The
INSIDE Sheriff’s Log
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Food lab open house
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Update on school
George Willis photo
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www.islandsweekly.com 360-376-4500
Islands’ eekly W
VOLUME 36, NUMBER 1 • JANUARY 5, 2016
A year in review: Top Weekly stories of 2015 Weekly staff report At the end of the year, the Weekly takes a look at the biggest headlines of the past 12 months. We choose the top 10 from our most read online stories as well as events we feel impacted and shaped our community.
1. Keaton Farris dies in jail
Keaton Farris, 25, of Lopez Island, died of dehydration and malnutrition in the Island County Jail on April 8. Prior to his death he was shuffled among three jails before being booked into the Coupeville lockup. He was in the throes of mental health crisis when he was taken into custody March 20 in Lynnwood. He missed court that day, and a San Juan County judge issued a $10,000 warrant. Farris was charged with identity theft for forging a $355 check in San Juan County. Outcry from Farris’ family, friends and community have raised questions about how the justice system deals with mental health. The family has reached a $4 million settlement with three counties.
2. State ferry reservations have a bumpy start
The Washington state ferry system began operation of the ferry reservation system on Jan. 5 of this year. The new system was met with resistance, particularly from the island communities. Islanders had grown accustom to being limited by the ferry schedule, but
some felt that the reservation system added more of a burden to islanders, and pandered to tourists. The WSF administration has had several meetings to hear from islanders about how they feel the reservation system is doing, and is asking for feedback or comments.
3. Bob Myhr retires
OPALCO board member, Bob Myhr, will retire at the end of this year. Myhr is currently serving as vice president and represents District 3, comprised of Lopez, Decatur, Center and Charles islands. He joined the co-op in 1967, and was elected to the board in 1986.
4. New county sheriff
Sheriff Ron Krebs was sworn in Jan. 1. He is San Juan County’s 18th sheriff. Running on improving communication, professionalism and strengthening moral within the sheriff ’s department, and improve communication with the public as well as other agencies the department works with. This resonated with voters, who elected him by 64 percent. During a survey taken in March 2015, voters reiterated their concern about relationships between the public and deputies. “My goal is to change that quickly,” Krebs said. “There is absolutely no reason that our deputies should not be professional and friendly in our community.”
Eli West and Kendl Winter “Music the World Needs”
Acoustic Duets: String Music from Old Time, Bluegrass & Swedish
LOPEZ CENTER SAT, JAN. 9, 7:30 PM Tickets: Adult $15, Youth $6 PSR, Lopez Bookshop & lopezcenter.org
5. Lopez school welcomes a new superintendent
Brian Auckland has been named the new superintendent of Lopez Island School District. In August of 2014, Auckland was hired as the interim elementary principal and special services director, replacing Lisa Shelby who has returned to Alaska. Auckland’s aunt lives on Lopez so he visited the island often throughout his life.
6. Dinosaur bone found on Sucia Island
Washington is now the 37th state where dinosaur fossils have been found. The fossil was collected by a Burke Museum research team along the shores of Sucia Island State Park in the San Juan Islands. The find is exciting and rare for Washington state, which was mostly underwater during the period that dinosaurs lived. Because dinosaurs were land animals, it is very unusual to find dinosaur fossils in marine rocks— making this fossil a lucky discovery. The fossil is a partial left femur of a theropod dinosaur, the group of two-legged, carnivorous dinosaurs that includes Velociraptor, Tyrannosaurus rex and modern birds. The fossil is 16.7 inches long and 8.7 inches wide. Because the fossil is incomplete, paleontologists were unable to identify the exact family or species it belonged to. However, Sidor and Peecook compared the fossil to other museums’ specimens and were able to calculate that the com-
Contributed photo/ Courtesy Of The Burke Museum
Christian Sidor, Burke Museum curator of vertebrate paleontology, and Brandon Peecook, University of Washington graduate student, show the size and placement of the fossil fragment compared to the cast of a Daspletosaurusfemur. plete femur would have been over three feet long – slightly smaller than T. rex. The fossil is from the Late Cretaceous period and is approximately 80 million years old.
7. The new Samish ferry
Washington State Ferries took possession of the $126 million Samish from boat builder and contractor Portland, Ore.-based Vigor Industrial in early April. Following two months of sea trials and crew training, the Olympic Class ferry began service on the Anacortes/San Juan Islands route Sunday, June 14, on the eve of the summer sailing season.
8. Crack down on illegal rentals
San Juan County has created a database of all vacation lodging being advertised in the county to ensure
that all units are registered under a state business license, have a county transient lodging permit, and are paying the appropriate state and county sales and lodging taxes. The county is also examining how the proliferation of vacation rentals might be affecting the availability of longterm, affordable housing that supplies the county’s middle working class. Because short-term rental owners who have not been paying taxes have an unfair advantage over those who do comply, this April the county council passed a resolution that requires local visitors’ bureaus and chambers of commerce receiving funding from the county to collect information from their lodging members and transient rental listings: a tax parcel number; a transient lodging permit; and a valid state Unified Business Identifier.
9. Citizens seek federal court injunction for Celebrate! Open House! Growlers 1-4pm,Sun.,Jan.10
The U.S. Navy was taken into federal court by citi-
zens seeking an injunction to halt the “ongoing and irreparable injury” from the “noise assault” created by the EA-18G Growler attack jets based at Whidbey Naval Air Station. The controversial Growlers are the source of increasing noise complaints throughout Puget Sound.
