Here’s a thought…
“Old age is no joke, but it can feel like one.”
TAD TOMPKINS
2024 San Juan County Fair is just around the corner
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| The countdown has begun for this year’s San Juan County Fair! With the theme “A Century of Growing: A Hundred Years at Home,” we have a lot to celebrate. This year’s food court is packed with a variety of options to quiet the
Letter to Editor | Why I support Rick Hughes for Council
||| FROM MATTHEW LASLO ||| I am writing to express my wholehearted endorsement of Rick Hughes for San Juan County Council District #2. Having had the pleasure of opening Elusion Orcas Island Escape Room with his son Ricky in 2018, I can personally attest to the invaluable management and business
Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival
||| FROM MARY TAYLOR for ORCAS ISLAND CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL ||| Tangos, trios, exciting new musical arrangements, and the world’s most preeminent talent are all part of Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival’s 27th Summer Concert Season, opening August 2 and continuing through August 17. Founder and Artistic Director Aloysia Friedmann
Shaw School teacher housing construction breaks ground
Groundbreaking ceremony celebrates historic milestone ||| FROM DEANNA SHANNON for SHAW ISLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT ||| After purchasing land over twenty years ago, the Shaw Island School District Board of Directors, Superintendent Kari McVeigh, along with the Teacher Housing Finance Committee and many supportive Shaw islanders, broke ground for construction of
Whale Museum’s summer lecture series continues
||| FROM TATE THOMSON for THE WHALE MUSEUM ||| The Whale Museum’s Summer Lecture Series is in full swing. Join us for our next two lectures, free and open to the public. Bright Extinction – Charting a Course for Southern Resident Orca Recovery Join us on August 8 at 7
Area of ‘disturbance’ in SE Alaska marks apparent crash site of plane carrying 3 people
||| FROM ANCHORAGE DAILY NEWS ||| Authorities said Thursday that searchers several days earlier found the apparent crash site of a missing plane carrying a Haines man and two Yakutat residents flying from Juneau to Yakutat. The 1948 Beechcraft Bonanza left Juneau on Saturday but never made it to Yakutat.
Vessels in Strait of Gibraltar are being fitted with sharpened blades to rudders to ward off orcas
||| FROM THE OLIVE PRESS ||| Ship captains in the Strait of Gibraltar are kitting their vessels out with sharpened rudders in order to harm killer whales that may approach their boats. The extreme measure is being taken after a string of interactions with the critically endangered Iberian orca in
Letter to Editor | Justin Paulsen is simply the best candidate
||| FROM JOANNE CUNDY ||| Justin, this letter is to you really as well as to the community. I believe you are the best candidate for Orcas County Council representative. Since you are not a new islander (here since 2003) I believe you have the best understanding of what Orcas
Letter to Editor | Hughes embodies competence, character, caring
||| FROM SAM GAILEY ||| Rick Hughes embodies competence, character, and caring—the very reasons I am casting my vote for him. Our county stands at a crucial juncture, and Rick's experience with local and state government is indispensable. Rick not only comprehends the unique challenges facing his home island of
Letter to Editor | McVeigh’s deep commitment is what we need now
||| FROM CLARK CUNDY ||| Today I am writing to express my strong support for Kari McVeigh for San Juan County Council. With her extensive large departmental administrative experience plus prior and continuing community service, Kari has demonstrated a deep commitment to serving our community. She will be a thoughtful
In Memoriam | Kate Lee 1942-2024
||| FROM RICH LEE ||| Kate Lee (1942-2024) passed away peacefully on the 5th of May at Lighthouse Memory Care in Anacortes after a long and valiant battle with dementia. Kate was born in Willowbrook, California to Jayne and Dickson Williams, and was raised in Pendleton, Oregon. She had a
Petitions for recall of EWUA Directors submitted
||| FROM STEVE SMITH for RECALL WATER ||| The recall process has been started. Petitions requesting a Member meeting were submitted to Eastsound Water Users Association (EWUA). According to the bylaws, EWUA must send within 35 days (after July 22 and before August 26, 2024), a notice to all Members
Local author pens new book of Orcas ghosts, legends
||| FROM JOSEPH W. REIGEL ||| Orcas Island, Washington has long been celebrated for its rare beauty and colorful history—but for many visitors and locals alike, the feeling that something strange lurks beneath the surface is all too real. Does Sasquatch really stalk the remote woods? Did pirates bury a
Dr. Michael Copass, renowned Seattle emergency medical care figure, dies at 86
||| FROM KING-TV ||| An "emergency medicine legend" in the Pacific Northwest passed away on Friday, as the University of Washington announced that Dr. Michael Copass died. Dr. Copass was the director of emergency services for decades at Harborview Medical Center. He also founded Airlift Northwest in 1982, which has
Indigenous communities catch lamprey at Willamette Falls every summer. That tradition could be in danger
The eel-like fish join the likes of salmon and sturgeon as a first food, a staple for local tribes long before European contact. But their numbers are dwindling. ||| FROM OREGON PUBLIC BROADCASTING ||| The eel-like fish join the likes of salmon and sturgeon as a first food, a staple
Welcome to WSF online open house
||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| We are seeking public feedback on proposed draft sailing schedules for the Anacortes/San Juan Islands route. The online open house will be open until Aug. 23, 2024. Why we are changing the sailing schedule The current seasonal sailing schedules have not been updated in
