Here’s a thought…
“The belief in the possibility of a short decisive war appears to be one of the most ancient and dangerous of human illusions.”
ROBERT LYND
This Saturday, let’s plant daffodils at Children’s House in memory of Abby Rueb
||| FROM ADY WALKER for CHILDREN'S HOUSE ||| In the past weeks many of us have shared fond remembrances of Abby Rueb, and we have marveled at the contributions she made to the community of Orcas Island over her long life here. A favorite story is the Easter party the
SJC voters have passed one of the strongest anti-discrimination policies in the country
||| FROM JANE FULLER for CHARTER REVIEW COMMITTEE'S JUSTICE & EQUITY COMMITTEE ||| With the certification of the election last week, San Juan County voters have passed some of the strongest anti-discrimination policies of any government in the Nation. Known simply as County Charter Amendment Proposition No. 5, this amendment
How to save a ski town (or perhaps a small, green island)
All over the West, a housing crisis is causing workforce shortages, crippling local businesses, and threatening the culture and existence of mountain towns as we know them. But amid the doom and gloom, some people are fighting for solutions. ||| FROM OUTSIDEONLINE.COM ||| REPRINT AT REQUEST OF A READER Once
A poem for Chanukka: The Olive and the Oil
||| BY CHAYA ROSEN ||| The Olive and the Oil From the midst of constellations and the distance of the ages A Maccabean miracle unfolds How does this story get told? It’s all about the olive and the oil. She was crushed and beaten humbled and pressed a distinct purity
Letter to Editor | When contact info blows away in a storm
||| FROM MARGOT SHAW ||| Can anyone help me find the wonderful family of three whom I met atop Mt. Constitution last Wednesday with the cold, cloudy wind whipping around us? They are staying in a VRBO in the Rosario area for an extended period of time. The husband took
Upcoming Solstice Mercantile is a two-day holiday shopping experience
December 3 - 4, Noon - 5 p.m., 2371 Crow Valley Road ||| FROM TARA LANDMAN for SOLSTICE MERCANTILE ||| Imagine, if you will, a little European holiday market aglow with beauty and bundled up families all about positioned at a winery, nestled at the base of a mountain on
This year, you may join the Choral Society in song at these free events
||| FROM LYNN BAKER for ORCAS CHORAL SOCIETY ||| Come for the singing and holiday cheer! The Orcas Choral Society will carol Eastsound this holiday season in several free events. We invite everyone to enjoy the music and sing along! Carols are such a joyous part of the holiday,” said
Port of Friday Harbor to reopen Jensen’s Boatyard in January
||| FROM AMBER GARCIA for PORT OF FRIDAY HARBOR ||| The Port of Friday Harbor will be reopening Jensen’s Boatyard on January 3, 2022. The new operations model will see Port staff scheduling and operating the boat lift and boat yard. Port crews will perform all boat lifting and launching,
Sun Days on Orcas | Options
||| SUN DAYS ON ORCAS by EDEE KULPER ||| Happy Thanksgiving weekend and Merry Christmas season! The rain has provided ample time to gather ‘round the glowing screen and ponder life as it used to be and where it’s headed. Always in search of fascinating documentaries, we watched the new
Vigil calls for more urgency to save endangered salmon, orca
||| FROM SALISH CURRENT ||| Bundled up in the cold, about 60 people gathered at Maritime Heritage Park on Saturday night (Nov. 20) in Bellingham for a vigil in support of endangered salmon in the Pacific Northwest. Speakers included environmental advocates and members of the Lummi Nation and Nooksack Indian
Poetry | Murmuration by Barbara Crooker
||| REPRINT AT REQUEST OF JOELLEN MOLDOFF ||| Murmuration by Barbara Crooker Cold morning. November, taking a walk, when up ahead, suddenly, the trees unleave, and thousands of starlings lift off, an immense river of noise; they braid and unbraid themselves over my head, the gray silk sky embroidered with
Interested in a workshop on government contracting essentials?
||| FROM VICTORIA COMPTON for ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL ||| Interested in doing business with the government? Join Washington PTAC and the EDC for a workshop outlining the basics of government contracting and procurement. The workshop will be held via Zoom on Monday, December 6 from 10 - 11 a.m. The
Santa has installed a mailbox in Emmanuel Episcopal church garden
||| FROM STEPHIE MAC for EMMANUEL EPISCOPAL CHURCH ||| For the next month, in the church garden at Emmanuel Episcopal Church, we will have Santa's Mailbox in which children of all ages can leave letters to Santa. The true magic of Santa's mailbox is that if a return address is
School Board will meet on Tuesday evening, in person and Zoom
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT ||| The Orcas Island School District School Board will be hosting their meeting on Tuesday, November 30, at 5 p.m. IN-PERSON in The OISD Multipurpose Rm behind the Old Gym AND online VIA ZOOM. Click to view agenda. Here is the link to sign up for
This week, we have 27 new COVID cases in the islands
||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN for DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT||| Since the last update on Friday November 18, there have been 27 new confirmed or probable cases in San Juan County. Current case count is now 431. There are approximately eight unvaccinated close contacts of positive cases currently in quarantine in
Latest from Lekanoff | Native American Heritage Day, flood response
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF REP. DEBRA LEKANOFF ||| A huge thank you to all of our frontline workers, fire fighters, police officers, community organizations, community members, and the Whatcom, San Juan and Skagit county and city officials who came together to help our region weather the recent flooding! Through
