Here’s a thought…
“Peace is not something we ask for — it’s something we practice together.”
WALK FOR PEACE
The Path Less Taken: Part 1
||| FROM ROBIN ELIZABETH BALDWIN ||| Intro: Path Less Taken Over thirty years ago, islander Joe Symons began writing The Path Less Taken, found in entirety here: https://doebay.net/cpupdate/pathlessibook.pdf —a series of essays exploring growth, limits, and what it means to care for a place like the San Juan Islands. I’m
U.S. & Canadian leaders convene cross-border forum to strengthen collaboration & resilience
Building on a smaller virtual gathering in March 2025, the event reaffirmed the enduring spirit of cross-border cooperation and emphasized the vital role of local leadership in fostering a sustainable, inclusive, and resilient future. ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| October 17, 2025, Sidney, BC — Indigenous leaders, elected
Preliminary Election Results | November 4, 2025
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY ELECTIONS ||| November 4, 2025 General Election Last updated on 11/04/2025 8:02 PM Number of Precincts 23 Number of Registered Voters 15,154 Total Ballots Counted 5,292 Est, Ballots Left to Count 850 Next Ballot Count On 11/05/2025 5:00 PM Last Tabulated 11/04/2025 8:02 PM Voter
SNAP benefits support available
||| FROM MEGAN METCALF for ORCAS COMMUNNITY RESOURCE CENTER ||| If your SNAP monthly distribution date has passed and you're currently going without benefits, please reach out to the Resource Center for coordinated assistance. They're here to help! Thank you to supportive community members and community partners who are collaborating
Health Care District Board public budget & levy hearing
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND HEALTH CARE DISTRICT ||| The Orcas Island Health Care District is holding a Special Board Meeting on Thursday, November 6th from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. at the Orcas Island Public Library Community Room. The meeting will include the Public Budget and Levy Hearing, followed by the regular
Community organizations ready to support islanders whose food benefits may be affected by federal shutdown
Community organizations are ready to support islanders whose food benefits may be affected by the federal shutdown. ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| Community organizations across San Juan County have geared up quickly to assist islanders whose food benefits may be impacted by the ongoing federal shutdown. This update
Adult Spelling Bee? Yep, register now
||| FROM SAM GAILEY for ORCAS PUBLIC LIBRARY ||| The Orcas Island Public Library presents: Third Annual Adult Spelling Bee! Thursday, November 20th | 6:00 PM | Orcas Center. Think you’ve got what it takes to outspell your neighbors? Or just want to watch the drama unfold, letter by letter?
News Brief | Oysters can be put to work
||| FROM THE COOL DOWN ||| Oysters don't just sit around. Beneath the waves, they're pulling tiny bits of carbon from the water to build their shells. ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED BY THE COOL DOWN Oyster farming could do far more than produce food — it may also help clean the water
News Brief | Residents of Nantucket are split over just how long visitors can stay
||| FROM THE WALL STREET JOURNAL ||| Located 30 miles off Cape Cod, Nantucket has transformed over centuries from a whaling port to a wealthy seasonal enclave, where typical homes cost millions of dollars yet many sit empty all winter. ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED BY THE WALL STREET JOURNAL An added wrinkle:
No Place Like Loam | Growing Wine Grapes in Seattle? Part 3: Earth, Wind, and Wire
||| NO PLACE LIKE LOAM by ALEX TAMAYO-WOLF ||| Viticulture reached the Pacific Northwest not with romance but with recordkeeping. In the 1820s, clerks of the Hudson’s Bay Company planted grapes at Fort Vancouver, a small colonial outpost on the Columbia, to see what might survive at the far edge
Meidas Touch Network asks us to share these ICE videos
||| FROM MEIDAS TOUCH NETWORK |||
Artworks features works of Rose Cope
||| FROM B.J. ARNOLD for ORCAS ARTWORKS||| From the reflective surroundings of Orcas Island, artist Rose Cope has cultivated a unique and deeply personal artistic practice that explores the intersection of memory, textiles, and color. Raised in an environment shaped by her family’s contemporary Japanese art gallery, Rose was introduced
Library November art exhibit | Clark Allen
||| FROM ANDREA COHEN for ORCAS ISLAND LIBRARY ||| The photography of Clark Allen is featured in the Orcas Island Library’s November art exhibit. Clark is an artist, photographer and writer who has lived on Orcas for less than two years. His work has appeared in galleries across the US
Letter to Editor | Odd Fellows Hall Halloween gratitude
||| FROM DIDIER GINCIG for ODD FELLOWS HALL ||| The annual Halloween Dance at the Odd Fellows Hall was a great success! Thank you to all who attended. Gratitude to Lilo the disc jockey for his work with the music. Thank you to all the Odd Fellows who helped set
Color & Imagination | Artwork by Chanda McKeaver at Senior Center
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Make time this November and December to visit Orcas Senior Center, open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and enjoy the vibrant artistry of local talent Chanda McKeaver. A resident of Orcas Island since 2001, Chanda showcases a
Orcas Adventist Fellowship hosts record-breaking clothing bank event
||| FROM ORCAS ADVENTIST FELLOWSHIP ||| The Orcas Adventist Fellowship, together with the local community, hosted its fall clothing bank event Nov. 1–2, distributing more than 4,000 pounds of clothes, bedding, and shoes to island residents. Organizer Dawn Parnell said the event was a highlight for both volunteers and shoppers.