10. Eighth new orca baby confirmed
Dec. 1 brought the sighting of another new Southern resident orca calf. J-54 was first spotted by whale watchers and later confirmed by the Center for Whale Research. This brings the orca baby boom to a total of eight for 2015. According to the Center for Whale Research, the only time a baby boom this large was recorded was back in 1977. That year had a total of nine calves. A typical year averages about three. This current baby boom brings the Southern residents population 84 identified whales. For a group that numbered nearly one hundred in the SEE STORIES, PAGE 5
Community Calendar ON-GOING: Ancestry.com tutorials, available by appointment at the Lopez Island Library. Learn to use this remarkable tool available as part of your library’s digital access and discover where your family comes from. Call 468-2265 or stop by the library to schedule your 30-minute tutorial.
tool Pronunciator, www. pronunciator.com. Free tutorials, 4-5 p.m., in the library’s community room.
TUESDAYS ON-GOING: Learn how to download eBooks! Free tutorials every Tuesday in the library’s community room, 4-5 p.m. Bring your device and log-in information (for Kindles your Amazon log-in info).
TUESDAYS ON-GOING: Pinochle night, 7 p.m., Woodmen Hall. Pinochle lovers unite. We will refresh your memory if you can’t quite remember how to play. Want to learn? We’ll teach you how.
WEDNESDAYS STORYTIME: Wednesday Morning Story Time at the Lopez Island Library, 10-10:30 a.m. Baby and Toddler Story Time; 11
MONDAYS ON-GOING: Learn a foreign language with the digital
-11:30 a.m. Preschoolers Story Time. Join us each Wednesday morning for rhymes, songs and books. You’re never too young to become a fan of stories. In the Helen Anderson Children’s Room at the Lopez Island Library.
JAN. 1 - 3 NEW YEAR’S LABYRINTH WALK: Whispers of Nature’s Labyrinth will be open Jan. 1-3 all day. Come by, take a winter labyrinth walk and set your intentions for the New Year. All are welcome. For more info please send email to whispersofnature@gmail. com.
SAT, JAN. 2 AUDUBON CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT: 9 a.m., North two-thirds of Lopez Island (outdoors). Join other birdwatchers to count birds on Lopez for the 116th annual Christmas Bird Count. All abilities welcome. Contact beth.stgeorge@gmail.com for more information.More Info: http://www.audubon. org/content/join-christmasbird-count SAT, JAN. 9 TALK: A Jungle Story: Memories of War in the South Pacific, WW II Veteran Dan Silkiss, 2 - 3 p.m., Lopez Island Library - meeting room . WW II veteran Dan Silkiss shares
stories of his time on a “Ship and Gun Crew” in the South Pacific. Dan’s sailed Australia, Papua, Dutch New Guinea and the Phillipines as a gunner on US tankers delivering aviation fuel. He was also a sergeant in command of gun crews on the S.S.Karsik and the M.S. Janssens. In Biak, Dutch New Guinea he was injured when the Japanese attacked and recovered in an Australian hospital. Remarkable photographs accompany Dan’s talk. We would like to extend a special invitation to Lopez Island veterans from all wars to attend. Coffee and cookies will be provided.
Danny Schmidt returns to Lopez at Sunnyfield Farm Lopez Island AA Meetings: Mondays - 7:30 p.m. at the Children’s Center Wednesdays - 4 p.m. Women’s meeting at the fellowship hall at Grace Episcopal Church Saturdays - noon at the Children’s Center Call 468-2809
Productions (Sue DuMond). The venue is provided by Sunnyfield farm. Schmidt returns for his third visit to Lopez Island. Danny inaugurated the first Home on the Grange show in 2007 and returned again in 2008. Since the first show with Schmidt, Home on the Grange Productions went on to produce 30 successful music events from 2007-2012, held in the wooden halls of Lopez Island, the Grange, Port Stanley Schoolhouse and Woodmen Hall. Schmidt’s return to Lopez Island, marks Home on the Granges first foray into house concerts and a co-sponsorship with Callie North of Pachamama Apothecary,
Danny Schmidt will appear at Sunnyfield Farm 6363 Fisherman Bay Rd. Lopez Island 7 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 16. The event is co-sponsored by Callie North of Pachamama Apothecary, and Home On The Grange
Al-Anon: Saturdays - 9:30 a.m. at the Children’s Center Call 468-4703
Lopez Business Hours Lopez Islander
Southend Restaurant
BREAKFAST 10 a.m. Sat/Sun LUNCH DAILY 11:30-4:30 p.m. DINNER DAILY 4:30-8 p.m. Sun-Thurs 4:30-9 p.m. Fri/Sat
Thursday-Saturday 11:30-8 Sunday 11:30-3:00 Beer-Wine-Great Food Delicious Baked Goods Weekend Specials, Deli To Go Items
Come in and enjoy our renowned special RR Prime Rib Thurs.-Sat.
