Here’s a thought…
“Old age is no joke, but it can feel like one.”
TAD TOMPKINS
WSF updates policy for crew members to address drunk drivers on ferries
||| FROM KOMO-TV ||| The message is the same as it’s been for decades: don’t drive impaired. But there’s a new updated policy from Washington State Ferries (WSF) for its employees on how to handle an impaired driver or rider on board. Thousands of drivers crisscross Puget Sound on state
Orcas Island HS Chess Team — State 2B Champs
||| FROM RANDY KAECH for WASHINGTON STATE HIGH SCHOOL CHESS ASSOCIATION ||| The Orcas Island High School Chess Team are the State 2B Champions. 48 teams from all size categories qualified and competed together at the 59th annual Washington State High School Chess Team Championships, held February 28 and March 1 at Lincoln Hill High
San Juan County Parks & Fair announces 2025 camping reservation opening day
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| The San Juan County Parks & Fair Department is eager to announce that an opening day has been set for making camping reservations! The department is grateful for the public’s patience as it works to update the camping reservation system to provide an easier user
Upcoming at Orcas Senior Center
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Ukulele Kanikipila: Join the Musical Fun Experience the joy of making music at Ukulele Kanikipila, Hawaiian for "play music," Mondays from 1 to 3 pm at Orcas Senior Center. This gathering is open to everyone with an interest in playing music
Washington lawmakers have been trying to ‘ditch the switch’ for years. It’s not working
||| FROM KING-TV ||| Whether you prefer daylight saving time or standard time, most Washingtonians can agree on this: We want to stop changing the clocks. Our local and federal lawmakers have been trying to "ditch the switch" for half a decade. However, nothing seems to be working. Washingtonians will lose
Asleep at the Wheel | Live at Orcas Center
||| FROM BETHANY MARIE for ORCAS CENTER ||| Ten-time Grammy™ Award winning musicians, Asleep at the Wheel will be performing live on the Orcas Center main stage, Sunday, March 16 at 7pm! Fifty years ago, Asleep at the Wheel’s Ray Benson wrote in his journal that he wanted to form
Inspirational Aging | A peer support group at Orcas Senior Center
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Join a welcoming group of peers for open, honest conversations about the journey of aging. Inspirational Aging meets on the second and fourth Thursday of each month at 11 a.m. at Orcas Senior Center starting March 13. Together, we will navigate
Lenten Vespers at the Community Church
||| FROM CAROL KULMINSKI for ORCAS ISLAND COMMUNITY CHURCH ||| Orcas Island Community Church will once again host Lenten Vespers services, beginning March 9th and continuing through April 13th. These contemplative gatherings will take place each Sunday evening at 5:00 pm in the church sanctuary. Lenten Vespers offers a space
Getting ready for Medicare?
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Is 2025 your year for joining Medicare? Medicare enrollment is not automatic for most people, so you’ll probably need to enroll with Social Security. Then you’ll have to decide what type of Medicare coverage you want. To make an informed decision
Midnight Mutterings | Quaking
||| MIDNIGHT MUTTERINGS by JACKIE BATES ||| Having grown up in the Southeast United States and lived in the Northeast and Midwest, US, I knew nothing of Earthquakes. The shaking of the Earth existed only in movies and geography books in my young life. Only when I was almost thirty
Could daylight saving time become permanent? See what Donald Trump promised last fall
||| FROM USA TODAY ||| It's that time of the year when 2 a.m. becomes 3 a.m. in the matter of a second. Daylight saving time strikes this weekend, meaning most Americans will lose an hour asleep as we "spring forward." The twice-annual time changes, one in the spring and
Sheriff’s Report | February 26 – March 3, 2025
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE ||| WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26 25-001093 Communications Problem 10:11:33 02/26/25 An Orcas Deputy took a report of harassment. The incident was investigated, and charges will be forwarded to the prosecutor for review. 25-001095 Found Property 10:53:29 02/26/25 A Lopez Island Deputy was dispatched to
Mysterious unmanned warship spotted off of Washington state coast
||| FROM THE INDEPENDENT ||| A state-of-the-art unmanned warship designed for fully autonomous naval missions has been spotted in waters off of Washington state The USX-1 Defiant was being pushed by tug boat earlier this week through the Saratoga Passage in Puget Sound, just a few miles from the U.S. Navy’s
Northwest Clean Air Agency welcomes San Juan County
||| FROM SETH PRESTON for NW CLEAN AIR AGENCY ||| San Juan County will officially rejoin the Northwest Clean Air Agency on July 1. Island, San Juan, Skagit, and Whatcom counties formed the Northwest Air Pollution Authority (now NWCAA) in 1967 under authority granted by the Washington Clean Air Act. San Juan
Guest Opinion | Local news sources are more valuable than ever
||| FROM BILL APPEL ||| There was a time when local sources were the only sources of news when all towns were what today we would call small, where farmers, prospectors, trappers and hunters would exchange information. The telegraph, a then expensive technology, was dedicated to news and not free
Latest from Lekanoff | Healing, housing, hard choices: Investing in Washington’s Future
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF REP. DEBRA LEKANOFF ||| Happy Fantastic Friday! In 2025, I continue to invest in the "Heal One Washington" foundation and remain committed to identifying key policies, regulations, and fiscal strategies that will enhance our efforts. I am working across local, tribal, state, and federal levels
