Here’s a thought…
“I don’t know why we are here, but I’m pretty sure that it is not in order to enjoy ourselves.”
LUDWIG WITTGENSTEIN
Ferguson may delay converting ferries to electric power
||| FROM THE SEATTLE TIMES ||| CLINTON, WHIDBEY ISLAND — Describing the Washington State Ferries system as “in crisis,” Gov.-elect Bob Ferguson said he may postpone the ongoing work to convert the fleet’s largest ferries to electric power. “That is something I’m very interested in,” he told a group of
Health experts rally for ‘call to arms’ to protect children from toxic chemicals
In new paper in the New England Journal of Medicine, leading researchers to propose action to protect kids ||| FROM THE GUARDIAN ||| Children are suffering and dying from diseases that emerging scientific research has linked to chemical exposures, findings that require urgent revamping of laws around the world, according
OICF | A New Beginning
||| FROM LINDSAY JENNINGS for ORCAS ISLAND COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ||| I wish I could say it’s been a great start to the year and fill this message with only joy and excitement. Hard to do when so many are suffering from recent bouts of violence in our country and throughout
‘The Santa Anas’ by Joan Didion
||| BY JOAN DIDION ||| There is something uneasy in the Los Angeles air this afternoon, some unnatural stillness, some tension. What it means is that tonight a Santa Ana will begin to blow, a hot wind from the northeast whining down through the Cajon and San Gorgonio Passes, blowing
WSF Weekly Report | 61,000 passengers in one day
||| FROM STEVE NEVEY for WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| A message from Steve Yesterday, I joined Governor-elect Ferguson, Senate Transportation Committee Chair Marko Liias, House Transportation Committee (HTC) Chair Jake Fey, and HTC members Representatives Dave Paul and Greg Nance, for focused conversations on WSF’s service. We attended a meeting
Occam’s Razor | Our island, our world through the eyes, pen of S.C. Watson
Welcome to our weekly feature, Occam's Razor, from local artist S.C. Watson.
Art Opening: Visual Arts Committee
||| FROM BETHANY MARIE for ORCAS CENTER ||| Join us for the first Art Show of 2025 at Orcas Center – Friday, January 17 at 5:30pm - showcasing the art of our dedicated Visual Arts Committee! About 20 years ago, a group of artists decided to take up the task
San Juan County Jury Duty: January 13-17, 2025
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| JURY DUTY: JANUARY 13-17, 2025 All Jurors summonsed for jury duty the week of January 13 - 17th are excused. Thank you.
Bob Ferguson vows to make fixing Washington’s ferry system a ‘top priority’
||| FROM KING-5TV ||| MUKILTEO, Wash. — Governor-elect Bob Ferguson boarded a state ferry Wednesday and sailed into uncharted waters on Wednesday. The state ferry system is sinking, with a budget deficit of at least $10 billion over the next four years. Ferguson minced no words. "It's a front-burner issue,"
Attention San Juan County businesses: Sales tax increase effective April 1, 2025
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County’s Treasurer’s Office is providing notice to local businesses of an upcoming increase to sales tax in San Jaun County. A 1/10th of 1% sales tax will be enacted on April 1, 2025, to support a new Cultural Access Program. Businesses must collect the
Washington State bans net-pen aquaculture
||| FROM NATIONALFISHERMEN.COM ||| Commercial finfish pen aquaculture appears finished in Washington State, after the Board of Natural Resources voted Jan. 7 to ban the industry. The vote was a victory for Washington State’s Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz, who pushed for strict limitations on leasing state tidelands for
Here’s how annexing Canada would change American politics
We took Trump literally, not seriously, about the push to make Canada the 51st state ||| FROM POLITICO.COM ||| Donald Trump says Canada should become the 51st state. He should be careful what he wishes for. No, it’s (probably?) not a serious idea, but the president-elect keeps trolling the United
Why local power generation is important | Part 1 of 3
||| FROM KRISTA BOUCHEY for ORCAS POWER & LIGHT ||| OPALCO has been providing reliable power to the islands since 1937. Electricity is an essential and critical component to the modern-day lifestyles powering our hospitals, grocery stores, heating systems, and fire departments. Constant electricity does not come without some tradeoffs.
Deadline extended for vacation rental compliance certification process
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County’s Department of Community Development (DCD) is extending the deadline for filing the 2024 Vacation Rental (VR) Certificate of Compliance to January 31, 2025. Certificate of compliance applications are accepted through the online permit center, through the mail, or in-person. See
Gas pains
||| BY LIN MCNULTY, theORCASONIAN EDITOR ||| As of Aug. 10, 2023, it cost $4.056 for regular gasoline in Idaho, according to AAA. In Washington, regular gasoline cost is $5.017. That’s a price difference of nearly a dollar a gallon. Even Oregon was paying nearly 34 cents a gallon LESS
Les Contes d’Hoffman – Met Opera at Orcas Center
||| FROM BETHANY MARIE for ORCAS CENTER ||| Start the New Year off right with an incredible performance of Les Contes d’Hoffman on Tuesday, January 14 at 12pm on the big screen at Orcas Center. Filmed live in HD, these on-screen events presented by The Metropolitan Opera offer a diverse
