Here’s a thought…
“Old age is no joke, but it can feel like one.”
TAD TOMPKINS
Letter to Editor | I urge your vote for Brian Ehrmantraut as Fire Commissioner
||| FROM SUSAN D. KUNK ||| Brian has been deeply, and broadly, engaged in community service at many levels since he came to Orcas almost 25 years ago. He has been a structural firefighter, technical rescue team member, a marine rescue/transport team member, and has served as an officer
Letter to Editor | Huge thank you to Barry Madan for his years of service
||| FROM BOB PHALAN ||| In the midst of varying levels of upheaval in our junior taxing districts Orcas Parks & Rec stand tall. At the heart of the success of this program is a quality board that quietly oversees its programs while assuring fiscal stability. Barry Madan has stepped
Regenerate Cascadia presentations coming up
||| FROM REGENERATE CASCADIA ||| On October 30, 2023, Joe Brewer and Penny Heiple, Design Pathway for Regenerating Earth will be joining the Cascadia Bioregional Activation Tour organized by Clare Attwell and Brandon Letsinger for meetings with residents of both Skagit and San Juan Counties. This tour is a powerful
I support the team of Knudson, Gaylord, Ehrmantraut
||| FROM DON STILLMAN ||| I’m optimistic that Orcas residents are close to ending the turmoil within our Fire Commission that has lasted several years. Finally, we are on the verge of restoring transparency and civility at Orcas Fire as the Nov. 7 election seems likely to bring much needed
Letter to Editor | My Port vote goes to Mia Kartiganer
||| FROM PATRICK SHEPLER ||| I am pleased to endorse Mia Kartiganer for Port Commissioner. I feel like I have known Mia for decades, as we have shared a mutual friend for over 30 years. I can say that I have known Mia for over 15 years; and I always find her
Letter to Editor | Vote No on Fire Levy. Vote for Randy, Brian and Toni
||| FROM PENNY BUTTKE ||| If you are among the 75% of Orcas Island voters who voted against the Fire Levy in August, you may be wondering why it's back on the ballot you just received. This is what happens when we take our eye off the ball and let
Can adults spell? Find out at Library’s upcoming Adult Spelling Bee
||| FROM SAM GAILEY for ORCAS ISLAND LIBRARY ||| Have you ever wanted to enter a Spelling Bee contest? Or are you a former Spelling Bee champ and crave another opportunity? Here's your chance. The Orcas Island Library is hosting an Adult Spelling Bee on Friday, October 27th, from 6-8
Letter to Editor | Alan Stameisen, Nick Negulescu and Jim Biddick for Fire Commissioner
||| FROM LEITH TEMPLIN ||| I hope you will join me in voting for the three incumbents for the board of Fire Commissioners. These three men jumped in with both feet within the last year to be commissioners when no one else would. Alan brings extensive knowledge and experience with
Letter to Editor | I’m voicing my support for Toni
||| FROM ETHNA FLANAGAN ||| The common thread for us all is, we value our fire department as an essential service to our community. Many lives have been saved, thousands trained in CPR and First Aid and we respect our volunteers, EMTs and qualified staff. It is obvious something is
Hospice, hearing are on tap as upcoming Senior Center offerings
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Aging in Place with Hospice of the Northwest @ Orcas Senior Center – Wednesday, October 25, 1 pm Join us for the second in a series of three informative presentations from Hospice of the Northwest on Wednesday, October 25 at 1
Emmanuel shares Market Day proceeds with Orcas nonprofits
||| FROM BERTO GANDARA for EMMANUEL EPISCOPAL CHURCH ||| The Community Resource Center. Mercy Flights. The Food Bank. Safe San Juans. And the Pea Patch Project of the Orcas Island Community Foundation. These local nonprofits received a total of $5,250 this past week from Emmanuel Episcopal Parish in Eastsound, as
With housing in short supply, some resort towns pay landlords to rent to locals
||| FROM MARKETPLACE.ORG ||| POSTED AT REQUEST OF ORCASONIAN READER Amber Kennedy worked at a pizza shop for the summer last year in Ketchum, Idaho. She was hoping to stick around in the resort town, but other seasonal workers told her and her roommates: “Don’t even try.” “A lot of
Port Commission to meet tomorrow at 2:30 p.m.
||| FROM KIM KIMPLE for PORT OF ORCAS ||| The Port of Orcas has scheduled a meeting for tomorrow, Monday October 23, 2023, at 2:30 p.m. This Meeting will be on Zoom and in-person at the airport terminal conference room. Details available HERE.
Writer-in-Residence on the interisland ferry being sought
||| FROM IRIS GRAVILLE ||| In 2018, Washington State Ferries launched its first-ever “Writer-in-Residence” on the interisland route in the San Juan Islands. Following a hiatus due to COVID-19, the role of Writer-in-Residence (WIR) on the Interisland ferry will resume again in January 2024. Applications are being accepted until December
‘No normal seasons any more’: seed farmers struggle amid the climate crisis
||| FROM THE GUARDIAN ||| POSTED AT REQUEST OF ORCASONIAN READER Floods, freezes and heatwaves threaten seed production as farmers scramble to produce strains that resist climate chaos Once upon a not-so-distant time, the growing season for the Ann Arbor, Michigan-based Green Things Farm Collective followed a steadfast trajectory. ‘Our
Letter to Editor | My name is Toni and I’m running for Fire Commissioner
||| FROM TONI KNUDSON ||| My name is Toni Knudson, and I am running for Fire Commissioner 1 on Orcas Island because it’s time for a change! Orcas deserves a Fire Commission that’s as good as our incredible firefighters, paramedics, and EMTs. We need to restore civility and transparency to
