Volunteer drivers needed for Orcas Senior Center
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Orcas Senior Center is looking for volunteer drivers to help with our transportation program. Volunteers will receive a small stipend for driving individuals off-island to their doctor appointments. Join our dedicated team of drivers today! For more information, please contact Edy
This will be the biggest and best Olga Daze ever
||| FROM SUSAN GORDON for OLGA DAZE ||| The parade (at noon) will feature bagpipes and a drum major, accompanied by marchers wearing kilts. Also rumored to be participating are members of the Orcas Ukulele Club, along with antique cars and trucks, and lots of enthusiastic Olga folks in crazy
White caps in the Salish Sea
||| FROM TOM EVERSOLE for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| The fact is most folks on Orcas are old. As of 2020, more than half of islanders were 55 or older (Washington State Office of Financial Management, Forecasting Division, August 2012). Social service and health promotion funding prioritizes those under 40,
Letter to Editor | O’Day is knowledgeable and skilled
||| FROM DYANNE DALRYMPLE ||| I have known Stephanie O’Day for over 20 years. For 6 years I worked in Stephanie’s land use law office, as her Office Manager and Legal Assistant. I saw how knowledgeable and skilled she is in problem solving and land use law. In the many
VOTE411 Candidate Guide available to voters ahead of August primary
||| FROM AMY PELOFF for LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF WASHINGTON ||| Seattle, WA—The Leagues of Women Voters of Washington LWVWA) is pleased to announce that VOTE411.org is now live with updated information for the primary election. July 19 is the start of the 18-day voting period. Voters are advised to
County Democrats release primary endorsements
||| FROM DAVID TURNOY for SAN JUAN COUNTY DEMOCRATS ||| Voting in the Washington state primary begins on July 19, so you should be receiving your ballot shortly. After hosting most of the candidates for office this year over the last nine months at our meetings plus receiving detailed questionnaires back
Calling local businesses and community members for Monthly Beach Cleanups at Jackson’s Beach
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| Have you noticed the microplastics at Jackson Beach? These tiny bits of plastic harm our marine ecosystem, affecting forage fish, salmon, seabirds, and even killer whales. That’s why Plastic Free Salish Sea is asking local businesses and community members to help clean up
Land Bank monthly meeting
||| FROM SJC CONSERVATION LAND BANK COMMISSION ||| The San Juan County Conservation Land Bank Commission will hold a regular monthly meeting on July 19, 2024 from 8:30am – 11:15am via Zoom. The meeting will also be available for in person public attendance at the San Juan Island Grange at
Art Opening: Celebrating the Orcas Artist Studio Tour
||| FROM BETHANY MARIE for ORCAS CENTER ||| The Visual Arts Committee (VAC) of Orcas Center, and the Orcas Artist Studio Tour are excited to present the Studio Tour Art Opening on Friday, July 26 from 5:30-7pm in the Madrona Room. Join us in the Madrona Room and Orcas Center
Transportation and climate change in the San Juan Islands
First in a series about climate change in the San Juans ||| FROM ISARA GRAECEN for LOPEZ COMMUNITY LAND TRUST ||| Transportation is a unique and multifaceted system that both shapes and is shaped by our environment. In the San Juan Islands, our choices in transportation play a significant role in
August Blood Drive
||| FROM HANNAH MCNUTT for BLOODWORKS NORTHWEST ||| Summer is a busy time, but it's important to remember that the need for blood donors is high. The summer season and lovely weather can increase the demand for donated blood. Fewer people donate while our region's trauma centers experience an increase
Certifier pulls sustainable recommendation for SE Alaska Fisheries to protect dwindling salmon, endangered orca
||| FROM EMMA HELVERSON for WILD FISH CONSERVANCY ||| In a groundbreaking decision, Canadian seafood certifier Ocean Wise announced they can no longer recommend salmon caught in Southeast Alaska fisheries as ‘sustainable’. The delisting responds to concerns over the impact of the region’s fisheries on endangered Southern Resident orcas and
Sinister reason 77 whales may have washed up dead on Scots beach revealed as it emerges they were healthy
Experts have revealed the more sinister reason why a pod of 77 pilot whales may have been beached on Orkney shores ||| FROM THE SCOTTISH SUN ||| After post-mortem examinations found that the stranded whales were healthy before they were washed ashore, investigators are probing into the reasons behind it.
New boats don’t address WA ferry system’s urgent problem
||| FROM THE SEATTLE TIMES ||| Washington State Ferries is spending 4 billion in taxpayer dollars electrifying its fleet to combat global warming. While commendable, this undertaking overlooks our ferry system’s real crisis: a critical shortage of highly skilled and experienced marine engineers and oilers. The shortage of essential crew
Susan Slapin featured artist at Banner Bank
||| FROM SUSAN SLAPIN ||| Susan Slapin is a long time Orcas islander who creates in a number of mediums. The exhibit features small and large works in a number of mediums including etching, acrylic, mixed media, soft pastels, and limited edition artist books. Creating is key in terms of
Touring Circus Show: UP UP UP on the Village Green
||| FROM BETHANY MARIE for ORCAS CENTER ||| When is the last time you saw people (and pianos?!?) hang from a crane outdoors? Time to check that off your bucket list and join us on Sunday, July 21 at 5pm on the Village Green for UP UP UP - part
