Here’s a thought…
“Once a man has tasted freedom he will never be content to be a slave. That is why I believe that this frightfulness we see everywhere today is only temporary. Tomorrow will be better for as long as America keeps alive the ideals of freedom and a better life.”
WALT DISNEY
Community organizations ready to support islanders whose food benefits may be affected by federal shutdown
Community organizations are ready to support islanders whose food benefits may be affected by the federal shutdown. ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| Community organizations across San Juan County have geared up quickly to assist islanders whose food benefits may be impacted by the ongoing federal shutdown. This update
Adult Spelling Bee? Yep, register now
||| FROM SAM GAILEY for ORCAS PUBLIC LIBRARY ||| The Orcas Island Public Library presents: Third Annual Adult Spelling Bee! Thursday, November 20th | 6:00 PM | Orcas Center. Think you’ve got what it takes to outspell your neighbors? Or just want to watch the drama unfold, letter by letter?
News Brief | Oysters can be put to work
||| FROM THE COOL DOWN ||| Oysters don't just sit around. Beneath the waves, they're pulling tiny bits of carbon from the water to build their shells. ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED BY THE COOL DOWN Oyster farming could do far more than produce food — it may also help clean the water
News Brief | Residents of Nantucket are split over just how long visitors can stay
||| FROM THE WALL STREET JOURNAL ||| Located 30 miles off Cape Cod, Nantucket has transformed over centuries from a whaling port to a wealthy seasonal enclave, where typical homes cost millions of dollars yet many sit empty all winter. ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED BY THE WALL STREET JOURNAL An added wrinkle:
No Place Like Loam | Growing Wine Grapes in Seattle? Part 3: Earth, Wind, and Wire
||| NO PLACE LIKE LOAM by ALEX TAMAYO-WOLF ||| Viticulture reached the Pacific Northwest not with romance but with recordkeeping. In the 1820s, clerks of the Hudson’s Bay Company planted grapes at Fort Vancouver, a small colonial outpost on the Columbia, to see what might survive at the far edge
Meidas Touch Network asks us to share these ICE videos
||| FROM MEIDAS TOUCH NETWORK |||
Artworks features works of Rose Cope
||| FROM B.J. ARNOLD for ORCAS ARTWORKS||| From the reflective surroundings of Orcas Island, artist Rose Cope has cultivated a unique and deeply personal artistic practice that explores the intersection of memory, textiles, and color. Raised in an environment shaped by her family’s contemporary Japanese art gallery, Rose was introduced
Library November art exhibit | Clark Allen
||| FROM ANDREA COHEN for ORCAS ISLAND LIBRARY ||| The photography of Clark Allen is featured in the Orcas Island Library’s November art exhibit. Clark is an artist, photographer and writer who has lived on Orcas for less than two years. His work has appeared in galleries across the US
Letter to Editor | Odd Fellows Hall Halloween gratitude
||| FROM DIDIER GINCIG for ODD FELLOWS HALL ||| The annual Halloween Dance at the Odd Fellows Hall was a great success! Thank you to all who attended. Gratitude to Lilo the disc jockey for his work with the music. Thank you to all the Odd Fellows who helped set
Color & Imagination | Artwork by Chanda McKeaver at Senior Center
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Make time this November and December to visit Orcas Senior Center, open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and enjoy the vibrant artistry of local talent Chanda McKeaver. A resident of Orcas Island since 2001, Chanda showcases a
Orcas Adventist Fellowship hosts record-breaking clothing bank event
||| FROM ORCAS ADVENTIST FELLOWSHIP ||| The Orcas Adventist Fellowship, together with the local community, hosted its fall clothing bank event Nov. 1–2, distributing more than 4,000 pounds of clothes, bedding, and shoes to island residents. Organizer Dawn Parnell said the event was a highlight for both volunteers and shoppers.
Rep. Ramel | Building a cleaner, stronger future together
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF REP. ALEX RAMEL ||| As we move into autumn, the signs of a changing climate are all around us. This summer, Bellingham faced one of its longest and hottest stretches since the 2021 heat dome. These extreme temperatures aren’t isolated events, they’re part of a
Choral Society to shine a midnight light
||| FROM MILLIE NOVAK for ORCAS CHORAL SOCIETY ||| It’s that time of year when Orcas Choral Society prepares its well-known seasonal wonderland of singing that is sure to bring sounds of magical notes bundled in the warmth of joy and the sparkle of delight to your wintery nights this
Council re-introduces Historic Preservation Grants program | Applications now open
Money collected for the Historical Preservation Grant Program is dedicated to promoting historical preservation or historical programs, which may include preservation of historic documents. ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| During October, Council approved reopening the Historic Preservation Grant Program. This program requests proposals from qualified entities to use
Community lunch is thriving
||| FROM HILARY CANTY for ORCAS COMMUNITY CHURCH ||| Each week there is a free Community Lunch provided from 12-1:30 downstairs in the Community Church. This is a program of the Community Resource Center and is a great community building effort. 5-10 volunteers cook a fine spread, always a full
Exceptional people and documentaries honored at Friday Harbor Film Festival
||| FROM ELLEN ROBERTS for FRIDAY HARBOR FILM FESTIVAL ||| During a fantastic weekend of memorable films, inspiring and informative interviews with filmmakers, and special events, the Friday Harbor Film Festival was delighted to present many special awards. We welcomed 70 visiting filmmakers as well as film lovers from around
