Island News
San Juan County WA Sheriff’s Log May 20-26, 2026: Road rage, belligerent bar customer, unwanted tree trimming
San Juan County Deputies responded to 211 calls from May 20 – 26, 2026 including: In the early morning hours of May 24, a San Juan deputy was dispatched to a report of a citizen assist involving an individual who was unable to remove handcuffs. The deputy removed the handcuffs and advised the individuals involved […]
AG Brown joins coalition opposing KIDS Act, supports stronger online protections for children
Submitted by the Washington State Office of Attorney General Nick Brown.
May 30: May-Fly Kite Gathering at Jacksons Beach
$120,000 grant funding available to promote 2027 tourism in Friday Harbor
The Town of Friday Harbor has a total of $120,000 in grant funding available to promote events and activities taking place within the town in 2027. The Town’s Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC) will select among activities designed to attract or entertain tourists or to operate tourism-related facilities owned or operated by nonprofit organizations. Preference […]
WA reporters call for AI regulations and higher wages
Washington News Service: Reporters at five newspapers in Washington and Idaho went on strike for one day this week after a year of bargaining with McClatchy over artificial intelligence guardrails and higher wages. The union says McClatchy, which owns the papers, has refused to pay reporters enough to live in the communities they cover. Kristine Sherred, a […]
Orcas Senior Center June highlights
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Orcas Senior Center offers a variety of ongoing classes, social groups, wellness activities, and creative programs throughout the month. All programs are open to everyone, regardless of age, and new participants are always welcome. A full calendar with dates and times is available at www.orcasseniors.org/calendar-of-events. This Month at the Senior Center: Fitness & Wellness: Chair yoga, Feldenkrais Arts & Creativity: Art with Carla, quilting, need
Audio brunch workshops coming up at Orcas Center
||| FROM COLLEEN SMITH SUMMERS for ORCAS CENTER ||| Orcas Center’s Jake Perrine will present TEN Live Sound workshops on most Sunday mornings at Orcas Center from 11am-12pm from June 14 to August 30. The workshop is open to the public, and designed for audio hobbyists who want to improve their understanding of how audio works, how to work with it, and improve their audio chops for live events, recording, etc. Tuition is a WORK TRADE! Anyone present at 11am for the each workshop will […]
Council seeks to fill open positions on Parks and Recreation Commission
Open positions currently on Orcas Island and Lopez Island with additional positions opening in June on Orcas, Shaw ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| Are you interested in helping to shape the policies that affect our San Juan County Parks? The San Juan County Council is actively seeking to fill several vacancies on the Parks and Recreation Commission. The Commission is an advisory body comprised of volunteer representatives that recommends actions and policies to the Council. The Com
CWR logs two encounters with Bigg’s
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| Full Encounter Report ObservBegin: 01:31 PM ObservEnd: 01:44 PM Vessel: KCB III Staff: Dave Ellifrit, Michael Weiss, Katie Jones Pods: Bigg’s killer whales IDsEncountered: T124A, T124A6, T124A7 LocationDescr: Andrews Bay EncSummary: The team was working in the office while keeping abreast of reports of several groups of Bigg’s in the San Juan Islands. The T90s and some of the T86As were up near the top of President Channel, the T124As were in Spieden […]
No jurors required for June 1 – 5, 2026
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| JURY DUTY: JUNE 1-5, 2026 All jurors summonsed for the Jury Period beginning Monday, June 1st through Friday, June 5, 2026 are excused. Thank you.
Washington State Ferries sails into 75th anniversary
Ferry riders invited to celebrate state’s marine highway ||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| SEATTLE – Washington State Ferries will celebrate its 75th anniversary on Monday, June 1. Events are planned across Puget Sound starting Friday, May 29, and throughout the month of June. June 1 anniversary events To kick off the celebration on anniversary day, WSF will raise a custom anniversary flag on top of the Space Needle. Ferries in service also will fly special 75th anniversary flags throughout
San Juan Island Fire and Rescue Commission stymied by the county about the Burn Permit Program
LWVSJ Observer Corps summary of San Juan Island: Fire District #3 Commissioners Meeting May 19, 2026. Chiefs Kuetzing and Hartzell congratulated and swore in five of six new recruits known as the “solid six” starting off the Commissioners Meeting: Emilio Santiago, Dominick Tarantelli, Stewart Bell, Max Mattox, and Madison Miller. John de La Haye was […]
To free up parking, Port of Friday Harbor pausing solar canopy project
LWVSJ Observer Corps: Friday Harbor Port Commission, May 8th, 2026 meeting. A Marina slip holder with a parking permit expressed concern over the delay in constructing the upper parking lot solar canopy and its adverse impact on parking availability. The Port will pause the project over the summer to alleviate parking pressures and it will […]
Town Council approves $62k for utility rate study
LWVSJ Observer Corps*: Friday Harbor Town Council, April 16, 2026 meeting. Council passed Ordinance 1839 , preliminary approval for the Holliwalk Planned Residential Development Application. The Council approved $62,930 for a Utility Rate Study on water, stormwater and sewer. The Community and Planning Director reported that an incident occurred at Ace Hardware on April 15 […]
Donate blood at upcoming drives
Submitted by Bloodworks Northwest.
OrcasFest May 28-30
Submitted by event organizers.
Public health hot topic: Hantavirus
Submitted by San Juan County.
Integrative Pain and Wellness opens on Orcas
Submitted by April Hinsberger, ARNP.
Open strings at Emmanuel: Community invited to ‘quiet listen’ during weekly rehearsals
Emmanuel Episcopal Parish is opening its red sanctuary doors to the community for a unique, behind-the-scenes musical experience. Starting the week of May 19, a local ensemble of string players called the “Orcas-tra” — featuring violins, viola and cello — will establish a regular rehearsal residency in the historic Emmanuel sanctuary every Tuesday evening from 6:30-8 p.m.
Ferry hopes adrift
The waters around San Juan County’s ferry future grew considerably choppier over the last few months, as three ferry-related developments converged to paint a sobering picture for island residents: the Mosquito Fleet Bill is dead, a major new federal ferry funding bill offers little near-term relief for San Juan County and skepticism is growing that the long-promised return of the Anacortes–Friday Harbor–Sidney route by 2030 is possible.
Council weighs new taxes and spending cuts
San Juan County is facing a mounting budget challenge. At the May 11 County Council work session, officials laid out a stark picture of the county’s fiscal health — a projected $2.1 million shortfall for 2027, compounded by the potential exhaustion of the County’s entire $4.459 million cash reserve. Taken together, the County faces a gap of roughly $6 million, and that figure may still grow.
Audio brunch workshops at Orcas Center
Submitted by the Orcas Center.
Re-elect Natasha Warmenhoven for San Juan County auditor
Submitted by Natasha Warmenhoven.
End of school year message from SJISD Superintendent Fred Woods
Some people call it spring fever. Others have labeled it senioritis. Whatever the name, students know that vacation is only days away, and the anticipation is evident. As we finish the final chapter of another successful school year at the San Juan Island School District, there is once again a great deal to celebrate across […]