Island News
Local headlines from around the San Juans
SJICF to Offer Workshop, Understanding Nonprofit 990s, for Donors, Board Members, and Organizational Leaders
As the first of a new workshop series, the San Juan Island Community Foundation (SJICF) invites nonprofit donors, board members, and leadership to a workshop entitled Understanding Nonprofit 990s on Wednesday, November 18, 2026, from 5:00-6:30 p.m. at the San Juan Island Community Foundation offices at 640 Mullis Steet in Friday Harbor. Each year, most […]
2025 Friday Harbor Elementary School Halloween parade
October 29: MOMster Mash in Friday Harbor
Calling all tiny monsters and the grown-ups who love them! Get ready for some spooky, silly fun at MOMster, a Halloween-themed event hosted by the San Juan Island Childcare Cooperative moms! Dress up your little monsters and join us for an afternoon of wiggling, giggling, and Halloween fun, all while supporting island children and families. […]
October 30: ES Halloween Parade in downtown Friday Harbor
Friday Harbor Elementary School students, teachers and staff will march from the school on Grover Street to Spring Street in Downtown Friday Harbor at 9 am Friday, October 30 for their annual Halloween Parade. The costumed parade marches through the core streets of downtown Friday Harbor, led by the school principal and staff. PHOTOS OF […]
Guest Column: Jennifer Swanson – Why I am running for county council
The reason I am running goes back much further than this campaign. For as long as I can remember, I have felt a call to serve. Winding my way through college, I served children in need at the Summer Sack Lunch program and the Boys & Girls Club, then became a teacher. When we moved […]
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 […]
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 […]
October 17: Orca Recovery Day Open House in Friday Harbor
October 17: Orca Recovery Day Open House in Friday Harbor
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 […]
Borner: Jennifer builds community through service and hard work.
I have known Jennifer for 20 years. She is a thoughtful, inclusive leader who brings people with diverse opinions together to find solutions. Jennifer has a proven record of public service and strong relationships throughout the county. She served 11 years on the school board and later led as superintendent through COVID. During that challenging […]
Gigi Allaway: Supports Swanson for county council
Dear Editor, I write to highlight the excellent work of SJC Council candidate longtime-islander Jennifer Swanson in our community, which is easily applied to the larger islands. Most notably, she has served as an elected official for repeated terms as a school district board member (I served a similar term, staggered to hers, during this […]
Nelsen: Wholehearted support for Swanson for county Council
We are writing to offer our wholehearted support for Jennifer Swanson for county council. We’ve known Jennifer since she and her husband Chad moved to Shaw Island in 2003. Jennifer is someone who is thoughtful, trustworthy, and deeply committed to serving our community. Her dedication is demonstrated through action and looking for practical ways to […]
Doug Crosby: Swanson will be a valuable member of San Juan County council
To the Editors I have known Jennifer since 2013 soon after I moved to Shaw Island. Since then she has served as a Shaw School board member and the superintendent, a Ferry Advisory Board member, the founder of the Shaw Island Brown Bag Lunch monthly community meeting, a Shaw Islanders Inc board member and the […]
Guest column: Getting to Know Katherine: Leadership in Action
I’ve been fortunate to benefit from, and contribute to, impressive and impactful volunteer work throughout my life. From an early age, I’ve looked for ways to bring people together with integrity, care, and joy, and to create the kind of culture and environment that we want to live in, born of the priorities and values […]
Washington authors speak out against censorship in honor of Banned Books Week
OLYMPIA — In honor of Banned Books Week (Oct. 4-10, 2026), Washington authors speak out against censorship and share what reading freely means to them. The Washington Center for the Book, a program of the Office of the Secretary of State, partnered with the Washington chapter of Authors Against Book Bans to curate a collection of short videos about what […]
San Juan Island School District: Cost of full-size electric bus too high
LWVSJ Observer Corps*: San Juan Island School Board September 30, 2026. Public Comment: Parent Eliza Habegger is concerned about the use of AI in the classroom. She made three recommendations: 1. Remove Google Gemini in all Chrome books. 2. Consider Los Angeles Unified School District AI use policy. 3. Gather community input on using AI […]
October 6: Genetic Population Structure of Harbor Seals in WA state
October 6 | 6 pm | The Whale Museum | Friday Harbor Learn about the genetics of harbor seals in Washington state with The Whale Museum’s Alexandrea Otto! Alexandrea is currently finishing her Master’s at Western Washington University studying harbor seal population genetics in the Pacific Northwest. Some of her past projects include studying heart […]
Free Immunization Clinics for Children: Protect Your Child Against Influenza and COVID
SAN JUAN COUNTY, WA. October 1, 2026 – Protect your family this fall and winter by bringing your child to one of our upcoming school-based walk-up immunization clinics. We will have vaccines to protect children against flu and it is anticipated that there will be COVID-19 vaccines available for all children 6 months through 18 years old. […]