Here’s a thought…
“Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime. Ask the infantry and ask the dead.”
ERNEST HEMINGWAY
Health Care District meeting tomorrow
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND HEALTH CARE DISTRICT ||| The Orcas Island Health Care District will hold a regularly scheduled board meeting on Wednesday, July 22nd from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. in the Community Room at the Orcas Island Library, 500 Rose Street, Eastsound. Public packet is posted below. Agenda 02. 2026_06_30 OIHCD Claims
Letter to Editor | Katherine Bryant-Ingman brings experience and a fresh perspective
||| FROM SCOTT SLUIS ||| When I heard that Katherine Bryant-Ingman was running for San Juan County Council I was so elated that I immediately reached out to see how I could help get the word out in support of her candidacy. I met Katherine in 2019 at the Leadership
News Brief | Pacific gray whales facing ‘catastrophic’ die-off as climate crisis hits food supply
||| FROM THE GUARDIAN ||| The whales are in “very, very serious trouble; the stranding numbers last year and this year are enormous compared to their annual average.” The estimates are most dire for 2025 and 2026 – somewhere from 2,500 to 8,000 whales are estimated to have died in
Letter to Editor | In support of Jennifer Swanson
||| FROM ANITA ORNE and GORDON KOENIG ||| As long time Orcas Islanders, we are writing to express our strong support of Jennifer Swanson for County Council. We have known Jennfier personally and professionally for many years. We have watched her as a leader both on Shaw and county wide,
New Orcasonian comment policy
||| FROM LIN MCNULTY, ORCASONIAN EDITOR ||| Due to the number of Orcasonian comments slipping through the 'system' using amusing, but obvious, pseudonyms we are instituting a new policy that will require all comments to be approved manually is taking effect immediately. I suspect that only your first comment will
Jigsaw Puzzle event at the library 7.26
||| FROM WOODY CISKOWSKI ||| Do you love jigsaw puzzles? Put your skills to the test and join fellow puzzle fans for fast-paced, friendly, speed puzzling at the Orcas Island Library! The event will be on Sunday July 26th at 3pm. Teams of four will race to complete a 500-piece puzzle. All teams will receive the
Larsen releases statement on petty, pointless tariffs on Canada
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U.S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) released the following statement: “What the hell, Mr. President? Cut the BS. End the tariffs. Renegotiate USMCA. Lower prices.” Today, the Trump administration announced new 50% tariffs on certain Canadian goods starting next month. The 50% tariffs would include goods that
Vehicle reservations for fall sailing season open today, July 21 at 10am
||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| Vehicle reservations for the fall 2026 sailing season (Sept. 20 through Dec. 26, 2026) will be available at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, July 21. For the Anacortes/San Juan Islands route, the two-week and two-day reservation releases will remain at 7 a.m. The fall 2026 sailing schedules are now online:
Free book event this Wednesday, July 22, at 6:30 pm at Darvill’s Bookstore
||| FROM AYN GAILEY for DARVILLS BOOKSTORE ||| Please join Michelle & Joel Levey, the founders of Wisdom at Work, International Center for Corporate Culture and Organizational Health, and the International Center for Contemplative Inquiry, for a conversation about their new book. The Leveys were invited by Pentagon leaders to develop the once-secret
Have a garden question? Ask an Orcas Master Gardener
Wednesday July 22nd at the Market Garden Nursery ||| FROM JULIA TURNEY and JAY LUCAS for ORCAS MASTER GARDENERS ||| Do you have a question about your soil, have a problem with your fruit tree, or are thinking about starting a garden? Is something bugging your plants, or you are
Eastsound Water Users Association reaches first-ever collective bargaining agreement with IBEW Local 77
||| FROM DAN BURKE for EASTSOUND WATER USERS ASSOCIATION ||| The Eastsound Water Users Association announced it has reached a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 77 on Friday, July 17, marking the first union contract in the association's history. The three-year agreement
LWVSJ Observer Corps | San Juan County Council, July 14, 2026
||| FROM BARBARA SHARP for LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS ||| Public Access Time: residents deplored a swastika recently painted on San Juan Island; supported the SJC Public Works Department on Shaw Island; and supported the Environmental Stewardship Department. The Council heard the Department of Community Development’s (DCD) recommendations for each
Charlie Porter quintet summer concert coming to Village Green
||| FROM COLLEEN SMITH SUMMERS for ORCAS CENTER ||| Orcas Center is proud to present its annual Summer Concert Series on the Village Green, bringing free, live music to the heart of Eastsound. This vibrant outdoor series, supported in part by Joe Brotherton and the Doe Bay team, celebrates community,
Letter to Editor | Jennifer Swanson is kind of candidate we need
||| FROM RHEA MILLER ||| Jennifer Swanson is a different kind of leader. She is the thoughtful listener sort and yet intrepid in her outreach. On the 4th of July, Jennifer drove her boat to Lopez, and despite the windy weather conditions after the parade, braved the white caps to
Stranded orca freed following coordinated response in Strait of Juan de Fuca
||| FROM KGW.COM ||| FRIDAY HARBOR, Wash. A young killer whale that stranded on a beach in the Strait of Juan de Fuca freed itself Thursday after a coordinated response from Washington leaders. A team of trained biologists and wildlife veterinarians from the SeaDoc Society and The Whale Museum gathered
Larsen’s water resources bill clears committee hurdle
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U.S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02)’s Water Resources Development Act of 2026 (WRDA 2026) passed out of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee by a unanimous vote of 66-0. The bipartisan, biennial bill protects Northwest Washington’s environment, supports
