Here’s a thought…
“There’s rarely been a bigger political mess in a national security strategy than we’re now undergoing.”
GENERAL BARRY MCCAFFREY (RET.)
A message from Council Member Fuller | ‘An honor and a privilege’
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| "After much deliberation I have decided I will not be seeking re-election this year," writes Councilmember Fuller. "In the meantime, I will continue working in service to the residents of the County through December as has been my privilege throughout." To my San
Guest Opinion | Four long-term EWUA employees have left in six months
||| FROM CORY HARRINGTON ||| EWUA Turnover: 13 Staff and 6 Board Members gone since 2021 13 staff members have left Eastsound Water Users Association (EWUA) 7 resigned 5 terminated 1 retired 6 board members have left the EWUA Board of Directors prior to the end of their term 1
OPALCO candidates announced
Vote in OPALCO's election! Voters eligible to win prizes. ||| FROM KRISTA BOUCHEY for ORCAS POWER & LIGHT COOPERATIVE ||| The 2026 OPALCO election opens March 18th! To allow members to meet each candidate and hear about their vision for the co-op, OPALCO will be hosting two virtual candidate forums
No Place Like Loam | The myth of pruning
What abandoned orchards reveal about fruit trees, pruning, and the advice we repeat without questioning ||| NO PLACE LIKE LOAM by ALEX TAMAYO WOLF ||| The Argument Made Palatable A century ago our island wasn't the quiet pastoral place people imagine when they step off the ferry. It was working
Early Music Festival | Three centuries of folk songs
||| FROM JEFFREY COHAN for SALISH SEA EARLY MUSIC FESTIVAL ||| “Folk, Baroque and Beyond: Airs from Three Centuries” brings guitarist/lutenist Oleg Timofeyev and flutist Jeffrey Cohan together in a performance featuring three centuries of variations on popular music including 17th-century psalms, 18th-century Irish and Scottish folk melodies and 19th-century popular opera
News Brief | Washington House passes bill giving state board power to remove an elected sheriff
||| FROM KOMO TV NEWS ||| A controversial bill that could allow the state to remove an elected sheriff moved closer to becoming law after it passed the Washington House early Friday morning following hours of debate. Senate Bill 5974 passed in a party-line vote in the House of Representatives
‘Art of the First Nations’ | Honoring the creative legacy from an ancient past
||| FROM VISUAL ARTS COMMITTEE for ORCAS CENTER ||| "Art of the First Nations" features the work of Indigenous artists, including Luke Marston (known for the form, design and detailed finishing of his carvings) and Stan Greene (master of Tsimshian design and carving techniques). The show will be on display
Time Check | Sigh…Here we are again
||| FROM CBSNEWS.COM ||| Daylight saving time, the yearly time change colloquially known as daylight savings, is set to start for 2026, meaning most Americans will lose an hour of sleep when they "spring forward" this weekend. For nearly 20 years, the annual ritual of moving clocks an hour ahead
Latest from Lekanoff | Thanks for joining + House budgets
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF REP. DEBRA LEKANOFF ||| To everyone who joined our recent town halls - in person, online, and by phone - thank you for showing up with thoughtful questions, honest concerns, and deep love for our communities. These conversations matter. They ground my work in Olympia
You’re invited to OPAL’s Annual Meeting
||| FROM OPAL COMMUNITY LAND TRUST ||| OPAL’s 2026 Annual Meeting, an opportunity to hear updates, celebrate milestones, and connect with the community that makes affordable housing possible on Orcas Island. Thursday, April 23 · 5:00–6:30 PM · Emmanuel Episcopal Parish Hall During the meeting, we’ll share highlights from the
OPALCO asks to roll back restrictions on Decatur solar site
Plans for a new solar project on Decatur Island in San Juan County have met with yet another complication after new deed restrictions on the proposed site. ||| FROM SALISH CURRENT ||| Orcas Power and Light Cooperative — aka OPALCO — is asking the county to revise the restrictions on
Rep. Ramel | What we’re fighting for in the final stretch: Housing, safety, & dignity
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF REP. ALEX RAMEL ||| We are in the final stretch of the 2026 legislative session. Last week, we passed our proposed budgets in the House. Now we are working with the Senate to negotiate final budgets. I look forward after session to sharing a full
Midnight Mutterings | Columnists
||| MIDNIGHT MUTTERINGS by JACKIE BATES ||| I’ve never personally known a columnist before I became one of sorts, here on The Orcasonian a few years ago. I hardly know what to think of daily columnists in big newspapers when I find it difficult to produce a tiny product every
Seasonal opening of Orcas Island Historical Museum
Beginning Saturday March 21st, Exhibits and Main Gallery on Display ||| FROM PARKER PAVITT for ORCAS ISLAND HISTORICAL MUSEUM || The Orcas Island Historical Museum in Eastsound is soon to be open for the season! We invite you to step through our doors and into a rich past of unique
Sheriff’s Report | February 25 – March 3, 2026
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE ||| WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25 26-001139 Weapon Safekeeping 10:19:00 02/25/26 A Lopez Deputy took in a firearm for safekeeping at the reques tof a Lopez citizen. 26-001141 Accident-HitRun 11:23:34 02/25/26 An Orcas Island Deputy responded to an accident hit and run incident in Eastsound.
Forest Stewardship course for landowners to start March 23
||| FROM ELSA HAUN for WSU EXTENSION FORESTRY ||| WSU Extension Forestry is offering its Forest Stewardship Coached Planning Course for San Juan County landowners this spring on Mondays, March 23–May 18, 2026. This hybrid program helps forest property owners assess tree health, reduce wildfire risk, manage wildlife habitat, identify
