Here’s a thought…
“Old age is no joke, but it can feel like one.”
TAD TOMPKINS
DEEP READS | The call of Tokitae
After half a century in a tank, a beloved orca was about to be freed. Then her life ended, and a moment of reckoning began. ||| FROM WASHINGTON POST ||| She was 3 or maybe 4 years old on the last day she saw her family, when the men came
Larsen | Bipartisan tax agreement ‘great news’ for affordable child care and housing in NW Washington
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF REP. RICK LARSEN ||| Today, Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02) supported the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024, a bipartisan bill that expands the Child Tax Credit (CTC) and the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) and incentivizes investments into research & development
Fire Marshal: Last month’s structure fire on Lopez Island ruled accidental
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| On Sunday January 14, 2024, Lopez Island Fire and EMS responded to a structure fire in the 500 block of Whiskey Hill Rd. The Fire Department arrived to a working structure fire and confirmed all occupants were accounted for. Fire suppression efforts were
Fire Commissioners to hold a special meeting tomorrow
||| FROM KAT BARNARD for ORCAS FIRE COMMISSIONERS ||| The SJC Fire Protection District #2 Board of Fire Commissioners invites you to a Special Meeting on Friday, February 2, at 3:00 p.m. at the Eastsound Fire Hall or on Zoom (link below and in the attachment). Please review the agenda attached with links
Showdown — Grilled cheese sandwiches are back
||| FROM JANET BROWNELL for ORCAS ISLAND EDUCATION FOUNDATION ||| The Orcas Island Education Foundation (OIEF) invites you to the (delayed) 4th Annual Grilled Cheese Showdown. Our last Showdown was several weeks before the 2020 Covid shutdown. And now we are back!! This family-friendly fundraiser takes place on Thursday, February
Lopez Families, we want to hear from you
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| (español) – San Juan County Health & Community Services (HCS) wants to hear from Lopez Island families to understand their childcare needs. The Lopez Island Child Care Needs Assessment survey takes only five minutes and all answers are anonymous. Your survey responses will contribute to work
San Juan County vessel turn-in recycling day – April 2024
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| Has your ‘dream boat’ become a ‘nightmare?’ You might qualify to dispose your old boat in a FREE Vessel Turn-In event hosted by the San Juan County Derelict Vessel Program, San Juan County Marine Resources Committee, Port of Friday Harbor, Northwest Straits Commission,
Letter to Editor | Thank you to the community for your support during cancer treatments
||| FROM SHERRY GEE TRONVIG (AKA Sherry Vinson) ||| To the community of Orcas Island & those friends from far away: Last year, I was diagnosed with stage 2 cancer. I received treatment at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, in Seattle. As anyone who has dealt with cancer knows, treatment is
Board of Fire Commissioners to meet tomorrow afternoon
||| FROM KAT BARNARD for BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS ||| The SJC Fire Protection District #2 Board of Fire Commissioners invites you to a Special Meeting on Thursday, February 1st, at 4:00 p.m. at the Eastsound Fire Hall or on Zoom (link below and in the attachment). Please review the agenda attached with links
Letter to Editor | Join us in voting ‘Yes’ for upcoming school levy
||| FROM KATE LONG for ORCAS ISLAND BOOSTER CLUB ||| The Orcas Island Booster Club hopes you will join us in voting "Yes" for the Educational Programs and Operations (EP&O) Levy on February 13, 2024. The goal of the OI Booster Club is to "inspire athletes, students, coaches, parents, and the
Eastsound Water announces next two Board meetings
||| FROM DAN BURKE for EASTSOUND WATER BOARD ||| This is a notice for the Eastsound Water Board meetings on the horizon. Details are as follows: February 13, 2024 from 5:00 – 7:00 PM March 19, 2024 from 5:00 – 7:00 PM All meetings will be from 5:00 – 7:00 PM at the Orcas Senior Center, 62
Be sure to vote ‘yes’ to support school music
||| FROM PAUL ANDERSSON for MUSIC ADVOCACY GROUP ||| The Music Advocacy Group (MAG) encourages all voters on Orcas island to vote "yes" in support of the EP&O school levy renewal this February. Voting "yes" does not increase your taxes - the levy amount maintains current costs and even presents
Upcoming 1st grade orientations
||| FROM SUZANNA SMITH for ORCAS SCHOOL DISTRICT ||| The Orcas Island School District has three school options for all 1st grade children. Please join us as we share these options with you at our 1st Grade Parent Orientations. VIRTUALLY, Tuesday, February 6, from 5:30-6:30 - Link In Person, Wednesday,
LWVSJ Observer Corps: County Council January 22-23, 2024
||| FROM LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS, SAN JUAN COUNTY ||| At the January 22 workshop and 23rd regular meeting the Council conducted a retreat to plan and prepare for 2024. They approved appointments to the SJI Library Board, Lopez Village Planning Committee Human Services Advisory Board, and the Lopez Solid Waste Committee. They
New ‘Stewards of Children’ training ‘Keeping Our Children Safe’ is available in San Juan County
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County Superior Court Services is now offering “Stewards of Children” training to organizations within our community. This training was created by the non-profit Darkness to Light with the mission of empowering people to prevent childhood sexual abuse and is now available
Land, legacy and food security on a small island
||| FROM LOPEZ COMMUNITY LAND TRUST ||| In 2023, Sage Dilts and Nathan Hodges of Barn Owl Bakery approached LCLT to see if we could work together to make their farm and bakery more stable by thinking creatively about land ownership models and community partnerships. LCLT’s founding purposes, of supporting
