Here’s a thought…
Letter to Editor | Waldron cats in need of home
||| FROM MILES BATTLES ||| I’m a high school volunteer at Orcas APS. There are seven cats up for adoption rescued from a feral colony on Waldron Island: Thistle, Poppy, Bramble, Foxglove, Anise, Hazel, and
Guest Opinion | OPALCO owes us more options for meeting electricity demand
||| FROM ARTHUR WINER ||| While I respect the intelligence and technical strengths of OPALCO’s Board members and the executive leadership, I’ve been troubled in recent years by a logical contradiction in OPALCO’s energy policies.
No Place Like Loam | A chestnut is true generational wealth
||| NO PLACE LIKE LOAM by ALEX TAMAYO-WOLF ||| In history, entire cultures were built under canopies. Greek philosophers walked beneath plane trees, giving birth to the very idea of public life. Medieval Europe gathered
Guest Opinion | Resilience or overreach?
Why OPALCO’s “Essential Public Facilities” Push Deserves Public Scrutiny ||| FROM ELISABETH ROBSON ||| San Juan County’s comprehensive plan is at a crossroads. OPALCO has proposed language that would designate its major energy projects as
As the Paradigm Shifts | A modern take on an old Zen proverb
Before Enlightenment—Cook Meals, Do Laundry. After Enlightenment—Cook Meals, Do Laundry ||| AS THE PARADIGM SHIFTS by ROSIE KUHN ||| My client, Badrah—a Pakistani woman living in Texas with her husband and two teenage sons—has traveled
Occam’s Razor | Our island, our world through the eyes, pen of S.C. Watson
Welcome to our weekly feature, Occam's Razor, from local artist S.C. Watson.
Guest Opinion | Vote-at-Home is the law—and it works
||| FROM WA STATE COUNTY AUDITORS ||| This oped was inspired by a thoughtful inquiry from a Stevens County voter, curious about the origins, security, and integrity of Washington’s voteathome system. Pend Oreille County Auditor
Guest Opinion | Human intelligence research lab, amid LLMs?
||| ||| FROM DAVID STEPHEN ||| There is a recent [September, 1, 2025] report on SciTechDaily, “AI Is Not Intelligent at All” – Expert Warns of Worldwide Threat to Human Dignity, stating that, “AI is not intelligent
Midnight Mutterings | Snails
||| MIDNIGHT MUTTERINGS by JACKIE BATES ||| A few days ago I invited myself to join a neighbor (you know who you are) who was walking her dog on Obstruction Pass Rd. As we passed
Occam’s Razor | Our island, our world through the eyes, pen of S.C. Watson
Welcome to our weekly feature, Occam's Razor, from local artist S.C. Watson.
Letter to Editor | How about some solar-operated speed signs?
||| FROM JOHN ERLY ||| I wonder what the cost would be for two (2) solar operated speed signs. The kind that tells the driver how fast they are going. Should this be a county
Letter to Editor | As I bid farewell…
||| FROM TONI KNUDSON ||| As I write this letter, it is with mixed emotions that I bid farewell to an incredible chapter of my life’s journey. After 17 years of hard work, creating, growth,
Letter to Editor | Data Centers invalidate AI rights, AI welfare, AI morality
||| FROM DAVID STEPHEN ||| Whenever there is an announcement of a new data center anywhere, it is equal to AI right, AI peoplehood-neighborhood, AI care, AI welfare and if possible, AI morality. Nothing indicates
As the Paradigm Shifts | What could I possibly offer?
||| AS THE PARADIGM SHIFTS by ROSIE KUHN ||| There is a weightedness of grace at the core of being present. There is an ache in the question, “What could I possibly offer?” that becomes the
Occam’s Razor | Our island, our world through the eyes, pen of S.C. Watson
Welcome to our weekly feature, Occam's Razor, from local artist S.C. Watson.
