Here’s a thought…
“Peace is not something we ask for — it’s something we practice, together.”
WALK FOR PEACE
In Memoriam | Robert Carl Santonocito February 9, 1948 – November 11, 2025
||| FROM TONY GIEFER ||| Robert Carl Santonocito Robert Carl Santonocito, 77, of Olga, Washington, passed away peacefully at home on November 11, 2025, surrounded by his beloved wife and family. Born in Jamaica, New York, to Carlo and Letitia (Rafferty) Santonocito, Robert lived a life marked by
County cuts budget deficit by more than half; still seeks $2M in strategic service & personnel cuts
San Juan County will continue to seek ways to balance the budget that prioritize mandatory and essential functions. ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| Over the past two months, the County has reduced the originally projected $6.6 million deficit in the 2026–27 biennial budget by more than half, bringing
Food for Thought from Indivisible SJI
||| FROM INDIVISIBLE SAN JUAN. ISLAND ||| Dear Indivisible San Juan Island Community, As we near Thanksgiving, amid this administration’s cruelty, we wanted to reach out. We know it’s through community that we will weather this authoritarian regime, and how fortunate we are to live in such a caring, giving, and supportive
News Brief | Inside Economics | The reality of baby-bust economics
||| FROM THE ECONOMIST ||| When I was at the Jackson Hole gathering of the world’s central bankers this summer some simple arithmetic sent the jaws of many elite economists to the floor. Chad Jones of Stanford calculated that, if the world’s families have one child on average, the global
Center for Whale Research finds all three pods in Puget Sound
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| Full Encounter Report ObservBegin: 09:22 AM ObservEnd: 03:05 PM Vessel: KCB III Staff: Dave Ellifrit Other Observers: Monika Wieland Shields, Jason Shields, Taylor Redmond, Florian Granier, Vanessa Pirtle Pods: J, K, L IDsEncountered: J16, J19, J22, J26, J27, J31, J35, J36, J37, J38,
What is a Chief? How native values can teach resilience
||| FROM DIDIER GINCIG for ODD FELLOWS HALL ||| Artist and Muckleshoot tribal member, John Holliday, will speak about native values and resilience at the Odd Fellows Hall on Friday, November 21st at 6:00. The presentation is relevant to day-to-day challenges faced by our society and as individuals. John Holilday is a blind speaker who is part of
County recognizes Native American Heritage Month w/ proclamation & affirms tribal engagement efforts
Native American Heritage Month and Day celebrate the cultures, history, traditions, art, and contributions Native peoples bring to our communities. ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| During the November 10 Council meeting, a proclamation was issued recognizing November 2025 as National Native American Heritage Month in San Juan County,
Avian flu season | Message from WDFW and Kwiaht
||| FROM RUSSEL BARSH for KWIAHT ||| It’s that time of year when the risk of avian flu in migrating geese, ducks and other waterfowl is greatest. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and KWIAHT ask all of our neighbors in the San Juan Islands to help us be
ATOI announces auditions for A Christmas Carol, a live radio show
||| FROM ACTORS THEATER OF ORCAS ISLAND ||| ATOI announces auditions for A Christmas Carol: A Live Radio Show. Auditions to be held at the Grange, Wednesday November 19th @ 6:00 pm! There will be 5 rehearsals with 3 performances on December 12th, 13th and 14th. Many roles available, including live sound
News Brief | Next year an ambulance ride in Spokane may be more than 5 times higher
||| FROM SPOKESMAN REVIEW ||| Patients who used an ambulance in the city of Spokane, for instance, will pay a base fee of $5,275 starting June 1 plus $52.49 per mile. That compares to $975 for a ride plus $23.45 per mile they paid in 2021. “We have so many
Larsen releases statement on Trump’s tariff executive order
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U.S. REP RICK LARSEN ||| WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) released the following statement after President Trump issued an executive order dropping some agriculture products from its reciprocal tariffs: “The President is once again trying to fix a problem he created, but
News Brief | A Florida report: Economy, food, and fishing
||| FROM SUBSTACK.COM ||| “We don’t have Canadians coming anymore,” said a Sarasota restaurateur. Her lunches and ambiance haven’t changed. Her politics have completely reversed. “Trump killed my business,” she said. Others mention the issue of healthcare and cite the policy of no vaccination for measles prevention. Other businesses in
No Place Like Loam | Winter Garden: What my grandfather’s war garden still teaches me
||| NO PLACE LIKE LOAM by ALEX TAMAYA-WOLF ||| Before dawn the wind comes down off Turtleback like it’s got something personal against me. I step out anyway, half-awake, basketless, breath fogging into the dark. The winter beds are holding steady--barely--but enough to get me through the day: Forellenschluss with
Is this imposter syndrome?
||| FROM ISLAND STEWARDS ||| Looking at the population of San Juan County, it’s easy to wonder how such a tiny place—just 0.000212% of the world’s population—expects to make even the smallest dent in the challenges around us. Our demographic reality is clear: we are aging, our working-age population is
Make your voice heard | Council to hold public hearing on the 2025 Comp Plan update
Council will hold a public hearing on November 25 to accept public comments before formally adopting the updates to the Comp Plan. ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County is updating its Comprehensive Plan (Comp Plan) as part of its 2025 Growth Management Act Periodic Update. Throughout
Guest Opinion | The future of democracy in the United States
An historical perspective ||| FROM DAVID KOBRIN ||| In a representative democracy, it is the people themselves who determine who their leaders will be. This is done through majority rule in open and fair elections. If elections are tainted by restricting voting rights, or by falsifying results, then the purpose
