Here’s a thought…
“The true civilization is where every man gives to every other every right that he claims for himself.”
ROBERT GREEN INGERSOLL
Basic hygiene items make a difference for Orcas families
||| FROM THE RESOURCE CENTER COMMUNICATIONS TEAM ||| A roll of toilet paper, a tube of toothpaste, laundry soap, diapers — these are ordinary household items until a family cannot afford them. Coates Cabinet Hygiene Bank, a program of Orcas Community Resource Center, helps islanders access basic hygiene and household
Kid Faire and Up Up Up! in its last Orcas performance
||| FROM COLLEEN SMITH SUMMERS for ORCAS CENTER ||| Orcas Center is proud to present its annual Summer Concert Series on the Village Green, bringing free, live music to the heart of Eastsound. This vibrant outdoor series, supported in part by Joe Brotherton and the Doe Bay team, celebrates community,
Art opening to feature paintings, sculpture works of Ayame Bullock
FROM AYN GAILEY for CROW VALLEY GALLERY ||| The public is invited to a reception for STONE & STEM, this Sunday, August 16th at 4pm at Crow Valley Gallery. Meet the artist Ayame Bullock and view her newly installed exhibit of paintings and sculptural works. Raised on her family’s permaculture farm
Larsen presses ICE for answers about Ferndale facility
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U.S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) wrote to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director David Venturella regarding Larsen’s visit to ICE’s suboffice in Ferndale on July 31: “As part
UPDATED | At Odd Fellows | An evening with educator and author Jackson Katz, Ph.D.
||| FROM ROBERT DASH ||| Join us at Odd Fellows Hall for an engaging talk and discussion on Thursday, August 20, at 6:30 pm led by internationally renowned educator, author, and lecturer -- and longstanding Orcas part-time resident -- Jackson Katz, who will discuss some of the key ideas from
OIHCD’s 2026 Strategic Planning Process | Charting the District’s vision
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND HEALTH CARE DISTRICT ||| Following our levy commitment in 2025, Orcas Island Health Care District (OIHCD) leadership spent a day earlier in 2026 working through a long-range strategic vision of the District’s role on Orcas. The visioning session looked out as far as 2050, along with
Champions of the Golden Valley film to play in Friday Harbor, Lopez, Shaw Islands
||| FROM ELLEN ROBERTS & KAREN PALMER for FRIDAY HARBOR FILM FESTIVAL ||| Friday Harbor Film Festival welcomes Shaw Islanders to the Best of the Fest program! This Explorers & Adventures film screens free of charge on Friday, August 21 at 7 PM, simultaneously at the San Juan Island Library in
CWR Encounter #56 | J, K, and L Pod
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| Full Encounter Report ObservBegin: 08:32 AM ObservEnd: 09:30 AM Vessel: KCB III Staff: Dave Ellifrit, Michael Weiss Other Observers: Taylor Redmond Pods: J, K, L IDsEncountered: K12, K14, K16, K20, K22, K27, K33, K35, K36, K37, K38, K42, K43, K45, and K47 along
Auditor seeks volunteers to write opposing statements in Voting Guide for November ballot measures
Volunteers are needed to write opposing statements for Lopez Solid Waste Disposal District and Port of Lopez ballot measures ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County Auditor, Natasha Warmenhoven, is seeking people interested in writing an argument against the Lopez Solid Waste Disposal District and Port of
San Juan County Board of Health calls for restoration of public health funding
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| At its June meeting, San Juan County Board of Health moved to send a letter to state legislators urging action to restore funding for Foundational Public Health Services (FPHS) in the next legislative session. This letter is a response to the funding cut
Washington’s ferry system in the middle of one of the largest transitions in its history
Can today's boats last long enough for tomorrow's to arrive? ||| FROM KOMO-TV SEATTLE ||| The current WSF fleet reflects decades of underinvestment in vessel construction, according to ferry leaders. Construction recently began on the Wishkah, one of three new hybrid-electric ferries scheduled to enter service between 2030 and 2032.
San Juan County begins search for next local health officer
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County announced at the last Board of Health meeting that Dr. Amy Harley will conclude her service as the Local Health Officer for San Juan County at the end of her current contract in 2027. Dr. Harley has served as the
2026 Wooden Boat Rendezvous coming to Deer Harbor
||| FROM WARD FAY, JIM WAITE and BILL SYMES for WOODEN BOAT SOCIETY OF THE SAN JUAN ISLANDS ||| The Wooden Boat Society of the San Juan Islands will host this year’s Wooden Boat Rendezvous at Deer Harbor Marina, Orcas Island, on Tuesday September 8. The annual Rendezvous is a
CWR Encounter #55 | Bigg’s Killer Whales
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| Full Encounter Report ObservBegin: 04:22 PM ObservEnd: 04:36 PM Vessel: Mike 1 Staff: Mark Malleson, Joe Zelwietro Pods: Bigg's killer whales IDsEncountered: T069E LocationDescr: Seabird Rocks EncSummary: Upon departing the T041s and aiming for “home”, Mark and Joe were pleasantly surprised to happen
Public Hearing continued on proposed Ordinance No. 1841 | New regulations for short term rentals
||| FROM DENICE KULSETH for TOWN OF FRIDAY HARBOR ||| The Friday Harbor Town Council is accepting public testimony on proposed Ordinance No. 1841, which would establish new regulations for accommodations of 30 days or less. The proposed regulations would apply to hotels, bed and breakfasts, vacation rentals, and other
Compass Health to purchase county building in Friday Harbor, continuing long-term services locally
State funding and a decades-long county partnership secure the building's future ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| Compass Health, a community-based healthcare agency supporting youths and adults, is purchasing the building it has been leasing long-term from San Juan County located at 520 Spring Street in Friday Harbor, thanks to
