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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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
I’m Not the Church Lady | Five indications you are a spiritually superior human being
||| I'M NOT THE CHURCH LADY by ROSIE KUHN ||| First, I establish that I’m right. Second, I establish that you’re wrong. Third, I make sure you know it. Fourth, I make sure you feel
Letter to Editor | Swanson is dedicated, effective
||| FROM GORDON KOENIG and ANITA ORNE ||| Election day is nearly here, and we in San Juan County are fortunate to have two thoughtful and community-minded women vying to represent us as the District
Letter to Editor | This Hallowe’en, don’t ‘boo,’ vote
||| FROM STEVE BERNHEIM ||| In August, voter turnout in San Juan County was 46%, the lowest mid-term primary election turnout in twenty years. Fewer than 7,000 county residents cast primary ballots out of more
Letter to Editor | Jennifer Swanson will serve us well
||| FROM KAREN VEDDER ||| Who among us isn’t sick to death of the daily gut punch of the news? Who among us doesn’t envision a world where our elected leaders listen to each other and
Final chapter of the Love & Relationships Book Club at Darvillls
||| FROM AYN GAILEY for DARVILLS BOOKSTORE ||| A heartfelt thank-you to all the wonderful women and four brave men who joined us for a year of love, happily-ever-afters (and not-so-happily-ever-afters) at the first-ever Darvill’s
Rick Larsen | October in Northwest Washington
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF. U.S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| From conversations with local food providers about growing demand for assistance to fighting for good-paying jobs and lower prescription drug costs, October has been a
Midnight Mutterings | A poem crept in
||| MIDNIGHT MUTTERINGS by JACKIE BATES ||| A Poem Crept In At 3:45 AM, a poem slipped into my room, Tapped on my forehead. I’m here. she said. I’m sleeping. I mumbled. Limited time offer,
Resource Center invites islanders to help identify unmet legal needs
||| FROM THE RESOURCE CENTER COMMUNICATIONS TEAM ||| A housing dispute, a confusing medical bill, a family breakup, or questions about a parenting plan can leave someone unsure where to turn. On Orcas Island, the
