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
Guest Opinion | Regarding the stand-off between OPALCO and the people who actually live on Decatur
||| FROM SHANNON MATTILA ||| I just read that Clara Park, OPALCO’s attorney, stated that "Decatur Island residents are for the solar expansion” ..that is completely false. Someone is creating a false narrative to support their
There’s No Place Like Loam | Summer pruning
||| THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE LOAM by ALEX TAMAYO-WOLF ||| The Thirty Percent Rule There’s a number that floats around pruning advice. Thirty percent. If you prune, you know exactly what it means. It’s the
Earth Day 2026 | Protecting our home planet
Our Blue Marble is our one and only Home Planet ||| FROM MARCY MONTGOMERY for EYE OF THE WHALE ARTS ||| Earth Day, Orcas Style is a vibrant nature, arts and science celebration with something
Orcas Garden Club president’s message
||| FROM ROBIN SULLIVAN for ORCAS GARDEN CLUB ||| I have officially been a gardener for almost three years now. Long enough to feel confident, but not quite long enough to stop Googling, “what is
San Juan Climate Convergence strengthens county-wide resilience, partnerships
||| FROM CHOM GREACEN for MADRONA INSTITUTE ||| Climate resilience work touches every corner of island life including how we power our homes, move through our community, steward our forests and waters, and grow our
Sheriff’s Office getting a new home on Lopez
||| FROM SHERIFF ERIC PETER for SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE |||
CWR logs another Biggs encounter
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| Full Encounter Report ObservBegin: 01:50 PM ObservEnd: 03:03 PM Vessel: KCB III Staff: Dave Ellifrit, Michael Weiss, Katie Jones Pods: Bigg's killer whales IDsEncountered: T90, T90B, T90C, and
CWR logs encounter with Biggs whales
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| Full Encounter Report ObservBegin: 02:40 PM ObservEnd: 03:27 PM Vessel: Mike 1 Staff: Mark Malleson Pods: Bigg's killer whales IDsEncountered: T019, T019B, T019C, T49B, T049B3, T049B4, T049B5, T117A,
Friday Harbor Film Festival will host an inspiring double feature
||| FROM ELLEN ROBERTS for FRIDAY HARBOR FILM FESTIVAL ||| Friday Harbor Film Festival's Best of the Fest returns on Friday, April 24 at 7 PM with a special double feature — two inspiring documentary
Letter to Editor | Just say no!
||| FROM PHIL PETERSON ||| A no vote on Proposition 1 will force needed change in the way we the people, our elected representatives and our essential public servants do our business. At issue is
Midnight Mutterings | Lights out
||| MIDNIGHT MUTTERINGS by JACKIE BATES ||| I hadn’t planned to write about the power outage April 15, 2026, three days ago, because you already know about it, especially your own experience. However one thing
Sheriff’s Report | April 8 – 14, 2026
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE ||| WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8 26-001936 Attempted Suicide 10:10:52 04/08/26 An Orcas Island Deputy and Orcas Island Fire and Rescue responded to a medical emergency in the Olga area.
Earth Day | Loving this place is not enough. We must protect it, too.
||| FROM SAM GAILEY for ORCAS ISLAND PUBLIC LIBRARY ||| This Earth Day, Wednesday, April 22nd at 6 pm, Orcas Island Public Library, sponsored by Friends of the San Juans, welcomes the community to Salish
News Brief | A mysterious new pod of killer whales is making waves near Seattle
||| FROM PEOPLE ||| Three previously unrecorded orcas have been spotted near Seattle multiple times in recent weeks Researchers believe the transient pod may have traveled from Alaska The rare sightings have delighted whale watchers
Letter to Editor | Regarding that county levy
||| FROM RICHARD GROUT ||| If you haven’t returned your ballot yet, please read this carefully. The mini–voters pamphlet that came with your ballot says the proposed county levy is 85 cents per $1,000 of
Guest Opinion | Board responsibility and credibility in the Decatur matter
||| FROM ALAN MIZUTA, et. al ||| What Happened Before This Was Published On April 14, 2026, thirty individuals and one community organization from the Decatur community formally asked the OPALCO Board to defer the
