San Juan County’s prosecuting attorney will be among the highest-paid local elected officials in 2012, thanks to the Citizens Salary Commission and its endorsement of a $19,000 pay increase. On Dec. 2, the Salary Commission voted 7-3 to boost the prosecutor’s annual salary from $130,000 to $148,832 a year, beginning in 2012. How that pay increase – nearly $19,000 more than the prosecutor will earn this year – will be implemented has yet to be determined.
San Juan County’s newly adopted recycling fees will come in a range of prices — small, medium and large. On Dec. 7, the County Council approved a three-tiered package of recycling fees — $5, $25, $50 — in its long-running effort to bolster the bottom line of the Solid Waste Division, a $2 million-plus yearly enterprise.
The South Whidbey Falcons dealt the Friday Harbor Wolverines a sizable 67-43 defeat in Friday Harbor’s season-opener Dec. 4 at South Whidbey. South Whidbey senior Riley Newman tallied 17 points to lead all scorers, and fellow senior Tyler Norris dominated play in the low post, dropping in 6-of-11 shot attempts for 12 points and grabbing five rebounds.
They call themselves the Big Kahuna. And after two days on the water, four fisherman from Marysville landed a prize equal to their name by reeling in the biggest fish in the inaugural Resurrection Derby, sponsored by the San Juan Islands Chapter of Puget Sound Anglers.
The days of free recycling are over. On Nov. 30, the San Juan County Council gave preliminary approval to recycling fees that would primarily target self-haul customers. If approved, those fees would go into effect beginning Jan. 1. Though prices have yet to be finalized, the council opted for fees that would function on a sliding scale, meaning the amount one pays depends on the volume of recycled materials, rather than a flat $5 fee that applies to each and every load regardless of size.
With both hands firmly clasped on the handle of a shopping cart, Rusty Argall knew exactly what she wanted. She had only four minutes, however, to execute her plan. “I know what I want. I just have to remember where everything is,” Argall said moments before making a frantic dash down the aisles at King’s Market on behalf of the Friday Harbor Food Bank, the winner of this year’s annual four-minute shopping spree sponsored by the San Juan Island Lions Club.
A San Juan Island man was left to pick up the pieces in unforgiving weather after a fast-moving fire destroyed his Miller Road home early Nov. 18. Within 24 hours after the home burned, snow began to fall and temperatures plunged. The home was one of three of similar size on Whitman Dunham’s lot in the 400 block of Miller Road.
On Thursday, the Friday Harbor Town Council put its stamp of approval on a binding agreement that calls for the town to pay San Juan Island Fire Department for five months of fire protection within the town’s boundaries.
At roughly $1 million, the single-largest loan, one of four approved Nov. 16 by the County Council, would erase a lingering deficit accumulated by the Solid Waste projects and utility funds over the past two years. Those two funds ended 2008 in the hole by a combined $346,000, and were $826,000 in the red by the end of 2009.
What better way to show gratitude than with a cupcake, decorated and frosted in red, white and blue?
The red roses were a nice touch too.
On the eve of Veterans Day, students and faculty of Friday Harbor Middle School took time out to pay tribute to a dozen local veterans and to recognize their years of collective military service as part of the school’s Veterans Assembly.
Four men accused of hunting deer at night — a violation of state rules — could face criminal charges following a recent investigation into serial poaching on San Juan Island. Local prosecutors are expected to meet with state Fish and Wildlife officers early next week to review the case and determine what, if any, crimes each of the four men may be charged with. All four are in the early 20s and are believed to have played some role in the alleged poaching, according to Sgt. Mike Hobbs of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
His vote on the Brickworks project may have cost Rich Peterson some friends. But it didn’t cost him the election. In his first contested run for public office, Peterson cruised to victory as District 2 voters handed the 68-year-old retired fire chief from Santa Barbara a second term on the San Juan County Council, Nov. 2.
Owners of properties that no longer meet the criteria of a working farm may be able to receive a portion of the annual property tax break many farms have long enjoyed, under a series of proposed changes to the county’s open-space program.