www.lopezfun.com 468-2233
Just Heavenly Fudge Factory OPEN DAILY 11:30 - 4:30 pm Dec. 31 10:30 - 3:30 pm Closed Jan. 1
Southend General Store
Fudge 1/2 Price SALE
Full Service Grocery Store Winter Hours 7:30 to 7:30 everyday southendgeneralstore andrestaurant.com
Happy New Year! 468-2439
justheavenlyfudge.com
468-2315
Publisher
Danny Schmidt Named to the Chicago Tribune’s 50 Most Significant Songwriters in the Last 50 Years, Austin, TX-based singer/songwriter Danny Schmidt has amassed a cult following for his stunningly poetic, poignant imagery. With lyrical depth drawing comparisons to Leonard Cohen, Townes Van Zandt, and Dave Carter, Schmidt is considered a preeminent writer, an artist whose earthy poetry manages to somehow conjure magic from the mundane, leading Sing
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Out Magazine to tag him as: “Perhaps the best new songwriter we’ve heard in the last 15 years.” Performing solo almost exclusively, armed with just his voice, his acoustic guitar, and his acute commentary, Schmidt’s an authentic timeless troubadour, one man sharing his truth in the form of songs, unadorned and intimate. The understated effect can
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which opens March 2016 in the Homestead Building, next to Vortex in Lopez Village. Pachamama Apothecary will carry an array of bulk medicinal herbs, butters, oils, local medicines, supplements, books, natural and holistic remedies, altar items, and pottery. In addition, proprietress Callie North envisions “blending the healing and cultural arts” by sponsoring holistic workshops and music events that “educate and invigorate the spirit.” She hopes to hold future events at Pachamama and outside on the Homestead buildings grounds. For more info, visit www. pmapothecary.com.
The Islands’ Weekly • www.islandsweekly.com • January 5, 2016 – Page 2
(360) 378-5696 (888) 562-8818 (800) 388-2527
be startlingly powerful. As songwriter Jeffrey Foucault put it: “Everything about the man is gentle, except for his capacity for insight, which is crushing.” For more info, visit www. dannyschmidt.com/ or call 468-2753 Tickets are $15. The pace is limited. First come, first serve. Car-pooling encouraged. Tea provided, finger food potluck
Postmaster: Send address changes to The Islands’ Weekly, PO Box 758 Eastsound, WA 98245-0758. Member of Washington Newspaper Publishers Association, National Newspaper Association.
San Juan County Sheriff’s Log The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office responded to the following calls. Dec. 4 • A deputy in Friday Harbor received a report of a citizen dispute. The deputy contacted the people involved and resolved the issue. Dec. 5 • An Eastsound resident turned in found property. Dec. 6 • A deputy checked a white Chevrolet Cavalier with truck plates at Lopez Airport lot. DOL was down. Owner said he transferred plates to the car. DOL record shows otherwise. Dec. 7 • Two cows were out on the road on Lopez. They had been returned to their pasture and secured prior to the deputy’s arrival. • A Lopez vehicle towed as a traffic hazard. • Workers on site accidentally set off an alarm on Lopez. • A deputy was contacted in reference to a theft that occurred in the Friday Harbor area. The item taken was removed from a business. • A Friday Harbor resident called to report two “pit bull-type” dogs were chasing her chickens in her back yard. She was able to chase them off before they injured any of the birds. She did not recognize the dogs. Multiple checks of the nearby neighborhoods was made without locating the animals. • The sheriff’s office was contacted by a family member whose brother had died at a main land hospital. The brothers had not been in close contact for a number of years. The brother believes a number of his brother’s weapons might have been stolen but understands his brother may have sold them over the years. Dec. 8 • A deputy responded to a vehicle accident on Guard Street in Friday Harbor. The subject was still at the scene and said he was not driving and advised the driver left to obtain a tow for the vehicle. There was no damage to the vehicle, no witnesses and no injuries. Dec. 9 • A deputy responded to a Friday Harbor address in reference to a dog-at-large complaint. The dog owner has received written notice not to allow his dog to roam on a previous incident and has continued to allow his
dog to roam. • Seven Lopez sheep were running at large and were returned to their pasture on the corner of Hummel Lake and Port Stanley Road. • A deputy received a report of the theft of a trailer hitch on San Juan Island. It is valued at approximately $230.00 dollars. • A Lopez Island deputy received a shoplifting complaint from a local business. The business owner declined pressing charges after learning the suspect suffered mental illness. The involved person agreed to not enter the store again. • A San Juan Island deputy issued a driver a notice of infraction for squealing his tires at the intersection of Second Street and Spring Street. Dec. 10 • A deputy responded to a business in Friday Harbor in reference to possible vandalism. They discovered two small holes on one of their front glass windows. Damage could have been caused by rocks or BBs. • A deputy responded to an injury collision on Roche Harbor Road, near Gunning Lane. The driver was transported to the hospital via ambulance to treat minor injuries. The driver was subsequently arrested for driving under the influence. Dec. 11 • A deputy was contacted in reference to a theft in the Friday Harbor area. The caller reported several items were removed from his residence. • A Lopez Island resident filed a disorderly conduct complaint after another resident called him an offensive name and made numerous threatening motions with his fists. The victim declined filing criminal charges but wanted the event documented. Dec. 12 • A reporting deputy was dispatched to a residential burglary in progress in the San Juan Island area. The reporting deputy arrived and found the residence secure and empty. It was determined that the caller was in a location outside San Juan County. • A deputy investigated reported vandalism at the corner of Olga Road and Crescent Beach Road in Eastsound. An additional location was found during the investigation. The case is under further investigation. • A deputy received a report that profanities had been spray painted on three
