Here’s a thought…
“Don’t ask me who’s influenced me. A lion is made up of the lambs he’s digested, and I’ve been reading all my life.”
GIORGOS SEFERIS
OPALCO to hold virtual community town hall
||| FROM JO LANGE for ORCAS POWER & LIGHT COOPERATIVE ||| OPALCO invites members to a virtual town hall with our leadership team to ask questions and share feedback. We've been seeing an increased level
Learn from scientist/ecologist Peter Guillozet as he speaks about backyard ponds
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND GARDEN CLUB ||| Please join the Orcas Island Garden Club on Wednesday, February 18th when we welcome Peter Guillozet to speak about Below the Surface of Backyard Ponds: Beneficial or Harmful? We are
Library After Dark | Writing night offers adults a quiet space to create
||| FROM SAM GAILEY fot ORCAS ISLAND LIBRARY ||| Orcas Island Library invites adult writers to settle in after hours for Library After Dark: Writing Night on Monday, February 9, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. This welcoming evening
County publishes guide for reviewing OPALCO’s proposed solar project on Decatur Island
Members of the public interested in engaging in the County’s review of OPALCO’s project can use this guide. ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County’s Department of Community Development (DCD) received an
How do our packages get here?
||| FROM YOUTUBE |||
Gray whales featured in new picture book
||| FROM NORA FERM NICKUM ||| I have a new picture book coming out next week (Feb. 10) from Candlewick/Penguin Random House titled Twelve Daring Grays: A Whale Migration Adventure. It's a true story about the adventurous
Calling all Orcas Island nonprofits | Applications for 2026 Spring GiveOrcas grants now being accepted
||| FROM LINDSAY JENNINGS for ORCAS ISLAND COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ||| OICF is inviting all Orcas Island nonprofit organizations to submit grant proposals February 4 - 26, 2026. The application is open to 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(6)
Child Find Screening soon to be available
||| FROM LORENA STANKEVICH for ISLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT ||| Any child, ages birth to five, whose family or caregivers would like more information about their child’s development can contact their local district to receive a
Letter to Editor | Property taxes in 2026
||| FROM BOB DISTLER ||| With virtually no change in assessed valuation, our home’s property taxes will increase by about 17% compared to last year. While I understand the somewhat byzantine relationship between assessments and
County Council continues discussing levy lid lift to maintain services
Council is interested in placing a levy lid lift on the April Special Election and is expected to adopt a resolution during its next meeting on February 10. ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS |||
Poetry | Advice from a raindrop
||| FROM NITA COUCHMAN || ADVICE FROM A RAINDROP Kim Stafford You think you're too small to make a difference? Tell me about it. You think you're helpless, at the mercy of forces beyond your
Orcas Community Resource Center to host “Financial Disaster Recovery” seminar
||| FROM ORCAS COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER ||| The Orcas Community Resource Center will present a "Financial Disaster Recovery" seminar at the Orcas Senior Center on Wednesday, February 18th, at 1:00 p.m. Part of the Orcas
Town Council to hold special meeting
||| FROM JENNIFER KREMBS for TOWN OF FRIDAY HARB0R ||| NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Town Council will hold a special meeting after the regular business meeting on February 5, 2026, to participate in
Jurors for February 9-13 excused
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| JURY DUTY: FEBRUARY 9-13, 2026 All jurors summonsed for the jury term beginning Monday, February 9th through Friday, February 13th, 2026, are excused. Thank you!
Larsen rejects Trump’s agenda; demands ICE accountability
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U.S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) released the following statement on the Fiscal Year 2026 funding package, which provides full-year funding for jobs, education, health care and national security priorities along with two weeks
Vehicle reservations for spring open next Tuesday, Feb. 10 at 10 a.m.
||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| Vehicle reservations for the spring 2026 schedule (March 22 through June 13) will be available at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 10. To ensure a smooth and fair experience during
