Island News

October 17: Orca Recovery Day Open House in Friday Harbor

Keith Busha January 18, 1951 – September 18, 2026

Keith David Granley, also known as Keith Busha, was born on January 18, 1951 in Queens New York, the second child and only son of David Granley, a half-Swedish mining engineer from Minnesota, and Irma Moisio Granley, a native New Yorker of Piedmontese Italian heritage.  He died from complications of lung cancer on September 18, […]

Great Islands Cleanup: 152 volunteers gathered up 2,382 pounds of trash

Across the San Juan Islands this fall, community members came together to clean beaches, shorelines, roadsides, and favorite island places as part of the bi-annual Great Islands Cleanup. The fall cleanup brought volunteers together around a simple idea: caring for these islands is a legacy worth continuing. This year’s theme of ‘Caring for Our Island […]

October 17: Orca Recovery Day Open House in Friday Harbor

SeaDoc Society’s Salish Sea Wild: Young Beachcomber Finds Giant Mystery Predator Egg

A mythical object long tied to mermaids turns out to be real. Its discovery on a local beach is the once-in-a-lifetime find for a young girl and leads SeaDoc scientists on a race for answers. Will Dr. Michelle Lino make it off the mountain in time? Will Dr. Joe Gaydos starve before he gets there? […]

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. […]

Rob Grant: Endorses of Katherine Bryant Ingman for San Juan County Council District 3

I am supporting Katherine Bryant Ingman for San Juan County District 3! Decatur is a relatively small outer island in the archipelago, but we are a critical link in the energy chain serving the entire county! We need a fierce advocate on the Council, one who speaks truth to power and will represent not only […]

Sharon Abreu: Endorses Katherine Bryant Ingman for County Council

Support for Katherine Bryant Ingman for County Council Although I acknowledge that we here in San Juan County are fortunate to have two strong candidates running for County Council District 3, I have decided to endorse Katherine Bryant Ingman for the position. I appreciate Katherine’s energy, and I see her as an independent thinker, which […]

October 12: Indigenous Peoples Day

Columbus Day which is on October 12, 2026 is recognized as a federal holiday meaning federal offices, banks,  and the Post Office will be closed.  Indigenous Peoples Day has replaced Columbus Day in many states but is not a federal holiday. Washington state recognizes Indigenous Peoples Day but not as an official state holiday.  Washington […]

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 […]

Long-time Lopez Pharmacists Endorse Katherine for County Council

We would like to endorse Katherine Bryant Ingman for County Council. During our 30-plus years owning the Lopez Island Pharmacy, we’ve been fortunate to know and work closely with many of the former council representatives from Lopez. Katherine has served in many island and county-wide positions. When management of our clinic transitioned from the University […]

Burn Permits Now Local on Orcas Island

Orcas Island, WA – Orcas Island Fire and Rescue (OIFR) will begin issuing burn permits for Orcas Island. Permits will be available starting October 12, 2026, if weather and conditions allow. The process is online. Apply and pay at orcasfire.org. The site also has burn safety rules and requirements. You may also come to Station 21 at […]

Ferries: I’ll Keep Fighting for Improvements By Jennifer Swanson, Candidate for County Council District 3 

Of Washington’s 39 counties, San Juan County is the only one made up entirely of islands, reachable  only by boat or plane. Most residents rely on Washington State Ferries (WSF), and for the past eight  years I have served on our county’s Ferry Advisory Committee (FAC), currently as chair, acting as a link  between WSF […]

Interactive Food System Plan is live on San Juan Islands Agricultural Guild website

Submitted by: Caitlin Leck, on behalf of the Food System Team of San Juan County: The Food System Team of San Juan County, in partnership with the San Juan Islands Agricultural Guild and local data scientist, Adam Martin, is excited to announce the launch of an interactive online version of the Food System Plan for […]

October 20: Community Meeting: Agate Beach County Park Updates & Road Relocation on Lopez Island

MacKaye Harbor Rd and the Agate Beach County Park on Lopez Island are scheduled for infrastructure updates in 2027. Reconstruction of MacKaye Harbor Road and the Agate Beach County Park parking area will help protect access to public, private, and tribal lands, while navigating the impacts of coastal erosion. Nearby property owners and Lopez Islanders […]

October 17: No Kings: Vote Early Rally

Rally | October 17 | 12 noon to 2 pm | Courthouse Lawn | Friday Harbor Hello to all who are eagerly awaiting the arrival of your ballot! Good news. Our Indivisible group on San Juan Island is holding a No Kings – Vote Early! rally on October 17th on the Courthouse lawn in Friday Harbor from noon to 2pm. We […]

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 […]