Island News
Local headlines from around the San Juans
Letter to the Editor: Concerned about delays in postmarking ballots
Editor: I’ve been hearing a lot of discussion and confusion about the threats to mail-in voting. People were especially disturbed to hear about the number of ballots that were rejected in Washington’s recent primary because they were “late,” even though they were mailed days before election day. The problem is our mail is no longer […]
2026 Assessment Change of Value Notices mailed to property owners
San Juan County Assessor’s Office mailed the 2026 Change of Value Notices on September 8, 2026. Changes reflect market sales between January 1, 2025 and April 30, 2026 with an assessment date of January 1, 2026. Properties with new construction are valued for improvements made to the property up to July 31, 2026. If your value […]
District Court and Prosecuting Attorney to relocate during courthouse renovations
Both offices are temporarily relocating from the historic courthouse to 545 Park Street to allow for structural renovations being funded through a matching grant from the Washington Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation District Court and the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office are moving out of the historic courthouse to allow for structural renovations. The “seismic retrofit” will improve the safety of the building in case of an earthquake, a
OIHCD thanks Island Health CEO as leadership transition is announced
On September 10th, Island Health notified the Orcas Island Health Care District (OIHCD) and announced to the larger community that their current Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Elise Cutter, would be stepping down in the coming months. OIHCD Superintendent Chord and the Board of Directors thanks Elise Cutter for her years of partnership and support. OIHCD is grateful for the strong partner and advocate CEO Cutter has been in continuing to support Isl