Here’s a thought…
“And, frankly, I would like to make the U.S.-Canada relationship boring again.”
RICK LARSEN
2027 preliminary budget to be presented to Council at August 25th meeting
San Juan County Auditor’s Office will present the 2027 preliminary budget which includes $3.7 million in potential modifications identified ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| The San Juan County Auditor will present a preliminary balanced budget for fiscal year 2027 to the County Council on August 25. This is
General Mojo’s to play final Orcas Center summer concert on Aug. 30
||| FROM COLLEEN SMITH SUMMERS for ORCAS CENTER ||| Orcas Center has presented its annual Summer Concert Series on the Village Green, bringing free, live music to the heart of Eastsound, all summer long. This vibrant outdoor series, supported in part by Joe Brotherton and the Doe Bay team, celebrates
Larsen releases statement on collapse of U.S.-Canada talks to prevent Trump’s pointless new tariffs
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U.S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) released the following statement: "These new tariffs aren't leverage over Canada. They're yet another way that the Trump administration is raising your prices and sabotaging the American economy. “Across over a hundred
Garden Club Presentation | Gardening with mushrooms
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND GARDEN CLUB ||| Please join the Orcas Island Garden Club on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, when we welcome Alex Winstead to share helpful advice for Gardening with Mushrooms in the Pacific Northwest. Though often misunderstood, mushrooms can be fantastic companions to your garden or landscaping plan.
I’m Not the Church Lady | You are here
You can’t know where you’re going if you don’t know where you are ||| I'M NOT THE CHURCH LADY by ROSIE KUHN ||| You are here ... There’s something wonderfully obvious about it—and yet spiritually, emotionally, psychologically, we violate this principle constantly. We want to know: What should I do?
Washington State Department of Commerce federal grants workshop
||| FROM LINDSAY JENNINGS for ORCAS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ||| Learn how to build stronger grant applications at this free, informative, and interactive workshop provided by the Washington State Department of Commerce’s Federal Funds Grant Writing Assistance Program (FFGWAP) and cohosted by the Orcas Island Community Foundation and the Economic Development
News Brief | Marine biologists finally found what scares orcas
And it makes no sense ||| FROM APEX PALEO |||
Art Show opening on Friday, August 28 | Peter Carlson, “Me Here You There”
||| FROM MARJORIE TAYLOR for ORCAS CENTER ||| The Visual Arts Committee of Orcas Center announces the opening of a new show featuring recent paintings and prints of Peter Carlson on August 28, 5:30 to 7:00 entitled “Me Here You There." Carlson is a narrative painter who creates imagery grounded
Questions and commitments
||| FROM LINDSAY JENNINGS for ORCAS ISLAND COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ||| Earlier this week, at our National Nonprofit Day program, Eric Liu spoke about the role and importance of civic culture. He shared how it is rooted in community, on the ground, with groups of 5, 10, or 20 people showing
Prospective Critical Areas Ordinance update process
San Juan County is currently reviewing and revising its Critical Areas Ordinance. The County expects to complete the process by the end of the year. ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County is updating its critical areas protections, also referred to as the CAO. The CAO serves
Midnight Mutterings | Emojis
||| MIDNIGHT MUTTERINGS by JACKIE BATES ||| I don’t love emojis. If this were a text, these sentences would be followed by six dancing broken hearts with sad eyes squirting fat tears. Later lines would possibly include a few piles of steaming poop, if I were feeling especially crude.. Ah,
JP and OK Rhythm Boys coming to Orcas Isle Cider
||| FROM ANITA ORNE for JP AND THE OK RHYTHM BOYS ||| Enjoy an afternoon of cider and song as JP and the OK Rhythm Boys bring their inimitable and infectious musical stylings to Orcas Isle Cider on Sunday, Aug. 30! Orcas Isle Cider (orcasislecider.com) is a family-run farm in
POSTPONED | August 26 Clinic expansion town hall
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND HEALTH CARE DISTRICT ||| The second Orcas Island Health Care District (OIHCD) community town hall had originally been planned for Wednesday, August 26th, from 5:15 - 7:00 PM to share progress on the Island Primary Care - Orcas Clinic Expansion project. OIHCD had previously held a town hall about
WSF Weekly Report | Keeping the boats running; Upcoming public meetings; On-water rescue near Orcas
||| FROM STEVE NEVEY for WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| A message from Steve Over the last few weeks, I’ve used this space to provide updates on the construction of our new ferries. By now, most people understand that our biggest constraint is that we simply don’t have enough boats. One
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.
Upcoming Garden Club Event | Flower pressing workshop with Tony Suruda
Saturday, August 22nd, 2:30 pm at the Orcas Library (please note the change in time) ||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND GARDEN CLUB ||| In this workshop participants will use microwave oven presses to dry flowers and leaves. The club will provide mounting materials to make custom bookmarks and drinks coasters. There is