unit doors of an Eastsound storage unit business. The suspects were identified. • An employee of a Friday Harbor restaurant discovered a person inside the restaurant after hours. Deputies made contact with the subject who was an ex-employee. The owner wanted the male subject removed from the property. Dec. 13 • A Lopez Island resident reported property damage to trees in front of his south end home from an overnight hit and run crash. • Two juveniles who spray painted messages around Eastsound were brought in by their parents. The case is being sent to juvenile probation for follow up. Dec. 14 • A deputy responded to a reported vandalism located on North Beach Road, Eastsound. The suspects had previously been identified during other related incidents. • A deputy was dispatched to the San Juan Island area in reference to a theft. Evidence was collected at the scene. • A Lopez Island woman reported the theft of a power tool. • An Eastsound resident reported a missing moped. • A Lopez Island deputy came upon a disabled vehicle on a curve on Mud Bay Road and helped the driver push the car safely out of the roadway. The driver said he would remove the vehicle in the morning. • A deputy in Friday Harbor received a report of a vandalism. Dec. 15 • A Lopez Island woman reported a pickup truck parked in a roadway on Bayshore Road. A deputy checked the vehicle, and saw a note indicating it would be towed later in the day. It was removed within a couple hours of the report. • A Lopez Island woman reported multiple gunshots in the area of her residence. A deputy checked the area and found duck/goose hunters in a nearby field. The hunters were on the property with the permission of the landowner, and were lawfully hunting in a safe manner. • A deputy responded to the Deer Harbor area regarding a threats complaint. The deputy arrived and contacted all parties involved and determined the incident was a civil matter. • A deputy responded
to an Eastsound address regarding a report of harassment. The reporting party was contacted and the incident was settled by contact. Dec. 16 • A Lopez Island resident reported receiving a suspicious call from someone representing themselves as an employee of the IRS. Upon becoming suspicious of the questions being asked, the person hung up. No personal identifying information was given. It was referred to the Federal Trade Commission. • A Lopez Island man reported that he had found a canoe washed up on a beach on Mud Bay. The canoe had no identifying markings or numbers. The canoe was left in the finder’s possession pending identification of the owner. • A deputy responded to a report of a dog bothering a person’s ducks in the Olga area of Orcas Island. • A deputy responded to a Friday Harbor residence for a domestic violence and malicious mischief call. Upon arrival a 17-year-old male was arrested and brought to the Sheriff’s Office to be processed. The juvenile was later released to the care of his father. Dec. 18 • A San Juan Island person stated that someone she knew was coming on her property when the complainant was not home. The suspect was married to the former owner of the property and feels the need to report the activity and state of repair of the property to the ex-husband. • A San Juan Island person stated that packages were stolen from his delivery location. Dec. 19 • A passing motorist reported a vehicle crashed into the ditch at Mud Bay Road near Islandale Road on Lopez Island but the driver was not around. The driver was identified, and he returned to the scene to remove the vehicle. • A commercial burglar alarm brought a Lopez Island deputy to a business in Lopez Village. The building was found secure, with no signs of forced entry. • A Lopez Island Deputy made a traffic stop for unsafe passing in a no passing zone in the 3800 block of Fisherman Bay Road on. The vehicle driver was issued a notice of infraction for the violation and released. • A deputy stopped a vehicle in the Town of
Friday Harbor for missing a front license plate. Subsequent investigation showed the driver was driving with a suspended/ revoked driver’s license in the third degree. The deputy issued the driver a criminal citation for DWLS 3. • A man reported his I-Pad Mini was taken from in front of the Lopez Village Market • An Eastsound resident reported damage to her vehicle while shopping in Eastsound. Dec. 20 • A 25 year old Georgia man was stopped for speeding and cited by a Lopez Island deputy for Driving While License Suspended or Revoked. The man’s driving privi-
leges in Washington were suspended for a previous unpaid traffic ticket. Dec. 21 • A Lopez Island woman reported that a wanted subject was staying at her home with family members. Deputies checked the home, but the wanted subject was not there at that time. • Deputies responded to a DV situation in progress. The incident occurred in Friday Harbor, WA. After making contact with both par ties involved, statements and photographs were taken and both subjects involved were instructed not to make contact with the other.
FIBER UPDATE Rock Island Communications has been busy installing fiber optic broadband to homes and businesses around the county. This historic undertaking will provide fast, reliable Internet up to 200Mbps+ to those who want it. We’re currently managing hundreds of construction projects countywide. Here are some of the groups we’ve been working with to date: Current Group Projects: Matia View on Orcas Island Morning Light on Orcas Island Suncrest on Orcas Island Whiskey Hill on Lopez Island Cape San Juan on San Juan Island Mineral Point on San Juan Island Spring Point on Orcas Island Mineral Heights on San Juan Island The Highlands on San Juan Island Upcoming Group Projects: Cayou Valley on Orcas Island Gary Oak on San Juan Island Portland Fair Area on San Juan Island Panorama Place on San Juan Island Brown Island on Brown Island Salmon Point on Lopez Island You Can Get Connected Too! Learn more about organizing at rockisland.com, or attend one of our monthly meetings.
