Here’s a thought…
“If you put fences around people, you get sheep. Give people the room they need.”
WILLIAM L. MCKNIGHT
Local rock band to debut at Grange for Halloween dance party
||| FROM COLLEEN SMITH SUMMERS ||| All ages are invited to kick off their Halloween festivities with a cosmic dance party at the Grange. A group of Orcas Island all-stars have united to create a new band, Plea80s, will make its public debut the last weekend in October for an
Large Snake River toxic algal bloom hasn’t happened before
||| FROM KNKX NPR.ORG ||| POSTED AT REQUEST OF ORCASONIAN READER From the air above Lower Granite Dam on the Snake River, a green sheen spreads out over the water. “There was a pretty extensive algae bloom just above Lower Granite,” said Eric Crawford, who saw the bloom during a
Fall 2023 Great Islands Clean-up successfully removes 1,800lbs of litter
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| In an inspiring display of community unity and environmental stewardship, 164 dedicated volunteers came together to participate in the Fall Great Islands Clean-up on Orcas, San Juan, Shaw, and Lopez Islands. Their collective efforts resulted in the removal of 1,871 pounds of litter
Call for artisans for Orcas Winter Market and countywide online auction
||| FROM SAN JUAN MAKERS GUILD ||| Join us as a featured vendor at the Winter Artisans Market at Odd Fellows Hall in Eastsound, Dec 8-10. Open to San Juan County residents. Online applications due Oct 18. This year the Makers Guild is hosting the popular Night Market with dinner
Registration opens for pediatric COVID-19 vaccine appointments
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| Registration for the new pediatric 23-24 COVID-19 vaccine is now open, with limited availability for children under 19 years of age. Our first clinics will be held Oct. 18 on Orcas Island and Oct. 19 on San Juan Island. Supplies will be limited
Time again for Medicare open enrollment presentations
||| FROM PEGI GROUNDWATER for SAN JUAN SHIBA ||| October 15 through December 7 is your once-a-year chance to review your insurance coverage and make sure that it will still be right for you in 2024. Why review your Medicare choices? Your health may have changed in the past year,
Road work on Cattle Point Road begins
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County’s Public Works Department is beginning maintenance on Cattle Point Road this week. The road will remain open to traffic, though drivers may experience traffic delays. Lawson Construction has been contracted to fill cracks in the road surface to prevent water
Guest Opinion | Why I support a San Juan County motor vehicle fee
||| FROM BILL APPEL ||| The recent draft of Destination Management Plan (“Draft Plan”) proposes a charge on all (nongovernmental?) vehicles that travel within the county. While this charge would appear to be in response to short-term visitors to this county, it actually responds to much more. It has to;
County Democrats to host Chris Reykdal and Sen. Lovelett
||| FROM DAVID TURNOY for SAN JUAN COUNTY DEMOCRATS ||| The October meeting of the county Democrats will feature appearances by Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal and state Senator Liz Lovelett (separately, not jointly). The meeting will be Saturday, Oct. 14, at 10:00 AM on Zoom. If you have questions about public education and
Vermont utility plans to end outages by giving customers batteries
Green Mountain Power is asking state regulators to let it buy batteries it will install at customers’ homes, saying doing so will be cheaper than putting up more power lines. ||| FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES ||| REPRINT AT REQUEST OF ORCASONIAN READER Many electric utilities are putting up lots
Eastsound Water Association updates and annual meeting notice
||| FROM DAN BURKE for EASTSOUND WATER USERS ASSOCIATION ||| Eastsound Water Users Association (the “Association”) is hosting an annual membership meeting on Wednesday November 15, 2023 to be held on Zoom at 3:00 PM in order to announce the results of the election of two of its Directors to serve on the Board
Auditions upcoming for Whale of a Show
||| FROM BETHANY MARIE for ORCAS CENTER ||| Whale of a Show is the Island celebration of talented youth and their families and will take Center Stage this November at Orcas Center! Acts from ages 5-18 are invited to participate. Don’t be shy – All are welcome and accepted! Solo
Meet the candidates for OIFR Assistant Chief
||| FROM KAT BARNARD for ORCAS FIRE & RESCUE ||| Orcas Island Fire and Rescue is having a candidate meet and greet on Monday, October 16, 2023, at 5:00 p.m. at the Eastsound Fire Hall. All are invited to attend. With the promotion of Chief Holly vanSchaick, OIFR initiated the
Southern Resident Orca community coffee roundtable
Showcasing the interconnected efforts to recover the endangered Southern Resident Orca ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| Join Representative Debra Lekanoff, San Juan County, and the MRC as they celebrate Orca Recovery Day with scientists and policy experts working at the local, state, and federal levels to share our
Second half property taxes due October 31
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County Treasurer, Rhonda Pederson, would like to remind county property owners that the second half property taxes and personal property taxes are due Tuesday, October 31. Payments received in person, via our secure payment box or postmarked after the October
Guest Opinion | Destination Management Plan is still open for public comment until end of this month
||| FROM BRIAN WIESE ||| The County's Department of Environmental Stewardship, in coordination with the San Juan Visitors Bureau and with funding from the Lodging Tax, has issued its Draft Destination Management Plan, proposing its solutions to managing the effects of seasonal tourism, and the plan is open for public
