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
Planning for success in your home vegetable garden
||| FROM PERRI GIBBONS for ORCAS ISLAND GARDEN CLUB ||| Please join the Orcas Island Garden Club on Wednesday, January 21st, 2026, as we welcome Professor, Carol Miles. We are excited and grateful to have
‘On Screen’ series from The Met, Live in HD, and National Theatre Live
||| FROM COLLEEN SMITH SUMMERS for ORCAS CENTER ||| Running from now until June, you can view a diverse sampling of the world’s best performers at the height of their careers in productions from The
Big wins for Orcas Senior Center | USDA roof funding and GiveOrcas success
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| We’re thrilled to announce that Orcas Senior Center will receive $165,000 in USDA funding in 2026 to help replace our aging roof! This incredible support is
Wingspan game day coming to Odd Fellows Hall
||| FROM WOODY CISKOWSKI for ORCAS PUBLIC LIBRARY || Are you a birder, a board gamer, or (ideally) both? The Orcas Public Library, in collaboration with the Odd Fellows Hall, is excited to present Wingspan
As the Paradigm Shifts | A gentle dismantling of poor them, lucky me
Seeing the courage, not the victim ||| AS THE PARADIGM SHIFTS by ROSIE KUHN ||| I’ve been listening lately—really listening—to how I talk about those who are struggling. People who lost their jobs. People standing
Etch A Sketch Circle
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR ||| Starting January 8, shake the cobwebs off your creativity at the Senior Center! Join the Etch A Sketch Circle with Anita Orne of AnitASketch every Thursday at
Midnight Mutterings | Thinking about Japan: Part 3
||| MIDNIGHT MUTTERINGS by JACKIE BATES ||| Kyoko and her family moved to a less expensive house after a year or so, and as a result, we saw less of each other, without the convenience
OPAL purchases Crosswind Apartments
Another eight rentals affordable for households of moderate and middle incomes ||| FROM QASIM ALI DINO for OPAL COMMUNITY LAND TRUST ||| Eight more apartments on Orcas Island will become permanently affordable rentals with OPAL
Free America Walkout
||| FROM INDIVISIBLE SAN JUAN ISLANDS ||| Indivisible San Juan Islands rallies residents to join the national mass-mobilization walkout, Free America, Tuesday, January 20, 2026, organized by the Women’s March. We will walk out of
Sheriff’s Report | December 17 – 30, 2025
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE ||| WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 17 25-008558 Trespassing 10:44:01 12/17/25 An Orcas Island Deputy responded to a trespassing incident in the downtown Eastsound area. The Deputy learned that the landlord
2026 applications now open for Dakota Creek Industries marine trades apprenticeship program
||| FROM CARRIE KING for DAKOTA CREEK INDUSTRIES ||| Dakota Creek Industries, Inc. is now accepting applications for its Marine Trades Apprenticeship Program. This paid program combines hands-on, on-the-job training in a working shipyard with
Roller skating is back on Orcas
||| FROM ALICIA WIGFIELD |||
Wolfchild in concert at Orcas Center to kick off New Year
||| FROM COLLEEN SMITH SUMMERS for ORCAS CENTER ||| Wolfchild is a Portland, Ore.-based Cinematic Folk Rock band with influences ranging from the immersive earthy sounds of Gregory Alan Isakov, Lord Huron, and The Paper
SJC Monthly News Digest | December 2025
This column is part of a series detailing San Juan County’s recent news. Follow along each month to learn about important County projects, Council initiatives, department updates, and more. ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS
Jury Duty? Check here
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| JURY DUTY: JANUARY 5-16, 2026 Jurors in groups 4, 5, 6 and 7 who were summonsed for the jury period beginning Monday January 5th through January 16th, are
Update on Con’s Pit Stop and call for proposals
||| FROM EMILIE ROBINSON for CON'S PIT STOP ||| Con’s Pit Stop closed last month, following an announcement on social media. We are now inviting proposals as we determine next steps for both the business
