Here’s a thought…
“Neither the evil nor the good in our history determines who we are. It is what we do now. If we do not say something ourselves about this horror, we allow ourselves to be changed.”
TIMOTHY SNYDER
Friends welcomes new legal director, Magali Cota
||| FROM ELISE COPE for FRIENDS OF THE SAN JUANS ||| Friends of the San Juans is excited to welcome and introduce Magali Cota as our new Legal Director and Staff Attorney. Magali is an environmental law attorney who has worked closely with communities to protect their natural spaces, educated
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 just signed last week with Washington State Ferries. That's $148,431 — or over 25 percent
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 far.** Ah, the near misses of our lives. Of course some of them are tragic,
Sheriff’s Report | June 18 – 24, 2025
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE ||| WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18 25-003691 Theft 10:52:42 06/18/25 An Orcas Island Deputy took a theft report. The victim alleged an unknown person entered her art studio and stole one painting valued at $2500.00. Nothing else of value was disturbed or taken. There are
Join Orcas Island Chamber of Commerce for a festive Fourth of July celebration
||| FROM CAREY ESKRIDGE for ORCAS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ||| What Does the Orcas Island Chamber of Commerce Do? The core mission of the Orcas Island Chamber’s is to promote, support, and develop the island's business and economic interests. Here on Orcas, our community and commerce are tightly knit. Every
Comings and goings at Community Foundation
||| FROM LINDSAY JENNINGS for ORCAS ISLAND COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ||| Earlier this month, the OICF Board of Trustees held its annual meeting to elect new trustees and officers to the Board, and recognize retiring trustees for their valuable service. Each of the retiring trustees contributed actively throughout their time at
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 age 80 or over, PLUS being UNABLE TO SERVE FOR HEALTH REASONS. I thought I
Update | Olga Daze big, beautiful yard sale needs your donations
||| FROM SUSAN GORDON for OLGA DAZE ||| Olga Daze is July Saturday, July 19th and it’s time to gather up those unwanted (but still useful to someone else) items cluttering your home. They might be just the ticket to making the Olga Daze yard sale great again this year!
Larsen: 1,500 people are currently detained in Tacoma ICE facility
||| FROM REP. RICK LARSEN ||| Last week, I exercised my congressional oversight authority to tour the privately run ICE detention facility in Tacoma. I took a basic tour, during which I saw the kitchen, the law library, medical facilities, and housing pods. More than 1,500 people are currently detained
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 called WA State Ferry Reservation at 7:00 a.m. and also went online at that time.
WSF Weekly Report | Launch of Congressional Ferry Caucus; water rescue
||| FROM STEVE NEVEY for WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| A message from Steve I recently joined federal and state leaders to celebrate the launch of a new bipartisan Congressional Ferry Caucus. We’re lucky to have Washington Rep. Emily Randall as one of its co-chairs. This group will help raise national
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.
New subspecies of killer whales in the Pacific Northwest
||| FROM NOAA ||| In summer 2024, the Taxonomy Committee of the Society of Marine Mammalogy—charged with creating a standard classification and naming of marine mammals—reviewed the recently published research. The committee narrowly fell short of the 2/3 majority needed to officially accept the two taxa as a separate species. Rather, the committee
Introducing Orcas Talks Money
|||. FROM THE RESOURCE CENTER COMMUNICATIONS TEAM ||| The Orcas Community Resource Center is proud to partner with local financial institutions to launch Orcas Talks Money, a new series of no-cost, practical financial education workshops designed to help islanders take control of their finances—one step at a time. Different from
New parking regulations at Orcas Island Park and Ride
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| Attention Orcas Island commuters – new parking regulations are in effect at the Orcas Island Park and Ride near the ferry terminal. New 3-day and 7-day parking limits are now in place. The westerly lot is designated for 3-day parking and the easterly
Reminder | Last week to utilize county’s marine transportation services
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| Don’t forget – this is the last week to utilize San Juan County’s Marine Transportation Services Pilot Project. These services include emergency barge and foot-passenger transportation during disruptions to Washington State Ferry (WSF) service as well as travel to and from the mainland
