Here’s a thought…
“There are two ways to slide easily through life: to believe everything or to doubt everything; both ways save us from thinking.”
ALFRED KORZYBSKI
No more Sheriff’s Report …
||| FROM SHERIFF ERIC PETERS for SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE ||| Effective immediately, the Sheriff’s Office will no longer prepare or distribute the weekly media line report to local newspapers. The Sheriff’s Office remains committed to transparency and keeping the public informed. However, the publication of the weekly media
Join OPALCO on July 15 at Eastsound headquarters
||| FROM KRISTA BOUCHEY for ORCAS POWER & LIGHT COOPERATIVE ||| OPALCO will be hosting monthly informal chats with the leadership team starting this month. Ask questions about the Decatur Community Solar Expansion and OPALCO’s renewable energy future. The first of these meetings will be held at OPALCO’s headquarters in
Letter to Editor | Fire Works – but doesn’t
||| FROM SUSAN SLAPIN ||| Fourth of July and New Years seem to be the times... There are other ways to commemorate holidays, and create something that benefits humans and animals in a kind, fun, entertaining and positive way. Fireworks Animals are absolutely shaking, trembling, and terrified…I’ve seen it again recently
Celebrating Revolution | 250 years of independence
||| FROM SUZANNE OLSON for OPAL COMMUNITY LAND TRUST ||| As we mark the 250th anniversary of our nation’s independence, OPAL Community Land Trust homeowners and volunteers, along with friends from the Orcas Island Food Bank, marched in our island’s Fourth of July parade chanting: “Hope, not fear! We all
JP and OK Rhythm Boys coming to Warm Valley Farm
||| FROM ANITA ORNE for JP AND THE OK RHYTHM BOYS ||| Don't miss the inaugural Music in Warm Valley concert! Join JP and the OK Rhythm Boys at the Event Meadow on Saturday, July 18 from 5-7pm for a fine evening of summer music at Warm Valley Farm. JP
News Brief | Whale sightings are surging off Canada’s Pacific coast
But 10 grey whales have been found dead ||| FROM THE COOL DOWN ||| Researchers say the Salish Sea, the waterway between Vancouver Island and the mainland, is seeing an unusual concentration of whale activity, helped by plentiful food supplies and years of conservation work. However, as of mid-June, 10
San Juan County recognizes ‘America250’ with proclamation and local events
This anniversary is an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the foundational principles, structure, and purpose of both the nation’s and our county’s democratic system. ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County is proud to recognize the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of
Have a garden question? Ask an Orcas Master Gardener
Wednesday July 11th at the Market Garden Nursery ||| FROM ORCAS MASTER GARDENERS ||| Do you have a question about your soil, have a problem with your fruit tree, or are thinking about starting a garden? Is something bugging your plants, or you are curious about identifying a plant or
John Berry exposition at Orcas Public Library / July 2026
||| FROM JOHN BERRY ||| A lone traveler/hiker/pilgrim, kneels prayerful with a living divining branch , and meditatively so, on the top of a hillside mountain that has been stripped of trees. Amidst the apparent devastation of this nature area, water as a spring flows from the aerie, freely flowing
Olga Daze returns, Saturday, July 18
||| FROM SUSAN GORDON BENTLEY for OLGA DAZE ||| Don’t miss Olga Daze, the Island’s beloved celebration that captures the laid-back charm and artistic spirit of the historic hamlet of Olga. Beginning at 10:00am in Olga Park, start your day at the bake sale with world famous maple bars, then
Ska Island to play next Orcas Center summer concert on Village Green
||| FROM COLLEEN SMITH-SUMMERS for ORCAS CENTER ||| Orcas Center is proud to present its annual Summer Concert Series on the Village Green, bringing free, live music to the heart of Eastsound. This vibrant outdoor series, supported in part by Joe Brotherton and the Doe Bay team, celebrates community, creativity,
News Brief | New report on economic implications of LSR dam removal
||| FROM IDAHO RIVERS UNITED ||| New research helps answer a question we've asked for years: what would removing the four Lower Snake River dams actually mean for the communities that host them? Here's what the research found: Dams aren’t driving the local economy The local economy is lagging Dam
News Brief | Will an aging propane tank near Bellingham be the next disaster?
||| FROM THE SEATTLE TIMES ||| In Ferndale, near Bellingham, another industrial tank has come under scrutiny because of serious safety concerns. While catastrophic failures are rare, the consequences can be disastrous. When you consider where the Cherry Point tank is situated, its obsolete design becomes even more concerning. Risk
I’m Not the Church Lady | When I’m about to disappear
||| I'M NOT THE CHURCH LADY by ROSIE KUHN ||| People often describe me as an introvert, reclusive, and someone who simply reaches her social limit long before everyone else. They’re not wrong. Even after only an hour or two of being with people, I get antsy and my mind
Early bird discounted passes to Friday Harbor Film Festival available now
||| FROM ELLEN ROBERTS & KAREN PALMER for FRIDAY HARBOR FILM FESTIVAL ||| Mark Your Calendars: The 14th Annual Friday Harbor Film Festival Returns October 22–25, 2026. The countdown is on. Friday Harbor Film Festival (FHFF) is thrilled to announce that the 14th annual festival will light up San Juan Island
Coincidence? Three of our five Founding Fathers died on July 4
||| FROM NATIONAL CONSTITUTION CENTER ||| It is a fact of American history that three Founding Father Presidents—John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Monroe—died on July 4, the Independence Day anniversary. But was it just a coincidence? On July 4, 1831, James Monroe, the fifth President, died at the age
