Here’s a thought…
“It’s easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled.”
MARK TWAIN
Test your earthquake preparedness on October 15
||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN for SAN JUAN COUNTY DEPT. OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ||| While earthquakes in the islands are rare, San Juan County is smack in the middle of some of the highest risk quake country anywhere. Being prepared for the eventual catastrophic earthquake is a basic responsibility of every
New clinic providers meet & greet September 22, 2026
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND HEALTH CARE DISTRICT ||| Island Primary Care - Orcas clinic has welcomed two new Providers over the past six months, Cameron Fralick, PA-C, and Paula Whitmire, MD. In order for community members to meet these new providers outside of clinic appointments, Orcas Island Health Care District
Orcas Center | When a cello recital meets a clown show
Karen Hall's 'Delusions and Grandeur' ||| FROM COLLEEN SMITH SUMMERS for ORCAS CENTER ||| Come for the music, stay for the existential crisis as genre-blurring jester and cellist Karen Hall peels back the layers of formality, leaving you with only the humanity and insanity of the artist behind the instrument.
LWVSJ Observer Corps | SJC Board of Health September 16, 2026
||| FROM BARBARA SHARP for LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS ||| Arlesia Bailey is the new executive director of Accountable Communities of Health (ACH). Evergreen Recovery has posted two job positions, based in the county and in partnership with the SJC Sheriff’s Department. Northwest Regional Council (NWRC) approved a 3% budget
Updated | Coming to Orcas Center | Kids Got Talent show
UPDATE: The time for Saturday's show has been changed to 6 p.m. ||| FROM COLLEEN SMITH SUMMERS for ORCAS CENTER ||| Orcas Center’s annual youth talent show will highlight the island's youngest performers who will sing and dance, do skits or play an instrument. The show is on Saturday, Sept.
Yoga & Ukulele Thursday mornings at Orcas Center
||| FROM ANITA ORNE for ORCAS CENTER ||| Yogalele’s fall season is now in session! Join us Thursday mornings from 8:30 to 9:15am in the Madrona Room at Orcas Center to stretch and strum, pluck and smile, experience savasana, and possibly learn a few new moves and chords. All levels
Coming to Orcas Center | Yungchen Lhamo in concert with Rafe Pearlman
||| FROM COLLEEN SMITH SUMMERS for ORCAS CENTER ||| Internationally acclaimed Tibetan singer Yungchen Lhamo, recipient of the 2026 Distinguished Artist Award from the City of Kingston Arts Commission and the Department of Arts & Cultural Affairs, will make her first-ever visit to Orcas Island this fall. She will perform
Orcas Christian School brings generations together for Grandparents Lunch
||| FROM ORCAS CHRISTIAN SCHOOL ||| The lunch at Orcas Christian School (OCS) was filled with conversation, laughter and familiar faces as students welcomed grandparents and other special guests for the school’s first Grandparents Lunch. Held in celebration of Grandparents Day, the event brought around 25 grandparents and guests to
Katherine Bryant Ingman on San Juan County budget
||| KATHERINE BRYANT INGMAN for SAN JUAN COUNTY COUNCIL ||| San Juan County is set to spend more than it takes in for 2027. To legally balance the budget, it needs to cut $3.7 million. This didn't happen overnight. In April 2026, a levy lift failed, with over 60% voting
Letter to Editor | Civic engagement beyond ballot box
||| FROM JENNIFER SWANSON, CANDIDATE FOR COUNTY COUNCIL ||| This week, I had the pleasure of experiencing community engagement, up close on both Waldron and Lopez Islands. Last Sunday, I visited the Waldron community and had several informative conversations. I heard their concerns about receiving county services on a remote
Letter to Editor | Why I support Swanson for Council
||| FROM SHEILA GAQUIN ||| I’m voting for Jennifer Swanson for County Council, District 3 position, and I hope you will too. I have known Jennifer for more than 20 years and have seen her in numerous community service roles, including school board, Ferry Advisory Committee, The Shaw Community Land
Fall sailing schedule starts this Sunday, September 20
||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| Our fall sailing schedule starts Sunday, Sept. 20 and lasts through Dec. 26. Port Townsend/Coupeville: The route will continue two-boat service until Oct. 5, when it returns to one-boat service until next spring. This is one week earlier than planned, due to vessel maintenance. Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth: From early October through early November, the
Midnight Mutterings | About lying
||| MIDNIGHT MUTTERINGS by JACKIE BATES ||| Have been thinking about lying lately and why it’s so disturbing. My conclusion is that part of why it is so confusing to me is that it makes me question my own perceptions. Can I really have been so wrong about what I
Preparing for a resilient future
||| FROM LINDSAY JENNINGS for ORCAS ISLAND COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ||| As Orcas Islanders prepare for fall, shorter days, harvesting buckets upon buckets of apples, and unpredictable weather, many nonprofit organizations are launching fall programs and events, and are working to raise awareness and support for the needs of the community.
Call to Artists | Community show: Six X Six
Art intake on October 22; Art Opening on October 23 ||| FROM MARJORIE TAYLOR for ORCAS CENTER VISUAL ARTS COMMITTEE ||| The Visual Arts Committee of Orcas Center announces a new community show -- “Six x Six” – to open on October 23. For this show, we will be filling
Community budget with county council chair Justin Paulsen scheduled Sept. 23 on San Juan
The San Juan County Council Chair and District 2 Representative will hold a meeting with the community to discuss the County budget and related fiscal challenges at the San Juan Island Library Meeting Room from 6:00-7:30 p.m. ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County Council Chair and
