Here’s a thought…
“When is the time we all get to eat cake? I don’t want to miss it!”
ANONYMOUS
Islands’ Oil Spill Association utilizes eyes in the sky
||| FROM BILL SYMES and ELAINA THOMPSON || Wednesday morning, September 16, was glorious in Deer Harbor: bright sunshine glinting on the water, color from early-turning leaves, light breeze out of the north, pleasant temperatures. In short, a perfect day for…an oil spill response drill! Islands’ Oil Spill Association (IOSA)
WSF experiencing lack of crew affecting San Juan routes
||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| For Monday, October 5, Vessel #1 Chelan and #2 Yakima will be out of service due to the lack of crew. The #3 Samish will sail all-stops from Anacortes to Lopez, Shaw, Orcas, and Friday Harbor Update: The following sailings are canceled today, Monday,
Guest Opinion | Open letter to County Council
Beheading the Department of Environmental Stewardship ||| FROM CINDY WOLF ||| In the State of Washington, responsibility falls on the local and Tribal governments to execute Salmon habitat conservation and restoration projects, which is a focused way of saying projects addressing marine health in general. This mission dovetails nicely with
Burn permits now local on Orcas Island
||| FROM BEN LUNA for ORCAS ISLAND FIRE & RESCUE ||| Orcas Island Fire and Rescue (OIFR) will begin issuing burn permits for Orcas Island. Permits will be available starting October 12, 2026, if weather and conditions allow. The process is online. Apply and pay at orcasfire.org. The site also
Guest Opinion | Permanent, until inconvenient
||| FROM ALAN MIZUTA ||| OPALCO bought land with a recorded Native Growth Area covenant and open-space protections intended to preserve a wildlife corridor. Its solar project conflicted with those restrictions. San Juan County has now approved moving the open-space designation to accommodate the project. The protections dated to 2012.
Orcas Island Clothing Bank returns this fall
||| FROM ORCAS CHRISTIAN SCHOOL ||| The Orcas Island Clothing Bank will return this fall, offering community members an opportunity to find clothing and other household items while giving gently used goods a second life. The Clothing Bank will be held Oct. 24-25 at the Orcas Christian School (OCS) gymnasium.
Letter to Editor | I am enthusiastic about Katherine Bryant Ingman
||| FROM FARHAD GHATAN ||| I am giving my enthusiastic support to our County Council candidate Katherine Bryant Ingman. As a thirty five year resident of the County and past Planning Commission Chair, Councilperson and Mayor for the Town of Friday Harbor I see a rare opportunity in electing someone
Larsen reintroduces bill to fight discriminatory voter ID laws
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U.S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, U.S. Representatives Rick Larsen (WA-02) and Mark Veasey (TX-33) reintroduced the America Votes Act to protect U.S. citizens who face disenfranchisement because of restrictive voter identification (ID) laws. “As Trump and Republicans in Congress continue their unlawful attempts
Letter to Editor | Protecting your vote
||| FROM HEATHER LEE FOR COUNTY AUDITOR ||| Many people have shared their concerns about election security with me and how election officials can address those concerns. I believe the biggest issues are cybersecurity, ballot security, chain of custody, staffing, and misinformation. My approach would be to be proactive-review our
Forester’s Notes | Times are tough
||| FROM KEVIN W. ZOBRIST, WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY FORESTRY PROFESSOR ||| The excellent adventure of the Extension Forestry Program has become a bit of a bogus journey of late. We have been hit with significant budget cuts. A few months ago, we lost 40% of our state funding. On the
News Brief | Kelvin wave may bring sustained high sea levels on WA coast
||| FROM THE SEATTLE TIMES ||| Expected to hit California in days, lifting sea levels by a half-foot or more and lingering for months a giant pulse of warm water, known as a Kelvin wave, is surging toward the West Coast. It doesn’t present a severe threat to Washington yet,
I’m Not the Church Lady | Marketing as a spiritual practice
Marketing as a Spiritual Practice ||| I'M NOT THE CHURCH LADY by ROSIE KUHN ||| I think maybe God has a Bingo cage. You know the kind—the big wire ball somebody cranks around at Bingo Night while everyone sits staring at their cards, waiting to see what number comes tumbling
OCS students learn from Orcas Island musician Jim Bredouw
||| FROM ORCAS CHRISTIAN SCHOOL ||| Students at Orcas Christian School had an opportunity to learn from one of Orcas Island’s longtime musicians and sound engineers when Jim Bredouw visited the school to share stories from his career, projects and music. Bredouw spoke with OCS middle and high school students
Library to feature art of Shawna Marie Franklin
||| FROM ANDREA COHEN for ORCAS ISLAND LIBRARY ||| Shawna Marie Franklin will be October’s featured artist at the Orcas Island Library. Her monoprints and paintings will be displayed in a show entitled Being with Kelp: Ongoing. The subject began as an artistic endeavor when Shawna’s kayaking career ended in
Emmanuel’s summer Market Day helps Orcas islanders all year
||| FROM LYNN BAKER for EMMANUEL EPISCOPAL CHURCH ||| Warm homes. Good food. Help in need. Services for seniors. And, for students, a chance to learn to fly. These are the gifts to Orcas islanders from shoppers at July’s Market Day, the annual rummage sale of Emmanuel Episcopal Church. From
Artworks featured artist for October is Maria Papademetriou
||| FROM B.J. ARNOLD for ORCAS ARTWORKS ||| Orcas artist Maria Papademetriou describes her work is a kind of visual storytelling used to create a narrative, mood,, or message. "My creative process is multilayered and intuitive, using found objects, ceramics, and old photographs. "From a very early age, 4 to
