Here’s a thought…
“The only Zen you find on the tops of mountains is the Zen you bring up there.”
ROBERT M. PIRSIG
Larsen pushes back against Trump’s USPS mail-in voting rule
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U.S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) released the following statement: “President Trump’s U.S. Postal Service (USPS) mail-in voting rule is an effort to suppress the right to vote. There is no evidence that mail-in ballots result in widespread voter fraud in our elections, no matter what the President claims.
At Senior Center | Getting ready for Medicare
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Is 2026 your year for joining Medicare? Medicare enrollment is not automatic for most people, so you’ll probably need to enroll with Social Security. Then you’ll have to decide what type of Medicare coverage you want. To make an informed decision
Come laugh on September 18 when Rebel with a Clause plays on San Juan, Lopez, and Shaw Islands
||| FROM ELLEN ROBERTS for FRIDAY HARBOR FILM FESTIVAL ||| Rebel with a Clause, the docu-comedy that was nominated for the 2025 FHFF Audience Choice Award for "Best Explorers & Adventures" Feature Film, screens on Friday, September 18 at 7 PM, simultaneously at the San Juan Island Library in Friday Harbor,
Wednesday is Knit Night at Orcas Island Library
||| FROM INGRID MATTSON for ORCAS ISLAND LIBRARY ||| Knit Night (including all fibercrafts) is now on Wednesdays at the Orcas Island Library 6-8pm. Katie Johanson (of Salish Sea Yarn) is a skilled knitter who is ready to help you get started with knitting, finally finish that project you started
Community budget with council Chair Justin Paulsen event scheduled Sept. 14 on Orcas
The San Juan County Council Chair and District 2 representative will hold a meeting with the community to discuss the County budget and related fiscal challenges at the Orcas Island Library Community Room from 4:00-5:30 p.m. ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County Council Chair and District
2026 Assessment Change of Value Notices
The Change of Value Notice is not a tax bill ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| The Assessor’s Office mailed the 2026 Change of Value Notices on September 8, 2026. Changes reflect market sales between January 1, 2025 and April 30, 2026 with an assessment date of January 1,
Local Poetry | Martyrs for Justice by George Karnikis
||| FROM GEORGE KARNIKIS ||| Martyrs for Justice By George Karnikis Aug 2026 According to Socrates Justice is prerogative to all humans Some search for it quietly. Some give their lives so others can see it. Socrates stood before power with only his questions and his courage. He would not
Larsen joins 167 lawmakers demanding Trump administration halt its Roadless Rule rollback
||| FROM U.S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) joined a bipartisan coalition of 167 Members of Congress last Friday in urging the Trump administration to abandon its proposal to rescind the Roadless Rule, a longstanding and successful conservation guardrail protecting 44 million acres of iconic landscapes and National Forest System lands.
Community meeting to provide feedback on new facility siting at Odlin County Park
The public is invited to a community meeting to learn more, ask questions, and provide additional feedback on Odlin County Park project direction ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| The San Juan County Parks, Recreation, & Fair Department is seeking to construct a new facility to serve as a
WSF holding community meetings, Thursday, Sept. 10
||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| We’re hosting two virtual community meetings on Thursday, Sept. 10 at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. Our staff will answer questions and provide updates on the latest at Washington State Ferries. Learn more and register on our community participation webpage.
Fall 2026 Great Islands Clean-Up
Caring for our island home ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| We live in a special place and caring for it is part of being an island dweller. This fall, communities across San Juan County will come together for the Great Islands Clean-Up on Saturday September 26, helping care
Talking Horse Farm acquisition and sale project
652 Halvorsen Road San Juan Island ||| FROM PEGGY BILL for SAN JUAN COUNTY LAND BANK ||| In response to recent concerns about this project, I wanted to provide clarity to the community on the specific details involved. The Land Bank is currently under contract to purchase this 122-acre property,
Orcas Island Farmers Market Harvest Festival September 26
||| FROM ERICA LYONS for ORCAS ISLAND FARMERS MARKET ||| The Orcas Island Farmers Market is proud to announce the conclusion of our Summer Outdoor Market Season with our Harvest Festival on September 26th from 10am to 2pm! Four hours of fabulous live music brought to you by local favorites
Orcas Center Role Out to preview upcoming season
||| FROM COLLEEN SMITH SUMMERS for ORCAS CENTER ||| After a rolicking summer of free outdoor shows to close out the year, Orcas Center is launching its 2026-27 season, which is also the organization's 40th anniversary season. Anyone interested in their community arts center is invited to a “Role Out”
San Juan Islands residents brave ferry lines, medevacs to get to the doctor
||| FROM KUOW, NPR NETWORK ||| Bonnie Oak Boesky has lived in the San Juan Islands for more than 40 years, since she was in her early 20s. She raised her four children there. “It's like a chance to live in paradise for most of your life,” she said. But
Join us as summer tips into fall for music, food
||| FROM NATALIE MENACHO ||| Delicious wines, saffron-kissed beef and chicken kebabs from Tank's Beastro, and the sounds of Bonita Fishwife drifting across the lawn. Bonita Fishwife is a beloved band out of Seattle blending rich jazz stylings with driving indie rock riffs and lush harmonies. Drawing inspiration from The
