Here’s a thought…
“When the last tree is cut, the last fish is caught, and the last river is polluted; when to breathe the air is sickening, you will realize, too late, that wealth is not in bank accounts and that you can’t eat money.”
ALANIS OBOMSAWIN
ORS/The Exchange and SJC Environmental Stewardship host upcoming hazardous waste roundup event
Residents are invited to safely dispose of household chemicals at October 3rd collection event on Orcas ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County Department of Environmental Stewardship and ORS/The Exchange are hosting a hazardous waste round-up collection event, giving island residents the chance to legally and responsibly
‘Coffee with Kari’ offers islanders on Lopez time with Councilmember Kari McVeigh
The fifth ‘Coffee with Kari’ of the year will take place on September 26 from 10:00-11:30 a.m. at the Lopez Library ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| District 1 Council representative Kari McVeigh is hosting another ‘Coffee with Kari’ event on Lopez Island – an opportunity to ask questions,
Letter to Editor | My vote is for Jennifer Swanson
||| FROM TINA ECHEVERRIA, PH.D. ||| I have known Jennifer since she moved to Shaw Island with her family over 20 years ago. If I were to describe her in a few words they would be; fully engaged with family and community. She is deeply involved with both. I have
WSF Weekly Report | Record breaking summer ridership; peak season surcharge ends
||| FROM STEVE NEVEY for WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| A message from Steve We welcomed a record number of people on board this summer. More than seven million riders traveled with us from June 14 through this past Saturday. That’s our highest summer ridership since 2019, and nearly 130,000 more
Meeting of Friends of Orcas Library scheduled
||| FROM ADRIENNE WALKER for FRIENDS OF ORCAS ISLAND LIBRARY ||| The Friends of the Orcas Island Library will hold their annual meeting on Sunday, October 11th at the Orcas Island Library, from 4:30 pm - 6 pm. During the meeting, we will be electing new members to the Board
Community meeting to review and take comments on Draft Critical Areas Ordinance Update
The County encourages community members to join the conversation set for Wednesday, September 30 at 6:00 p.m. ||| FROM SAN JUAN COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County is updating its critical areas protections, also referred to as the Critical Areas Ordinance (CAO), and the public is invited to comment on 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.
Larsen fights for guardrails on data centers
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U.S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) joined 110 House Democrats in a letter to tech industry leaders last Friday demanding that all data center construction follow strict guardrails to protect consumers from electricity and water price hikes. “Data center projects
San Juan County Parks, Recreation & Fair Department thanks the Lopez Community Trails Network
After years of collaboration, the San Juan County Parks, Recreation & Fair Department wants to give thanks to the Lopez Community Trails Network as they disband ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| As the Lopez Community Trails Network (LCTN) announces its closure, the San Juan County Parks, Recreation &
New analysis reveals major increase in vessel traffic through the Salish Sea
||| FROM LOVEL PRATT for FRIENDS OF THE SAN JUANS ||| A new analysis by Friends of the San Juans shows that ocean-going vessel traffic in the Salish Sea is projected to increase by nearly 2,000 additional shipping transits annually, including a dramatic increase in tanker traffic going to and
Port of Orcas to meet on Sept. 28
||| FROM CHIP LONG for PORT OF ORCAS ||| The Port of Orcas Board of Commissioners will hold a Regular Meeting on Monday, September 28th at 4:00 p.m. online via Zoom and in-person at the airport terminal conference room. Access and agenda information can be found at portoforcas.com.
No jurors required for Sept. 28 – Oct. 2
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| JURY DUTY: SEPTEMBER 28 - OCTOBER 2, 2026 All jurors summonsed for Jury Duty beginning September 28th, 2026 are excused. Thank you. View it on website
Upcoming candidate forums in October
||| FROM JILL BELCOVSON for LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS |||
Letter to Editor | Katherine Bryant Ingman is County Council leadership for our future
||| FROM SUE ROUNDY ||| Katherine Bryant Ingman represents the future leaders that I want to see locally and nationally. Energetic young people dreaming of a better future who are ready to listen and eager to work. I met Katherine years ago when she led the wonderfully successful gleaning program
AI developments necessitate moratorium on data centers
||| BY MICHAEL RIORDAN, SPECIAL TO THE SEATTLE TIMES ||| Almost every day the warnings are becoming more ominous. The looming threats posed by artificial general intelligence — an advanced version of AI also known as superintelligence, which exceeds any human capabilities — are potentially catastrophic. Knowledgeable insiders and practitioners
County Council completes series of September budget meetings; October 5th public hearing to follow
San Juan County Council recently completed a series of budget conversations in September 2026, following the August 25th release of the 2027 preliminary budget ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| At its meeting on Tuesday, Council wrapped up its last budget related discussion scheduled for the month of September
