Here’s a thought…
“Before we work on artificial intelligence, why don’t we do something about natural stupidity?”
READER BOARD
JURY DUTY: JANUARY 21-24, 2025
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| All Jurors summoned for jury duty the week of January 21 - 24th are excused. Thank you.
Suspect successfully extradited for residential burglary charges
||| FROM ERIC PETER, SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF ||| On October 28, 2022, a deputy with the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office (SJC) initiated an investigation into a potential felony crime on Orcas Island. The investigation revealed that the suspect had left Washington State. After thorough investigation, the deputy determined
Final Leaping Fool
||| FROM NIK SCHULZ for THE LEAPING FOOL ||| “THE LEAPING FOOL” winter writers’ series wraps up its final season February 20th at 6pm at the Orcas Island Winery. Submissions for pieces to be read at the final event are now open and due by February 6th. THE LEAPING FOOL
FH Film Festival | Free Best of the Fest Documentary series
||| FROM FRIDAY HARBOR FILM FESTIVAL ||| Join us for a powerful evening of documentary film and conversation! Friday Harbor Film Festival’s Best of the Fest Series kicks off the 2025 series with a free screening of ALL WE CARRY, winner of the 2024 FHFF Audience Choice Award for Best
LWVSJ Observer Corps | County Council January 13, 2025
||| FROM NECI QUAST for LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS ||| With two new council members, the first day of a two-day council retreat focused on setting key elements of the coming year and getting a view of where things stand on county administrative matters. Reviewing last year’s accomplishments, the council flagged
Reservations recommended on Anacortes/San Juan Islands route
||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| With the new winter schedule, we’ve noticed vehicle capacity can be limited on westbound sailings out of Anacortes in the afternoons and evenings, Monday through Friday. To make sure you get on your preferred sailing, we strongly recommend booking a reservation. Reservations are also now
Washington State Ferries 2024 Year in Review
||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| In 2024, Washington State Ferries worked to sail together in our first year under Assistant Secretary Steve Nevey. Join us in a look back at our year in workforce development, community participation, making our ferries more reliable and much more. 2024 was a year
Reflecting on wildfire risk in the islands in wake of devastating So. California fires
||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN for DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ||| Lea este documento en español: https://www.sanjuancountywa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/31654/250109-Wildland-Fire-Awareness-ESP Fellow Islanders, The news of the catastrophic fires near Los Angeles is heart-wrenching. As we witness from afar the magnitude of the loss, the relentless winds, and the extreme fire behavior, it prompts us to
County School Districts join together in advocacy efforts
||| FROM BRADY SMITH, LOPEZ SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT, ET AL. ||| Washington State is chronically underfunding education, despite a lawsuit and mandate that the legislature increase education funding. Just as San Juan County is geographically unique, it also has the ability to bring important invested parties, such as labor and management,
Orcas HS Chess Team – Champions!
||| FROM RANDY KAECH, TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR ||| The first Island - San Juan - Skagit Regional Chess Championships is in the books! Congrats to all 35 players who were fortunate enough to participate, make history and enjoy wild adventures in the 64-square jungle. And a special congrats to: Lamai Hons of
The ‘new’ OCS teacher you may already have met: Anna Vedder
||| FROM ORCAS CHRISTIAN SCHOOL ||| Although she has been a familiar presence on the campus of Orcas Christian School [OCS) for more than 20 years, this school year marks the first time Anna Vedder has had a classroom of her own. Over the years, she has served as a
A rare alignment of planets is about to take place in the sky
||| FROM SCIENCE ALERT ||| A very rare treat is about to grace Earth's night skies. On the evening of 28 February 2025, all seven of the other planets in the Solar System will appear in the night sky at the same time, with Saturn, Mercury, Neptune, Venus, Uranus, Jupiter, and Mars all lining up in a
Southern Resident orcas face uncertain future despite groundbreaking research efforts
||| FROM KOMO TV ||| It’s a race against the clock for scientists and researchers to learn more about two Southern Resident whale calves and their mothers. One calf, J61, was only a few days old when she died in December. Researchers spotted her mother, J35, also named Tahlequah, carrying her
Barcelona uses its tourist tax to tackle the effects of climate change
||| FROM CBS NEWS ||| After wide scale anti-tourism protests over the summer, Barcelona is trying to turn a negative into a positive by spending some of the money raised from the city's tax on visitors to tackle issues caused by climate change. Barcelona is one of the most visited cities
La Niña has officially arrived. Here’s what that means for western Washington
||| FROM KOMO NEWS ||| After months and months of anticipation, we have officially entered the La Niña climate pattern we've been waiting for. La Niña is the opposing end of the spectrum from El Nino, an oscillation between cooler and warmer than normal waters in the equatorial Pacific Ocean
Port Commissioners special meeting
||| FROM CHIP LONG for PORT OF ORCAS ||| The Port of Orcas Board of Commissioners will hold a Special Meeting on Monday, January 13 at 5:00 p.m. online via Zoom and in-person at the airport terminal. Access information as well as the Agenda can be found at portoforcas.com.
