Here’s a thought…
“Whether or not a massive ballroom should be constructed is for Congress to decide and is not a matter for Executive self-help.”
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
Has theOrcasonian outgrown its britches?
It may seem so...but you can help. We just need new britches. ||| BY LIN MCNULTY, EDITOR ||| A recent notification from theOrcasonian's webhost has rocked our reality. BlueHost has advised us that we need to upgrade our hosting due to our online presence exceeding our ability to maintain our
News Brief | Judge rules WA utility can take land for data center power lines
||| FROM THE SEATTLE TIMES ||| Grant County Public Utility District filed a lawsuit to condemn parts of their properties last year because their land sits in the path of a planned transmission line designed to carry more electricity to Quincy, Washington’s de facto data center hub. An attorney for
School District paving progresses across campus
||| FROM ERIC WEBB for ORCAS ISLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT ||| We are excited to share another positive update on the progress of our summer campus improvement projects! Our second full day of asphalt paving concluded on Friday, bringing the total amount of asphalt delivered and placed to 667 tons of
CWR Encounter with Biggs
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| Encounter Report ObservBegin: 02:36 PM ObservEnd: 03:44 PM Vessel: KCB III Staff: Michael Weiss Other Observers: Charli Grimes, Lily King, Rachel John, Aspen Kendrick-Cisneros Pods: Bigg's killer whales IDsEncountered: T35A, T35A1, T35A1A, T35A2, T35A3, T38A, T38A2, T38A3 LocationDescr: San Juan Channel and President
SJC Land Bank meets on Friday
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY CONSERVATION LAND BANK COMMISSION ||| The San Juan County Conservation Land Bank Commission will hold its monthly meeting Friday, August 21. The meeting is scheduled from 8:45am – 11:10am via Zoom. The meeting will also be available for in person public attendance at the Mullis Community Senior Center
Town to hold special meeting with County Council
||| FROM TOWN OF FRIDAY HARBOR ||| NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Town Council and San Juan County Council will hold a special joint meeting on August 20, 2026, from 9:00 a.m.-11:20 a.m. The special meeting will take place in San Juan County’s Legislative Hearing Room located at 55
San Juan County outdoor burn ban notice
County issues outdoor burn ban in the face of elevated fire dangers and dry conditions ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| Per the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, the fire danger level in San Juan County has been upgraded to HIGH. Therefore, no outdoor burning is allowed except
CWR Encounter #59 | Bigg’s Killer Whales
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| Full Encounter Report ObservBegin: 02:30 PM ObservEnd: 03:59 PM Vessel: KCB III Staff: Michael Weiss Other Observers: Charli Grimes, Taylor Redmond, Lily King, Navi Zwart, Henry Moreau-Smith Pods: Bigg's killer whales IDsEncountered: T100, T100C, T100F LocationDescr: Haro Strait EncSummary: After the T100s passed
Questions worth asking at EWUA Board meeting tomorrow
||| FROM CORY HARRINGTON ||| The EWUA Board meets tomorrow, August 18 at 5:00 PM at the Eastsound Firehall. With no July Board meeting and several recent updates from EWUA, here are some questions I hope we can get answers to: Clark Well What is the current total project cost?
Ferry Alert | Expect delays on State Route 20 south of Anacortes Aug 17- Sept 4
||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| Reminder - If you travel on State Route 20 between Anacortes and Whidbey Island, expect delays starting at 6 a.m. Monday, Aug. 17 through 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 4. The highway will be reduced to one lane of alternating traffic 24 hours/day at Campbell Lake Road, while
CWR encounter #58 • Bigg’s Killer Whales
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| Full Encounter Report ObservBegin: 03:37 PM ObservEnd: 05:05 PM Vessel: Mike 1 Staff: Michael Weiss Other Observers: Charli Grimes, Navidad Islam-Zwat, Henry Moreau-Smith, Aspen Kendrick-Cisneros, Taylor Redmond Pods: Bigg's killer whales IDsEncountered: T65B, T65B1, T65B2, T65B3 LocationDescr: San Juan Channel EncSummary: After promptly
I’m Not the Church Lady | Maybe I can put my script down
||| I'M NOT THE CHURCH LADY by ROSIE KUHN ||| The relationship that challenges me most profoundly may also be the relationship that shows me where I am still not free to be me. I recently discovered that I’ve been carrying around a script. Actually, I have quite a few
CWR encounter #57 | Bigg’s Killer Whales
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| Full Encounter Report ObservBegin: 02:10 PM ObservEnd: 02:50 PM Vessel: KCB III Staff: Michael Weiss Other Observers: Charli Grimes, Navidad Islam-Zwat, Henry Moreau-Smith, Aspen Kendrick-Cisneros, Taylor Redmond Pods: Bigg's killer whales IDsEncountered: T109A, T109A4, T109A5, T109A6, T109A7, T109A8 LocationDescr: Saturna Island EncSummary: The
News Brief | If you weren’t worried about A.I., you should be after the past few weeks
||| FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES ||| If there were ever reason to doubt the dangers of unrestrained artificial intelligence development, those reasons have gone out the window in the last few weeks. What’s next is a vital window of opportunity to slow down A.I. progress so we can better
Guest Opinion | Orcas businesses need a human handoff rule before AI becomes routine
||| FROM GLEB TSIPURSKY for DISASTER AVOIDANCE EXPERTS ||| Orcas businesses do not need a grand AI strategy before they start experimenting. They need a clear rule for when automation stops and a person takes over. San Juan County itself recently adopted generative AI use policies, with the recognition that the guidelines
Senator Murray secures nearly $30 Million for ferries in WA | Murray made WA ferries eligible for rural ferry grants for first time ever
Murray authored and passed new language into law to make Washington state eligible for rural ferry grants for the first time ever Murray leads efforts to fund federal support for urban and rural ferry funding streams Murray has supported both the Passenger Ferry Grant Program and Rural Ferry Grant Program