MONTHLY FIBER MEETUPS
Monthly Open Fiber Meeting: Join us this month for our general information session. All are welcome! Meeting: January 6, 2016 – 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Monthly Group Organizer Meeting: Learn more about organizing your group at this session. Next Meeting: January 13, 2016 – 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Both meetings held on Orcas Island this October (meetings will rotate islands every month). Rock Island Communications 208 Enchanted Forest Rd., Suite D Eastsound, WA 98245 rockisland.com
The Islands’ Weekly • www.islandsweekly.com • January 5, 2016 – Page 3
Lopez Fit open house celebration set for Sunday Lopez Fit has survived its first year and is ready for 2016. An open house celebration is planned from 1-4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 10 at the gym, 131 Weeks Road. The gym is buzzing with the activity of its many members working out on the equipment. Help is available as needed as well as classes and personal training. Founded as the old Island Fitness was closing, Lopez Fit was inspired by Heidi Strong and some loyal class members who rallied to save
Crossword Puzzle Across 1. Costa del ___ 4. Book of maps 9. Adult 14. "The Three Faces of ___" 15. Allotment 16. Give the third degree 17. Hard throw, in baseball 18. Absurd 19. OK, in a way 20. 3-sided polygon 22. Clairvoyants 23. Beside 24. Heavy loads 26. Boston suburb 27. Man with a mission 30. “Sesame Street” watcher 31. Park, for one 33. Easy mark 35. Office Furniture (2 wds) 38. Dentist's direction 39. Hidden 40. "A jealous mistress": Emerson 41. Oblivion 42. "O, gie me the ___ that has acres o' charms": Burns 46. French for Herbarium 49. Military wear 50. Electron tube 51. Pool chemical 54. Scalawag 55. Pizazz
their class by creating a new state nonprofit organization, finding a smaller location, collecting funds and resources and engaging volunteers. With the generous support of Aaron Dye, the former gym owner, who donated the flooring and the machines, Lopez Fit was conceived and created. Heidi’s class has grown and there are now two sessions three days a week. Silver Sneakers members meet twice week and are always welcome. Personal training is available. Lopez Fit is open eight hours a day thanks to the generous help of volunteers. Each volunteer must pass a CPR course and be familiar with all the equipment in order to provide help when needed. Strong is the gym manager, and with White Bear’s capable assistance, they keep
the place humming. There are daily, monthly and annual memberships available as well as punch cards. Lopez Fit offers a sliding fee scale for any island resident. Everyone who wants to get some exercise can do so at Lopez Fit. Like so many Lopez organizations, Lopez Fit exists to serve the community with the generous support of donors and volunteers. As it moves into its second year, we urge you to check out our facility, consider becoming a member and/or volunteer to help keep it open and help provide financial assistance. Twenty five free coupons for a one day tryout will be offered to new gym users at the open house. Please join us for our open house.
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Sudoku 56. Fed. Construction overseer 57. Complimentary close 58. Postal scale unit 59. Coal carrier 60. “You ___ kidding!” 61. Counseled 62. “Don't give up!” Down 1. Relating to thin wall between nostrils 2. Too 3. Host 4. Imitating 5. Bell sound 6. Loyal
7. Clearasil target 8. "Comprende?" 9. An onlooker, starer 10. Let go 11. A spray of feathers 12. Soviet open policy 13. Addition 21. Chronicles 22. "So ___ me!" 24. Inhale 25. Chester White's home 27. Ballpoint, e.g. 28. Fisherman 29. Old gold coin 32. Compete 33. A.T.M. need 34. Elk mantelpiece 35. Emergency exit
The Islands’ Weekly • www.islandsweekly.com • January 5, 2016 – Page 4
(2 wds) 36. Curiosity or interest 37. Drone, e.g. 38. "Go team!" 41. "Malcolm X" director 43. In order 44. Electric eye, e.g. 45. Unfaltering 47. Stream 48. Clarification lead-in 49. Blasé 51. Hint 52. Full house, e.g. 53. Vermin 54. Scandinavian shag rug 55. In favor of Answers to today's puzzle on page 8
Fill in the blank cells using numbers 1 to 9. Each number can appear only once in each row, column, and 3x3 block. Use logic and process of elimination to solve the puzzle. The difficulty ranges from 1-5 (easy) 6-10 (moderate) and 11-15 (hard). Today’s puzzle is level 3. Sudoku and Crossword answers on page 8
Lopez food safety laboratory open to farm community Lopez Community Food Analysis Laboratory has scheduled an open house from 12 - 5 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 15 to celebrate the new community food lab. Lopez Island has a rich and venerable agricultural history that dates back to the 1860’s when the first wave of settlers arrived in the island. By the late 1890’s, Lopez Island emerged as the largest producer of agricultural products in the San Juan Island region. In the last 80 years, the various changes in economic and agricultural models that have taken place in the US have reduced the number of working farms on Lopez Island from 134 in the 1930’s to less than 40 at the present time. Despite the difficulties and challenges that the changing times have brought upon this community, the farming culture has managed to survive. With sheer perseverance and unshakable faith, the farmers and food processors of Lopez Island have managed to keep the tradition of sustainable food production fervently alive. This island tends to face the difficulties of the present and future as a community. The sense of cooperation that made it possible for Lopez to share the use of the only threshing machine in the island in the 1930’s is kept well alive today through the community-wide use of the mobile slaughterhouse. Today, Lopez farmers and food processors face a different kind of challenge. The recent changes in food safety regulations in the U.S. have ushered the need for food producers to periodically generate objective evidence that their food products are not contaminated and are not being manufactured, packaged or stored in a contaminated environment. The most effective method of meeting this requirement is through periodic testing of products and environmental samples. For an island community, this obviously presents a logistical and financial hurdle. As in the past, the island has united as a community to find a viable solution.
STORIES CONTINUED FROM 1
90s, this is much-needed good news for the orcas. They are by no means out of the woods. A major threat to the Southern residents is a decline in the salmon population, most importantly King, or Chinook, their favorite food, but they face other issues as well. Hopefully these young whales will thrive, and be the beginning of a turnaround for the orcas.
