LATEST NEWS

All over Skagit County daffodils are starting to blossom. These beauties are growing beside a pond near the Tommy Thompson Trail in Anacortes. A fourth generation Skagit County native who was moved kicking and screaming from this island community in 1960. I finally reclaimed an Anacortes address in 1980, and I have been in constant celebration of my return since that time. Many of us who call Anacortes home love Fidalgo Island for its natural assets: among them are rugged beaches, pristine lakes, thousands of acres of forestland and some awesome views of the Skagit Valley and surrounding islands. Another element of my love affair with this community is its people, both natives and immigrants. They will “star” in many of my journal entries.

Two incidents were reported in the vicinity of the homeless encampment along T Ave, near 28th St. One a public health complaint. A 39-year-old Anacortes man called requesting contact regarding people using his dumpster without permission in the area of 28th Street and T Avenue. Upon contact, the responding officer determined that the dumpster was provided for transient use on T Avenue. The reporting party informed the officer that he found boat parts in the dumpster and believed that local businesses were putting their garbage in his dumpster. The officer suggested contacting the company that had provided the dumpster regarding getting a lock on the dumpster.

ANACORTES, Wash. (KOMO) — Crews are working to remove contaminated soil and groundwater after a train derailed last week in Washington state. Workers in Skagit County replaced diesel-contaminated dirt with backfill, and worked on repairing the railroad bed on the Swinomish Reservation. The progress comes within days of two BNSF locomotives derailing near Anacortes and spilling more than 3,000 gallons of diesel, officials estimated.

Melodious Notes will be carried over the harbor again this spring for the 11th annual concert held March 25, at 7.30 p.m. at the San Juan Community Theatre. “Most chamber music concerts play maybe three long pieces, but [Melodious Notes] are more eclectic. They are designed to take smaller samples of music, giving the audience the chance to sample a few of the great composers,” Sue Collado, the group’s clarinet player and director, said. “Many come to the concert because they want to, not because they know the composers.”

Fly fishing at Pass Lake, Deception Pass State Park on Fidalgo Island. A fourth generation Skagit County native who was moved kicking and screaming from this island community in 1960. I finally reclaimed an Anacortes address in 1980, and I have been in constant celebration of my return since that time. Many of us who call Anacortes home love Fidalgo Island for its natural assets: among them are rugged beaches, pristine lakes, thousands of acres of forestland and some awesome views of the Skagit Valley and surrounding islands. Another element of my love affair with this community is its people, both natives and immigrants. They will “star” in many of my journal entries.

The Anacortes High School soccer team will have a game with Oak Harbor High School on March 22, 2023, 19:00:00 CST. #sports_nfhsnetwork_notice_v1 img{margin:0}#sports_nfhsnetwork_notice_v1 div{margin:0}#sports_nfhsnetwork_notice_v1 p{margin:24px 0;font-style:normal;font-weight:400;font-size:16px;line-height:26px;letter-spacing:-.24px;color:#333}#sports_nfhsnetwork_notice_v1 .icon{background-repeat:no-repeat;background-position:center;background-size:100% 100%}#sports_nfhsnetwork_notice_v1 .item:last-child{border-bottom:none}#sports_nfhsnetwork_notice_v1 .item{padding-bottom:32px;border-bottom:1px solid #f9f9f9}#sports_nfhsnetwork_notice_v1 .contest-card{padding:24px;border:1px solid #f2f2f2;border-radius:8px}#sports_nfhsnetwork_notice_v1 .contest-card .teams{display:flex;margin-bottom:26px}#sports_nfhsnetwork_notice_v1 .contest-card .teams .team{display:flex;flex-direction:column;flex:1;justify-content:flex-start;align-items:center}#sports_nfhsnetwork_notice_v1 .contest-card .teams .vs{width:40px;height:97px}#sports_nfhsnetwork_notice_v1 .contest-card .teams .team .logo{width:120px;height:120px}#sports_nfhsnetwork_notice_v1 .contest-card .teams .team .name{margin-top:11px;color:#333;font-weight:600;font-size:16px;line-height:19px;text-align:center;letter-spacing:-.31px}#sports_nfhsnetwork_notice_v1 .contest-card .info-item{margin-left:-8px;margin-top:8px;display:flex;align-items:center;font-weight:400;font-size:14px;line-height:20px;letter-spacing:-.15px;color:#888}#sports_nfhsnetwork_notice_v1 .contest-card .info-item .icon{margin-right:4px;width:12px;height:12px;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-position:center;background-size:100% 100%}

Submitted by the Town of Friday Harbor. The Town of Friday Harbor is inviting the public to provide comments and suggestions on the draft Mobile Food Unit ordinance at the March 23, Planning Commission work session in the Town Council Chambers. The work session is open to the public; comments may be made either in person or online via a Zoom link available on the Town website under Planning Commission Meetings. The draft Ordinance will be available on the Planning Commission Agenda page. The comment period will be open until the date and time of a public hearing; the date for the public hearing will be set at the March 23 work session.

