Here’s a thought…
“When the last tree is cut, the last fish is caught, and the last river is polluted; when to breathe the air is sickening, you will realize, too late, that wealth is not in bank accounts and that you can’t eat money.”
ALANIS OBOMSAWIN
Timothy Snyder | What if we’re paying attention to the wrong things?
||| FROM NEWS NOT NOISE |||
Sign-ups open for 2026 Battle of the Bands at Orcas Center
||| FROM COLLEEN SMITH SUMMERS for ORCAS CENTER ||| Sign-ups are now open for the 2026 Battle of the Bands, Orcas Island's local music event of the year, returning to Orcas Center on Sunday, Nov. 15, at 6 p.m. Hosted by Pedro LopezDeVictoria and Jamey Moriarty, the night pits original
Jurors to report for duty beginning October 18
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| JURY DUTY: OCTOBER 13-23, 2026 All jurors summonsed for Jury Duty beginning October 13th, are required to report to the San Juan County Courthouse for Jury Duty on Wednesday, October 18 at 8:30 AM. Jurors should check here or call the Jury Hotline at
Meerkerk Rhododendron Gardens to visit Orcas Garden Club
||| FROM PERRI GIBBONS for ORCAS ISLAND GARDEN CLUB ||| Please join the Orcas Island Garden Club on Wednesday, October 21,2026 as we welcome Barb Faville, from Meerkerk Gardens to learn all things rhododendron. Meerkerk Rhododendron Gardens is a 53-acre peaceful woodland oasis located on Whidbey Island. During this talk
Letter to Editor | Swanson has valuable community background
||| FROM DOUG CROSBY ||| I have known Jennifer since 2013, soon after I moved to Shaw Island. Since then she has served as a Shaw School board member and the superintendent, a Ferry Advisory Board member, the founder of the Shaw Island Brown Bag Lunch monthly community meeting, a
Orcas Library, students explore banned books
||| FROM ANGIE REED for ORCAS ISLAND LIBRARY ||| The Orcas Island Library was fortunate to receive a grant from Brooklyn’s Books Unbanned group this spring, and we’ve been thrilled to put it to work with our local teens. With the grant, we’ve now run two teen cohorts exploring censorship,
Letter to Editor | Every penny counts
||| FROM BILL APPEL ||| ESHB2442 passed by the 2026 Legislature provides that [quoting from the legislature’s final report] “Beginning January 1, 2027, the legislative authority of a county or city may impose a new sales and use tax at a rate of up to 0.01 percent. Revenue from this
County Council passes 2027 budget, plans for additional budget work leading into 2028-2029
With the 2027 budget now set, Council must shift its focus to the 2028-2029 budget, which presents many of the same fiscal challenges seen in the last few years due mainly to stagnated revenues, increased inflation, and increased operating costs ||| FROM SAN JUAN DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS ||| At its
Larsen | I will not let them stick you with the bill for data centers
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U.S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| Data centers are expanding across the country, including here in the Pacific Northwest. This growth carries real consequences for our communities. Data centers require enormous amounts of electricity and water to operate. Without strong guardrails, the costs of building and
CWR provides update on J31 with deceased calf
||| FROM THE CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH TEAM ||| Our team is saddened to report that Southern Resident killer whale J31 has been observed with a deceased newborn calf. CWR researcher Mark Malleson encountered J31 and her immediate family on October 3rd near Sombrio Point in the Strait of Juan
Announcing 6th Annual Island Market / Funhouse Commons gingerbread house contest
||| FROM SARAH DAVIS for FUNHOUSE COMMONS ||| Get ready for the 6th Annual Gingerbread House Contest sponsored by the Funhouse Commons & Island Market , a holiday Gingerbread House Contest for ALL AGES with cash prizes! Registration to participate in the gingerbread house competition opens on Monday, October 12th
Letter to Editor | Jennifer Swanson has our wholehearted support for Council position
||| FROM ALICE AND PETER NELSEN ||| We are writing to offer our wholehearted support for Jennifer Swanson for County Council. We’ve known Jennifer since she and her husband Chad moved to Shaw Island in 2003. Jennifer is someone who is thoughtful, trustworthy, and deeply committed to serving our community.
Letter to Editor | Endorsement for Katherine Bryant Ingman, County Council, District 3
||| FROM TOM COWAN ||| I was talking with a friend from San Juan Island and asked what he would think about someone from Stuart Island as the San Juan Island representative on the County Council. His response was that it would be a problem; different culture, different issues and
Letter to Editor | Jennifer Swanson is a proven leader
||| FROM JIM AND KATE SCHUMAN ||| We’ve known Jennifer Swanson for over 20 years and worked with her on numerous community events on Shaw. She’s empathetic, smart, and seemingly tireless. On issues that impact our islands’ way of life, she’s purposely well-informed and open to hearing all views. Jennifer’s
Letter to Editor | We need Jennifer Swanson’s calm and even temperament for County Council
||| FROM GIGI BERARDI ||| I write to highlight the profound actions SJC Council candidate longtime-islander Jennifer Swanson’s taken in our community, which are easily applied to the larger islands. Most notably, she has served as an elected official for repeated terms as a school district board member (and board
Enter OPALCO’s co-op member photo contest or grand prize giveaway
October is National Co-op Month ||| FROM KRISTA BOUCHEY for ORCAS POWER & LIGHT COOPERATIVE ||| Every year in October, cooperatives around the nation celebrate National Cooperative Month. OPALCO, San Juan County’s local not-for-profit cooperative utility, is spending this month celebrating co-op members. Throughout October, check the OPALCO social media
