Here’s a thought…
“And, frankly, I would like to make the U.S.-Canada relationship boring again.”
RICK LARSEN
Search underway for missing person in Mt. Woolard Area
||| FROM BEN LUNA for ORCAS ISLAND FIRE & RESCUE ||| Search operations are underway today with mutual aid from San Juan Island Fire, Lopez Island Fire, and Whatcom County Search and Rescue. Orcas Island Fire & Rescue is assisting the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office in searching for a
San Juan County announces annual road striping maintenance
Work is scheduled to begin on San Juan Island on September 8, with operations moving to Orcas, Shaw, and Lopez over a two to three week period ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County’s Public Works Department is announcing its annual summer road striping schedule beginning on
New tool helps San Juan County emergency agencies respond to wildland fires
||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN for SJC DEPT. OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ||| Island forests in late summer tell a familiar story: browning maple leaves, dry madrona litter underfoot, and brittle moss. Even with a bit of rain in the forecast, these are the weeks when wildfire risk in San Juan County
Audition notice for Kids Got Talent at Orcas Center
||| FROM COLLEEN SMITH SUMMERS for ORCAS CENTER ||| Auditions for Orcas Center’s youth talent show will take place on Wednesday, Sept.16 from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. in the Black Box Theater. Bring your talent and show us your act! Your performance can incorporate anything from song and dance to
CWR encounter with L pod
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| Full Encounter Report ObservBegin: 08:05 AM ObservEnd: 01:42 PM Vessel: KCB III Staff: Dave Ellifrit, Michael Weiss Other Observers: Taylor Redmond, Lily King, Aspen Kendrick-Cisneros Pods: L IDsEncountered: L22, L25, L54, L77, L87, L88, L94, L108, L113, L117, L119, L121, L124, L126, and
Coming to Emmanuel | Mystical Christianity, a deeper look at an ancient tradition
||| FROM FR. BERTO GANDARA for EMMANUEL EPISCOPAL CHURCH Emmanuel Episcopal Parish will offer an introductory presentation on Saturday, September 26, at 4:00 p.m. in Benson Hall for an upcoming eleven-week course on Mystical Christianity. This presentation is for anyone interested in the contemplative and mystical aspects of Christianity, especially
Beaverton Marsh Trail update II open house
||| FROM TANJA WILLIAMSON for SAN JUAN COUNTY LAND BANK||| Staff are ready to share the *final* design for the Beaverton Marsh Trail! Please join us for our second project open house at the Mullis Community Senior Center, 5pm to 6:30pm, for an in-person update. Land Bank staff and commissioners look forward
News Brief | A whistleblower accused USPS of planning to reject batches of ballots
||| FROM THE WASHINGTON POST ||| Details: Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) said today that an anonymous federal official warned that the U.S. Postal Service has adopted a policy that would reject large batches of mail-in ballots. The policy: The whistleblower said the Postal Service implemented a “zero-percent failure policy” that
WSF service during Labor Day weekend
||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| Close to 400,000 people are expected to travel on Washington State Ferries this Labor Day weekend, between Thursday, Sept. 3 and Monday, Sept. 7. Holiday schedules for Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 7: Anacortes/San Juan Islands, Edmonds/Kingston, Point Defiance/Tahlequah, and Port Townsend/Coupeville will have a few schedule adjustments. Seattle/Bainbridge and Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth will run a weekend/holiday schedule. All other
Artworks featured artist for September is Shawna Marie Franklin
||| FROM B.J. ARNOLD for ORCAS ISLAND ARTWORKS ||| Shawna Marie Franklin The Orcas Island Artworks features work from Shawna Marie Franklin’s Distant Memory series of monoprints and oil paintings through the month of September. Lately, I’ve been obsessed with a distant memory. A long unpeopled beach brushing
Center for Whale Research encounter with J and L Pods
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| Full Encounter Report ObservBegin: 06:56 PM ObservEnd: 08:36 PM Vessel: Mike 1 Staff: Mark Malleson Other Observers: Rajan Chauhan, Abigail Carmichael Pods: J, L IDsEncountered: J36, J37, J40, J42, J47, J49, J59, L25, L54, J59, J63, L88, L94, L108, L115, L117, L119, L127
Local Poetry | O Canada, we can see thee
||| FROM WASAKALOBO ||| O Canada, we can see thee By wasakalobo The Voyageurs' tenacity Became its DNA Thus toughness and audacity That's Canada today For sure he's never heard of it The U.S.' Grievance King Nor does he get Canadians' wit Humor is not his thing No other nation
Local businesses launch 5th annual $15,000 match for Orcas Community Resource Center
||| FROM ORCAS COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER ||| This September, donations to the Orcas Community Resource Center will go twice as far thanks to a $15,000 matching gift from three local businesses: Island Market, Ray’s Pharmacy, and Island Life. Now in its fifth year, the September match has become a meaningful
2026 Wooden Boat Rendezvous coming up
||| FROM STEVE MCKENNA for WOODEN BOAT SOCIETY ||| The Wooden Boat Society of the San Juan Islands presents the annual Rendezvous of beautiful wooden boats at Deer Harbor Marina on Tuesday, September 8th. Viewing of the boats Monday evening and Tuesday is free at the marina. A sail race
Rick Larsen | Busy August in review
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U.S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| August has been a busy month in Northwest Washington. I have spent time meeting with local leaders, visiting community organizations, listening to your concerns, and working to bring federal dollars home to the communities I represent. This month, I helped
Survey Results | Assessment for dementia friendly needs on Orcas
||| FROM INGRID MATTSON for ORCAS ISLAND LIBRARY ||| Dementia Friendly Orcas surveyed islanders to understand current community strengths, service gaps, caregiver experiences, and priority needs related to dementia care on Orcas Island. Thanks to Melissa Hartmann with Island County Public Health, Heidi Bruce of San Juan County, Orcas Senior
