Here’s a thought…
“There are many forms of patriotism and telling the truth is one of them.”
ANDERSON COOPER
News Brief | Science-backed reason being in nature makes you feel good
||| FROM COUNTERPUNCH ||| Fish farming, a form of aquaculture, is now the fastest-growing form of factory farming worldwide. Industrial fish farms, particularly open-net salmon pens, concentrate thousands of animals in confined spaces, producing waste and requiring significant inputs of feed, antibiotics, and chemicals to maintain productivity. Fish are essential
News Brief | Impacts of fish farming, industrial aquaculture
||| FROM COUNTERPUNCH ||| While discussions about land-based farmed animals, such as cattle, pigs, and poultry, are dominated by their impact on emissions and the environment, aquaculture has been positioned as a sustainable alternative. Industrial fish farms, particularly open-net salmon pens, concentrate thousands of animals in confined spaces, producing waste
Tickets now available for 2026 Orcas Island Garden Tour
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND GARDEN CLUB ||| Mark your calendar for the annual 2026 Orcas Island Garden Tour on Saturday, June 27 & Sunday, June 28 from 11 am to 5 pm each day. Tickets are $25 each. The garden club provides education and experiences to the garden community to
Free workshop for writers at Orcas Library
||| FROM SAM GAILEY for ORCAS ISLAND PUBLIC LIBRARY ||| In this evening workshop hosted by the Orcas Island Library, authors Veronica Kornberg and Jill McCabe Johnson use objects and mapping to create fresh writing on family. Participants are asked to bring an object that evokes family memories to use
Help us celebrate the Class of 2026 at Baccalaureate
||| FROM ALICIA WIGFIELD for ORCAS ISLAND COMMUNITY CHURCH ||| On Wednesday, June 10, 2026, at 6:00 PM, Orcas Island Community Church will be hosting the Baccalaureate Service for the Class of 2026 at the Moran State Park Picnic Shelter. This is a wonderful opportunity for our community to come together to celebrate
Seven Sisters: Return of the Matriarchy coming to Orcas Center
||| FROM COLLEEN SMITH SUMMERS for ORCAS CENTER ||| Indigenous women have played an outsized role in major environmental justice campaigns in the Pacific Northwest. Se’Si’Le, an Indigenous-led nonprofit, is bringing to Orcas Island an event to honor and celebrate these matriarchs as part of its nation-wide 2026 campaign: Seven
School music rings in summer on a high note
||| FROM SHARON HO for MUSIC ADVOCACY GROUP ||| Family and community members filled the Orcas Center on Thursday, May 28, to celebrate another successful year for the Orcas public school strings program. Mrs. Pamela Wright, the music teacher and strings director, who will be retiring after 24 years, received
I’m not the Church Lady | What’s really between psychology and spirituality?
What if the most sane and sacred thing I can do is trust what I know? ||| I'M NOT THE CHURCH LADY by ROSIE KUHN ||| Psychology, at its best, says: What happened to you shapes you—how can you go forward? Spirituality, at its best, asks: Who are you beyond
Happy Pride from Orcas Island Pride
Are you ready to Dance? ||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND PRiDE ||| Happy Pride We are so excited to celebrate this month with you all! In this time where queer people are being villanized, it is VITAL we stay visible and loud. It is VITAL we refuse to slink back into
Strengthening civic culture on Orcas Island
||| FROM LINDSAY JENNINGS for ORCAS ISLAND COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ||| Earlier this week, 52 nonprofit board members and staff gathered to bring fundraising into focus on Orcas Island. What may have been surprising to some, was that much of the workshop didn’t focus specifically on asking for donations. Successful nonprofits
Zuckerberg’s Launchpad visits Orcas Island
||| FROM ROBERT AUSTIN ||| LAUNCHPAD current position and history of port calls are received by AIS. Technical specifications, tonnages and management details are derived from VesselFinder database. The data is for informational purposes only and VesselFinder is not responsible for the accuracy and reliability of LAUNCHPAD data. Photo by
UN report warns AI could soon use 3% of world’s electricity and more water than we need to drink
||| FROM THE CONVERSATION ||| One argument often used to quell concerns about the rising energy and resource demand of data centers is that artificial intelligence (AI) models will need less in the future as they improve and become more efficient. But this seemingly logical thinking is a trap, according
Sheriff’s Report | May 27 – June 1, 2025
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE ||| WEDNESDAY, MAY 27 26-003064 Found Property 08:18:11 05/27/26 A credit card was found on San Juan Island and turned into the Sheriff's office which was booked into the property and evidence room. No known contact for the owner. 26-003066 Found Property 09:55:17
Legacies of D-Day | June 6, 1944
||| FROM DOUGLAS MARSHALL ||| Before dawn, a seasick 22-year-old 2nd Lieutenant and his mortar platoon climbed into their landing craft and motored three hours toward the French province of Normandy, on a day code-named D-Day and toward a place code-named Utah Beach. Approaching the shore, the ramps of their
WSF Weekly Report | 75th anniversary celebrations; engine room training; great kudo
||| FROM STEVE NEVEY for WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| A message from Steve On Monday, Washington State Ferries marked the 75th anniversary of the state taking over Washington’s ferry service. For 75 years, the state ferry system has connected communities across Washington and has been part of everyday life for
SJC Health & Community Services announces staffing reduction due to state grant funding cut
State grant funding cut necessitates staffing reductions while the department remains committed to delivering essential public health services. ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County Health & Community Services (HCS) is announcing a reduction in staffing as a result from a cut in state grant funding that
