Here’s a thought…
“Old age is no joke, but it can feel like one.”
TAD TOMPKINS
Guest Opinion | Let’s remember Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
||| FROM MICHELL MARSHALL ||| Today, we celebrate the Martin Luther King Birthday Holiday because, back in 1983, Congress overwhelmingly passed legislation to establish that Federal Holiday. It was approved by 78% of the House of Representatives, and 78% of the Senators. When President Ronald Reagan signed that legislation into
Friday Habor’s free best of the fest films begin Friday, January 19
||| FROM ELLEN ROBERTS for FRIDAY HARBOR FILM FESTIVAL ||| Friday Harbor Film Festival’s FREE Best of the Fest series begins with showing The Space Race at the San Juan Island Grange on Friday, January 19 at 7 pm, followed by a livestream Q&A about the film. Details are available
Explore gentle movement and/or your artistic side at Senior Center
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Discover Gentle Movement: Feldenkrais and Eurythmy Class with Andrea Preiss at Orcas Senior Center Join Andrea Preiss, a seasoned Feldenkrais Practitioner and therapeutic eurythmist, for a relaxing movement class at Orcas Senior Center this January. Sessions take place on Tuesdays at
Salish Sea Early Music Festival returns for a new season
||| FROM JEFFREY COHAN for SALISH SEA EARLY MUSIC FESTIVAL ||| Between January and late June the 2024 Salish Sea Early Music Festival presents eight performances in Eastsound with outstanding specialists performing early music on period instruments coming from Germany, Switzerland, Montreal and all around the United States and the
For your enjoyment, the Metropolitan Opera at Orcas Center
||| FROM BETHANY MARIE for ORCAS CENTER ||| Start the New Year off right with incredible performances from The Metropolitan Opera at Orcas Center! Filmed live in HD, these on-screen events feature a diverse sampling of the world’s best performers at the height of their careers – giving you the
San Juan County opens resident camping reservations for 2024
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County Parks, Recreation, and Fair Department is pleased to announce the Resident Reservation program will now be offered through the department’s reservation website. On Wednesday, February 28, at 6:00 am through Tuesday, March 5 at 4:00 pm, reservations will be available
San Juan Preservation Trust seeks summer internship applicants
||| FROM CRAIG CANINE for SAN JUAN PRESERVATION TRUST ||| The San Juan Preservation Trust https://sjpt.org/ (SJPT) is seeking applicants for its 2024 Fred E. Ellis Summer Internship. This internship program is designed to expose the Intern (age 18+) to a range of activities performed by a conservation land trust, while
OISD letter from school superintendent about upcoming EP&O Levy
||| FROM ERIC WEBB for ORCAS ISLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT ||| I am excited to share that the Orcas Island School District will ask voters to reauthorize the Educational Programs and Operations (EP&O) Levy on Tuesday, February 13, 2024! This renewable levy you have supported in the past will help fund
Sheriff’s Report | January 3 – 9, 2024
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE ||| WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 3 24-000053 Accident-NonInj 12:34:18 01/03/24 A Lopez Island Deputy was dispatched to an Accident Non-Injury involving a vehicle. The incident was documented. 24-000056 Wanted Person 13:44:02 01/03/24 An Orcas Island man was arrested on felony warrants from Whatcom County and
Midnight Mutterings | Yep, it’s cold
||| MIDNIGHT MUTTERINGS by JACKIE BATES ||| I don’t need to tell the three of you who regularly read this column that it’s cold. Instead, I’ll go back 33 years when I first bought this house. For a couple of years before I had lived off grid on another island
Community Water Taxi interviewed by CNL2
||| FROM ED ANDREWS for COMMUNITY WATER TAXI ||| During the first week of the year, CNL2.com in Friday Harbor interviewed the Community Water Taxi on its beginnings in the San Juans’, our work and the need for a permanent subsidy to operate for all in need. Here's a link
Wind chills as low as -5 F predicted throughout night, early morning
||| FROM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ||| URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Seattle WA 505 PM PST Fri Jan 12 2024 San Juan County-Western Skagit County-Admiralty Inlet Area- Eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca-Western Strait of Juan De Fuca- North Coast- including Friday Harbor, Eastsound, Burlington, Mount Vernon,
Explore the rich history of Patos Island in engaging talk at Senior Center
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Join us for a discussion led by Denise Wilk, the President of the Keepers of the Patos Lighthouse, as we delve into the fascinating history of Patos Island on Wednesday, January 17 at 1 p.m. at Orcas Senior Center. Nestled at
In this brrr, severe weather shelter is open
||| FROM HILARY CANTY ||| Well, this is quite a swift shift. The drop in temperature accompanied with gale force winds ensures winter has arrived in full force! Hopefully you are safe and cozy. For those folks who need some help staying warm and safe, the Orcas Community Church and
Orcas student sailors are California dreamin’ after Rose Bowl winter regatta
||| FROM JULIA SOES ||| Waking in the dark on a winter morning when it’s raining sideways isn’t an uncommon experience for year round residents of the Pacific Northwest, but it’s made significantly better when you know you’ll be sitting under palm trees later that day. The Pacific Northwest is
Letter to Editor | We need to have resources available for our students’ education
||| FROM ANNE FORD MCGRATH ||| My name is Anne Ford McGrath. I have been an educator for over 25 years and am so grateful to live in a community that has continuously supported education levies. As an educator in the Orcas Island School District, I have seen many changes