Honorable mentions Remembering Gene Knapp
Gene passed away at his home on Orcas Island Oct. 18 after an extended illness. Gene Knapp was remembered for many things: his
FoodMetrics In June of 2015, after intensive discussions and planning, a collaborative effort was formed between Lopez Community Land Trust and BioMedix, a California-based biotechnology company that provides food safety testing systems to food companies and government agencies around the world. The principle behind this unique venture is the empowerment of the island’s food producers through self-testing. The concept of FoodMetrics – Lopez Island is a revolutionary departure from BioMedix’s conventional model of establishing an in-house laboratory that will be exclusively utilized by the company that owns it. To Lopezians, the idea of sharing a lab is but a new application of a time-tested island tradition of cooperation and resource sharing. Housed at LCLT’s office, the laboratory has been equipped by BioMedix with state of the art rapid testing systems to be used to perform screening tests for common food-borne pathogens and organisms indicative of unsanitary food production. This laboratory can be used by a farmer or by a food processor in Lopez Island after completing 3 to 4 days of training. With this unique approach, the community food analysis laboratory effectively surmounts the three significant hurdles that face a rural farming community and food safety testing: 1) the upfront cost of equipment and hardware needed to run the system; 2) the running cost of maintaining an inventory of unexpired testing materials, despite the lower frequency of testing by a small producer compared to a large food company; 3) easy access to a local food analysis laboratory, rather than the cost of shipping samples out. Today, a trained farmer or food processor on Lopez can make an appointment to exclusively use the community food analysis laboratory during the entire duration of testing, thus assuring the integrity of samples. The cost to be paid only involves the cost
success as an attorney, his passion for land use issues, his involvement with the Land Bank, San Juan County Council, Orcas Medical Center and the Orcas Center. But overwhelmingly it was his calming disposition that set him apart. “He had a powerful presence. He was a quiet guy. He would sit through most of what could be a very lively discussion, but then when he spoke all heads turned towards him,” said Karen Vedder, who worked with Knapp for 12 years. “He didn’t like to think of litigation as a fight but as problem solving, and that’s how he approached conflict.”
County pays $22K in public records lawsuit
A Public Records Act lawsuit against San Juan County was resolved in
early December with the county paying $22,501 plus legal costs and attorney’s fees to plaintiff Sheryl Albritton. The complaint, filed Oct. 9 in Skagit County Superior Court said the case “is about elected officials and public employees conspiring to conceal improper governmental
Contributed photo
The community food lab will help the farming community with the cost and access to safety testing equipment. An open house is set for Jan. 15. of the testing materials used and a nominal maintenance fee for using the facilities and equipment. The testing systems in-place are validated methods currently being used in USDA and FDA inspected facilities. Testing results are confidentially recorded through a secure web-based laboratory information management system that has a password-protected access. This FoodMetrics lab has given the farming and food processing community of Lopez Island an economically viable way to establish an on-going food safety verification system for their products per the current regulatory environment. The following farmers and community members have been trained and are certified to operate the lab: Andre Entermann – Sunnyfield Farm David Williams - community member
Dixie Budke – school noard member Faith Van De Putte – Midnight’s Farm Kathryn Thomas - Horse Drawn Farm Ken Akopiantz – Horse Drawn Farm Kyle Brolis – S&S Homestead Sandy Bishop – community member Sara Jones – Jones Family Farms/Lopez Island Shellfish/Link Lab Artisan Meats Sean O’Connell - community member Suzanne Berry - Lopez Island School gardener Todd Goldsmith – T&D Farms Valerie Yukluk – Lopez Island School gardener If you are a farmer or food processor and want to find out about becoming certified to test your products please contact: LCLT@rockisland.com or call 468.3723. All other inquires welcome.
conduct from the public,” and alleged a number of documents were withheld from a public records request. The county paid Albritton, gave all the documents requested and made some changes to the public records request process to make it faster and more accountable.
Project PAL
A HAND UP NOT A HAND OUT
You make a difference when you round up your monthly OPALCO bill to help a needy islander! Or when you • make a one-time donation to Project PAL • become a Business PAL supporter All donations to PAL go directly to grant recipients. Visit www.opalco.com/PAL and click Contribute The Islands’ Weekly • www.islandsweekly.com • January 5, 2016 – Page 5
A look at the solid foundation in Lopez Island schools By Tim Fry Special to the Weekly
At the end of 2015, President Obama signed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) into law. ESSA replaces the 2002 No Child Left Behind law and returns power to states and school districts to develop their own strategies for improving education. Though it’s too early to tell whether ESSA will improve education nationwide, Lopez School is well positioned to take advantage of the increased
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flexibility that ESSA provides. More state influence in education makes the recent Washington state recognition of Lopez Island School District even more significant. In December, Lopez Middle High School was named a “School of Distinction” by the Center for Educational Effectiveness, based on five years of sustained student improvement in language arts and math at the middle school level. Lopez was also named a top Washington school district – ranked 12th
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tion, multiplication and division skills. Lopez School emphasizes hands on learning and coordination across subject areas. For instance, Jennifer Romo’s and Diane Mayer’s middle school life science classes are working with local scientist, Madrona Murphy, to monitor the local deer population through genetics. Lorrie Swanson’s class recently adopted an Orca whale. Students use their adopted whale as a means for applying measurement concepts in math, and they write about Orcas in language arts. In Brian Goff’s second grade class, you’ll regularly find students working on tech and engineering projects, such as building wind turbines. Projects like these highlight the need for further investment in technology. A tech levy for the Lopez School District will be put to a vote during the upcoming February election. The recent school accolades are timely, as voters will look for signs that Lopez will continue to make effective use of its resources. With the start of a new year and a new era of more local control over education, Lopez Island School District has a solid foundation for sustaining the improvement of recent years.
