Here’s a thought…
“Old age is no joke, but it can feel like one.”
TAD TOMPKINS
Jurors for December 1-5 are excused
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| JURY DUTY: December 1-5, 2025 All jurors summonsed for the week beginning Monday, December 1st through Friday, December 5th, 2025, are excused. Thank you.
News Brief | ’Tis the season for shopping, scams, and stolen savings
||| FROM MALWARE BYTES ||| Holiday scams don’t just steal money or data—they steal peace of mind. During the holidays, the financial and emotional fallout of being scammed lands harder—spoiling plans, straining trust, and adding anxiety to what should be the happiest time of the year. Read our Holiday Threat
No Place Like Loam | Winter Garden: What my Grandfather’s war garden still teaches me – Part 2
||| NO PLACE LIKE LOAM by ALEX TAMAYO-WOLF ||| Mom asks why I’m always up so early, out there in the wind, picking greens for a smoothie as if I’m feeding some phantom army. My answer isn’t dramatic. It’s embarrassingly simple: I want to stay alive long enough to matter. I
Auditions coming up for all-kid production at Orcas Center
||| FROM COLLEN SMITH SUMMERS for ORCAS CENTER ||| Orcas Center is producing an all-kids musical theater show that will run in early spring. Auditions for “How to Eat like a Child” are on Dec. 2 at 3:30 p.m. in the Madrona Room. Callbacks are Friday, Dec. 5 at 3:30
Fill Food Bank donation barrels at Island Market and Co-op
||| FROM CALI BAGBY for ORCAS. ISLAND FOOD BANK ||| Orcas Island Food Bank donation barrels are at Island Market and the Orcas Food Co-op. “We’re so grateful for the Market’s community spirit, dedication to keeping every table full, and vision for a stronger, thriving island,” says Amanda Sparks, food
Get Scrooged for the holidays with Actors Theater
||| FROM TOM FISCUS for ACTORS THEATER OF ORCAS ISLAND The Actor’s Theater of Orcas Island is proud to continue its holiday tradition of a radio version of a classic Christmas show. This year we are presenting our radio version of A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens. There are only
Larsen fights to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U.S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) released the following statement after signing a discharge petition that will force a vote in the House of Representatives to extend Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits if the petition reaches 218
News Brief | How billionaires took over American politics
||| FROM THE WASHINGTON POST ||| The concentration of wealth among the richest Americans is unlike anything in history — and so is billionaires’ influence in politics. In an era defined by major political divisions and massive wealth accumulation for the richest Americans, billionaires are spending unprecedented amounts on U.S.
News Brief | Indoor firing ranges exacerbate blast waves
||| FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES ||| The brain is a delicate network of about 100 trillion connections with a consistency close to Jell-O, and how blasts affect that network is still poorly understood. Experts don’t yet know what level of blast can damage the tissue, or whether blasts that
News Brief | A tribally owned network of chargers will soon be complete in the Dakotas
||| FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES ||| Over the past three years, Standing Rock has installed chargers across the reservation as part of the Electric Nation project, a regional effort to create an intertribal charging network. By the time the project wraps at the end of November, Standing Rock Nation
News Brief | Home prices on a warming planet
||| FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES ||| “Homeowners don’t appreciate or don’t understand that we are living in a much riskier world than we were 25 years ago. And that risk? They have to pay for it.” Researchers found that a rapid repricing of disaster risk had been responsible for
Larsen secures more than $50 Million for Northwest Washington transit agencies
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U.S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| SNOHOMISH, SKAGIT AND WHATCOM COUNTIES, WA – This week, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) awarded more than $50 million in grant funding to four Northwest Washington transit agencies to transition to low emission buses, improve service reliability and invest in paratransit
Yoga, needlework at Orcas Senior Center
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Revitalize Your Body and Mind with Tara Plank’s Yoga Workshop Join Tara Plank for an energizing LYT Yoga Workshop on Saturday, December 6, from 10:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. at Orcas Senior Center. This core-focused vinyasa practice, inspired by LYT Yoga
Holiday magic comes to Orcas Senior Center
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Step into the season at Orcas Senior Center, where a charming selection of holiday decor is available for free or by donation until December 25. Stop by 62 Henry Road from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday. We will
Port of Orcas to meet on Monday
||| FROM CHIP LONG for PORT OF ORCAS ||| The Port of Orcas Board of Commissioners will hold a Regular Meeting to include the 2026 Budget Hearing on Monday, November 24th at 4:00 p.m. online via Zoom and in-person at the airport terminal. Access information as well as the Agenda,
Larsen releases statement on Ukraine-Russia peace talks
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U.S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| EVERETT, WA – Today, Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) released the following statement on ongoing peace talks between Ukraine and Russia: "Putin started this war and his unprovoked aggression must not be rewarded. The Administration's proposed ‘peace plan' for Ukraine is a
