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
Orcas Community Resource Center closes on building purchase, strengthening our future on Orcas
||| SUBMITTED BY ORCAS COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER ||| After eight years of calling 374 North Beach Road home, we are thrilled to share that on January 29, 2026, the Orcas Community Resource Center closed on
San Juan County Sheriff’s Office statement | Two bills affecting voters and sheriffs
San Juan County Sheriff Eric Peter releases a statement about two current bills being reviewed by the Washington State legislature. ||| FROM ERIC PETER, SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF ||| San Juan County Sheriff Eric Peter
Upcoming jury terms are excused
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| JURY DUTY: FEBRUARY 2-13, 2026 All jurors summonsed for the jury term beginning Monday, February 2nd through Friday, February 13th, 2026 are excused. If you were summonsed
It’s time for ticks | A message from Kwiaht
||| FROM RUSSEL BARSH for KWIAHT ||| Tick season is here! In the San Juan Islands, ticks go “questing” for new hosts from January through June, usually peaking in March and April. While ticks are
Take it easy | Eagles tribute band to play at Orcas Center
||| FROM COLLEEN SMITH SUMMERS for ORCAS CENTER ||| While the Eagles may have the record for the #1 and #3 selling albums of all-time, hundreds of millions of people have never seen them play
Guest Opinion | Get dark money out of politics (Part 1)
||| FROM INDIVISIBLE SAN JUAN ISLANDS ||| “92% of the time the candidate that raises the most money wins in the general election. (Source: Grossman. Niskanen Center. 10/29/2025) With the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision in 2010,
Health Care District Board to meet tomorrow
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND HEALTH CARE DISTRICT BOARD ||| Board Meeting - January 28, 2026 The Orcas Island Health Care District Board will hold a Regular Board Meeting on Wednesday, January 27th from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. in the Community
News Brief | Scientists are using drones to sniff out deadly diseases in whales
||| FROM AZ ANIMALS US ||| Scientists used drones to collect whale blow, allowing them to test for diseases without harming or stressing the animals. The study detected cetacean morbillivirus in Arctic whales for the
Final report available for county’s Marine Transport Services pilot project
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| During the Council retreat earlier this month, County staff discussed past and future efforts to support transportation initiatives throughout the islands. One of the most notable initiatives from
Skagit Valley College announces newly approved Bachelor of Science in Nursing program
||| FROM MARISA PIERCE for SKAGIT VALLEY COLLEGE ||| MOUNT VERNON, Wash. — Skagit Valley College (SVC) has announced the approval of its new Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN to BSN) program, following a
No Place Like Loam | Landscape as orientation: Inheritance
||| NO PLACE LIKE LOAM by ALEX TAMAYO-WOLF ||| We moved from Ohio when I was in fourth grade. 1978. I loved it there. A small town that knew itself. Friends who showed up without
League of Women Voters | SJC Board of Health January 21, 2026
||| FROM NECIA QUAST for LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS ||| The Accountable Communities for Health (ACH) began a second round for its CEO search and will hold a board retreat next week. They are seeking
Island Stewards | Grounded participation in a time of change
||| FROM ISLAND STEWARDS ||| Humans have been adapting to accelerated change for a long time, often without being given real choices about how that change unfolds. Since the industrial revolution, daily life has been
There is something for you at Orcas Senior Center
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Art with Carla Unleash your creativity at Art with Carla Fridays, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Orcas Senior Center. Led by experienced artist Carla Stanley,
You are invited to a movie with Orcas Pride
This newsletter touches on mental health, the state of queer and specifically trans healthcare in the nation currently, and mentions death/suicide. Please read only if you are comfortable to. There is a TL;DR at the
LWVSJ Observer Corps Notes | San Juan County Council January 20, 2026
||| FROM NECIA QUAST for LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS ||| During public access time a resident raised concerns that the county recently issued a permit for a large hangar on a Tarte Rd. property which
