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
Queer Valentine Day Dance is today
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND PRIDE |||
Orcas Christian School students give back during Community Service Day
||| FROM LILIANNA STANFORD for ORCAS CHRISTIAN SCHOOL ||| On Jan. 23, 2026, Orcas Christian School students participated in a campuswide “Service Day,”dedicating their time to community improvement projects across Eastsound. Kindergarten through second-grade students
Building the Team | San Juan County welcomes a new public defender
Garth McCardle stepped into the role the first week of February ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County is pleased to welcome a new Public Defender, Garth McCardle, to the team. McCardle
Library friends seeks volunteers and board growth
||| FROM MICHAEL ARMENIA for FRIENDS OF ORCAS ISLAND LIBRARY ||| The Friends of the Orcas Island Library is having a meet and greet this Friday, 12-2 PM in the Library’s Community Meeting Room. Did
Jurors excused for February 17 – 20
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| JURY DUTY: FEBRUARY 17-20, 2026 All jurors summonsed for the jury term beginning Tuesday, February 17th through Friday, February 20th, 2026, are excused. Thank you!
Letter to Editor | Awash in water bills
||| FROM MICHAEL RIORDAN ||| Is anyone else aghast at their January water bills? Ours came in at just over $100, despite using a piddling (puddling?) 2927 gallons — less than 100 gallons per day
Larsen fights drug trafficking, funds public safety, addiction recovery
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U .S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| Today, Rep. Larsen released the following statement about actions within the Fiscal Year 2026 government funding bills to combat the opioid epidemic in Northwest
Maintaining health, safety & community services | Council places levy lid lift on April ballot
Council voted to place a levy lid lift on the April Special Election ballot ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| Today, the San Juan County Council adopted a resolution to place a levy lid
HB 2395 Update | Full steam ahead into the season
||| FROM DARREN AUSTIN for ONBUOY ||| I wanted to share a brief update on HB 2395 and what it means going forward. As some of you may have heard, the bill did not make
Larsen demands ICE oversight and accountability
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U .S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| The Trump Administration's brutal occupation of American communities with armed, masked agents must end immediately. Congress has a responsibility to defend the American people
News Brief | Orcas are drowning in noise
Turn down the volume to turn up orca survival ||| FROM GEORGIA STRAIGHT ALLIANCE ||| The frequency of sound emitted depends on a vessel’s engine type, propeller design, speed and distance from wildlife. The temperature
Letter to Editor | Questions for OPALCO Board
||| FROM RIKKI SWIN ||| Krista, Thank you for taking these questions for the Feb 10 online board meeting: Solar Panels for Bailer Hill What was the total cost of the solar panels purchased for the Bailer
Orcas Island Public Library hosts Movie Night Bingo at Emmanuel
||| FROM SAM GAILEY for ORCAS ISLAND PUBLIC LIBRARY ||| The Orcas Island Public Library invites the community to a fun and interactive Movie Night Bingo on Friday, February 13 at 6:00 p.m. at the
Wednesdays at Emmanuel | Meditation at noon, letter writing at 1pm
||| FROM NANCY REAS ||| Hello Orcas Island, since November 2023 I have been leading a silent meditation at Emmanuel Episcopal Church on Wednesdays from 12-1 pm for the purpose of holding in our hearts
WSF prepares for Seahawks parade onslaught on Wednesday
||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| We've been working together with regional transit agencies to support hundreds of thousands, possibly a million people, expected to converge in downtown Seattle for the Seahawks parade Wednesday. If you are traveling on ferries
UPDATE | OIFR child passenger safety technician training date change
||| FROM BECCA MCDOWELL for ORCAS FIRE & RESCUE ||| After feedback, we have chosen to push back the dates for the CPST course until May. The in-person course dates will be May 6-8 rather
