Kitsap County's Shoreline Buffers Appealed to U.S. Supreme Court

The Kitsap Alliance of Property Owners (KAPO) -represented by the Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF)- has appealed to the Supreme Court the legality of government forcing land owners to “surrender control over all of his or her land from the water line to as much as 100 feet inland.”

The full question presented to the Court is:

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Supreme Court Rules In Favor Of The Island Guardian In Johnson Case

George Johnson has lost his battle to keep 17 pages of documents out of the hands of the Island Guardian. The pages are related to Johnson’s one million dollar claim against the County in his "$1 Million “Whistleblower” lawsuit

The Court’s eight page (86302-4_WA_SC_Johnson.pdf (323\k file)) "Ruling Denying Review" of Johnson’s case was the end of his effort to stop the release of documents that turned out to not have any great revelations about his case, other than that there appeared to be numerous reasons as to why Johnson no longer works for the County. And a small tidbit about some spyware that had been placed on one or two county computers. (see links at end of story)

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Saint Mary Sinks

(IOSA positioning oil boom-DOE photo)

The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology), U.S. Coast Guard, and the Islands’ Oil Spill Association (IOSA) are working to contain oil leaking from a sunken vessel in Blind Bay on Shaw Island.

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Lot's Of Green For A Green Highway

Some day it may be possible to drive electric vehicles from British Columbia to Baja California. On Wednesday the Washington State Department of Transportation and Bellingham Mayor Dan Pike will break ground to begin Washington’s segment of the West Coast Green Highway -and Bellingham’s first public DC fast-charging station for electric vehicles.
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County Farmland Preservation Grant "Wrap Up"

San Juan County recently wrapped up their work from a $25,000 farmland preservation technical assistance grant awarded by the Washington State Office of Farmland Preservation for development of a county agricultural strategic plan.
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$6.3 Million In Federal Grants To Local Communities

To help Puget Sound communities grow in ways that protect the Sound, the Washington departments of Commerce, Ecology and the Puget Sound Partnership are working together to offer $6.3 million in federal grants for 18 local projects to improve the health of the watersheds where Puget Sounders live.

As for San Juan County, while not part of the 18 recipients, it is one of the over 60 other grant recipient, and qualified for $1,054,396.00 to build “San Juan County’s capacity to manage growth sustainably and establishes a regional forum to help share information on how to protect island communities as they grow.”

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White Christmas? Pack Patience & Tire Chains If Heading For The Mountains

(Stevens Pass, 12-24-11; @7:22 AM -WSDOT photo)

OLYMPIA - A white Christmas? Could be -at least in the mountains. Forecasts call for a snowstorm to hit the mountain passes just in time for Christmas holiday travel, and travelers should plan to pack tire chains and a winter kit alongside presents before hitting the road.

Weather forecasts show a storm system moving into the mountains late Saturday, Dec. 24, into Sunday, Dec. 25. Heavy snow could hit areas above 2,500 feet, which includes all Washington’s mountains pass highways.
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Port of FH Installs “Dark Skies” Street Lights

(IG photo)

The island’s first public street lights using LED technology have been installed at the Friday Harbor Airport, and they are manufactured to provide “Dark Skies” shading to protect airport neighbors from unwanted light.
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Winter Schedule Starts Sunday Jan 1

The new winter sailing schedule begins Sunday, Jan. 1, and San Juan Islands customers are warned to pay particular attention to the winter 2012 sailing schedule.

Although it is similar to the winter 2011 schedule, WSF has made minor sailing time adjustments to improve on time performance.


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Student Essay Contests Offered

Students, in the 5th to 12th grade in a public, private, or home school, are eligible to enter an essay contest. A $100 cash award will be given to the local winning essay.

The contest is sponsored by the local Daughters of American Revolution (DAR)) and the winning essays will be forwarded to the Washington State DAR Essay Contest to be considered for possible other awards.

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More Misdemeanors Will Be Dismissed In 2012

County budget cuts for 2012 means a deputy prosecutor handling misdemeanors will be reduced from full-time from to about half-time.

Beginning in January, the prosecutor's office will implement new procedures to reduce the cases that are heard in district court. The prosecutor’s office issued a press release on Tuesday stating: “Many offenses will be dismissed outright or resolved with pre-filing diversion.”
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Boat Burns, Sinks, Owner Okay

(PRESS RELEASE) ~ Islands’ Oil Spill Association responders are on standby since 3 am on December 17, 2011, after being notified of a vessel on fire near Shipyard Cove Marina. When IOSA was notified, the crew of fire boat Confidence was fighting the fire. Despite their efforts the 27’ fiberglass boat sank in 40’ of water.

The presumed owner, who was on board when the fire started, escaped without injury into his skiff.

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Brann Cabin Restoration Runs Out Of Money

(San Juan County photo)

The San Juan County Parks and Fair Department is hoping to raise approximately $37,000 in private donations or in-kind services and materials to complete the historic Brann Cabin restoration to a fully functional, open to the public, building.

Using funds raised by Friday Harbor school children, County Historic preservation grants, and the Park Fund, the first phase of the project is nearly complete.


