Here’s a thought…
“Deep breath. Deep breath. The air is free. You can take as many as you want.”
BUDDHIST MONK
SJC diversity, equity, inclusion, & belonging survey sets baseline for ongoing change
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| During a special Council meeting on August 28, County staff and councilmembers reviewed findings from the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) Survey and related focus groups. With approximately 56% of employees participating in the data collection process, the initial data sets the
Letter to Editor | Time for Teri to resign
||| FROM MICHAEL RIORDAN, FRED KLEIN, AND ROBERT AUSTIN ||| We hereby call for the resignation of Teri Nigretto from the Board of Directors of the Eastsound Water Users Association. Her almost-daily drumbeat of letters emailed to the EWUA membership have been impugning the character and motivations of former board
Orcas challenge the Bering Sea’s black cod industry
||| FROM KUCB NEWS ||| Black cod fishermen in the Bering Sea have reported an increase in orcas taking their catch off their fishing lines in recent years. Orca depredation isn't just a costly headache for fishermen — it can be dangerous for orcas, too. Jeb Morrow has been long-lining
Washington state ferry cancellations cripple service before the busy Labor Day weekend
||| FROM KOMO NEWS ||| SEATTLE — Headed into the last summer holiday of 2024 when thousands plan to take a ferry, cancellations and delays alter many routes operated by Washington State Ferries (WSF). WSF announced that the Seattle/Bainbridge route is operating on a one-boat service due to a crew shortage on
U.S. officials plan to kill hundreds of thousands of barred owls to save another species from extinction
||| FROM PBS.ORG ||| To save the imperiled spotted owl from potential extinction, U.S. wildlife officials are embracing a contentious plan to deploy trained shooters into dense West Coast forests to kill almost a half-million barred owls that are crowding out their smaller cousins. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Letter to Editor | O’Day has a working knowledge of the law
||| FROM CARLA J. HIGGINSON ||| I am a fifth generation islander and have been practicing law in San Juan County for the past 44 years. I write this letter in support of Stephanie O’Day as a candidate for County Council. I first met Stephanie 33 years ago when she
Larsen co-sponsors bill for summer meals for kids
Larsen, Peltola and Smith Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Combat Childhood Hunger, Expand Access to Meals Outside of Regular School Hours ||| FROM THE OFFICE OF REP. RICK LARSEN ||| WASHINGTON, D.C. – Reps. Rick Larsen (D-WA), Mary Peltola (D-AK) and Chris Smith (R-NJ) introduced the Summer Meals Act of 2024, a bipartisan
Letter to Editor | Rick Hughes’ leadership is exactly what is needed
||| FROM JONATHAN WELCH ||| I'd like to thank my Campaign Manager Julie Remington, Jeff Noedel of CNL2.com and the voters of San Juan County. While my race is over, I am now endorsing Rick Hughes for San Juan County Council district #2. I have known Rick for years. Our
Taliban reject UN concerns over laws banning women’s voices and bare faces in public
||| FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS ||| ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Taliban on Monday rejected concerns and criticism raised by the United Nations over new vice and virtue laws that ban women in Afghanistan from baring their faces and speaking in public places. Roza Otunbayeva, who heads the U.N. mission in the country, UNAMA,
7 steps to what a real renewable energy transition looks like
Historically, an overhaul for humanity's energy system would take hundreds or many thousands of years. The rapid shift to cleaner, more sustainable sources of power generations will easily be the most ambitious enterprise our species has ever undertaken. ||| FROM COMMON DREAMS.ORG Humanity’s transition from relying overwhelmingly on fossil fuels
Emmanuel’s new Sunday morning kids’ program
||| FROM SARAH MOORE for EMMANUEL EPISCOPAL CHURCH ||| Emmanuel Episcopal Church, locally known as the “church with the labyrinth, a red door, and a seaside garden on the shores of the Salish Sea,” will kick-off a new Sunday morning program for children, ages 4-12. at 10 am, Sunday, Oct.
Master Gardeners Workshop
2024 San Juan County WSU Master Gardeners Gardening Workshop Series October 15-24, 2024 ||| FROM DIANA STEPITA for SJC MASTER GARDENERS ||| Successful gardeners know that beautiful and bountiful gardens require knowledge and planning. Fall is the perfect time to start thinking about the what, when, where, why and how
Woman in the Woods Goes Hip-Hop
||| FROM MICHELL MARSHALL for WOMAN IN THE WOODS ||| On Saturday, September 21, Woman in the Woods Productions will bring to Orcas Center a performance from Ladies of Hip Hop, entitled “The Black Dancing Bodies Project: Speak My Mind”. And once again, Woman in the Woods has asked the
County representatives discuss solutions to ferry service disruptions with Governor
The meeting included an in-depth discussion of local transportation alternatives, possible short-term solutions, and next steps for the 2025 legislative session. ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| On Saturday, August 24, representatives from San Juan County met with Governor Jay Inslee in Friday Harbor to share data, review ferry
Master Gardener clinic
||| FROM DIANNE MACONDRAY for MASTER GARDENERS ||| Our summer gardening season is winding down now with cooler weather, but come by and see the Master Gardeners to get ideas for fall planting or with other garden questions or concerns on Wednesday, August 28th from noon to 2:00 at the
Health Care District meeting
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND HEALTH CARE DISTRICT BOARD ||| Board Meeting - August 27, 2024 The Orcas Island Health Care District Board will hold the regularly scheduled board meeting on Tuesday, August 27th from 5:00 - 7:00 PM in the Community Room at the Orcas Island Library, 500 Rose Street, Eastsound. The agenda and
