Here’s a thought…
Letter to Editor | New terminal agent to receive $725,000 annual fee
||| FROM MICHAEL RIORDAN ||| The next Orcas Island terminal agent, Madrona Pacific Landing Company, LLC, will be receiving an annual fee of $725,000 for the fiscal year beginning July 1, according to the contract
Midnight Mutterings | Near misses
||| MIDNIGHT MUTTERINGS by JACKIE BATES ||| But first: Old news Pop Quiz: What do Mick Jagger and Rupert Murdoch have in common? Answer is at the end of this column if you get that
Letter to Editor | Dear jury manager
||| FROM RIVER MALCOLM ||| Dear Jury Manager, The last time I was called for jury duty, age 75 or older was an automatic excuse from serving. Now I see this is changed dramatically to
Letter to Editor | How can this be, WSF?
||| FROM STEPHANIE ROSENBLATT ||| Dear Mr. Nevey, I understand how busy you are yet I’d like to bring an issue to your attention with the current reservation system. This morning, June 27th, I promptly
As the Paradigm Shifts | I did all the right spiritual stuff and still feel like crap: WTF?!
||| AS THE PARADIGM SHIFTS by ROSIE KUHN ||| When spirituality seems like the consolation prize for not becoming somebody special. Is “becoming spiritual” a consolation prize? Are we settling for less when we give
Guest Opinion | A muddle of disharmony
||| FROM STEVE ULVI ||| Opinions about potential solutions for our surprisingly gnarly islands issues are often at odds; from bated breath pleas for environmental preservation everywhere, to deep frustrations about continually restrictive development ordinances
Midnight Mutterings | Breaking up?
||| MIDNIGHT MUTTERINGS by JACKIE BATES ||| Looks like Donny and Elon are having some serious differences. Five months ago you couldn’t see a streak of light between them. At least I couldn’t, even if
Island Ways | Nantucket Land Court decision could upend short-term rentals in residential zones
Orcas and Nantucket Islands are each roughly the same size and the same distance off their respective coasts. We share the same concerns about the high cost of living, lack of affordable housing, tourist management,
As the Paradigm Shifts | The Benny Baxter effect: Becoming nobody special
||| AS THE PARADIGM SHIFTS by ROSIE KUHN ||| My kitchen sink drain finally clogged to the point that nothing was getting through. It was like an artery to the heart, so blocked with gunk
Letter to Editor | It’s time to push back, end data center incentives in Washington State
||| FROM ELISABETH ROBSON ||| It's time the citizens of this county, and of Washington State more broadly, start pushing back hard against Washington State's tax incentives to data centers and other electricity-intensive industries. These incentives
Letter to Editor | Orcas is changing
||| FROM JOHN ERLY ||| Let's start with "Pet Parade" where there were goats, horses, cows, rabbits, chickens, ducks, goldfish in bowl, snakes, and other farm animals we are used to seeing. We did have
Letter to Editor | Where are we going?
||| FROM SUSAN MUSTARD ||| On April 30th, I was at SeaTac Airport. After having been thoroughly vetted (passport, etc), we were finally ready for our overseas flight. The airline called for our boarding. My
Midnight Mutterings | Kohlberg’s stages
||| MIDNIGHT MUTTERINGS by JACKIE BATES ||| Recently, I stumbled across (on the web) mention of Lawrence Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development. I realized I hadn’t thought about his work in decades and so I
As the Paradigm Shifts | Letting the ache be sacred
||| THE PARADIGM SHIFTS by ROSIE KUHN ||| After dinner, I stepped out into the night to toss a bit of organics into the compost. That’s when I heard an urgent, aching cry from the
Guest Opinion | Regarding OPALCO solar project proposed for Decatur Island
||| FROM BRIAN L. GRANT, M.D. I am a longstanding homeowner on Decatur Island. I and a great many others strongly oppose the project proposed for the heart of Decatur, to create a solar farm
