Journal of the San Juans, April 10, 2013

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Local

More praise for ‘Feathers’, Hanson earns Burroughs award

Island Scene

Editorial

Award-winning memoirs of loss, grief, revival

Enough is enough; changing council numbers again is one election too many.

page 11

page 7

page 5

Journal

The 75¢ Wednesday, April 10, 2013 Vol. 106 Issue 15

of the San Juan Islands

Merger talks tabled, for now

www.sanjuanjournal.com

Hurdle cleared in barcode case By Scott Rasmussen Journal editor

By Steve Wehrly Journal reporter

PeaceHealth, the parent organization of Peace Island Medical Center, has suspended joint venture negotiations with health care giant Catholic Health Initiatives of Denver, Colorado. The joint press release issued April 3 stated that the two operators of health clinics and hospitals “were unable to develop an integrated model that would provide the desired benefits and serve the best interests of both organizations.” In August 2012, CHI and PeaceHealth entered into a nonbinding agreement “to create an innovative partnership that would allow both organizations to strengthen and extend their healing ministries,” the two non-profit health care providers said at the time. In late 2012, PeaceHealth representatives told the San Juan County Hospital Commission that a definitive agreement with CHI could be reached early in 2013. “CHI and PeaceHealth will remain actively engaged in exploring other opportunities to work together to strengthen their respective ministries in the Pacific Northwest,” the news release noted. Peace Island Medical Center operations or policies will not be affected by the suspension of negotiations between PeaceHealth and CHI, accordSee TAbled, Page 4

Journal file photo

A voter drops off a ballot, with barcodes attached, at the county Election ‘official’ Drop Box outside the County Courthouse in Friday Harbor on the eve of the 2011 November election.

Although the battle over the use of barcodes on San Juan County election ballots is now in its seventh year, and much has changed over that time, there is at least one thing that the parties on either side of this protracted legal debate can agree upon. And that is, that the ballot-tracking software used to monitor the flow of ballots in and out of the county Elections office, called Mail-in Ballot Tracker, has never been certified by the state agency that oversees elections in Washington, the Secretary of State. San Juan County Superior Court Judge Don Eaton notified the litigants in a March 27 “letter decision” — sort of a heads up of an official ruling to come — that MiBT should be certified because, as defined by state law, it functions as part of the “voting system” used by the county to conduct elections. San Juan Island’s Tim White, who, along with Allan Rosato of Orcas and the local Green Party, first filed the lawsuit against the county over its use of barcodes, sees the letter decision from Eaton and the judge’s view on what constitutes a “voting system” as a victory for their side, even if there is more litigation and

Councilman recovering San Juan County Councilman Marc Forlenza was flown offisland April 2 after suffering a heart attack at his home. Sheriff Rob Nou said that emergency medical personnel responded to Forlenza’s Friday Harbor home after receiving a medical call from his First Street residence early that morning. Nou said that Forlenza, elected to the council in November, was transported by ambulance to Friday Harbor Airport and then flown to a hospital on the mainland. Nou declined to comment about what prompted the medical call, noting that neither he nor sheriff ’s deputies were at the scene. However, several sources

close to the County Council said that Forlenza had suffered a heart attack. He returned home late last week and is reportedly improving. In a first-ever bid for public office, Forlenza was elected to the soon-to-be-obsolete 6-person council in November. He is part-owner and manager of the Technology Building in Friday Harbor, on Mullis Street. Following a loss in the February primary election for the newly created 3-person council, established as part of the county’s Home Rule Charter amendments approved by voters in November, Forlenza’s term in office is slated to end in early May. The medical emergency comes

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Marc Forlenza

one week after Forlenza filed a criminal complaint at the sheriff ’s office following a confrontation with a Friday Harbor constituent, former councilman Howie See recuperate, Page 3

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