Here’s a thought…
“Old age is no joke, but it can feel like one.”
TAD TOMPKINS
Latest from Lekanoff
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF DEBRA LEKANOFF ||| Washington State is confronting a projected budget deficit of $4.35 billion for the 2025-27 biennium and $6.7 billion for 2027-29. This challenge arises as state spending outpaces tax collections, a trend recognized in the supplemental budget approved last session. Governor Inslee outlined his 2025 budget before leaving
Enjoy this Daffodil Frolic at SJI Sculpture Park
||| FROM KRISTEN ARNIM for SJI SCULPTURE PARK ||| Come celebrate a Spring at the San Juan Islands Sculpture Park! Visit the park and enjoy our fifth annual "Daffodil Frolic" with over 9,000 Daffodils and thousands of Irises to follow. (Sorry - the deer eat Tulips.) It is the perfect
Guest Opinion | May we each continue to support one another
||| FROM PAUL FREEDMAN ||| At a time when many in our community and across the country are living in fear, it feels critical for our local community-based organizations to unequivocally state their values. In particular the climate of intolerance and the overt assault on the rights of certain groups
New walk-on ferry routes across Puget Sound readied to sail if funded
The possibility of a modern-day Mosquito Fleet is under discussion in the Washington Legislature, but it’s unclear if there’ll be the cash to launch. ||| FROM WASHINGTON STANDARD ||| People who live on Puget Sound islands painted an enticing vision for the Washington Legislature this week of a modern-day Mosquito
WSF Weekly Report | Black history month; terminal repair work; kudos for SJ route
||| FROM STEVE NEVEY for WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| A message from Steve February is Black History Month, a time to reflect on the stories and contributions of Black Americans. Many played key roles in shaping the maritime industry despite not always being afforded opportunities for which they were qualified, including
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.
90 dolphins stranded in Australia are being euthanised
Here's why they can't be saved ||| FROM SCIENCE ALERT ||| Wildlife rangers will Wednesday begin shooting 90 dolphins stranded on a remote Australian beach, saying the stressed creatures would be euthanised after attempts to refloat them failed. Tasmania's environment department said only 90 survived by Wednesday afternoon, growing increasingly
OPALCO candidates announced
Vote in OPALCO's election! Voters eligible to win prizes! ||| FROM KRISTA BOUCHEY for ORCAS POWER & LIGHT COOPERATIVE ||| The OPALCO election opens March 5 th and the Co-op will be hosting a Candidate Forum on that same day so co- op members can meet the candidates. As a
WWU receives grant to update and expand Health of the Salish Sea Ecosystem Report
||| FROM WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY ||| New research led by Dr. Aquila Flower will add climate change and landscape change indicators to a collaborative report on trends in the transboundary Salish Sea ecosystem. Climate change and altered land cover/land use patterns are two of the biggest threats facing the ecosystems,
Practitioner applications now open at Orcas Healing Arts Center
||| FROM IONA MCCOMBIE SMITH for HEALING ARTS CENTER ||| The Healing Arts Center is now accepting applications from practitioners interested in bringing their practice into our holistic healthcare collective. The Healing Arts Center reviews applications for membership twice a year, in April and October. Practitioners of holistic and complementary
Early music festival upcoming
||| FROM JEFFREY COHEN for SALISH SEA EARLY MUSIC FESTIVAL ||| "Musicks Divine Language": "There must be an Order and just Proportion, Intricacy with Simplicity in the Component parts, Variety in the Mass, and Light and Shadow in the whole, so as to produce the varied sensations of gaiety and
School music benefit concert to feature beloved island musicians
||| FROM SHARON HO for MUSIC ADVOCACY GROUP ||| On Sunday, March 2, at 3:00 PM, local musicians and music lovers will gather at the Orcas Island High School gym to celebrate the benefits of music education on Orcas Island. This annual Orcas Island tradition is a community celebration that
Washington’s state flag could change under proposed legislation
House Bill 1938 would create a committee to redesign the green banner. Supporters say the current design featuring the state seal with George Washington’s likeness is flawed, while opponents question the necessity of the move and see it as a criticism of the founding father. ||| FROM ALBERT JAMES for
Free Tooth Extraction Clinic
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF DR. MICHAEL TRIPLETT ||| Dr. Triplett’s dental office at 445 Madrona Street in Eastsound has reserved Wednesday March 12 for free tooth extractions for our Orcas, Shaw, and Waldron residents in financial need. Services are limited to both routine and surgical extractions (including wisdom teeth).
Health Care District Board Meeting – Special – February 20, 2025
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND HEALTH CARE DISTRICT BOARD ||| The Orcas Island Health Care District Board will hold a Special Board Meeting on Thursday, February 20th, 2025 from 5:30 - 6:30 PM in the Orcas Island Community Foundation Meeting Room, 33 Urner Street, Eastsound. The agenda is posted below. Agenda
Land Bank February 2025 Meeting & Agenda
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY LAND BANK ||| The San Juan County Conservation Land Bank Commission will hold a regular monthly meeting on February 21, 2025 from 8:45am – 11:30am via Zoom. The meeting will also be available for in person public attendance at the San Juan Island Grange, located at 152 First Street
