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
Council sets priorities for 20206-27 biennial budget amidst funding challenges
San Juan County will continue to seek ways to balance the budget that prioritize mandatory and essential functions, while not disproportionally decreasing services to the community. ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| During the
OIFR seeks community properties for firefighter training
||| FROM BEN LUNA for ORCAS ISLAND FIRE & RESCUE ||| Orcas Island Fire & Rescue (OIFR) is looking for properties and structures to use for firefighter training. Whether you have a new construction project,
News Brief | Orcas islander Jas Ikeda remains in an Israeli prison
||| FROM KING-5 TV||| "Israeli naval forces recently captured over 400 activists, including at least 22 Americans, in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea” ORIGINALLY FROM KING-5 TV "When you have somebody in a small
No jurors needed for October 6-10
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| JURY DUTY: OCTOBER 6-10, 2025 All jurors summonsed for the week beginning Monday, October 6th through Friday, October 10th are excused.
No Place Like Loam | A strawberry tree grows in Seattle: Rediscovering an ancient evergreen
Why this overlooked Mediterranean native belongs in Pacific Northwest landscapes ||| NO PLACE LIKE LOAM by ALEX TAMAYO-WOLF ||| The strawberry tree, Arbutus unedo, never seems in step with its neighbors. While other trees surrender
OPALCO renewable energy community meetings recap
||| FROM KRISTA BOUCHEY for ORCAS POWER & LIGHT COOPERATIVE ||| A few weeks ago, the OPALCO team held a series of community meetings about local, renewable energy. The meetings were held at all three
Conservation Land Bank acquires 225-acre school trust land parcel on Blakely Island
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| On September 18, the San Juan County Conservation Land Bank received a 225-acre parcel on Blakely Island from the Washington Department of Natural Resources. The property is located
J36 and J Pod documented off San Juan Island
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| Full Encounter Report ObservBegin: 12:52 PM ObservEnd: 03:25 PM Vessel: KCB III Staff: Dave Ellifrit, Michael Weiss Other Observers: Rachel John, Taylor Redmond Pods: Southern Resident: J Pod
Winter Artisan Market accepting applications for artists, artisans
||| FROM PARKER PAVITT for WINTER ARTISAN MARKET ||| The annual Winter Artisans Market at the Odd Fellows Hall invites applications from artists and artisans for this traditional gathering of island creatives and community supporters.
The Countdown Is On | Get your Friday Harbor Film Festival 2025 pass
||| FROM ELLEN ROBERTS & KAREN PALMER for FRIDAY HARBOR FILM FESTIVAL ||| The Friday Harbor Film Festival returns October 23–26 with the largest lineup in our history! From more than 189 submissions, our Selection
Senior Center | Where fun meets health
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Ukulele Kanikipila: Join the Musical Fun at Orcas Senior Center! Experience the joy of making music at Ukulele Kanikipila, Hawaiian for "play music," Mondays from 1
2025 San Juan County WSU Master Gardeners Garden Workshop Series
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY WSU MASTER GARDENERS ||| The series includes 4 one-hour presentations with additional time for questions and discussion. Our speakers are scientists, authors, naturalists, professional gardeners, and accomplished Master Gardeners who
NYT bestselling author Ben Clanton at Library
||| FROM JENNY DEEGROOT for ORCAS ISLAND LIBRARY ||| Join NYT bestselling author Ben Canton at the Public Library on Monday, October 6th at 4pm for an informal storytime. Ben is best known for his
Port Commission approves ‘better – not bigger’ option for airport
||| FROM CHIP LONG for PORT OF ORCAS ||| At the Port’s September 2025 regular meeting your commissioners approved a motion to formally accept the FAA’s funding award and engage Granite Construction in Bellingham for
Midnight Mutterings | Florynce Kennedy
||| Midnight Mutterings: Florynce Kennedy I had a couple of other lame ideas for this little column in the last few days, but somehow Florynce Kennedy popped into my head. I had never heard much
Sheriff’s Report | September 24 – 30, 2025
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE ||| WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 25-006604 Found Property 12:18:22 09/24/25 An Orcas Island Deputy responded to a found property incident at a business in Eastsound. The found property was