West and Winter in Concert Submitted by Lopez Center staff
"Never a Problem, oNly a solutioN" • Metal • Composition • Torch Down Lic#CLASSRM92104
in the state by the Niche Rating System. “We’re being compared to huge schools with enormous budgets; this recognition is a tribute to the hard work of our students and dedication of our staff,” said Lopez Superintendent Brian Auckland. Lopez Middle High School Principal Dave Sather said, “We have done a lot as a small school, which plays upon hands-on learning, and I look forward to seeing what we can do in the upcoming years as we seek innovative classes and continue to bring in dynamic teachers.” Innovative teachers seem poised to thrive under ESSA. Richard Carter’s middle school literacy students were recently given an assignment to research slavery in any period other than America before the Civil War, while applying 6-Trait writing and research skills. The students wrote about slavery in the Viking age, ancient Greece, Mesopotamian and Rome; child labor during the Industrial Revolution, human trafficking in Russia and current slavery and sex trafficking in the U.S. One of Kathryn Kester’s middle school math classes is constructing a LEGO house to learn technical reading, spatial reasoning, and social skills while applying addition, subtrac-
designer. With an interest in angular phrasing and non-traditional improvisation within the historic precedents of bluegrass and old-
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Call Cali at the Weekly 376-4500 The Islands’ Weekly • www.islandsweekly.com • January 5, 2016 – Page 6
lopez@ctkonline.com Phone: 888-421-4CTK ext. 819. GRACE
EPISCOPAL
CHURCH,
welcomes
you to worship with us on Sundays at 10:00 a.m.
Fisherman
Bay
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468-3477. Everyone welcome! COMMUNITY CHURCH, Please join us Sun. mornings. Adult Bible study, 9:30. Worship Service, 10:30. Nursery (birth3 yrs) and Jr. Church (4-12 yrs) provided during worship service. Small groups meet throughout the week. 91 Lopez Rd., in the village. Pastor Jeff Smith 468-3877. www.ourlicc.org. LUTHERAN CHURCH IN THE SAN JUANS (ELCA) Please join us for worship and children’s Sunday School at 9:00 a.m. in Center Church on Davis Bay Road. Also in Friday Harbor at 11:00 a.m. in St. David’s and in Eastsound at 1:15 p.m. in Emmanuel. Pastor Beth Purdum, 370-0023. ST. FRANCIS CATHOLIC CHURCH Come worship with us at Center Church on Davis Bay Rd. We welcome you to join us for Mass at 1:15 p.m. on Saturday starting January 2nd. Call 378-2910 for Mass times on San Juan and Orcas Islands.
time music, his playing both grounds and pushes the ensembles he is involved with. He has released three records as half of the new/old-time duo Cahalen Morrison and Eli West, which tours regularly throughout the US and Europe. West is an active ingredient playing guitar, banjo, and bouzouki with both Jayme Stone’s Lomax Project and John Reischman and the Pine Siskens. He has performed numerous times at Lopez Center. A traveler, a dreamer, and a banjo pickin’ sweetheart from Arkansas, Kendl Winter sprouts alfalfa beans in mason jars in the back of her tour van and spreads her songs across the country Johnny Appleseed style. Her voice is beautifully unique and bold, and her songs are thoughtfully poetic and rooted deep within her experience. Together, West and Winter will explore each other’s songs and provide a great evening of entertainment. “Music the World Needs” - Tim Obrien Don’t miss this performance 7:30 p.m. at Lopez Center, Saturday Jan. 9. Advanced tickets are available at Paper Scissors on the Rock, Lopez Bookshop, LCCA office and on-line at www.lopezcenter. org.
– Submitted by Kwiaht staff
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SalmonAtion
2016
Art : Jill Bliss 2015
Lopez Center, Januarying 23,twice 5:30asto 7:30herring pm and study sites, Kwiaht researchmany Annual research report, music, food, wine: free ers have found that good years sandlance as we saw in 2015.” The abundance of young and bad years for juvenile Chinook migrants can be pre- herring and sandlance in dicted from the Multivariate island waters actually grew ENSO Index (MEI), a mea- in 2014-2015, judging from sure of temperature trends in Kwiaht seine data, but juvethe North Pacific Ocean used nile Chinook did not benefit by NOAA for long-term fore- from the increase, “perhaps casting of weather conditions because they were smaller, and less active due to heat at sea. Pacific Ocean weather stress” Barsh suggests. Barsh said that of the thouoscillations also explain much of the variation in “forage sands of small fish identified fish” consumption by young in stomachs of Chinook in the Chinook, Barsh said. course of the study since 2009, “During the coolest part fully 98 percent have been herof the cycle, a few years ago, ring or sandlance. Other fish each small Chinook was eat- occasionally seen in gut con-
tents range from larval flatfish and sculpins to tubesnouts and greenlings. San Juan County continues to spend most of its salmon recovery funding on smeltspawning beaches, however, despite the overwhelming absence of evidence that juvenile Chinook target smelt as they migrate through the islands each summer. “We find that crabs and ants are more important as prey items for juvenile Chinook.” “There is a critical need to re-vise our salmon recovery strategy,” Barsh said. “The real resources for juvenile Chinook are herring, which spawn in shallow vegetated bays, and sandlance, which appear to reproduce mainly offshore. More smelt habitat may be fine in a broad ecological perspective, but it is unlikely to have any impact on Chinook salmon recovery, the legislative goal of these public expenditures.” At the same time, Kwiaht researchers suggest that relatively heat-tolerant salmon species, such as fast-growing Pink salmon, may replace Chinook and Coho salmon as the Salish Sea grows warmer. Unlike Chinook, juvenile pink and chum salmon mainly eat small