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King Tides A’Coming

The state Ecology Department is inviting the public once again to share their photos of the upcoming naturally-occurring higher than usual winter tides - also called "king tides."

The first king tide occurs In the Strait of Juan de Fuca, they occur Dec. 21-25, 2011, and Jan. 18-22, 2012


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Gov. Has New Strategies To Reform State Government

Gov. Chris Gregoire, in a continuing effort to reduce costs and make state government more efficient, has outlined a series of reform measures she will present to the Legislature to help fill a $2 billion budget deficit.

“We’ve confronted the world financial crisis and used it to make state government better, faster and cheaper,” Gregoire said.
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Marine Biodiversity Loss Greater Than Predicted

A study on biodiversity loss in the San Juan Islands and the west coast of Vancouver Island may result from a combination of rising temperatures and predation -and may be more severe than currently predicted, according to a study by University of British Columbia zoologist Christopher Harley.

His report in the current issue of the journal Science, examined the response of rocky shore barnacles and mussels to the combined effects of warming and predation by sea stars.

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Colton-Harris Gets 7 years

(Screen capture photo: Colton pleads guilty in Island County Court )

Island County Judge Vicki Churchill has sentenced Colton-Harris Moore, 20 years old, to 87 months.

In handing down the sentence Churchill said she was aware of the conditions under which he lived, referring to his treatment as how one would raise a dog. She also noted that while the crimes he committed were numerous and still have an ongoing impact on those who where the victims, he did not commit any violent crimes.

She also said she was aware Moore would not profit in any way from pending film and book deals; and that Moore had willingly agreed that any and all money should go to compensate his victims.

The defense brought a Harvard trained psychiatrist to the stand to testify that Moore suffered from fetal alcohol syndrome, as well as emotional problems resulting from the neglect and verbal abuse from his mother. [see related story below -Ed]

That takes care of the county charges, however, he still faces sentencing early next year in federal court.

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Colton Harris-Moore Sentencing Today

(Screen capture photo: Randy Gaylord in Island County Court )

By Bob Friel

Colton Harris-Moore Friday's proceedings in Island County will be the actual sentencing ( view live feed at 9:30 from court room) where the judge will listen to arguments for why she should give Colt the maximum time in prison or reduce it to something at the lower range of the guidelines.

To try to convince her to give Colt the full nine years and eight months for the gun charge (all sentences will be concurrent), prosecutors will talk of the damage he did, the danger he was, the costs to try to apprehend him.
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Hospice of SJ Offers Grief & Loss Support Group

Nearly everyone experiences loss and grief at some time. When someone we are close to dies, those who survive often find ourselves at a loss. A vacuum is created. Many questions arise. What’s next? Who am I now in this life? Thoughts and feelings may seem off kilter.
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A Good Landing Is Any Landing You Walk Away From…Again…

(San Juan Sheriff's office photo)

San Juan Islander Denny Martel had another little scare Tuesday morning when his plane lost power shortly after take off from his private strip in San Juan Valley.

This is not the first time Denny has shown his skill in making an unscheduled landing, or as one wag put it “practice makes perfect.” The cause for the sudden loss of power is still unknown, but when the engine shut down, Martel circled back to an open field and was able to set the 1955 Piper Cub down in a pasture near his home.
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Council Tweaks Ordinance On Critical Areas

The County Council completed their latest review, and made changes, additions and deletions to the CAO (Critical Area Ordinance) General Section on Tuesday, and sent it back to the Planning Department for an updating, all as part of producing a final draft for public comment prior to the council passing it.

Some of the areas the council struggled with had to do with defining words and concepts, and having consistence with terms in the CAO, and with other existing regulations.
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Gregoire’s New Initiative To Restore Puget Sound

(PRESS RELEASE) ~ Gov. Chris Gregoire today unveiled the Washington Shellfish Initiative, an agreement among federal and state government, tribes, and the shellfish industry to restore and expand Washington’s shellfish resources to promote clean-water commerce and create family wage jobs.
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Women’s Fund Announces Local Grants

The Women’s Fund (WF), a part of the San Juan Island Community Foundation, is comprised of more than 80 individual women, each of who donate at least $100.00 per year for philanthropic purposes.

The WF reviews grant proposals from non-profit organizations before voting to award money. San Juan Island women have been pooling their resources for more than eight years. The WF has just announced the recipients of their 2011 grant program:
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Chetzemoka Makes Trade Magazine’s Top 10 Work Boats Of 2011

(Work Boat magazine screen capture photo)

(PRESS RELEASE) ~ Washington state’s first new ferries of the 21st century are making waves and charting a course toward success. The Chetzemoka, Salish and Kennewick were recently named Significant Boats of 2011 by U.S. maritime industry publication WorkBoat Magazine /font> .

“This is a tremendous distinction and one we are excited to share with our partners Vigor Industrial and Elliott Bay Design Group,” said David Moseley, assistant secretary for Washington State Ferries. “We’re pleased this new class of ferries is getting this well-deserved national attention.”

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