Here’s a thought…
“It’s easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled.”
MARK TWAIN
Rick Larsen secures resounding victory
Larsen to push for affordability and accountability ||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U.S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| EVERETT, Wash. – Today, Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) released the following statement: “I am honored that my friends and neighbors in Northwest Washington have sent me back to DC to fight for them.
San Juan County now hiring Chief Deputy Clerk
This position performs complex administrative, technical, and supervisory work supporting the Office of the County Clerk and the Clerk of the Superior Court ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County is excited to invite candidates to apply for the Chief Deputy Clerk position in the Clerk’s Office.
Orcas Community Resource Center and Puget Sound Cooperative Credit Union partner for holiday giving drive
||| SUBMITTED BY RESOURCE CENTER COMMUNICATIONS TEAM ||| The Orcas Community Resource Center (OCRC) and Puget Sound Cooperative Credit Union (PSCCU) are partnering during the months of November and December to collect essential household supplies, hygiene products, and warm winter clothing for Orcas Island residents experiencing financial hardship. Community members
Think before you shrink wrap your boat
For better or for worse… we’re saying “I DON’T” to more plastic in landfills ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County’s Department of Environmental Stewardship and Plastic Free Salish Sea piloted a boat shrink wrap recycling effort this past year gathering wrappings from 36 small vessels. Team
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
