Here’s a thought…
“Old age is no joke, but it can feel like one.”
TAD TOMPKINS
LWVSJ Observer Corps | County Council October 20, 2025
||| FROM NECIA QUAST for LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS ||| Friends of the San Juans made public comment on the Transportation Element of the Comprehensive Plan asking for clarifications on multimodal corridors and for revisions of service level map designations to better reflect actual width and safety. The council heard
Wind advisory posted this morning
||| FROM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ||| URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Seattle WA 158 AM PDT Fri Oct 24 2025 San Juan County-Lowlands of Western Whatcom County-Port Townsend Area-Island County- Including Friday Harbor, Langley, Port Townsend, Bellingham, and Freeland 158 AM PDT Fri Oct 24 2025 ...WIND ADVISORY
Occam’s Razor | Our island, our world through the eyes, pen of S.C. Watson
Welcome to our weekly feature, Occam's Razor, from local artist S.C. Watson.
Garden Club, Master Gardeners Program | Sow & grow native wildflowers
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND GARDEN CLUB |||
Annual membership meeting coming to Orcas Center
||| FROM COLLEEN SMITH SUMMERS for ORCAS CENTER ||| Orcas Center members and the general public are invited to attend Orcas Center’s annual meeting on Sunday, Nov. 2 from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Madrona Room and over Zoom. Refreshments will be provided. The Governance Committee is nominating four
Volunteers needed for OICC severe weather shelter
||| FROM ALICIA WIGFIELD for ORCAS ISLAND COMMUNITY CHURCH ||| As the colder months approach, the Severe Weather Shelter at Orcas Island Community Church is preparing to open its doors once again — offering a safe, warm place for those in need during dangerously cold nights. We’re looking for volunteers
CWR locates 26 Bigg’s Killer Whales traveling together
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| FULL ENCOUNTER REPORT ObservBegin: 05:05 PM ObservEnd: 05:27 PM Vessel: KCB III Staff: Dave Ellifrit, Michael Weiss, Katie Jones Other Observers: Rachel John Pods: Bigg's killer whales IDsEncountered: T63, T65, T65A5, T75B, T75B2, T75B3, T75B5, T90, T90B, T90C, T90D, T100, T100C, T100F, T101,
News Brief | Inside ‘data centre alley’
||| FROM SKY.COM ||| Down at ground level you can see the hallmarks as you drive around what is known as "data centre alley". ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED BY SKY.COM There are enormous power lines everywhere - a reminder that running these plants is an incredibly energy-intensive task. Read full article
Jury Duty for 10/27 – 10/31? You’re excused
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| JURY DUTY: OCTOBER 27-31, 2025 All jurors summonsed for the week beginning Monday, October 27th through Friday, October 31st are excused. Thank you. View it on website
A night of storytelling coming to Library
||| FROM SAM GAILEY for ORCAS ISLAND LIBRARY ||| Stories want to be heard. Poems want to breathe. Essays want an audience. Join us for Island Voices, a special evening where ten local writers bring their work to life—reading excerpts from novels, short stories, poems, and essays. It’s a celebration
News Brief | The internet may break again
||| FROM THE ATLANTIC ||| When a technical issue disrupted operations yesterday, it was enough to temporarily crash the internet for users around the world. ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED BY THE ATLANTIC The Amazon outage revealed just how consolidated the web has become. Read full article
News Brief | In Alaska, land is easy to come by. But energy and food are not
||| FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES ||| Alaska tests a theory: Solar farms help nearby crops grow. The purpose is to study how food and energy can be produced together, in a place where food and energy cost a lot of money. ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED BY THE NEW YORK TIMES For
Floating Halloween Ukulele Jam is coming
||| FROM ANITA ORNE for FLOATING UKULELE JAM ||| Join us for the first ever Floating Halloween Ukulele Jam on Thursday, October 30 . Costumes encouraged. Bring your uke, your voice, your friends and relations and maybe a song to share (know any scary songs???) or just come enjoy riding
Island Blood Drives Nov. 4th & 5th
||| FROM HANNAH MCNUTT for BLOODWORKS NORTHWEST ||| When the leaves begin to change and the air turns crisp, it’s the perfect time to consider donating blood. With the holiday season fast approaching, hospitals need blood for patients more than ever. Donating blood is a quick and easy way to
Letter to Editor | Why I’m picking which races to vote for
||| FROM BEA VONTOBEL ||| When my Voters’ Pamphlet arrived in the mail, I sat down to acquaint myself with its contents. I was surprised to see 18 uncontested nonpartisan races for office. I was even more surprised to see that for two positions for the OISD race and one
New J Pod calf documented
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| Full Encounter Report ObservBegin: 02:55 PM ObservEnd: 04:30 PM Vessel: KCB III Staff: Dave Ellifrit, Michael Weiss, Katie Jones Other Observers: Rachel John Pods: Southern Resident: J Pod IDsEncountered: J16, J19, J22, J26, J27, J31, J35, J36, J37, J38, J39, J40, J41, J42,
