Here’s a thought…
“Old age is no joke, but it can feel like one.”
TAD TOMPKINS
LWVSJ Observer Corps | Board of Health March 19, 2025
||| FROM NECIA QUAST for LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS ||| The Accountable Communities for Health (ACH) is seeking a new CEO. County representatives are part of the search team. The Medicaid 2.0 funds were released and received in early January. A request for proposals is out for grants to community
County float in Eastsound remains closed for 2025 season
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County’s Public Works Department owns and/or maintains marine facilities (piers, floats, and ramps) at 16 locations across the islands, one of which is located in Eastsound on Orcas Island. The department is providing public notice that this facility in Eastsound –
WSF Weekly Report | New SJI spring schedule; crew commended for rescue
||| FROM STEVE NEVEY for WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| A message from Steve Deputy Assistant Secretary John Vezina and I presented to the Senate Transportation Committee on Monday. I shared our vision and workforce efforts. Over the past year, we focused on three strategic priorities: service excellence, improved communication and
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.
Remembering Ralph Munro, five-term Washington secretary of state and statesman
||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE STANDARD ||| Ralph Munro, Washington’s longest-serving secretary of state and a moderate Republican who achieved unusually broad popularity across the political spectrum, died early Thursday at his convalescent home in Lacey. He was 81 and had struggled with multiple health issues for the past several years.
Land Bank to sell a portion of Frazer Homestead Preserve to National Park Service
To more fully tell the story of the Pig War ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| During this week’s meeting, Council held a public hearing and spent time with Conservation Land Bank staff reviewing the sale of a portion of the Frazer Homestead Preserve to the SJI National Historical
Space advertising could outshine the stars—unless it’s banned first
||| FROM SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN ||| Imagine stepping outside to stargaze on a clear summer night, only to see no stars but rather the garish glow of advertisements streaming across the sky. This seemingly science-fictional scenario isn’t actually implausible: private companies are inching closer to launching swarms of tiny maneuverable satellites
Health Care District to hold special informational levy town hall meetings
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND HEALTH CARE DISTRICT ||| The Orcas Island Health Care District Board will hold two special levy informational town hall meetings to share details on Proposition 1 - San Juan County Public Hospital District #3's 10 year temporary levy lid lift ballot measure, which will be on
The Exchange Update: March 2025
||| FROM ORCAS RECYCLING/THE EXCHANGE ||| How “Tiny Orcas Island” is Helping Change the World Former ORS/The Exchange Board Member, Toby Cooper, recently wrote an article published by the Salish Current on how the city of Bellingham is exploring the use of our crushed glass in their sidewalks. Read the
Amadeus film coming to Orcas Center
||| FROM SAM GAILEY for ORCAS ISLAND LIBRARY ||| AMADEUS, the 1984 film about Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, won eight Academy Awards. For good reason. Best Picture, as well as Best Actor, Director, Screenplay, and more. This brilliantly crafted film tells the partially true, partially imagined story of Mozart and his
Governor Ferguson throws environmentalists under the bus
||| FROM OLYMPIC PENINSULA ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS ||| Governor Ferguson has had his first major controversy, over a relatively little known agency called the Fish and Wildlife Commission. While this commission is small and not well known, it is crucial in setting the direction for the department of Fish and Wildlife.
2025 will be an above average year for Columbia River salmon, says NOAA report
||| FROM THE COLUMBIAN ||| The number of salmon returning to the Columbia and Snake rivers this year is expected to beat the 10-year average return. That’s according to a new report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The positive projections for this year are a rare piece of
Spring sailing schedule starts Sunday
||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| Our spring sailing schedule starts this Sunday, March. 23 and lasts through June 14. We’ll begin a new spring schedule for the Anacortes/San Juan Islands route this year, following a collaborative schedule update process with the community. The first round of schedule updates was
The Whale Museum welcomes new executive director
||| FROM CONOR AGNEW for THE WHALE MUSEUM ||| Mike and Jeanne Kuperberg The Whale Museum is pleased to welcome Dr. Mike Kuperberg as our new executive director. Dr. Kuperberg will be bringing his decades of scientific and administrative expertise to lead The Whale Museum into an exciting
Get ready for Orca Action Month 2025
||| FROM REIN ATTEMANN for WASHINGTON CONSERVATION ACTION ||| It’s that time again! June is Orca Action Month in the Pacific Northwest, and the Orca Salmon Alliance is looking forward to all kinds of activities throughout the region. Orca Action Month (a.k.a Orca Month) is an annual series of events
LWVSJ Observer Corps | County Council March 18, 2025
||| FROM NECIA QUAST for LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS ||| In public comment a San Juan Island resident said a school bus sign was needed on Beaverton Valley Road coming from town and the speed limit should be lowered to 25 until past the business park for the safety of
