Here’s a thought…
“It’s easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled.”
MARK TWAIN
Letter to the Editor | Odd Fellows Halloween Dance
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND ODD FELLOWS ||| The Halloween Dance was a big success! Fun costumes, people dancing, connecting, and having a great time! Such a fun evening with dance music provided by The Studs! Song after song all night long shared with such earnestness, skill, and fun! Graduating high school
Odd Fellows firewood raffle result
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND ODD FELLOWS ||| The annual Odd Fellows Firewood Raffle fundraiser for graduating high school student scholarships was a big success yet again thanks to our community generosity. Thanks to everyone who contributed by purchasing wood raffle tickets and through donations to the cause. Everyone who contributed
My journey with these mirrors began as a wonderful happenstance
||| FROM TINA BROWN ||| After completing a bookbinding class, I found myself with a beautiful abundance of decorative paper scraps. Around the same time, I rediscovered a mirror from my childhood that was badly in need of care. Inspired by the challenge, I covered the damaged frame with book
Community Show | ‘Mix Your Media’ at Orcas Center
Art intake on November 19; Art Opening on November 20 ||| FROM MARJORIE TAYLOR for ORCAS CENTER ||| The Visual Arts Committee of Orcas Center announces a new community show -- “Mix Your Media” – to open on November 20. To participate, please bring up to three pieces of your
Let’s explore how Change lives in our lives
||| FROM GRETCHEN KRAMPF ||| You are invited to join me for an evening of community storytelling, a dash of magic and a surprise or two, as we come together to explore how Change lives in our lives. Join storyteller Leah Lamb for An Evening of Stories of Change on
Veteran Zen practitioner seeks meditation group
||| FROM GRAY SCHNELLE ||| Veteran Zen practitioner and Orcas newcomer seeks meditation group—existing or yet to be. All Buddhist traditions valued. Please text Rob at 509-607-1356.
News Brief | About that election stress and how to manage it
||| FROM MS NOW ||| With the midterm elections just two days away, many Americans are doomscrolling on social media and doom-polling the latest survey results. But there are some things you can do to manage your stress, writes wellness podcaster Dan Harris. As one expert put it: “Treat yourself
Dr. Simpson-Manske opens new mobile medicine practice
||| FROM MARTHA KRAMER for MANSKE MOBILE MEDICINE ||| After a lot of thought about how to keep caring for her patients here on Orcas, Dr. Jennifer Simpson-Manske has opened Manske Mobile Medicine, a house-call practice that brings old-fashioned home visits together with up-to-date care. Services include primary care, physicals
News Brief | How a secret vote by U.N. scientists legitimized carbon capture, skewed decades of climate policy
||| FROM PROPUBLICA ||| Scientists’ Secret Vote: A U.N. climate report legitimized carbon capture and storage, suggesting at least 99% of the CO2 would likely remain underground, despite scant empirical evidence. Oil Industry Favorite: Fossil fuel companies have identified carbon capture as a climate solution that will allow their industry
News Brief | Clash with feds hangs over WA as votes roll in before Election Day
||| FROM THE SEATTLE TIMES ||| The act of voting remains the same — fill out a ballot and turn it in. Democracy, simple and elegant. Election Day isn’t until Tuesday, but with changes to how the U.S. Postal Service processes postmarks, election officials are adamant that if you have
Friday Harbor Film Festival announces 2026 Audience Choice Awards
||| FROM ELLEN ROBERTS & KAREN PALMER for FRIDAY HARBOR FILM FESTIVAL ||| After an extraordinary four days of documentary storytelling, inspiration, and connection the 2026 Friday Harbor Film Festival has come to a close. We greatly appreciate all the filmmakers who shared their remarkable stories, the audiences who filled
News Brief | What happens when you can no longer fight a wildfire?
||| FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES ||| As out-of-control wildfires burned hundreds of homes in southern British Columbia this August, Cliff Chapman, director of operations for the province’s wildfire service, issued a sobering statement. “I cannot stress enough that the conditions we are facing right now are conditions that we
I’m Not the Church Lady | Five indications you are a spiritually superior human being
||| I'M NOT THE CHURCH LADY by ROSIE KUHN ||| First, I establish that I’m right. Second, I establish that you’re wrong. Third, I make sure you know it. Fourth, I make sure you feel it. And finally, I take it upon myself to correct you! After all, isn’t that
Letter to Editor | Swanson is dedicated, effective
||| FROM GORDON KOENIG and ANITA ORNE ||| Election day is nearly here, and we in San Juan County are fortunate to have two thoughtful and community-minded women vying to represent us as the District 3 representative on County Council. Having known Jennifer Swanson both personally and professionally for the
Letter to Editor | This Hallowe’en, don’t ‘boo,’ vote
||| FROM STEVE BERNHEIM ||| In August, voter turnout in San Juan County was 46%, the lowest mid-term primary election turnout in twenty years. Fewer than 7,000 county residents cast primary ballots out of more than 15,000 registered. Recent mid-term Primary Elections: The highest recent mid-term primary election turnout was
Letter to Editor | Jennifer Swanson will serve us well
||| FROM KAREN VEDDER ||| Who among us isn’t sick to death of the daily gut punch of the news? Who among us doesn’t envision a world where our elected leaders listen to each other and their constituents and work cooperatively together to solve the problems facing us? Locally, I think we’re
