Here’s a thought…
“Before we work on artificial intelligence, why don’t we do something about natural stupidity?”
READER BOARD
Jurors excused for February 17 – 20
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| JURY DUTY: FEBRUARY 17-20, 2026 All jurors summonsed for the jury term beginning Tuesday, February 17th through Friday, February 20th, 2026, are excused. Thank you!
News Brief | ICE begins buying ‘mega’ warehouse detention centers across US
||| FROM BLOOMBERG NEWS ||| Despite protests in small towns and cities across the US, the Trump administration is pushing ahead with the purchase of warehouses it plans to convert into immigration jails in what could be the largest expansion of such detention capacity in US history. The cost for
Letter to Editor | Awash in water bills
||| FROM MICHAEL RIORDAN ||| Is anyone else aghast at their January water bills? Ours came in at just over $100, despite using a piddling (puddling?) 2927 gallons — less than 100 gallons per day for just two people, or 3.4 cents per gallon. That included a whopping base rate
Larsen fights drug trafficking, funds public safety, addiction recovery
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U .S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| Today, Rep. Larsen released the following statement about actions within the Fiscal Year 2026 government funding bills to combat the opioid epidemic in Northwest Washington: “The opioid crisis has devastated families and communities in Northwest Washington, and while we
Maintaining health, safety & community services | Council places levy lid lift on April ballot
Council voted to place a levy lid lift on the April Special Election ballot ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| Today, the San Juan County Council adopted a resolution to place a levy lid lift initiative on the April 28 special election ballot. The regular property tax levy lid
HB 2395 Update | Full steam ahead into the season
||| FROM DARREN AUSTIN for ONBUOY ||| I wanted to share a brief update on HB 2395 and what it means going forward. As some of you may have heard, the bill did not make it out of committee this session and will not advance to the House floor this
Larsen demands ICE oversight and accountability
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U .S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| The Trump Administration's brutal occupation of American communities with armed, masked agents must end immediately. Congress has a responsibility to defend the American people from this lawlessness. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle must unite in this effort
News Brief | Orcas are drowning in noise
Turn down the volume to turn up orca survival ||| FROM GEORGIA STRAIGHT ALLIANCE ||| The frequency of sound emitted depends on a vessel’s engine type, propeller design, speed and distance from wildlife. The temperature and salinity of the water can also impact underwater noise. All these factors make noise
Letter to Editor | Questions for OPALCO Board
||| FROM RIKKI SWIN ||| Krista, Thank you for taking these questions for the Feb 10 online board meeting: Solar Panels for Bailer Hill What was the total cost of the solar panels purchased for the Bailer Hill project? When were they purchased, and who authorized the expenditure prior to securing full
Orcas Island Public Library hosts Movie Night Bingo at Emmanuel
||| FROM SAM GAILEY for ORCAS ISLAND PUBLIC LIBRARY ||| The Orcas Island Public Library invites the community to a fun and interactive Movie Night Bingo on Friday, February 13 at 6:00 p.m. at the Episcopal Parish Hall. Participants will watch the beloved romantic comedy Notting Hill while playing bingo
Wednesdays at Emmanuel | Meditation at noon, letter writing at 1pm
||| FROM NANCY REAS ||| Hello Orcas Island, since November 2023 I have been leading a silent meditation at Emmanuel Episcopal Church on Wednesdays from 12-1 pm for the purpose of holding in our hearts the people of war-torn countries, such as Gaza, Ukraine, and South Sudan. It is unstructured
WSF prepares for Seahawks parade onslaught on Wednesday
||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| We've been working together with regional transit agencies to support hundreds of thousands, possibly a million people, expected to converge in downtown Seattle for the Seahawks parade Wednesday. If you are traveling on ferries tomorrow, Wednesday, Feb. 11: Before you go, please make a plan: Travel early and review your transit
UPDATE | OIFR child passenger safety technician training date change
||| FROM BECCA MCDOWELL for ORCAS FIRE & RESCUE ||| After feedback, we have chosen to push back the dates for the CPST course until May. The in-person course dates will be May 6-8 rather than February 18-20 to allow local organizations more time to plan their staffing such that
In Memoriam | Richard Shattuck Lee,1937 – 2026
||| FROM MARY WEBER ||| Richard Shattuck Lee Richard Shattuck Lee of Anacortes, Washington, passed away peacefully on January 13, 2026, in LaGrande, Oregon. Rich was born December 29, 1937, in Boston, Massachusetts, to Nelson Borland Lee and Mary Flagg. Though he grew up in Woodstock, Vermont, he
No Place Like Loam | Defiance as stewardship and self-reliance: Growing perennial vegetables
||| NO PLACE LIKE LOAM by ALEX TAMAYO WOLF ||| My grandparents’ three acre garden was a closed system. Nothing essential came in from the outside. Seed stayed. Tubers stayed. Crowns stayed. Fertility cycled through animals, compost, and time. During the war, what left the garden left as food. There
County recognizes MLK Day of Service, 100th anniversary of Black History Month
San Juan County’s history has been shaped by Black and African Americans who have fiercely and courageously engaged in service, leadership, and business over the years. ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County is proud to recognize the 100th anniversary of Black History Month. During the February
