Here’s a thought…
Harry Patton Reports from Olga
Updated Jan. 18 at 12:30 p.m. By Harry Patton Hi, gang, I'm still hangin' in there! This is just to advise of my status. At this moment in time I'm doin' okay. I'm warm in my
Letter to the Editor: Buffer Laws Concern You
To the Editor, I have been mulling over the non-conforming designation issue that is part of the proposed San Juan County’s rewrite of the Critical Areas Ordinance. The County is planning on extending a
Guest Opinion: Legislature’s Chair of Health & Human Services Appropriations Speaks Out
From The Stranger By State Representative Mary Lou Dickerson, who represents Queen Anne, Magnolia, and Ballard, is chair of the Health & Human Services Appropriations Committee. For many good reasons, elected officials rarely talk about
Letter to the Editor: LWV Urges Attention to Citizens United Corporate “Personhood”
To the Editor: On Jan. 21, the nation marks the second anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, a decision that enabled corporations and unions to spend unlimited
Letter to the Editor: Orcas Center Kudos
Kudos to Orcas Center for another amazing afternoon at the Metropolitan Opera this past Sunday! If I had been in New York, I might have seen Faust from the orchestra (for only $222.50), but I
Judges Decide State Shorts Public School Funding
On Thursday, Jan. 5,2012, the State Supreme Court issued a ruling on state funding of public education. The following is a statement from State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Randy Dorn, on the case (McCleary v.
Letter to the Editor: Land Bank Commissioners Seek Feedback
Happy New Year! As many of you know, the Land Bank was renewed for 12 more years in a close county-wide election this past November. Because there has been a lot of community discussion over
A Poem for New Year’s Day: 53
53 By E.E. Cummings may my heart always be open to little birds who are the secrets of living whatever they sing is better than to know and if men should not hear
A New Year’s Eve Poem: Washing Doorknobs
Washing Doorknobs By Jane Hirshfield The glass doorknobs turn no differently. But every December I polish them with vinegar water and cotton. Another year ends. This one, I ate Kyoto pickles and touched, in Xi'
Bristlecones Are All That Remain of the Ancient Tree “Prometheus”
By Leonard Miller Contributed by Bill Garloch from sonic.net Wheeler Peak, on Nevada’s eastern border with Utah, reaches an altitude of 13,063 feet (3981m) with a spectacular glacial cirque on its northeast
A Winter Poem: Shoveling Snow With Buddha
Shoveling Snow With Buddha Billy Collins In the usual iconography of the temple or the local Wok you would never see him doing such a thing, tossing the dry snow over a mountain of his
A Winter Poem: Starlings in Winter
Starlings in Winter Mary Oliver Chunky and noisy, but with stars in their black feathers, they spring from the telephone wire and instantly they are acrobats in the freezing wind. And now, in the theater
A Winter’s Poem
Winter Solstice By Rebecca Parker Perhaps for a moment the typewriters will stop clicking, the wheels stop rolling, the computers desist computing, and a hush will fall over the city. For an instant, in the
Guest Column: Joining a Board, Anything but Boring
By Rachel Newcombe Thirty-three. This is the number of upcoming vacancies on various boards and commissions in San Juan County. I’ve been wondering, why do any of us volunteer to serve on a board or
Gaylord Says Layoff in Prosecutor’s Office Will Disrupt Justice
From the San Juan County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office Prosecuting Attorney Randall K. Gaylord announced that budget cuts in in March 2012 will force him to lay off the one deputy prosecutor handling misdemeanors from
