Here’s a thought…
“If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don’t have to worry about the answers.”
THOMAS PYNCHON
Letter to Editor | The crisis at Eastsound Water Users Association
||| FROM CONCERNED CITIZENS LISTED BELOW ||| If you are one of the 70% of Orcas Island residents who receives water from Eastsound, Doe Bay, Rosario, and Olga water users associations, you depend on the experienced water system operators of the Eastsound Water User Association (EWUA) who operate all of
Letter to Editor | Congratulations to new OPALCO board members
||| FROM RICH GOODHART ||| It is easy to congratulate the two new OPALCO Board members this year — Congratulations Lauras! Both have backgrounds with strong qualifications and I’m sure will do an outstanding job, along with the existing five board voices. If I have any advice, it is through
No Place Like Loam | The six-tree culinary apple orchard: eating, cider, baking, storage
||| NO PLACE LIKE LOAM from ALEX TAMAYO WOLF ||| I spent the last week pruning an orchard near President's Channel on Orcas Island —thinning cuts only, thank you—which leaves a lot of time to think. There’s a long pause between deciding the future and letting the saw finish the
Derevensky and Stern win seats in OPALCO 2026 board election
||| FROM KRISTA BOUCHEY for ORCAS POWER & LIGHT COOPEERATIVE ||| On Thursday, May 7, OPALCO held their virtual Annual Business Meeting, where the meeting minutes from the 2025 Annual Meeting were approved and the election results were announced. Ray Glaze of the OPALCO Election and Governance Committee announced the
Garden Club garden tour tickets now on sale
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND GARDEN CLUB ||| Looking for a last minute Mother's Day gift? Garden tour tickets are officially on sale! Hello Fellow Garden Enthusiasts! Mark your calendars! This year's theme, "Gardens With Purpose" features seven inspiring gardens with fun planned for all ages. As a non-profit, all proceeds
Community art show at Orcas Center | Capturing the Moment
||| FROM COLLEEN SMITH SUMMERS for ORCAS CENTER ||| The Visual Arts Committee of Orcas Center announces a new community show -- “Capturing the Moment” – to open on May 29. For this show, the VAC welcomes art that depicts a special moment or fleeting event (e.g., a whale breaching,
Happy Mother’s Day to all the matriarchs of the sea
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| Today we’re celebrating all mothers everywhere, especially the matriarchs of the Pacific Northwest. For 50 years, the Center for Whale Research has studied the endangered Southern Resident killer whales. What we've found is remarkable: grandmothers are essential to their family's survival. They know
I’m Not the Church Lady | Mother’s Day is the worst day of the year
||| I'M NOT THE CHURCH LADY by ROSIE KUHN ||| An idol is not something evil or dramatic. It is often something we unconsciously ask to give us what only God, Presence, or the Divine can provide: peace, completion, security, identity, worth, certainty, and unconditional love. Children can become idols.
Orcas Pride | GiveOrcas approaches
||| FROM ORCAS PRIDE ||| Thank you for standing with Orcas Pride! We are gearing up for three unforgettable days of joyful resistance on June 12, 13, and 14, and your gift can make all the difference. Whenever our queer and trans communities face challenges, we come together and find
Indian Island stewardship season needs you
||| FROM RUSSEL BARSH for KWIAHT ||| Community stewardship of Indian Island is 18 years old and still growing! This one-acre preserve a few hundred feet from Main Street is a unique part of the San Juan Islands National Monument that has a locally staffed and funded program of research,
GiveOrcas set to kick-off at Orcas Center party
||| FROM LINDSAY JENNINGS for ORCAS ISLAND COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ||| Please join your neighbors and friends at the GiveOrcas Kick-Off Party at Orcas Center on Tuesday, May 12 from 4-6pm. All ages are welcome to celebrate spring and meet the 31 nonprofits taking part in Spring GiveOrcas. Light bites, beverages,
Sheriff’s Report | April 29 – May 5, 2026
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE ||| WEDNESDAY, APRIL. 29 26-002400 Suspicious Person/Circumstance 08:39:06 04/29/26 A report of suspicious activity on the 100 block of Spring Street was reported to the Sheriff's Office. It was reported a male may have been attempting to circumvent an electronic lock, but was
Want to direct? An evening with Ken Kwapis, director
||| FROM SAM GAILEY for ORCAS ISLAND PUBLIC LIBRARY ||| Orcas Island Public Library will host a special evening with award-winning film and television director Ken Kwapis on Thursday, May 14, at 6:00 p.m. The program will feature a Q&A-style conversation about Kwapis’s career in film and television, his work
County Council to travel to Lopez Island for upcoming May 12 meeting
The meeting will be held at the Lopez Community Center ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County Council will hold its regularly scheduled May 12 meeting on Lopez Island. The public is invited to join the three councilmembers and County staff at the meeting at the Lopez
San Juan County announces resurfacing of 18 miles of roads this summer
Chip seal maintenance programs help preserve county roads ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County’s Public Works Department is announcing its annual summer road resurfacing schedule to chip seal approximately 18 miles of roads on Lopez and San Juan Islands. Chip sealing is a pavement treatment that
WSF Weekly Report | Good Morning America visit; media visits; online community meetings
||| FROM STEVE NEVEY for WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| A message from Steve I spent Monday with my deputy, John Vezina, and Electrification Program Administrator David Sowers at Eastern Shipbuilding Group. We visited the Florida site where our new 160-car ferries will be built. It was an opportunity to learn more
