Here’s a thought…
“And, frankly, I would like to make the U.S.-Canada relationship boring again.”
RICK LARSEN
Town to hold special meeting with County Council
||| 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 August 20, 2026, from 9:00 a.m.-11:20 a.m. The special meeting will take place in San Juan County’s Legislative Hearing Room located at 55
Has theOrcasonian outgrown its britches?
It may seem so...but you can help. We just need new britches. ||| BY LIN MCNULTY, EDITOR ||| A recent notification from theOrcasonian's webhost has rocked our reality. BlueHost has advised us that we need to upgrade our hosting due to our online presence exceeding our ability to maintain our
San Juan County outdoor burn ban notice
County issues outdoor burn ban in the face of elevated fire dangers and dry conditions ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| Per the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, the fire danger level in San Juan County has been upgraded to HIGH. Therefore, no outdoor burning is allowed except
CWR Encounter #59 | Bigg’s Killer Whales
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| Full Encounter Report ObservBegin: 02:30 PM ObservEnd: 03:59 PM Vessel: KCB III Staff: Michael Weiss Other Observers: Charli Grimes, Taylor Redmond, Lily King, Navi Zwart, Henry Moreau-Smith Pods: Bigg's killer whales IDsEncountered: T100, T100C, T100F LocationDescr: Haro Strait EncSummary: After the T100s passed
Questions worth asking at EWUA Board meeting tomorrow
||| FROM CORY HARRINGTON ||| The EWUA Board meets tomorrow, August 18 at 5:00 PM at the Eastsound Firehall. With no July Board meeting and several recent updates from EWUA, here are some questions I hope we can get answers to: Clark Well What is the current total project cost?
Ferry Alert | Expect delays on State Route 20 south of Anacortes Aug 17- Sept 4
||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| Reminder - If you travel on State Route 20 between Anacortes and Whidbey Island, expect delays starting at 6 a.m. Monday, Aug. 17 through 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 4. The highway will be reduced to one lane of alternating traffic 24 hours/day at Campbell Lake Road, while
CWR encounter #58 • Bigg’s Killer Whales
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| Full Encounter Report ObservBegin: 03:37 PM ObservEnd: 05:05 PM Vessel: Mike 1 Staff: Michael Weiss Other Observers: Charli Grimes, Navidad Islam-Zwat, Henry Moreau-Smith, Aspen Kendrick-Cisneros, Taylor Redmond Pods: Bigg's killer whales IDsEncountered: T65B, T65B1, T65B2, T65B3 LocationDescr: San Juan Channel EncSummary: After promptly
I’m Not the Church Lady | Maybe I can put my script down
||| I'M NOT THE CHURCH LADY by ROSIE KUHN ||| The relationship that challenges me most profoundly may also be the relationship that shows me where I am still not free to be me. I recently discovered that I’ve been carrying around a script. Actually, I have quite a few
CWR encounter #57 | Bigg’s Killer Whales
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| Full Encounter Report ObservBegin: 02:10 PM ObservEnd: 02:50 PM Vessel: KCB III Staff: Michael Weiss Other Observers: Charli Grimes, Navidad Islam-Zwat, Henry Moreau-Smith, Aspen Kendrick-Cisneros, Taylor Redmond Pods: Bigg's killer whales IDsEncountered: T109A, T109A4, T109A5, T109A6, T109A7, T109A8 LocationDescr: Saturna Island EncSummary: The
News Brief | If you weren’t worried about A.I., you should be after the past few weeks
||| FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES ||| If there were ever reason to doubt the dangers of unrestrained artificial intelligence development, those reasons have gone out the window in the last few weeks. What’s next is a vital window of opportunity to slow down A.I. progress so we can better
Guest Opinion | Orcas businesses need a human handoff rule before AI becomes routine
||| FROM GLEB TSIPURSKY for DISASTER AVOIDANCE EXPERTS ||| Orcas businesses do not need a grand AI strategy before they start experimenting. They need a clear rule for when automation stops and a person takes over. San Juan County itself recently adopted generative AI use policies, with the recognition that the guidelines
Senator Murray secures nearly $30 Million for ferries in WA | Murray made WA ferries eligible for rural ferry grants for first time ever
Murray authored and passed new language into law to make Washington state eligible for rural ferry grants for the first time ever Murray leads efforts to fund federal support for urban and rural ferry funding streams Murray has supported both the Passenger Ferry Grant Program and Rural Ferry Grant Program
NWCAA adds air quality monitor in Friday Harbor
||| FROM NORTHWEST CLEAN AIR AGENCY ||| The Northwest Clean Air Agency has installed and started operating a high-quality, regulatory-grade air monitoring station in Friday Harbor. At this facility, NWCAA is using high-precision instrumentation to monitor fine particulate matter (PM2.5) – a primary health hazard associated with wildfire smoke. “Installing
WSF Weekly Report | Upcoming online community meetings; Salish crew makes rescue; Anacortes traffic delays
||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| A message from Steve Since we marked the start of construction on our new ferries in Florida last week, I’ve seen a lot of questions about how the vessels will eventually make their way to Washington state. One question in particular keeps coming up:
Occam’s Razor | Our island, our world through the eyes, pen of S.C. Watson
Welcome to our weekly feature, Occam's Razor, from local artist S.C. Watson.
WSF makes schedule adjustments due to SJC Fair
||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| Expect delays and long lines on the Anacortes/San Juan Islands route during the San Juan County Fair, Aug. 13–16, especially on the interisland route. If possible, travel earlier in the week or after the fair. To accommodate livestock trailers and vendors on the last day of the fair, we’re limiting reservation space on the 9:50 p.m. sailing
