Here’s a thought…
“The less a statesman amounts to, the more he loves the flag.”
KIN HUBBARD
Beaverton Marsh Trail update II open house
||| FROM TANJA WILLIAMSON for SAN JUAN COUNTY LAND BANK||| Staff are ready to share the *final* design for the Beaverton Marsh Trail! Please join us for our second project open house at the Mullis Community Senior Center, 5pm to 6:30pm, for an in-person update. Land Bank staff and commissioners look forward
News Brief | A whistleblower accused USPS of planning to reject batches of ballots
||| FROM THE WASHINGTON POST ||| Details: Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) said today that an anonymous federal official warned that the U.S. Postal Service has adopted a policy that would reject large batches of mail-in ballots. The policy: The whistleblower said the Postal Service implemented a “zero-percent failure policy” that
WSF service during Labor Day weekend
||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| Close to 400,000 people are expected to travel on Washington State Ferries this Labor Day weekend, between Thursday, Sept. 3 and Monday, Sept. 7. Holiday schedules for Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 7: Anacortes/San Juan Islands, Edmonds/Kingston, Point Defiance/Tahlequah, and Port Townsend/Coupeville will have a few schedule adjustments. Seattle/Bainbridge and Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth will run a weekend/holiday schedule. All other
Artworks featured artist for September is Shawna Marie Franklin
||| FROM B.J. ARNOLD for ORCAS ISLAND ARTWORKS ||| Shawna Marie Franklin The Orcas Island Artworks features work from Shawna Marie Franklin’s Distant Memory series of monoprints and oil paintings through the month of September. Lately, I’ve been obsessed with a distant memory. A long unpeopled beach brushing
Center for Whale Research encounter with J and L Pods
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| Full Encounter Report ObservBegin: 06:56 PM ObservEnd: 08:36 PM Vessel: Mike 1 Staff: Mark Malleson Other Observers: Rajan Chauhan, Abigail Carmichael Pods: J, L IDsEncountered: J36, J37, J40, J42, J47, J49, J59, L25, L54, J59, J63, L88, L94, L108, L115, L117, L119, L127
Local Poetry | O Canada, we can see thee
||| FROM WASAKALOBO ||| O Canada, we can see thee By wasakalobo The Voyageurs' tenacity Became its DNA Thus toughness and audacity That's Canada today For sure he's never heard of it The U.S.' Grievance King Nor does he get Canadians' wit Humor is not his thing No other nation
Local businesses launch 5th annual $15,000 match for Orcas Community Resource Center
||| FROM ORCAS COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER ||| This September, donations to the Orcas Community Resource Center will go twice as far thanks to a $15,000 matching gift from three local businesses: Island Market, Ray’s Pharmacy, and Island Life. Now in its fifth year, the September match has become a meaningful
2026 Wooden Boat Rendezvous coming up
||| FROM STEVE MCKENNA for WOODEN BOAT SOCIETY ||| The Wooden Boat Society of the San Juan Islands presents the annual Rendezvous of beautiful wooden boats at Deer Harbor Marina on Tuesday, September 8th. Viewing of the boats Monday evening and Tuesday is free at the marina. A sail race
Rick Larsen | Busy August in review
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U.S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| August has been a busy month in Northwest Washington. I have spent time meeting with local leaders, visiting community organizations, listening to your concerns, and working to bring federal dollars home to the communities I represent. This month, I helped
Survey Results | Assessment for dementia friendly needs on Orcas
||| FROM INGRID MATTSON for ORCAS ISLAND LIBRARY ||| Dementia Friendly Orcas surveyed islanders to understand current community strengths, service gaps, caregiver experiences, and priority needs related to dementia care on Orcas Island. Thanks to Melissa Hartmann with Island County Public Health, Heidi Bruce of San Juan County, Orcas Senior
News Brief | WA island’s only resident supports transfer from feds to tribe
||| FROM THE SEATTLE TIMES ||| PROTECTION ISLAND, Jefferson County — Tens of thousands of birds touch down here. Protection Island is a national wildlife refuge because its bluffs provide some of the Salish Sea’s last undeveloped habitat for burrow-nesting seabirds. There is a debate about the birds that nest
Larsen urges Supreme Court to protect LGBTQ+ students from discrimination
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U.S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) joined more than 180 House and Senate Democrats in filing an amicus brief at the Supreme Court in the case of St. Mary Catholic Parish v. Roy. In this case, religious preschools are seeking an exemption from the
League of Women Voters | County Council regular meeting, August 25, 2026
||| FROM LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS ||| Council discussed an op/ed letter to the community about the risks of increased oil tanker traffic and how to coordinate statements with other concerned entities. Auditor Natasha Warmenhoven and Budget Analyst Dr. Molly Foote discussed the background of ongoing budgetary challenges and the
I’m Not the Church Lady | Once I master this relationship, I’ll finally be done
||| I'M NOT THE CHURCH LADY by ROSIE KUHN ||| The way to Love is not by trying to become more loving or lovable. It is by noticing all the ways I leave myself in the name of love—and learn to return back to me over and over again. Welcome
Health Care District to hold special board meeting on Monday
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND HEALTH CARE DISTRICT ||| The Orcas Island Health Care District will hold a Special Board Meeting on Monday, August 31st, from 5:00–7:00 p.m. in the Community Room at the Orcas Island Library, 500 Rose Street, Eastsound. The meeting date was changed to accommodate the Town Hall
Bill Gates | The turbulent AI era is here. The choices we make now are critical
AI will either be the greatest equalizer ever invented, or the worst source of injustice ||| FROM BILL GATES ||| The transition to the AI era will be one of the most turbulent times in human history. Right now, we are not preparing adequately for that transition. If the world
