Here’s a thought…
“Before we work on artificial intelligence, why don’t we do something about natural stupidity?”
READER BOARD
Guest Opinion | The solar promise that wasn’t
How a small island's experiment in clean energy became a lesson in what happens when a co-op stops listening to the people it serves ||| FROM ALAN MIZUTA ||| I own a piece of a solar farm. I paid for it. I'm proud of what it was supposed to be.
Town & County Councils discuss ferries, affordable housing & more at joint meeting
Town and County Councils will continue to partner on the variety of services residents depend upon ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| This week, the Town of Friday Harbor and San Juan County Councils held a special joint meeting where they discussed tourism and economic development in the islands,
ROAM | Art & literary pop-ups
Eastsound, April 8–12 ||| FROM AYN GAILEY for HUB FOR ARTS & LITERATURE ON ORCAS (HALO) ||| The Orcas Island Library, HALO (Hub for Arts & Literature on Orcas), artists, and our businesses have teamed up to create a weekend of events that will bring inspiration and foot traffic to beloved
CWR encounters three families of Bigg’s
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| Full Encounter Report ObservBegin: 08:44 AM ObservEnd: 09:16 AM Vessel: Mike 1 Staff: Mark Malleson Pods: Bigg's killer whales IDsEncountered: T036A, T036A2, T036A2A, T036A3, T036A5, T086A1, T086A1B, T124A4, T124A4, T124A1A LocationDescr: Parry Bay EncSummary: Mark received a call at 0733 from a colleague who
WSF Weekly Report | 20.1 million customers in 2025; Governor signs ferry bill; summer reservations open Tuesday
||| FROM STEVE NEVEY for WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| A message from Steve In 2025 we carried 20.1 million customers, nearly 1 million more than the previous year. That translates to 152,592 sailings. Each one starts and ends at a ferry terminal. Only 22 trips were canceled for terminal-related issues
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.
Garden Club presents | History and cultural legacy of pansies and violas
Join us at 9:30 AM (just before the program) for social time, and feel free to bring something for the Sharing Table ||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND GARDEN CLUB ||| Please join the Orcas Island Garden Club on Wednesday, April 15 when we welcome Brenna Estrada of Three Brothers Blooms to
Larsen requests $77 Million for local job-creating infrastructure, public safety
Larsen submits requests for federal funding for 20 projects in FY27 spending bills ||| FROM THE OFFICE OF US. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) has requested $77,113,331 for 20 local projects in the Fiscal Year 2027 spending bills. “This funding will create good-paying local jobs
County receives support from Rep. Larsen for funding repairs at Orcas Landing
Applying for these new funding sources is just one of several ways the County is continuing to manage budget shortfalls in 2026 and 2027 ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| In an effort to manage budget constraints in 2026 and 2027, San Juan County pursued congressional funding to help
Hearing Examiner rejects permit that allowed a major expansion of a Whatcom County LPG terminal
||| FROM LOVEL PRATT ||| The Whatcom County Hearing Examiner sided with six local environmental groups in ruling that the County mishandled its review of a series of expansions of a liquefied petroleum gas facility near Bellingham. The groups charged that the Ferndale Terminal at Cherry Point significantly and illegally
Larsen defends free and fair elections
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U.S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) released the following statement: “President Trump has no constitutional authority to change election law by executive order. This is an unlawful effort to suppress the right to vote. No matter what the President says,
Densmore’s artwork featured at Library for April
||| FROM ANDREA COHEN for ORCAS ISLAND LIBRARY ||| David Densmore will be April’s featured artist in the Art in the Library series at the Orcas Island Library. David has been capturing the beauty and spirit of Orcas Island in his paintings for many years, and his style continues to
Town parking lot closure April 7 and 8
||| FROM JENNIFER KREMBS for TOWN OF FRIDAY HARBOR ||| Residents are advised of a temporary closure of the Town parking lot located at 330 Spring Street across from Wells Fargo Bank, April 7 through mid-day on April 8, 2026, for parking lot improvements. The Streets and Parks Department will
Let’s talk public transit for Orcas & the San Juan Islands
||| FROM COLIN WILLIAMS for FRIENDS OF RURAL PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION ||| Hosted by the Friends of Rural Public Transportation Tuesday, April 7, 2026 1:45 PM - 3:30 PM Orcas Island Public Library Community Room Online Meeting Link Imagine Orcas & the San Juan Islands where... You can hop on a
Award-winning illusion, music, puppetry show + free magic workshop
||| FROM PHINA PIPIA ||| Hailed as “Imaginative, intelligent, and strangely mesmerizing” by the San Diego Union Tribune, Phina Pipia brings award-winning solo show to the Orcas Island Odd Fellows Hall A tuba lights the way, beds make music, paintings come to life, and a radio delivers a message from
Don’t forget! Join the community meeting on April 6 to review the Critical Areas Ordinance update
YOU'RE INVITED to comment on the first draft! Join County staff on Monday, April 6, from 6:00-8:00 pm to ask questions and learn more about the regulations included in the CAO ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County is updating its critical areas protections, also referred to
