Here’s a thought…
“America is and always has been an argument — it’s an experiment.”
DAVID W. BLIGHT
First detections of highly invasive European green crab discovered on Orcas Island
Students from Orcas Island Middle School discover green crab molt while on a field trip ||| FROM WASHINGTON SEA GRANT CRAB TEAM ||| Evidence of invasive European green crab was detected for the first time on Orcas Island in May, when a Washington Sea Grant (WSG) Crab Team volunteer monitor
Get Ready | First outdoor summer concert is June 28
||| FROM COLLEEN SMITH SUMMERS for ORCAS CENTER ||| Orcas Center’s annual Summer Concert Series is back in the Village Green. All performances are free to the community. Kicking off the season is James Charles Howard, Jr., with local group Minnow Creek opening on Sunday, June 28, starting at 5
Join Orcas Hotel for live music every Sunday
||| FROM MICHAEL ANTONIA for ORCAS HOTEL ||| Every Sunday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., Orcas Hotel is hosting live music with Ira Echo & Friends. This is something we started with our friends Caleb & Reeb who put on the Orcas Fest music festival. The idea is a
No jurors required for June 22-26
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| JURY DUTY: JUNE 22-26, 2026 All jurors summonsed for the Jury Period beginning Monday June 22nd through Friday June 26, 2026 are excused. Thank you.
The Exchange update
|||FROM THE EXCHANGE ||| Styrofoam Recycling Matures on Orcas The Exchange is taking the next step in Styrofoam recycling on Orcas Island. After three months of collecting Styrofoam at the Z-Wall, staff toured a commercial recycling operation in Kent and are exploring the purchase of a “densifier” to transform waste
Guest Opinion | About that dirt on Shaw
||| FROM ALEX MACLEOD ||| One way to view voters’ overwhelming rejection of the recent property-tax levy lid lift sought by the County Council is a lack of confidence in the council’s ability to wisely manage our tax dollars. The council, as we know, is trying to find ways to
Request for written public comment for Orcas Island Health Care District meeting
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND HEALTH CARE DISTRICT ||| The Orcas Island Health Care District will be holding our regularly scheduled Board Meeting on Wednesday June 24th from 5-7 PM at the Orcas Island Public Library. The Health Care District expects that individuals will be in attendance to share public comment
WSF engineers ask governor, lawmakers to address wage gap driving canceled and delayed sailings
Uncompetitive wages and reliance on overtime driving burnout, poor morale ||| FROM MARINE ENGINEERS BENEFICIAL ASSOCIATION ||| Seattle, WA – At a press conference today at Colman Dock, Washington State Ferry engineers said a growing wage gap is driving burnout, poor morale, and hobbling the system’s ability to retain and
Antidote Dance Party | Celebrate the sun in Orcas Center black box
||| FROM COLLEEN SMITH SUMMERS for ORCAS CENTER ||| After Orcas Center's live comedy show at 7 p.m. on Friday, June 26, head over to the Black Box for Orcas Center’s next Antidote dance party, a celebration of the sun featuring live DJ sets from Clove4, Trybe, Schade Soundsystem, K!CEAG3,
News Brief | Salmon extinction on the Middle Fork Salmon River in the heart of Idaho
The genius in salmon to persist and thrive through change means this heart attack is still treatable ||| FROM IDAHO CAPITAL SUN ||| The Middle Fork Salmon River is the largest wild watershed in the Northwest. And thus a magnet for we who live near – and for visitors from
Maximize your future | Essential estate planning workshop
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Join us Wednesday, July 8 at 1 p.m. for a valuable estate planning session led by local attorney Barbara Nesbet, JD, MBA. This presentation will cover the essentials of estate planning, including Wills and Powers of Attorney. Discover how you can
EWUA meeting marked by escalating calls for transparency, accountability, leadership change
||| FROM CORY HARRINGTON ||| The Eastsound Water Users Association Board meeting was attended by approximately 50 members and reflected a night of significant tension alongside moments of earnest, heartfelt concern from community members deeply invested in the future of the utility. Early in the meeting, the Board President referenced
Here’s a sneak peek at 2026 OIGC Tour Gardens
||| FROM PERRI GIBBONS for ORCAS ISLAND GARDEN CLUB ||| Garden A: Warm Valley Farm If you think you know this farm from the many times driving by it to the ferry…. think again!! You will be amazed by the creative energy on display beyond the gates. Joel and Anna
Washington State Ferry engineers to hold press conference
Ask state to address workforce challenges driving unreliable ferry service ||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE FERRY ENGINEERS ||| What: Washington State Ferries Marine Engineers Press Conference When: 1 pm Wednesday June 17 Where: Colman Dock Washington State Ferry Terminal at Pier 52 (on upper level walkway outside the terminal) Why: With
News Brief | World’s leading deepfake expert no longer trusts his own eyes
In the age of A.I., Hany Farid is struggling to prove what’s real before the internet decides for itself ||| FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES ||| Hany Farid has invented software to identify deepfakes. But the technology to create fake videos and images is improving too quickly to keep up.
News Brief | Switzerland to vote on capping its population at 10 Million
Capping its population at 10 Million could reshape Switzerland ||| FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES ||| About 9.1 million people live in Switzerland — approaching too many, for many Swiss people. The country will vote on whether to take measures to cap its growing population at 10 million. Migration, not
