Here’s a thought…
“I don’t know why we are here, but I’m pretty sure that it is not in order to enjoy ourselves.”
LUDWIG WITTGENSTEIN
Holiday Tea Party to follow Orcas Garden Club December meeting
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND GARDEN CLUB ||| Our December meeting is just around the corner on Wednesday, December 13. Please join us for our HOLIDAY TEA PARTY following the Zoom presentation. Following Garden Club tradition, Past President Marlyn Myers' silver tea service and antique tea cups will be in use. Plan to
OPALCO Board passes 2024 budget and rates
||| FROM KRISTA BOUCHEY for ORCAS POWER & LIGHT ||| The 2024 OPALCO annual budget was approved at the November 16 th board meeting including a 6% rate increase for all members. This works out to an increase of approximately $10/month for the average San Juan County residence. The budget
Larsen Op-Ed: NATO must continue to stand with Ukraine
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF REP. RICK LARSEN ||| WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02) released the below op-ed on why NATO countries, including the United States, must continue to stand with Ukraine. The op-ed was originally published in the Seattle Times. NATO Must Continue to Stand with Ukraine In
Orcas fire commissioners to meet tomorrow
||| FROM KAT BARNARD for BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS ||| The SJC Fire Protection District #2 Board of Fire Commissioners invites you to a Special Meeting on Tuesday, December 5th, at 3 p.m. at the Eastsound Fire Hall or on Zoom (link below and in the attachment). Please review the agenda attached.
We’re under a Flood Watch through Thursday
||| FROM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ||| Flood Watch National Weather Service Seattle WA 346 AM PST Sun Dec 3 2023 Heavy rain along with rising snow levels Monday into Tuesday will lead to rapidly rising rivers across the area. It is likely that many rivers will reach flood stage late
Socrates, jewelry, ornaments comprise Sr. Center presentations
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Socrates Café @ Orcas Senior Center – Wednesday, December 6, 1 pm Join us on the first Wednesday of the month at 1 pm after Senior Lunch for Socrates Café. A gathering of people with different perspectives open to sharing their
Letter to Editor | The solution to the Amazon problem on Orcas Island
||| FROM REBECCA MCDONOUGH ||| A few months ago we stopped receiving Amazon deliveries to our home on Buck Mountain, and all our orders were coming to the Eastsound PO. Once I realized this was not a fluke, but a trend, I contacted Amazon directly. I wrote to Jeff Bezos.
Midnight Mutterings | Without feathers
||| MIDNIGHT MUTTERINGS by JACKIE BATES ||| ‘Hope’ is the thing with Feathers By Emily Dickinson “Hope” is the thing with feathers - That perches in the soul - And sings the tune without the words - And never stops - at all - And sweetest - in the Gale
OIFR responds to Hazardous Material call at the Exchange
||| FROM CHIEF HOLLY VAN SCHAICK for ORCAS ISLAND FIRE & RESCUE |||| At approximately 9:20 a.m. on Friday, December 1st, 2023, OIFR personnel responded to a hazardous materials incident at the Orcas Island Exchange transfer station. Equipment operators were performing routine compaction of waste materials when a cloud of noxious
Derelict structures removed to make way for wildlife
||| FROM ELISE COPE for FRIENDS OF THE SAN JUANS ||| As part of ongoing efforts to safeguard critical eelgrass meadows and Pacific herring spawning grounds, Friends of the San Juans (Friends) recently spearheaded the removal of two derelict structures from local bays. Former sections of docks and floats located
Sheriff’s Report | November 21 – 28, 2023
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE ||| TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21 23-009088 Found Property 13:18:37 11/21/23 A solar panel, found on San Juan Island, was turned into the Sheriff's Office. The panel was checked into the property and evidence room. 23-009089 Parking Problem 13:37:45 11/21/23 A Lopez Island Deputy was
Santa still sailing in with holiday joy to the Pacific Northwest after all these years
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND LIONS CLUB ||| In parts of the world, Santa arrives by sleigh, slides down chimneys or walks through front doors. But for people living in small island communities in the Pacific Northwest, access to the mainland is limited – and children rarely have the chance to
Guest Opinion | Here’s some thoughts on this airplane noise hassle
||| FROM DAVID BOWMAN ||| The noise pollution is quite bad, especially in the summer, and any efforts to reduce it are welcome. But as long as the airport is spending millions of dollars to expand their facilities with the goal of accommodating more flights, noise abatement efforts will not
Another weather advisory; this time for wind gusts
||| NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ||| URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Seattle WA 1023 AM PST Fri Dec 1 2023 San Juan County-Western Whatcom County-Western Skagit County- Lower Chehalis Valley Area-Western Strait of Juan De Fuca- North Coast-Central Coast- Including the cities of Friday Harbor, Bellingham, Mount Vernon, Anacortes,
Letter to Editor | About that recent election
||| FROM ROBERT HAMILTON ||| I congratulate Mia Kartiganer and Annalies Schuh for winning their elections as Port of Orcas Commissioners for the next four years. It is great when voters have a choice, and great that we have Orcasonians interested in serving on the various local government and co-op
Only on Orcas: A month’s worth of activities in 48 hours
||| FROM HILARY CANTY for ORCAS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ||| Hang onto your hat, it’s December!!! Every once in a while, we on Orcas decide that we need to cram a month's worth of activities into 48 hours. This weekend is one of those times. There is the Tree Lighting in
