Here’s a thought…
“If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don’t have to worry about the answers.”
THOMAS PYNCHON
Oh, what you’ll find at our Senior Center
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Pam's Power Hour Virtual Strength Training: Boost Your Fitness from Anywhere! Join Pam Evans in her invigorating Pam’s Power Hour strength training sessions on Zoom every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 9 am. Pam’s Power Hour offers a gentle yet effective
Sun Days on Orcas | 27 things about Philana Goodrich
Well hello again, Orcasonian readers! It's been a while since I've written my column. Last year I took a break indefinitely, thinking my family would be moving away for a year to San Luis Obispo, California. After being there for less than a month, it became clear in a hurry
Rep. Ramel | Upcoming townhall, rent stabilization, securing a healthy future
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF REP. ALEX RAMEL ||| We’re past the halfway mark in this short legislative session and I’m still excited and proud of the progress being made on the issues that matter most to our community including affordable and accessible housing, environmental protection, and our ferry and
A call to all island writers…we’ll provide the space, all you need is to bring your creativity
||| FROM SAM GAILEY for ORCAS ISLAND LIBRARY ||| A call to all island writers. Are you working on a novel, short story, poem, or song? Have you been wanting to write that idea that's been kicking around in your head, but have yet to pick up pen and paper?
Midnight Mutterings | Celebrities
||| MIDNIGHT MUTTERINGS by JACKIE BATES ||| Last week I was visiting Rose and Molly (the cats) and my son in Bellingham when I complained to him I was having increasing difficulty finding something to write about in these columns. Then I told him I was thinking about writing about
Sheriff’s Report | January 31 – February 7, 2024
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE ||| WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31 24-000619 Accident-NonInj 06:38:34 01/31/24 An unknown vehicle left the roadway at the 3500 block of West Valley Road and drove through a fence doing significant damage to the fence. The vehicle is described as possibly being an older Toyota
Fire Commission meeting scheduled for Monday
||| FROM KAT BARNARD for ORCAS ISLAND FIRE & RESCUE ||| The SJC Fire Protection District #2 Board of Fire Commissioners invites you to a Special Meeting on Monday, February 12th, at 5:00 p.m. at the Eastsound Fire Hall or on Zoom (link below and in the attachment). All BOFC meeting
Community nonprofit campus will foster connections
||| FROM JOYCE OSLAND and RICK RHOADS ||| “Our island community’s need for services far exceeds our ability to meet them,” said Lisa Byers, executive director of OPAL Community Land Trust (OPAL). The acquisition of the Pea Patch property is envisioned to serve as a nonprofit campus for the Orcas
Exterior preservation of museum’s historic log buildings underway
||| FROM MICHELLE HASSEBROCK for ORCAS ISLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY ||| Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor, the Orcas Island Historical Society has begun exterior preservation of the historic log cabins that make up the Eastsound museum. The museum is built around six original cabins that range between 120-150
WSF Weekly Report | Spring schedule available next week; appreciation from SJC
||| FROM PATTY RUBSTELLO for WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| Vehicle reservations for spring season available 10 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 14 We’re [five] days away from the opening of spring season (March 24 to June 15) vehicle reservations for our Anacortes/San Juan Islands and Port Townsend/Coupeville routes. As a reminder, the two-month
Occam’s Razor | Our island, our world through the eyes, pen of S.C. Watson
Welcome to our weekly feature, Occam's Razor, from local artist S.C. Watson.
B.C. environmental groups request review of tire chemical linked to salmon deaths
||| FROM CTV NEWS ||| Conservation groups have written to the federal environment minister requesting a review of a chemical used in tires that they say has been linked to the “mass deaths” of coho salmon. Peter Ross, senior scientist at Raincoast Conservation Foundation, says the mystery of coho dying
San Juan County publishes ‘Budget in Brief’ to summarize 2024-25 Biennial Budget
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County is pleased to publish the 2024-2025 Budget in Brief, posted in tandem with the 24/25 biennial budget. Rich with graphics, photos, and expenditure highlights, the Budget in Brief provides a quick overview of the County’s complex and numerous revenue and expenditure
San Juan County Fair announces 2024 theme, new dates, & calls on community for poster art
||| FROM SAN JUAN COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County Parks & Fair staff are hard at work preparing for the 2024 San Juan County Fair! Did you know the San Juan County Fair used to be held near the Cannery Building in downtown Friday Harbor? It wasn't until 1924 that
Christmas calf born to southern resident orca is missing, presumed dead
||| FROM CTV NEWS VANCOUVER ||| Researchers say an orca calf that was born to J pod of the endangered southern resident killer whales off the British Columbia and Washington state coasts is missing and presumed dead. The U.S.-based Centre for Whale Research says the calf known as J60 was
LWVSJ Observer Corps | County Council February 5-6, 2024
||| FROM LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS ||| On February 5, Architects Miller-Hull presented a preliminary proposal showing possible size, footprint and fit of potential new and renovated buildings to deal with serious structural and safety issues of current buildings, centralize services, and provide space for staff to serve a growing community with purpose-built
