Guest Opinion: The Beauty of Zoning
By Rick Steinhardt Criticism of zoning laws comes from those who see the restrictions as a violation of property rights, stripping property owners of their right to unencumbered use of their land. The argument most often made is that property owners know their land best and have an interest in
Ruthie Newman’s Latest Ceramics on Display
Ruthie Newman's latest ceramics show her movement from vessels to sculpture. A reception on April 5 will introduce her show at the Orcas Center through the month of April. From Andrea Hendrick Ruthie Newman’s new ceramics will be on display at the Orcas Center April 5 through April
Spring Into Poetry with April
Three weeks of poetry will be offered with JoEllen Moldoff as Faciliatator on Tuesdays, April 2, 9, 16, from 1-3 p.m. at the Public Library Join fellow poets and poetry lovers for a three-week class in which we’ll focus on a different poet each session—reading poems and discussing how the
Dental Clinic to Visit Mid-April
By Hilary Canty, Director, Orcas Island Community Foundation The Mobile Dental Clinic from Medical Teams International will be returning to Orcas on April 12th and 13th. The Clinic will provide care to qualifying community members. During the next two dental clinics (April and June), there will be an opportunity for
Letter to the Editor: Byers Brings Exceptional Leadership and Service
I am writing to urge support for Lisa Byers’s election to the County Council. We badly need intelligent, responsible, and well informed representatives to administer San Juan County, and under our newly adopted system of three county-wide officials, each representative will have an especially powerful voice in decisions that affect
Hugelkultur Workshop: It’s Going to Be Cool
Saturday, March 30, 9 a.m., 914 White Beach Road Hugelkultur is a composting method that uses large pieces of rotting wood as the centerpiece for long-term humus building decomposition. Sound intriguing? Workshop host Learner Limbach, says "this class is going to be really cool!" Tim Forbes, with 40 years of
It’s Time: Local Poets Again Invited to Submit for Poetry Month
Get your pens, your paper, and/or your keyboard ready! Orcas Issues is excited to once again invite our local poets to submit up to three original poems for our popular Poetry Month feature, when we post a poem a day for the month of April. Over the years, some of
Editorial: Every County Voter to Decide Council Makeup in April Election
By Margie Doyle Tomorrow evening, the League of Women Voters will hold its Candidates Forum for the April 23 election of County Council Candidates. (Disclosure: I am the LWV of the San Juans Board Member at Large for Orcas Island). By voter approval last November, it was decided that all
Orcatrazz Plays Agave!
By Kathy Lunde Swing into spring with the Orcatrazz Swing Band, this Friday, March 29. Founded in 1999, Orcatrazz Swing Band has provided an outlet for local musicians to play the fantastic big band era tunes from the 1930's-1960's. Orcatrazz musicians are a dedicated lot, meeting weekly to enjoy the
Council to Discuss Putting Charter Amendments on Ballot
From Stan Matthews County Interim Information Technology Manager The San Juan Council has scheduled time at 1 P.M. during its Tuesday, March 26 meeting, to discuss the possibility of placing two amendments to the San Juan County Charter on the November, 2013 ballot. The amendments would modify Charter changes approved
Letter to the Editor: Pratt and Hughes Best Represent the County
Dear Editor, San Juan County is lucky that we have so many great candidates for the County Commission who, I believe, truly want what they feel is best for the County. When choosing who I vote for, I primarily look for two qualities. The first is the one that truly
Letter to the Editor:More Space Needed to Meet Demands on Library
The Orcas Island Library is celebrating 20 years in our current building. We invite everyone to visit us to see displays and archives celebrating our past. As part of our celebration, we are scheduling a special series of speakers on a wide range of topics that we think will elicit
Letter to the Editor: Anonymity Favors Vulgarity and Hypocrisy
Ed Kilduff's anonymous and frequently vulgar blog is cowardly and hypocritical. And yes it is his blog. If there are any doubters that it is, I suggest you ask Kilduff, Mike Carlson, Dave Cable, or Royce Meyerott, whom I assume will all tell you the truth. My thanks to Sharon
Council Candidates for April Election to Speak this Wednesday on Orcas
The League of Women Voters of the San Juans, Orcas Sub-unit will host a County Council Candidates’ Forum on Wednesday, March 27 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Orcas Senior Center. The forum will be moderated by Margie Doyle, Board Member of the LWV/SJ. Candidates for the primary election
Conservation District Offers Landowner Workshops
The San Juan Islands Conservation District is sponsoring educational landowner workshops throughout San Juan County during 2013. Join us for any or all of our five workshops. April 19th on San Juan Island at Mitchell Bay Farm & Nursery 4:30p.m. to 7:30p.m. Growing Great Grass: Pasture Management Techniques to Increase
Public Talk about Mental Health with Orcas Deputies — and Agree to Talk More
By Margie Doyle On Thursday, March 21, some three dozen Orcas Islanders met to discuss mutual concerns with County Undersheriff Bruce Distler in the second of monthly "Meet Your Deputies" meetings. These meetings are an outgrowth of the work of the consensus group "Orcas Response to Newtown" which met for
