Here’s a thought…
“Old age is no joke, but it can feel like one.”
TAD TOMPKINS
No-charge noxious weed disposal available through Sept. 30
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| The San Juan County Noxious Weed Control Program works with the local transfer stations to accept noxious weed debris at no charge. The last day for free disposal will be September 30, 2025 – so don’t delay! Many islanders have been hard at
Guest Opinion | The brain error in AI tutor for schools and education
||| FROM DAVID STEPHEN ||| The [September 1, 2025] Labor Day was a question of what should become of education, if AI can operate intelligence, to do aspects of productive work? What is the missing piece to learn for the future, in the era of AI? How much potential do
Guest Opinion | OPALCO owes us more options for meeting electricity demand
||| FROM ARTHUR WINER ||| While I respect the intelligence and technical strengths of OPALCO’s Board members and the executive leadership, I’ve been troubled in recent years by a logical contradiction in OPALCO’s energy policies. On the one hand promoting and subsidizing the “electrification of everything” while at the same
Orcas Island Farmers Market fall announcements
||| FROM ERICA LYONS for ORCAS ISLAND FARMERS MARKET ||| As we transition into the Fall Season, the Orcas Island Farmers Market has big announcements. Coming up on our calendar is our annual Harvest Festival on the Village Green. Saturday, September 27th will be our last outdoor Farmers Market before we shift
Orcas Center call for artists | ‘Movement’ community show
||| FROM ORCAS CENTER ||| Installation Day: Wednesday, September 24 | 10:30am – 12pm Art Opening: Friday, September 26 | 5:30pm – 7pm On Display: September 26 – October 21 Artwork Pickup: Wednesday, October 22 | 10:15am – 12pm Orcas Center’s Visual Arts Committee invites the community to participate in
Emmanuel donates Market Day money to Orcas non-profits
||| FROM LYNN BAKER for EMMANUEL EPISCOPAL CHURCH ||| If you shopped at Market Day at Emmanuel Episcopal Church this July, you helped the Pea Patch Project, Food Bank, OPAL, The Exchange, and the Orcas Community Resource Center. Emmanuel shares proceeds of its annual Market Day rummage sale with other
No Place Like Loam | A chestnut is true generational wealth
||| NO PLACE LIKE LOAM by ALEX TAMAYO-WOLF ||| In history, entire cultures were built under canopies. Greek philosophers walked beneath plane trees, giving birth to the very idea of public life. Medieval Europe gathered around chestnut and linden groves for markets, councils, and festivals. Even in America, the town
Create your own Fidget Quilt 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, September 17 and October 15, from 1 to 4 p.m. These hands-on sessions are designed to guide participants in crafting small, tactile quilts that offer comfort
News Brief | This 21 year old says he has found answer to waste
||| FROM THE COOL DOWN ||| "Unfortunately, plastic waste is a massive problem. According to Statista, there are "360 million metric tons per year." Originally reported by THE COOL DOWN "While some were skeptical of the value of his fuel and even said it would destroy engines, he took it
Conservation advocates serve Notice of Intent to Sue over feds continued failure to protect Wild Salmon, Steelhead, and Orcas from harmful Columbia River hatcheries
||| FROM EMMA HALVORSON for WILD FISH CONSERVANCY ||| Wild Fish Conservancy (WFC) and The Conservation Angler (TCA) have announced their intent to sue the federal government for failing to protect threatened wild salmon, steelhead, and orcas from hatchery programs in the Columbia River below Bonneville Dam. National Oceanic and
Spirit of Water | Indigenous song and story coming to Friday Harbor
||| FROM JESS NEWLEY for FRIENDS OF THE SAN JUANS ||| This October, Friends of the San Juans invites the community to gather for Spirit of Water with Chenoa Egawa, an evening of Indigenous song, ceremony, and teachings in honor of Indigenous Peoples Day and Orca Recovery Month. The event
Lopez Friends invites you to advocate for Indian boarding school healing
||| FROM DARCY LEACH for LOPEZ ISLAND FRIENDS ||| Monday, September 29, 6 PM Lopez Center for Community and Arts National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition is an indigenous-led national organization advocating on behalf of Native peoples impacted by U.S. Indian boarding school policies. They seek: TRUTH through education
News Brief | We’re losing our honeybees
||| FROM KOMO NEWS ||| "The recent decline in bee populations is concerning not only for beekeepers but for researchers as well." Originally reported by KOMO NEWS "Honey bee colonies in Washington are declining at an alarming rate, with more than 40% now gone." Read the full article
Quakers discern genocide is occurring in Gaza and urge courageous action
||| FROM LINDA ELLSWORTH for ORCAS ISLAND QUAKERS ||| As Quakers, we recognize the divine imprint in every human being and confess the equality of all to live safely and without fear. We are also compelled as Quakers to speak truth with integrity, including where it is uncomfortable, yet always
CWR | The loss of J36’s calf
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| It is with heavy hearts that we share that late in the morning on September 12th, several sources alerted our team to apparent sightings of a southern resident killer whale pushing a deceased calf in Rosario Strait. CWR researchers arrived in the area
Guest Opinion | Resilience or overreach?
Why OPALCO’s “Essential Public Facilities” Push Deserves Public Scrutiny ||| FROM ELISABETH ROBSON ||| San Juan County’s comprehensive plan is at a crossroads. OPALCO has proposed language that would designate its major energy projects as “essential public facilities.” On the surface, this might sound like a harmless bit of utility
