Here’s a thought…
“Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each New Year find you a better man.”
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
Eastsound Water Users to meet at Orcas Senior Center
||| FROM DAN BURKE for EASTSOUND WATER ||| We will be holding our 2024 Board Meetings in person. That's right, we will be live and direct at the Orcas Senior Center this year so please come and participate. Details are as follows: January 16, 2024 from 5:00 – 7:00 PM February 13, 2024 from 5:00
Register today for Orcas Youth or Orcas Junior Youth Chorus
||| FROM MUSIC ADVOCACY GROUP and ORCAS CHORAL SOCIETY ||| The Music Advocacy Group and Orcas Choral Society invite all Orcas Island youth to register with Orcas Island Parks and Recreation for the upcoming Spring sessions for Orcas Youth Chorus (6th-12th grades) and Junior Orcas Youth Chorus (2nd-5th grades).
San Juan County is prepared for inclement weather – and you should be, too
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY PUBLIC WORKS ||| San Juan County is pleased to provide the public with a reminder of Public Works services, priorities, and mission during inclement weather. Additionally, there are several ways in which the public can support snow removal and safety efforts by following simple guidelines.
Mount Vernon awarded $12.5 M bipartisan infrastructure law grant to install 78 EV charging ports
Larsen, Donovan and Boudreau applaud game-changing investment in MVLC project ||| FROM THE OFFICE OF REP. RICK LARSEN ||| MOUNT VERNON, WA – The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is awarding the City of Mount Vernon a $12.5 million Bipartisan Infrastructure Law grant to install 78 electric vehicle (EV) charging ports
Come meet the Summit Assistance Dogs puppies
||| FROM NICOLE BRADLEY for SUMMIT ASSISTANCE DOGS ||| Summit Assistance Dogs cordially invites you to come meet our newest litter of puppies! Yoshi, Yancy, and Yukon were raised on Orcas Island until 8 weeks of age and they are back for a visit on January 20, 2024 at the
Leaping Fool February event and call for submissions
||| FROM NIK SCHULZ for THE LEAPING FOOL ||| Submissions are open for the final Leaping Fool Winter Writers Series event of the season to be held on Thursday, February 15th (Submission deadline: February 5th). “T H E L E A P I N G F O O L” winter
Letter to Editor | Are tourists the answer for our local community?
||| FROM UZEK SUSOL ||| I'm pondering & looking to understand the push for more Tourism & the people that say we (year round locals) need them to survive. We (year round locals) have no available/affordable rentals, most went to vacation rentals, ferries are jammed/difficult for locals to travel for
Tony Levin’s Band of Brothers comes to Orcas Center
||| FROM BETHANY MARIE for ORCAS CENTER ||| Orcas Center and the Orcas Island Jazz Festival are pleased to welcome Band of Brothers for the first concert of the year on Sunday, January 21 at 7. p.m., with a huge Thank You to Rosario Resort for sponsoring artist housing. Old
SJC Council calls for ‘immediate and permanent ceasefire’ during first Council meeting of 2024
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| The San Juan County Council unanimously adopted a proclamation calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in the war between Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories during the first Council meeting of the year. This proclamation echoes the voices of residents who have sent hundreds
Winter storm creates hazardous road conditions on Lopez’s MacKaye Harbor Rd
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| Lopez Island residents and drivers are encouraged to exercise extreme caution and stay home as winter storm conditions create hazardous road conditions on MacKaye Harbor Road. As conditions allow, Public Works crews will remove debris from the roadway and repair any damage. Lane
Orcas Island Community Foundation Director to retire in 2024
||| FROM ANNE MARIE SHANKS for ORCAS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ||| The Orcas Island Community Foundation (OICF) Board President Angela Foster announced today the upcoming retirement of Executive Director Hilary Canty. “We are fortunate Hilary shared 17 years of her life with OICF. She helped build a strong and vibrant organization
From Nantucket | New state rules would regulate coastal development, construction
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 of the country but many of the issues
A Community Concert | Celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Emmanuel Parish Hall, 242 Main Street, Eastsound Sunday, Jan. 14, 3:00-4:30 pm ||| FROM SHARON ABREU ||| On Sunday, January 14, from 3:00-4:30 pm, local performers will present a free community concert celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Performers/presenters include: The Irthlingz Duo (Sharon Abreu
2024 farmer/rancher listening sessions are on the horizon
||| FROM FAITH VAN DE PUTTE for AGRICULTURAL RESOURCE COMMITTEE ||| The Agricultural Resource Committee (ARC) of San Juan County is inviting the agricultural community to share their questions, concerns, and ideas related to agricultural economic viability and the local regulatory environment. Farmers, ranchers and value added producers are encouraged
Chair Yoga or Ukulele Kanikapila | One or both available at Senior Center
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Chair Yoga: Enhancing Balance and Wellbeing for Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities Join us for Chair Yoga, a soothing practice tailored for seniors and those with disabilities, held every Tuesday and Thursday from 10:00 to 10:45 am. This gentle technique incorporates
As the Paradigm Shifts | I don’t like being told what to do
||| AS THE PARADIGM SHIFTS by ROSIE KUHN ||| As we age, we don’t want to give up our freedom and independence, which often means that we make choices that perhaps are not necessarily in our best interest. I see a lot of people who through their aging process resist
