Here’s a thought…
“I am so convinced of the advantages of looking at mankind instead of reading about them, and of the bitter effects of staying at home with all the narrow prejudices of an islander, that I think there should be a law amongst us to set our young men abroad for a term among the few allies our wars have left us.”
LORD BYRON
Good news from the Supreme Court today
||| FROM CONGRESSMAN RICK LARSEN ||| The Supreme Court has unanimously ruled to preserve access to mifepristone, a medication used in nearly two-thirds of all abortions in the United States. This is the first case related to abortion since the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade two years ago. That
County offices to close for Juneteenth observance
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County offices will be closed to the public on Wednesday, June 19 in observance of Juneteenth – the celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. San Juan County Council issued a proclamation at the June 13, 2023 Council
You can help stop Medicare fraud
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Medicare fraud costs an estimated $60 billion each year and ultimately raises the cost of healthcare for everyone. June 3-9 is National Medicare Fraud Prevention Week to call attention to the issue. As a Medicare beneficiary, you can protect yourself by
Letter to Editor | I support Senior Center efforts to purchase building
||| FROM MAGGIE KAPLAN ||| As a longtime volunteer and advocate for the welfare of seniors, I have seen first-hand the impact that Orcas Senior Center (OSC) programs have on the lives of those they serve and their families. I fully support OSC’s efforts to purchase its building. OSC provides
After nearly 25 years, federal officials approve a limited Makah whale hunt
||| FROM KNKX NPR ||| The long wait is over. A federal official has given the green light for members of the Makah tribe to resume exercising their treaty right to whaling, based on a request first made in 2005. Their last hunt took place in 1999. With a waiver under the Marine Mammal Protection
LWVSJ Observer Corps: County Council June 11, 2024
||| FROM NECIA QUAST for LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS ||| During public comment a Lopez resident thanked the council for meeting on Lopez and said regarding the new skate park, that rather than spending money on visual elements like colored concrete and an embedded map, he would prefer additional skate features. Transitions
Orcas Senior Center buys building: You can help
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Orcas Senor Center’s (OSC’s) capital campaign is well on its way to raising the $1.5 million needed to achieve full ownership of the building. As the thermometer at Brown Bear reflects, we have raised about $613,000 thus far. We need your
Orcas APS gala
||| FROM KRISTINA SNYDER for ORCAS ANIMAL PROTECTION SOCIETY ||| We invite you to the Love Tails Gala, where compassion meets celebration! Join us on Saturday, July 6 at Orcas Center at 4:30 pm for a paws-itively unforgettable evening dedicated to supporting Orcas Animal Protection Society and the incredible community
Encomium | In Memory of Bill Anders
||| FROM RUSTY SCHWEICKART, APOLLO 9 LUNAR MODULE PILOT ||| Here's a wonderful tribute to Bill Anders from his long-standing Apollo Astronaut buddy, Rusty Schweickart, the Lunar Module Pilot on the Apollo 9 mission. Rusty was visiting Bill here on Orcas Island in 2016 when Bill called to suggest he
Input on Odd Fellows hall kitchen requested
||| FROM CHE BLAINE for ORCAS ODD FELLOWS ||| Our Eastsound Hall has been in use since 1891 and is a vital community space that hosts a myriad of uses including classes, dances, gatherings, food service, and weddings. This year, the Odd Fellows are working to make needed improvements and
Scientists uncover lasting impact of monumental dam removal project
'You can change the marine ecosystem' ||| FROM THE COOL DOWN ||| Scientists studying a dam removal project in Washington state have discovered positive impacts on coastal ecosystems a decade downstream from the project's beginning. According to a report in Hakai Magazine, the 2013 removal of the Glines Canyon Dam on
Welcome to summer season in the garden
||| FROM LAURA WALKER for ORCAS ISLAND GARDEN CLUB ||| June just might be my favorite month. No more chilly surprises for foliage or fauna. I can’t wait to wake up on a sunny morning, skip breakfast, grab my cup of Joe and head out to my favorite place, the
Whale Museum Summer Lecture Series opens
||| FROM TATE THOMSON for THE WHALE MUSEUM ||| The Whale Museum is starting its Summer Lecture Series with A Picture of Health: Southern Resident Killer Whale Photogrammetry Research. Join us on June 20 at 7 p.m. at The Whale Museum for an evening of education with Dr. Holly Fearnbach of
Shaw Island School District job opportunity
||| FROM DEANNA SHANNON for SHAW ISLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT ||| Shaw Island School District 10 has an opening for a paraeducator (classroom aide) for the 2024-25 school year. Time: 7 hours per day, Monday through Thursday Starting pay: $24 per hour Benefits: health insurance For a job description and application,
Letter to Editor | Stephanie O’Day has experience necessary for County Council
||| FROM MERRI ANN SIMONSON ||| Stephanie O’Day would make an excellent County Council member due to her experience and knowledge gained from working with the County’s planning, permitting, and development departments over the last 33 years. She is very familiar with current functioning of those departments and where
SJC Democrats 2024 primary endorsements
||| FROM DAVID TURNOY for SAN JUAN COUNTY DEMOCRATS ||| After hosting most of the candidates for office this year over the last nine months at our meetings plus receiving detailed questionnaires back from the candidates, here are the endorsements for the August, 2024, primary from the county Democrats: Governor
