Here’s a thought…
“Literature encourages tolerance — bigots and fanatics seldom have any use for the arts, because they’re so preoccupied with their beliefs and actions that they can’t see them also as possibilities.”
Northrop Frye
Flotsam & Jetsam | Purses
||| FLOTSAM & JETSAM by MAURICE AUSTIN ||| Some three weeks ago, I watched my mother transfer the contents of her “small” purse into the depths of her “large” purse, a process which left me impressed with the capacity of this woman’s ability to plan for every biologic, socio-economic, and
A new era of hunger has begun
||| FROM NEW YORK TIMES ||| Parts of Easthampton, an old mill town in western Massachusetts, look like relics of industrial New England — the old workers’ rowhouses, for instance. In other parts, it seems like a place in renaissance, with converted factory buildings spruced up and reinhabited by art
Could giving this pod of dolphins the same legal rights as humans help keep them safe?
With a bottlenose population threatened by fishing gear, boats and pollution, campaigners on South Korea’s Jeju island are lobbying to extend legal status to the vulnerable cetaceans ||| FROM THE GUARDIAN ||| It is a beautiful sunny day on the island of Jeju in South Korea and as the boat
Port of Orcas to hold public meeting
||| FROM CHIP LONG for PORT OF ORCAS ||| PORT OF ORCAS NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING The Port of Orcas Board of Commissioners will conduct a public hearing on Monday, July 28, 2025 at 4:00 p.m. at the airport terminal conference room, 147 Schoen Lane, Eastsound, WA 98245, to amend
An important update to OIGC Member’s Book Club
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND GARDEN CLUB ||| Calling all garden lovers and book enthusiasts! We're so excited to share MORE about our new OIGC Member's Book Club — a space where we’ll explore captivating books that inspire, nurture, and connect us to plants, nature and each other. We had a
West Sound fire now extinguished
||| FROM BEN LUNA for ORCAS ISLAND FIRE & RESCUE ||| At 12:50 pm on July 14, the Washington State Department of Natural Resources formally closed the call for the West Sound Fire, which began on July 8. The fire has been fully extinguished, and all equipment, personnel and resources
Scientists use cutting-edge satellite technology to reveal dangers whales face on daily basis | ‘A growing concern’
||| FROM MSN.COM ||| A comprehensive, high-tech satellite map exposed the daily dangers whales face — and they're caused by humans. What's happening? With satellites, photo identification, and indigenous knowledge, over 50 research institutions around the world banded together to create whale migration maps. Founded in part by the World
As state heats up, Weather Service warns wildfire smoke headed to Whatcom County
||| FROM BELLINGHAM HERALD ||| Bellingham and Whatcom County residents could be seeing the first wildfire smoke of summer Monday night as most of Washington bakes in an extended heat wave. A heat advisory in in effect through Wednesday night for Western Washington, according to the National Weather Service in
It’s a stunning Scottish Isle. Good luck getting on or off
With aging ferries delayed sometimes for days, life goes haywire on an island in the Outer Hebrides ||| FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES ||| The text message arrived with an ominous ping as I drove north through a rugged Scottish valley to catch the next day’s boat to the spectacular,
Orcas Center presents Bobby Bare Jr. and Mars FM in free summer concert
||| FROM BETHANY MARIE for ORCAS CENTER ||| Orcas Center is excited to announce a special performance featuring Bobby Bare Jr. and Mars FM on Sunday, July 20, at 5:00 PM on the Village Green. This free event is part of the Summer Concert Series event presented by Orcas Center,
Olga Daze returns
Saturday, July 19 10:00am to 2:00pm ||| FROM SUSAN GORDON for OLGA DAZE ||| Festivities begin in front of the Community Center at 10:00am. Come for breakfast at the bake sale, featuring the world famous maple bars made on the spot. Stay for lunch then come back to the bake sale for dessert.
Orcas Christian students to embark on service-focused mission trip to Hawaii
||| FROM ORCAS CHRISTIAN SCHOOL ||| This coming school year, students from Orcas Christian School will have the opportunity to broaden their horizons and put their faith into action during a mission trip to Hilo, Hawaii. The trip, scheduled for the spring, will take students to Mauna Loa School, where
Columbia Basin’s salmon are in hot water, literally, says report from Save Our Wild Salmon
Fish face a ‘triple threat’ in the Columbia River: Rising temperatures, stagnant water and toxic algae ||| FROM THE COLUMBIAN ||| Environmental group Save Our Wild Salmon released its first Columbia River Hot Water Report of the year Wednesday, as water temperatures throughout the basin this year have already surpassed
Midnight Mutterings | Gardens and another island
||| MIDNIGHT MUTTERINGS by JACKIE BATES ||| I didn’t grow up with gardens, though I did get lost in a cornfield when I was three or four years old. I’ve never had a good sense of direction, but that was the first time I knew I was lost, the first
Sheriff’s Report | July 2 – 8, 2025
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE ||| WEDNESDAY, JULY 2 25-004112 Theft 16:14:57 07/02/25 A Lopez Island Deputy was dispatched to a theft call. The incident was documented, and the investigation is ongoing. 25-004125 Domestic Dispute or Assault 22:02:33 07/02/25 Deputies on San Juan Island responded to the Emergency
Washington State Ferries launches largest hybrid-electric ferry in North America
||| FROM MY NORTHWEST.COM ||| Washington State Ferries took delivery of its first hybrid-electric ferry. The Wenatchee, already one of the largest boats in the fleet, is now the most technologically advanced ferry in the fleet. The conversion cost $133 million and makes the Wenatchee the largest hybrid-electric ferry in
