Here’s a thought…
“Before we work on artificial intelligence, why don’t we do something about natural stupidity?”
READER BOARD
Let’s talk public transit for Orcas, San Juan
You're invited to a community meeting || FROM COLIN WILLIAMS for RURAL PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION |||| Let's talk public transit for Orcas & the San Juan Islands. Hosted by the Friends of Rural Public Transportation Date & Time -- Tuesday, March 31, 2026 , 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM Location: Orcas Island Public
Preparing for when oil meets shore
Inside a Shoreline Assessment Workshop on Lopez Island ||| FROM BILL SYMES and ELAINA THOMPSON ||| Islands’ Oil Spill Association (IOSA) held a public workshop on the classification, assessment, and cleanup of oiled shorelines, February 11 at the Lopez Community Center. Led by Gary Shigenaka, a 40+ year National Oceanic
Vote in OPALCO’s election
Voters eligible to win prizes ||| FROM KRISTA BOUCHEY for ORCAS POWER & LIGHT COOPERATIVE ||| OPALCO Board Candidate election season is in full swing! OPALCO members should have received a ballot. Get to know the candidates this year and vote in the election to help guide the energy future
OPALCO Board candidate questionnaire results released
Eight candidates provide detailed perspectives on cooperative future ||| FROM CHOM GREACEN ||| To help members differentiate among an unusually large field of candidates in the upcoming Orcas Power & Light Cooperative (OPALCO) board election, a group of concerned members has released the results of a candidate questionnaire. Of the
County float at Waldron temporarily closed April 5-11 for repairs
The County recognizes how important marine facilities are to commuters, visitors, businesses, locals, and other service providers and is working to repair the facility as quickly as possible. ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County’s Public Works Department owns and/or maintains marine facilities (piers, floats, and ramps)
News Brief | How new fishing tech can reduce bycatch of turtles and other creatures
||| FROM ARSTECHNICA.COM Designed to capture animals destined for our dinner tables, our oceans are full of sophisticated, perfect traps. Over the decades, conservationists, researchers, and fishermen have developed ways to minimize various kinds of bycatch in different fishing stocks around the world. Some approaches, however, now have a proven
Town, County councils to meet on April 1
||| FROM TOWN OF FRIDAY HARBOR ||| NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Town Council and San Juan County Council will hold a special joint meeting on April 1, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m. The special meeting will take place in Council Chambers located at 60 Second Street. For
Letter to Editor | No Kings rally missing an issue
||| FROM BEV LEHMAN ||| At the Orcas Island No Kings Rally on March 28th the most important issue in this country was absent—voting to change the majority party in the United States Congress. The SAVE America Act — similar to its predecessor the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act
News Brief | Inside a rare sperm whale birth
||| FROM INSIDE CLIMATE NEWS ||| Two landmark studies of a rare sperm whale birth observation in the Caribbean are reshaping scientists’ understanding of cooperation in the animal kingdom, revealing that whales in unrelated family lines work collectively to help newborn calves survive. Witnessing such an event is extremely uncommon.
CWR logs encounter #18 with J Pod
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| Full Encounter Report ObservBegin: 03:35 PM ObservEnd: 05:08 PM Vessel: KCB III Staff: Dave Ellifrit, Michael Weiss Pods: J IDsEncountered: J16, J19, J22, J27, J31, J35, J36, J37, J38, J39, J40, J41, J42, J44, J45, J46, J47, J49, J51, J56, J57, J58, J59, J62, J63 LocationDescr: Haro
OICF supports new program bridging indigenous and islander communities
||| FROM KIM WEST ACTKINSON for ORCAS ISLAND COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ||| The Orcas Island Community Foundation (OICF) is excited to announce its fiscal sponsorship and support of a new community program, Island Allies of Indigenous Lifeways - a grassroots organization that fosters decolonization, Indigenous sovereignty and adaptive culture through Tribally-led
LWVSJ Observer Corps | San Juan County Council regular meeting notes
||| FROM BARBARA SHARP for LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS ||| Deputy County Manager made a presentation on the Wildlife Protection Working Groups’ discussions and recommendations. This group was formed because residents sought county intervention to address human interference with wildlife, especially foxes on San Juan Island. The group has been
Larsen demands Trump admin mobilize all options to prepare for upcoming wildfire season
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U.S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) joined twelve of his colleagues from Washington and Oregon in a letter to the U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Administrator Dr. Neil Jacobs expressing their concern about the heightened risk
Spring brings new programs and partnerships
||| FROM LINDSAY JENNINGS for ORCAS ISLAND COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ||| The trees are full of blossoms, the spring bulbs are popping up, and the days are finally feeling brighter. Spring is here, and along with the new color showing outside, new projects and partnerships are budding. For the first time,
Join us at Senior Center for a free Alzheimer’s presentation
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER Orcas Senior Center, Orcas Island Caregiver Project, and San Juan County Senior Services invite you to a free community presentation on Friday, April 3, from noon to 2:00 p.m. at Orcas Senior Center. The program will be presented by Jerri Wood, Program
News Brief | Retired WSF Captain: ‘In 10 years time, WSF will be crippled’ by a lack of vessels
||| FROM CNL3 ||| Retired Washington State Ferries’ Captain Ken Burtness has been thinking about going public with his worries about the state of the WSF fleet for the past year. "(My) main goal is to get the Legislature to understand that they have to fund new boats, that they
