Here’s a thought…
“Old age is no joke, but it can feel like one.”
TAD TOMPKINS
Grammy™ nominated Texas guitar quartet coming to Orcas Center
||| FROM BETHANY MARIE for ORCAS CENTER ||| Orcas Center is pleased to present Texas Guitar Quartet on Saturday, February 3 at 7pm with a special Thank You to Rosario Resort for sponsoring artist housing. Formed in 2009, GRAMMY™-nominated Texas Guitar Quartet has been hailed as “Impeccable in every respect”
Conservation advocates serve notice of intent to sue over Columbia River hatchery programs harming wild salmon recovery
||| FROM EMMA HELVERSON for WILD FISH CONSERVANCY ||| Wild Fish Conservancy and The Conservation Angler issued a 60-day Notice of Intent to sue federal, state, and local agencies for chronic and ongoing violations of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The notice contends that these agencies are operating hatchery programs in
Alex Ramel | Decarbonizing holistically
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF REP. ALEX RAMEL ||| We are now three weeks into this year’s 60-day legislative session, and I am excited to share some updates on projects I’m working on and resources that impact our community. Video Update While I touch on these topics in greater depth
Writer-in-Residence returns to the interisland ferry
||| FROM IRIS GRAVILLE ||| The Writer-in-Residence is back! Following a hiatus due to COVID-19, the role of Writer-in-Residence (WIR) on the Interisland Ferry resumed again in January 2024. Debra Lee Babcock Orcas Island writer and artist, Debra Lee Babcock, will fill the post for nine months, writing
Island Ways | Nantucket reservation system breaks down again
||| FROM THE NANTUCKET INQUIRER & MIRROR ||| Orcas and Nantucket Islands are each roughly the same size and the same distance off their respective coasts. We share the same concerns about the high cost of living, lack of affordable housing, tourist management, ferry problems and environmental degradation. We are living on opposite ends
B.C. trawlers dump thousands of salmon, depleting orcas’ food source, wildlife group says
||| FROM THE GLOBE AND MAIL ||| A British Columbia wildlife protection group says chinook salmon that form the key diet for endangered orcas are being caught in their thousands by trawlers, only to be dumped or turned into compost. Pacific Wild said it had obtained a yet-to-be-published Fisheries and
Midnight Mutterings | Bear
|||MIDNIGHT MUTTERINGS by JACKIE BATES ||| Note: The ‘yesterday’ in the first line was muttered nearly four decades ago in Seattle where Tomas was my sometimes next door neighbor. jb Yesterday, I was talking to Tomas about spring gardens and writing to deadline when he told me about his bear.
Sheriff’s Report | January 17 – 23, 2024
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE ||| WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17 24-000334 Traffic Violation 10:31:13 01/17/24 A traffic stop on San Juan Island was made on a car with 4 juveniles. 2 of the juveniles in the back seats were hanging out the windows of the car and the car
Intense storms — fueled by El Niño — are set to bombard West Coast
Over the next week and possibly longer, heavy rain and snow, high winds and large waves are anticipated from the Pacific Northwest to Southern California ||| FROM WASHINGTON POST ||| A series of powerful atmospheric rivers is poised to strike the West Coast beginning Friday and possibly lasting into early
Big Island lawmakers attempt to rein in short-term vacation rentals
Supporters say new limits are needed to increase the island's affordable housing stock, while opponents fear negative economic consequences ||| FROM HONOLULU CIVIL BEAT ||| A package of bills expected to be introduced before a Hawaii County Council committee on Tuesday aims to crack down on the number of short-term
Washington State Ferries | Student tour, Spring schedule vehicle reservations open soon
||| FROM PATTY RUBSTELLO for WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| North Kitsap High School students tour Spokane, Kingston terminal Students from North Kitsap High School got a behind-the-scenes look last week at how we operate our system. Kingston Terminal Supervisor Maria Crisafi spoke about working with us and took questions from
Larsen releases report to combat opioid epidemic in Northwest Washington
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF REP. RICK LARSEN ||| Today, Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02) released a district opioid report that analyzes the ongoing opioid epidemic in Northwest Washington and offers federal policy recommendations to address many of the concerns he has heard from constituents, local leaders and stakeholders in the
Friday Harbor youth support recycling reform in Olympia
||| FROM JESS NEWLEY for FRIENDS OF THE SAN JUANS ||| The Friday Harbor Eco Club spent Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Olympia, advocating for legislation that would reform recycling and reduce packaging waste in WA State. The students were accompanied by Eco Club advisors, Jess Newley, Education and
Ballots are in the mail for Orcas, San Juan school districts
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| The San Juan County Elections Office has mailed ballots to all voters living in the San Juan Island School District No. 149 and Orcas Island School District No. 137 for the February 13 Special Election. Eligible voters who have not received a ballot
Letter to Editor | ‘Dead Man Walking’ opera was enormously uplifting
||| FROM RIVER MALCOLM ||| The filmed version of Metropolitan Opera's Dead Man Walking (shown at Orcas Center this past Tuesday at noon) was a powerful experience, both in terms of immediate emotional impact and in terms of appreciation for the artistry and complex collaboration between artists involved in the
Cold nights and wintery days
||| FROM HILARY CANTY ||| The National Point in Time Count, a survey of people who were unhoused or living in substandard housing on Thursday Jan 25th is taking place this week. OICF is supporting the collection of surveys in front of the Food Bank today. In 2023, 148 people