All of San Juan’s garbage and recycling is processed off of the island. The same goes for garbage on Orcas and Lopez islands — it’s loaded on a train, which heads to Klickitat County. Trash from San Juan goes to Cowlitz. It’s the reason San Juan County...

The 2023 San Juan County “Point-In Time” (PIT) Homeless Count identified 148 people who have no stable place to live, nearly matching the 2022 count of 146. Of the 148 people identified as having no stable place to live, 51 people were living out of doors, in vehicles, in abandoned buildings, or in an RV or boat that lacked one of the following: drinking water, a restroom, heat, the ability to cook food, or the ability to bathe.

Cleanup continued Friday after an overturned BNSF Railway train spilled diesel fuel on the Swinomish Reservation near Anacortes, about 50 miles north of Seattle. By Friday afternoon, crews had excavated 1,200 cubic yards of soil—enough to fill about 100 dump trucks—and pumped out 3,000 gallons of diesel-contaminated groundwater.

The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office responded to the following calls. • A Lopez deputy responded to a report of a public park bench that was moved approximately 300 feet. A park volunteer moved it back to its original place. The bench was undamaged. March 9. • On San...

Submitted by San Juan County Sheriff’s Office. The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office is hosting a boater education course. If you operate a powered watercraft of 15 hp or more in the State of Washington, you are required by law to have passed a boater safety course and carry a boater education card. You must be 12 years old or older to take this course. You do not need to be a Washington State resident to participate. Upon successful completion of this accredited course, you will receive a certificate and Boater’s Education Card.

Submitted by San Juan County. San Juan County Council is soliciting volunteers to serve on the San Juan County Ferry Advisory Committee. The Ferry Advisory Committee studies and recommends resolutions on ferry transportation matters as these affect the San Juan Islands. This board consists of five members serving four-year terms. There shall be one member who resides on each of the ferry-served islands of Orcas, San Juan, Lopez and Shaw.

Perhaps you have been touched by the PADs Program. The dogs that have been working for more than seven long years to detect Parkinson’s Disease. The people struggling with Parkinson’s who believe in our cause. Or maybe you too feel awed by the gift of the dog’s nose. And maybe you thought, that’s a program I can get behind. Well, now is the time. PADs is about to run out of funding in April, and for our hard-working dogs, that means the cookie jar is about to run dry. We just need to come up with $11,000 to keep the lights on for a couple more months. And right now, if you give before April 1, your dollar will be doubled up to $1000 by an anonymous and caring donor. That means you can energize PADs with two watts for the price of one.

A unified command has formed to address the March 16, 2023 train derailment near Anacortes. The command consists of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington Dept. of Ecology, BNSF Railway, Skagit County Department of Emergency Management, and Swinomish Indian Tribal Community. Shortly after midnight, a train derailed near the Swinomish Casino...

Submitted by the San Juan County Hospital District No. 1. Please find attached the Meeting Notice and Agenda for the upcoming Regular Board Meeting of the San Juan County Public Hospital District No. 1, scheduled for Wednesday, March 22 at 5:30 p.m. Documents for the meeting can be found on our website at Meetings 2023 as they become available.

SAN JUAN COUNTY, WA. March 10, 2023 – Staff at San Juan County Parks are now better equipped to respond to opioid overdoses, thanks to a partnership with the Health & Community Services Department (HCS). Parks staff now have access to Naloxone, better known as NARCAN® Nasal Spray, which is used to treat overdoses.

For a detailed look at the facts about the upcoming public safety levy look to the inserts in your latest bill from the City of Anacortes. The levy lid lift proposal is on the ballot for April 25, with ballots going in the mail April 5. See yes4safety.com to see posted information.

SAN JUAN COUNTY, WA. March 17, 2023 – San Juan County (SJC) and the Washington State Ferries (WSF) are eager to announce a public access upgrade for the Orcas Island Ferry Terminal. Thanks to this partnership, the project will provide improved ADA parking and access to the Orcas Ferry Terminal. Construction started this week and will last approximately three months.

NAVAL AIR STATION WHIDBEY ISLAND, Wash. – There are no aircraft carrier-based flight training operations scheduled to occur at the Naval Air Station Whidbey Island complex the week of March 20-26, 2023. People living in local communities should remain aware that the aforementioned operations are not the only operations...