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Barsh, “it’s a good thing we began collecting data years earlier, since what we are seeing now is nothing like what we observed previously and considered normal.” Compared to Kwiaht’s 2009-2014 baseline years, outbound juvenile Chinook this past summer were far fewer, smaller, and eating less fish. As a result, their probability of survival at sea is poor, and there may be a substantial decrease in adult Chinook returning to spawn in Salish Sea streams four to six years from now. The impact of warmer waters was greater on juvenile Chinook from Puget Sound than those that had reared in British Columbia before migrating through the San Juan Islands. With seven years data from Lopez and Watmough
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The response of juvenile Chinook salmon to this year’s unusually warm El Niño is a preview of the longer-term impacts of climate change on Salish Sea salmon. That is the message Kwiaht’s community salmon team brings to its seventh annual SalmonAtion public information celebration from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 23 at Lopez Center. Free admission includes music, a light buffet with barbecued salmon and Lopez Island Vineyards wines. Kwiaht’s salmon research program became part of the Salish Sea Marine Survival Project in 2014, a partnership with NOAA, the University of Washington, Seattle-King County and several of the Treaty Tribes. According to Kwiaht director Russel
Islands’ Weekly PO Box 758 Eastsound, WA 98245
Juvenile salmon study: 2015 was worst year
crustaceans rather than fish as they migrate seaward through the San Juan Islands. Kwiaht’s salmon research teams fish 20 days each summer, and is always happy to train new volunteers. The Waldron and Lopez teams also collect plankton samples for the University of Washington, and for their own study of changing ocean conditions. One new salmon team will launch in 2016 on Decatur, to monitor Lopez Sound, and there are also opportunities to assist NOAA teams seasonally studying salmon and seabirds. Email kwiaht@gmail.com for info.
Early Music Festival begins in January The sixth annual 2016 Salish Sea Early Music Festival presents six diverse programs of early chamber music on period instruments on Lopez Island with leading early music specialists from Europe, the Pacific Northwest and around the United States at Grace Church from January through June. Performers include harpsichordist Hans-Jürgen Schnoor, who is organist at St. Mary’s church in Lübeck, Germany,
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The Islands’ Weekly • www.islandsweekly.com • January 5, 2016 – Page 8
where Bach walked for days to hear Dietrich Buxtehude. Violinist Ingrid Matthews who founded and directed the Seattle Baroque Orchestra. Harpsichordist Bernward Lohr and violinist Anne Röhrig who teach at German music conservatories in Hannover and Nuremburg. Guitarist Oleg Timofeyev who is one of the world’s leading exponents of the Russian seven-string guitar of Beethoven’s time and flutist and artistic director Jeffrey Cohan. All concerts begin at 7 p.m. at Grace Episcopal Church at 70 Sunset Lane on Lopez Island Wednesday, Jan. 6: Trios for Guitar, Flute and Viola Thursday, March 3: Baroque Trio Sonatas Friday, April 8: Fortepiano and Flute Wednesday, April 20: Musical Offering Wednesday, May 11: Versailles Wednesday, June 8: 1800: Virtuoso Guitar and Flute The suggested donation: $15, $20 or $25 (a free will offering), series pass $75, $100 or $125 for 6 concerts, 18 and under free For more info, visit www.
salishseafestival.org/orcas, or call 360-468-3477 • On Wednesday, January 6 at 7 p.m. Trios for Russian guitar, eight-keyed flute and viola features an instrumental ensemble that was very popular in the early 19th Century. Flutist Jeffrey Cohan, guitarist Oleg Timofeyev and violist Stephen Creswell perform works from Beethoven’s time by Gaspard Kummer , Antonio Diabelli , Francois Devienne and Wenzeslaus Matiegka on an eight-keyed flute made in 1820 with the Russian seven-string guitar and viola. • On Thursday, March 3 at 7 p.m., Baroque Trio Sonatas features harpsichordist Bernward Lohr and baroque violinist Anne Röhrig, both of whom are coming from Hannover, Germany for this performance of 18th Century solos and trio sonatas with baroque flutist Jeffrey Cohan. • On Friday, April 8 at 7 p.m., 1800: Fortepiano and Flute features repertoire for flute and piano from 1770 through 1830, performed on original instruments made during this period with fort-
epianist Henry Lebedinsky and flutist Jeffrey Cohan. • On Wednesday, April 20 at 7 p.m., The Musical Offering presents Bach’s masterwork of the same name written in 1747 for flutist Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, with harpsichordist Hans-Jürgen Schnoor who comes from Lübeck Germany for this performance, along with baroque violinist Ingrid Matthews and Jeffrey Cohan playing a copy of a flute made by one of Louis XIV’s court musicians. • On Wednesday, May 11 at 7 p.m., Versailles features the music and musicians from the early 18th Century court of Louis XIV with John Lenti on theorbo and baroque guitar , Joanna Blendulf on viola da gamba and Jeffrey Cohan on baroque flute . • On Wednesday, June 8 at 7 p.m., Virtuoso Guitar and Flute presents a sampling of music by the outstanding guitar and flute virtuosos of the early 19th century with guitarist John Schneiderman, and Jeffrey Cohan performing on an eight-keyed flute made in London in 1820.