council had adopted the 2027 budget. After all the kerfuffle over the budget this year, I wanted to see what they had actually come up with and try to put the whole thing into perspective for myself. That led me into the County’s […]
Sophia Swanson: In Support of Jennifer Swanson, My Mom, for County Council
I believe that my mom’s candidacy for county council is both unexpected and a long time coming; that is to say, it’s such a natural role for her to step into. The depth to which she cares for our community is obvious: she served on the Shaw Island School Board for eleven years while my […]
Guest Column: Katherine on Housing & Affordability
From Katherine Bryant Ingman for San Juan County Council I know the struggle of housing in the islands, firsthand. We have regularly housed friends and essential workers in the summers because we know that it takes the entire community to seek practical housing solutions. Before we bought our fixer-upper, we moved around to several rentals that were not suitable or […]
Wolf: Endorsement for KBI – Leadership with a stake in the future
Katherine Bryant Ingman has the vision, strength of leadership and proven negotiating skills to take care of business for the people of San Juan County. She has proven problem solving ability and a collaborative leadership style needed to address the current issues facing San Juan County. I admire her practical understanding for what resources are […]
Janet Brownell: Supports Katherine | She Gets It
A few months ago, I received a phone call. “Hi, I’m Katherine. I’m running for county council, and so-and-so suggested I reach out to you for advice.” My sage advice? Don’t do it. The county is at an inflection point. Budget tightening is coming, hard decisions lie ahead, and it’s not going to be fun. […]