Here’s a thought…
“Elections belong to the people. It’s their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they will just have to sit on their blisters.”
ABRAHAM LINCOLN
Letter to Editor | Baney endorses Stephanie
||| FROM BRANDON BANEY ||| I am happy to endorse Stephanie O’day for County Council from the perspective of a builder on San Juan that sees the real struggle new families have trying to make a home here on the island. Stephanie is the advocate that San Juan County residents
Pardon our dust: Upcoming construction along Pear Point Road
||| FROM KRISTA BOUCHEY for ORCAS POWER & LIGHT COOPERATIVE San Juan County has a recovery strategy for protection of salmon populations which includes the Jackson Beach Restoration Project. As part of the plan, OPALCO is moving the transmission poles off Jackson Beach on San Juan Island. These critical high
Trees and land absorbed almost no CO2 last year. Is nature’s carbon sink failing?
The sudden collapse of carbon sinks was not factored into climate models – and could rapidly accelerate global heating ||| FROM THE GUARDIAN ||| It begins each day at nightfall. As the light disappears, billions of zooplankton, crustaceans and other marine organisms rise to the ocean surface to feed on
Letter to Editor | Paulsen for Council
||| FROM JULIE BRUNNER ||| I have had the pleasure of knowing and working with Justin since he moved to Orcas Island in 2003 and partnered with OPAL to build the OPAL office campus and Reddick Apartments. Justin is passionate about kids, kid’s athletics, affordable housing, and the islands in
Letter to Editor | Paulsen, O’Day have the qualities I look for in a leader
||| FROM DEBORAH STRASSER ||| When considering the people I want to support in the role of County Council Person here in the islands some of the attributes I look for are: Strong familiarity w/the area; Some long-term acquaintance, friendship, and understanding of the families who call our county home.
Letter to Editor | Renew our Land Bank
||| FROM ED SUIJ ||| Just cutting carbon emissions will not prevent climate breakdown. "Humanity risks catastrophic global heating if it focuses only on decarbonisation at the expense of restoring the natural world," Colombia’s environment minister has said in the lead-up to the world’s key nature summit later this year.
Reminder: You’re invited to attend open house for 2025 Comp Plan update
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County is pleased to host a series of grocery store information booths and open house events on three islands where the community can learn more about the Comprehensive Plan (Comp Plan) Update, including the new Climate Element development, and provide input.
No school Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
||| FROM BLAKE WILSON for ORCAS ISLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT ||| Dear OISD Student Families, Please be reminded that there will be no school on Wednesday, October 16 and Thursday, October 17 due to fall conferences. If your child has a scheduled appointment during this time, please contact their teacher or counselor for specific arrival instructions. Additionally,
Orcas Center call for ceramics, watercolors artists
||| FROM BETHANY MARIE for ORCAS CENTER ||| Orcas Center’s Visual Arts Committee (VAC) is calling all Orcas artists to showcase your creativity and passion for ceramics and watercolors for the next art exhibit in the Madrona Room on October 25. Community shows are open to ALL island artists, beginning
Protecting whales from ship strikes
||| FROM CBS NEWS ||| In the summer of 2022, I was walking on the beach at Half Moon Bay in California, when I saw the strangest thing approaching on the waves. When it struck the shore and deflated, I knew: it was a dead whale. But it wasn't just any whale.
Feldenkrais Movement Class
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Join Andrea Preiss, a seasoned Feldenkrais practitioner and therapeutic eurythmist, for a relaxing movement class at Orcas Senior Center, Tuesdays at 11 am. Emphasizing a seated position, these subtle exercises rooted in the Feldenkrais Method and eurythmy aim to improve your
Friends of San Juans virtual annual gathering
Loving this place isn't enough—we need to protect it, too! ||| FROM AYN GAILEY for FRIENDS OF THE SAN JUANS ||| Join Friends of the San Juans Tuesday 10/15 at 5 PM (PST) for our 45th annual virtual gathering, a 45-minute virtual report for members of the work they empower in
Collapsing wildlife populations near ‘points of no return’, report warns
As average population falls reach 95% in some regions, experts call for urgent action but insist ‘nature can recover’ ||| FROM THE GUARDIAN ||| Global wildlife populations have plunged by an average of 73% in 50 years, a new scientific assessment has found, as humans continue to push ecosystems to
Letter to Editor | McVeigh brings dedication, expertise for Council
||| FROM BARRY JACOBSON ||| I am casting my vote for Kari McVeigh for San Juan County Council, and I urge you to do the same. A few months ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Kari at lunch with a friend. I hadn't spent time with her before, and
Letter to Editor | McVeigh is an exceptional candidate
||| FROM SENATOR LIZ LOVELETT ||| A very happy election season to the San Juan Islands! I'm writing today to express my support for an exceptional candidate for your County Council, Kari McVeigh. I've had the opportunity to work with Kari for many years after first meeting over our shared
Drop-In Peer Grief Support Group
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Join us for a supportive, non-judgmental space to process grief and mourning with the Drop-In Peer Grief Support Group at Orcas Senior Center, Wednesdays from 10:30 to 11:30 am beginning October 16. This group is designed to help normalize your feelings,
