Sports
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Visitors cash in at charity stripe; Wolverines winstreak ends at 10
Fermented & fun; boost your health with ‘probiotic’ recipes made easy
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Guest Column
Grange calls for input from agriculture advocates, reasonable rules in tug-of-war over pot production PAGE 7
Journal
The 75¢ Wednesday, February 4, 2015 Vol. 108 Issue 5
FH apartment complex fetches $940K at auction New owner vows no change in age-old rent restrictions, for now
By Scott Rasmussen Journal Editor
Journal photo / Scott Rasmussen
Eighth-grader Emily Cain emerged victorious in FH Middle School’s annual spelling bee competition, hosted by San Juan Community Theatre, Jan. 31.
The Friday Harbor Village apartment complex was purchased by a Seattle-based investment firm for $940,000 at auction Friday, in the lobby of the San Juan County Courthouse. Carson Rasmussen of Fairview Investment Fund, who submitted the winning bid at the Jan. 30 foreclosure sale, said the firm’s intent for the apartments is to “rent them” and that he and his partners have no immediate plan to alter the rent restrictions on the 26 units that have historically made them affordable for low to moderate income households. “For right now, the plan is to let all the tenants stay and keep rents as they are,” Rasmussen said. “As they leave, we may consider lifting the restrictions on those that become vacant but at this point we’re not really sure about that.” Because of long-standing legal restrictions for sake of affordability, monthly rents at Friday Harbor Village for income-qualified tenants typically cost about $700
for two-bedroom units, of which there are eight, $800 for three-bedroom units, of which there are 12, and $875 for the four-bedroom units, of which there are six, according to the company website. Located at 445 Carter Avenue, Friday Harbor Village was previously owned by Friday Harbor Village Limited Partnership and managed by Ad West Realty. Friday Harbor Village Partnership, with offices in Seattle and Las Vegas, owed $849,793 on the property as of May 1, 2013, according to a published legal notice about the pending foreclosure sale. At auction, bidding began at a fixed minimum of $916,906. Rasmussen, who first offered $920,000, outbid Rolf Dagg with a final bid of $940,000 after a series of back-and-forth bidding at the auction, which was overseen and administered by San Juan Island’s Leslie Brennan. The sale of Friday Harbor Village comes at a time when affordable rentals have become increasingly harder to find on San Juan Island, according to local housing advocates. The pool of affordable rentals continues to shrink as more second homes and cottages are converted to vacation rentals, advocates contend. Rasmussen said incentives for bidding on the apartments included the attractiveness of the local market See AUCTION, Page 3
Feds drag feet on fate of captive orca Protestors take to the streets to rally for Lolita’s release By Emily Greenberg Journal Reporter
Orca Network’s Howard Garrett has been on a press tour in sunny Florida. He spoke to individual reporters and at widely attended press conferences. His words were broadcast across major news networks, and he was even featured on Good Morning America. His media exploits were on behalf of Lolita, the Southern Resident orca whale that’s been living in captivity for more than 40 years at Miami’s Seaquarium.
As the National Marine Fisheries Service weighs in on its final decision of whether or not to include Lolita in the Endangered Species Act listing of the Southern Resident Killer Whales, over a thousand activists from throughout the nation gathered in Miami on Jan. 17, for the “Miracle March for Lolita,” a rally aimed at bringing Lolita home to her native waters in Washington state. “We marched to show the world we’re on Lolita’s side,” Garrett said. “Grand protests reinforce legal efforts, raise issues, answer questions and propel the media.” The march was organized by Robin Jewell, a Michigan native captivated by Lolita’s plight. Lolita was taken from the Puget Sound in 1970. Captured in Penn Cove, she was somewhere between three and five years old. While
Sweet Stuff Contributed photo
Lolita and tank-mate at Miami’s Seaquarium.
it’s been over 44 years since last contact with her kin, Lolita still makes the calls specific to her family. Lolita is a member of L-pod. See ORCA, Page 4
Winner of six 1st place awards in Washington Newspaper Publishers Association 2014 BNC, 17 in all
It’s a piece of cake to find the perfect gift for your loved-one when you shop local; see pg. 16