Here’s a thought…
“Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each New Year find you a better man.”
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
Create comfort with fidget quilts at Orcas Senior Center
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Join Brenda Bacon at Orcas Senior Center for a creative Fidget Quilt workshop on Wednesday, December 17, from 1 to 4 p.m. This hands-on session is designed to guide participants in crafting small, tactile quilts that offer comfort and engagement for
Port Commissioners will meet on Monday
||| FROM CHIP LONG for PORT OF ORCAS ||| The Port of Orcas Board of Commissioners will hold a Regular Meeting on Monday, December 15th at 4:00 p.m. online via Zoom and in-person at the airport terminal conference room. Access and agenda information can be found at portoforcas.com.
PeaceHealth Peace Island’s new CT scanner expands imaging capabilities
||| FROM ANNA WILLIAMS for PEACE ISLAND MEDICAL CENTER || After months of work and anticipation, PeaceHealth Peace Island Medical Center last month served its first patient on a new, state-of-the-art CT scanner. The new machine, a Siemens Somatom X.cite CT scanner, marks a big leap forward for Peace Island's
Larsen | Washington delegation demands answers on BP pipeline leak
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U.S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Representatives Rick Larsen (WA-02), Suzan DelBene (WA-01), Kim Schrier, MD (WA-08), Marilyn Strickland (WA-10), Emily Randall (WA-06), Adam Smith (WA-09), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03) called on BP to answer questions surrounding the November leak
Ramel | Strong communities start with stable funding
||| FROM REP. ALEX RAMEL ||| Across the 40th District, the last several months have been a powerful reminder of why sustainable, equitable revenue is essential to our wellbeing. Whether we’re talking about stable access to healthcare, the future of childcare in our communities, or the construction of desperately needed
K47 | New calf reported in K Pod
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| On December 10, the Center for Whale Research team received reports and images from Orca Network and Orca Conservancy of a small calf accompanying K pod in Puget Sound. The next day, researchers Mark and Maya Sears followed up on these reports and
Midnight Mutterings | Thinking about Japan-Part 2
||| MIDNIGHT MUTTERINGS by JACKIE BATES ||| If memory serves, Kyoko, Susumu and Yuki (age4) were the third or fourth Japanese family to move into the house next door in Seattle in the 1980s. I had begun to lose interest in my exotic next door neighbors and didn’t rush to
Sheriff’s Report | December 3 – 9, 2025
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE ||| WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 3 25-008249 Domestic Dispute or Assault 08:48:04 12/03/25 An Orcas Island Deputy responded to a domestic incident in the Eastsound area. The Deputy learned that this incident was related to a previous incident which had been investigated and documented. 25-008251
Larsen votes in favor of 2026 Defense Authorization Bill
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U.S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) released the following statement after voting in favor of the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The bipartisan NDAA passed the House by a final vote of 312 to 112 and
A big thank you from Orcas Community Foundation
Collective Giving for the Win! ||| FROM LINDSAY JENNINGS for ORCAS ISLAND COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ||| Thank you for joining us during this year's Holiday GiveOrcas campaign and showing support for 33 incredible community-driven programs that make Orcas Island truly extraordinary. The season of giving shined brightly over the past 10
County Council passes 2026 budget but prepares for ongoing financial discussions in 2027
The adopted budget includes cuts to staffing and other reductions across department operating expenses. ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| During the December 9 meeting and public hearing, the San Juan County Council adopted the 2026 budget. This adopted budget includes cuts to staffing and other reductions across department
Letter to Editor | What’s going on at Eastsound Water Users Association?
||| FROM CORY HARRINGTON ||| I am an ex-employee at EWUA. I worked there for 4 years in the role of Billing & Membership Specialist. All statements below reflect my personal views and consist of verbatim questions submitted to the EWUA Board and the responses received. Here’s a list of
LWVSJ Observer Corps | Board of Health December 10, 2025
||| FROM NECIA QUAST for LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS ||| The Accountable Communities for Health resumed its CEO search. The Community Collaboration Committee provided $100,000 for the dental access program. The North Sound Behavioral Health Organization is working on a behavioral health emergency co-response program with the Sheriff’s Office. The
County opens cultural access application materials & recruits for new review board
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County’s Cultural Access program is one step closer to awarding funding to local organizations in support of access to culture, science, art, and history education and experiences. Now, application materials are live, and recruitment for the advisory board is underway! About
News Brief | Are killer whales and dolphins helping each other hunt off B.C. coast?
||| FROM WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ||| HALIFAX – Scientists have found evidence that two unlikely collaborators — killer whales and dolphins — may be helping each other find and feast on salmon off the coast of British Columbia. Recordings picked up “this audible crunch as the whale bites down, then
Gathering our bearings | Island Stewards end-of-year update
|||FROM ISLAND STEWARDS ||| As we close out 2025, I keep returning to the rhythm of the islands and how they reveal it to anyone patient enough to listen. This has been a year of the islands showing their strain, but also a year of honest conversations and quieter forms
