Here’s a thought…
Orcas High School Again Ranks at the Top
Kyle Freeman: "Once again Orcas Island has been recognized as one of the top schools in the state of Washington, #15 and the nation #740. This is an award that the students, staff (k-12), parents
New OPALCO Surcharge to Correct Shortfall
Rate Structure Discussion Ongoing -- by Suzanne Olson for OPALCO -- Sample Bill Comparison. Despite the rate increase in February, many OPALCO member bills have gone down because of warmer temperatures and lower kilowatt
Sheriff’s Report: May 13 – 29, 2015
-- from Robin DeLaZerda, San Juan County Sheriff’s Office -- May 13, 2015 15-002333 Animal at Large 12:33:18 05/13/15: A Lopez Island deputy assisted in the safe return of a dozen cows to the owner's field after they went
Ferry Ridership Increases: Six Percent for San Juans
-- from Washington State Ferries -- Memorial Day weekend ridership increases. Preliminary ridership numbers are in and they show that Memorial Day weekend sure was busy! From May 21-26, we carried over 435,000 total riders and
Governor Orders Legislators Into Special Session
Legislature’s next round: compromise? -- by John Stang for Crosscut.com -- Gov. Jay Inslee has ordered a second-30-day special session to begin Friday in order to resolve sluggish talks on the 2015-2017 budget for Washington.
Become a FROG and Take the Ferry Survey
-- from Anne Haley, Chairman, Washington State Transportation Commission -- In about a week, we will be sending 22,000 members of the Ferry Riders Opinion Group (FROG), a link to a new survey that will ask
How Are We Doing? A Quarterly Review of County Finances
-- by County Auditor F. Milene Henley -- First quarter 2015 On a recent sunny afternoon, I saw a cart of purple and yellow flowers sitting next to the red, white and blue ballot drop
New Call-Before-You-Dig Laws
Increased oversight and penalties -- from OPALCO -- Utilities, excavators and the public are all affected by a new call-before-you-dig law that includes more rigorous enforcement, mandatory damage reporting and higher penalties. The intent of
Board of Health Asked to Agree ‘Growler’ Noise Causes Irreparable Injury
-- from the Citizens of Ebey's Reserve, Whidbey Island -- Proof of noise-inflicted injuries were presented to the Island County Board of Health, Keith Higman, Brad Thomas, M.D., Executive Secretary and members at their meeting
Letter to the Editor: OPALCO Members, Get Engaged
-- by Alex MacLeod -- There is growing unhappiness among many OPALCO member-customers following this year’s huge rate increase. OPALCO’s board raised the “facilities charge” to each customer by about 40% -- this is a
Guest Editorial: Reclaim the American Dream
"Taking our Gray Heads to the Streets" It started with an online correspondence between Sheila Gaquin of Deer Harbor and Sharon Abreu of Vusario: from Sheila Gaquin to Sharon Abreu: You and Mike have your
Soil — the Solution for Climate Change?
Workshops on Lopez and San Juan Islands May 30-31 -- from the San Juans Conservation District -- Grow soil, regenerate the land and be a part of a solution for climate change! You have an
County Starts New Inspection Schedule
New Summer Schedule starts May 26 -- from San Juan County -- San Juan County, Department of Community Development, will implement a new building permit inspection schedule for the period May 26th through July 2nd.
Emergency Contractors Needed to Restore School
The Orcas Island School District Board of Directors on May 19 passed a resolution to act in the emergency created by the recent flood in the Nellie S. Milton Elementary Building. As a result, Tiger
Fire and Rescue To Hold Meetings on Cost Recovery
Two sessions on Saturday, June 6 -- from Lt. Geoff Nelson, President Orcas Island Volunteer Firefighters’ Association, and Miklos P. Preysz, Acting Chief, Orcas Island Fire and Rescue -- Orcas Island Volunteer Firefighters’ Association in
Councilmember Hughes’ Effort in Olympia a Success
-- from San Juan County Communications -- Gov. Jay Inslee signs Engrossed House Bill No. 1868, May 11, 2015. Relating to county road fund purposes for certain counties. On Monday, May 11, 2015,
