Here’s a thought…
“It doesn’t take a hero to order men into battle. It takes a hero to be one of those men who goes into battle.”
SeaDoc and Orkila Host Family Night
-- from Joe Thoron -- Tuesday, Dec. 10, 7 p.m., Larry Norman Lodge, Camp Orkila: Free dinner provided by Camp Orkila from 5:30-6:30 p.m. "Exploring Coast Salish Prehistory," by Julie B. Stein The SeaDoc Society & YMCA Camp Orkila Present Family Night with dinner and a crafts table
News from Hughes: Critical Details of the 2014 Budget
-- by Margie Doyle -- Council Member Rick Hughes Orcas Council Member Rick Hughes described the progress made toward stability and accountability in discussing the 2014 budget with Orcas Issues’ editors: Hughes points out that, with the County Charter’s modifications approved by voters in 2012, the county budget
Checks Are in the Mail
-- from Suzanne Olson -- Were you a member of OPALCO in 1988? If so, you may be among the 4,192 people who will get a check from OPALCO later this month as capital credits are distributed. This is one of the distinctions that make an electric co-op unique: it
Library to Videostream Utilities Commission Monday Night Meeting
-- by Margie Doyle -- Monday, Dec. 9 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Orcas Public Library: The public is invited to observe the Washington Utilities-Transportation Commission (WUTC) meeting this evening, with the County Council attending, in the Orcas Island Library's conference room at 500 Rose Street in Eastsound.
ACA Healthcare Assistance at Library Continues
-- from the Orcas Public Library -- The deadline is looming to submit your application for insurance coverage on the Washington Healthplan Finder - are you prepared? If you need help, Pegi Groundwater and Michael Moss, who have undergone a lengthy training process, will volunteer at the Orcas Public Library
New Traffic Signs on Orcas Island
-- from County Public Works -- Beginning in early December, San Juan County Public Works will begin installing new Regulatory and Warning signs on Orcas Island’s County Roads. Regulatory signs include Stop, Yield, and Speed Limit signs. Warning signs include Turn/Curve, Pedestrian Warning, School Bus Stop Ahead, and Chevron signs.
County Council Adopts “Hold-the-Line” 2014 Budget
-- from Stan Matthews, County Information and Internet Manager -- At its December 3, meeting on Lopez Island, the San Juan County Council unanimously approved a “hold-the-line” 2014 County budget. At $15.5 million, the County’s 2014 Current Expense Fund Budget, which covers the County’s core operations, is virtually identical to
OPALCO Board Calls for Rate Increase
-- from Orcas Power & Light Cooperative -- At their November meeting, the OPALCO Board approved the 2014 budget for a total of $30,665,000, which includes a rate increase of 6 percent. The increase is necessary to meet the 2014 budget’s operating expenses including a 9 percent Bonneville Power Administration
Proposals Sought for Lopez Residential Dock EIS
-- from County Development and Planning -- San Juan County Community Development and Planning will receive statements of qualifications and proposals from qualified contractors to prepare a limited scope Environmental Impact Statement for a proposed residential dock on Lopez Island. The scope is limited to considering aesthetic and eelgrass impacts.
Letter to the Editor: Why Did Three Peacocks Cross the Road?
-- from Sharon Abreu -- I’m not crazy. Well, at least I wasn’t hallucinating. Mike is my witness. He was in the car with me, and he saw them, too. Yes, it was early in the morning, the sun was still coming up, and I hadn’t gotten quite enough sleep.
Wine Tasting and Booksigning at Darvills
Tuesday, Dec. 10, 6 pm, Darvill's Bookstore "The Green Vine," by Shannon Borg Come taste a sampling of sustainable wines as Orcas Island's own Shannon Borg reads from her latest book, The Green Vine. Learn which West Coast wineries are keeping traditional wine-making alive with organic and environmentally
Kwiáht Partners with Federal Conservation Service Initiative
-- from Russel Barsh -- The Department of Agriculture and Department of the Interior have announced that Kwiáht is one of 91 organizations nationwide approved so far to help implement the Obama Administration’s 21st Century Conservation Service Corps (21CSC), a national collaborative effort to put America’s youth and veterans to
Lions Annual Christmas Ship Arriving Orcas Ferry Landing
-- from Jim Biddick -- Sunday, Dec. 15, 11:30 a.m., Orcas Landing Santa greets Christmas ship visitors. The Orcas Island Lions club announces the arrival of the Lions Annual Christmas Ship on December 15, at 11:30 a.m. at the Orcas Ferry Landing. The Santa Ship has been sailing
Special Council Meet to Discuss C-Link Break
-- from Ingrid Gabriel, County Council Clerk -- Monday, Dec. 9 from 6 to 8 p.m. in Friday Harbor The San Juan County Council will be attending a Washington Utilities & Transportation Meeting Hearing to discuss the recent CenturyTel fiber optic break. The meeting will be at the Legislative Hearing
Friends of the San Juans Restore Spawning Beach
-- from Friends of the San Juans -- Before: No longer needed to support forestry operations, this log handling facility and 110 dump truck loads of rock and associated fill was removed from the north Thatcher Bay beach on Blakely Island. Surf smelt are a food source for
C-Link Media Alert: Bill Credits Coming
-- from Tim Grigar, CenturyLink’s Vice President & General Manager, Western Washington -- To our customers impacted by the recent underwater cable cut: On behalf of CenturyLink and our local San Juan Islands and Washington employees, I want to let you know we understand the frustration you experienced during the
