Here’s a thought…
“America is and always has been an argument — it’s an experiment.”
DAVID W. BLIGHT
Farmers Market announces informal Harvest Celebration, raffles
||| FROM ERICA LYONS for ORCAS FARMERS MARKET ||| Orcas Island Farmers Market proudly announces an informal Harvest Celebration on Saturday, September 25 - and there will be some surprises! Live music on the Village Green Stage and three Harvest Baskets will be raffled off to three lucky winners! These giant
Firefighters union announces ‘Vote of No Confidence’ in Fire Chief Williams
||| FROM INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FIREFIGHTERS (IAFF) LOCAL 3911 ||| International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) Local 3911 announces a Vote of No Confidence in Orcas Island Fire & Rescue (OIFR) Chief Scott Williams. Concerns regarding Mr. Williams’ competence and integrity for the job of Chief have been known without resolute
State’s heating program for low-income households now includes cooling options
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE ||| This past June, Washington confronted a smothering heat dome that ended up being the deadliest weather event in Washington history. It contributed to 125 heat-related deaths and nearly 450 excess deaths, such as strokes and heart attacks brought on by heat stress. Unsurprisingly, researchers found that people
State has behavioral health resources available for back to school
New THINK Toolbox among resources to help address behavioral health impacts ||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| OLYMPIA -- As we see students and educators head back into the classroom and restart the in-person learning routine, the Department of Health (DOH) is providing behavioral health tips and resources for navigating
County Council to discuss Docket 21-0003, buildout/impact request
||| FROM JOE SYMONS for KEEPSANJUANSWILD.ORG ||| Tuesday 14 September! Please write the Council with your support for a buildout/impact component to the county's Comprehensive Plan 82 of you wrote letters to the Planning Commission in support of the Docket request—Thank You! If you are one of those, please re-submit your letter
EDC will be resuming their weekly business resilience calls
||| FROM VICTORIA COMPTON for ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL ||| The EDC has resumed their weekly Business Resilience Call, as a means to bring legislators and business resilience experts together with local business owners, managers, and community leaders. The first meeting this fall will be held online via Zoom, on Thursday,
Dental Van coming back to the Islands
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| The Mobile Dental Access Van will be coming back to Lopez, Orcas, and San Juan Island in late September/ early October 2021. Lopez Island September 20-21 Orcas Island September 22-25 San Juan Island October 6-9 The van offers full dental care with X-rays,
This Saturday | Open house at Orcas Center
Orcas Center Open House Saturday, September 18, 1-4 p.m. ||| FROM ORCAS CENTER ||| Over the past year and a half, as Orcas Center has been closed, we have been busy at work renovating our spaces, doing some serious deep cleaning, and refreshing our entire facility. The Center is looking
Guest Opinion | Hey, county councilors, it’s time to think like an engineer
||| FROM JANET ALDERTON ||| A letter to our County Councilors: Please think like an engineer and reduce risks by making wise Comprehensive Plan updates. I think my daughter’s fate to become a civil engineer was sealed by two events: I left a book titled Why Buildings Fall Down lying around
Public notice | Road work ahead near West Sound bridge
||| FROM COLIN HUNTAMEYER for SAN JUAN PUBLIC WORKS DEPT. ||| Deer Harbor Road near West Sound Bridge Who: Public Works Department working with Mike Carlson Enterprises Inc. Onsite construction supervisor: Jeff Sharp, (360) 298-4710, jeffs@sanjuanco.com What: Deer Harbor Road will be closed to thru traffic and will also be
Emmanuel Episcopal members, community awaken to overnight surprise art installation
||| BY LIN MCNULTY, theORCASONIAN EDITOR ||| Emmanuel Episcopal members were surprised when they saw the church grounds on Saturday morning, September 11. Photos by Bill Bangs. An unknown creative islander or tourist or visitor had installed replicas of the World Trade Center buildings in the center of
Letter to Editor | Do not let us, nor our children, forget September 11
||| FROM JOHN ERLY ||| When I visited the Orcas Island Fire Station across from the airport on September 11, I expected to see folks coming and going from the 9-11 Memorial. Small American flags lined the walk in front of the station. Just inside the door is a piece
Frank Loudin art sale continues at Orcas Center
||| FROM ORCAS CENTER VISUAL ARTS COMMITTEE ||| Island treasure and renowned watercolorist, Frank Loudin considers himself first and foremost a storyteller. His illustrative ability and fluidity with the watercolor medium have provided him the tools to tell loving, poetic stories through his paintings. Pregnant Guppy by Frank Loudin
Upcoming classes at Island Hospital: Memory improvement, pregnancy nutrition
||| FROM RACHEL LAMBERT for ISLAND HOSPITAL ||| Island Hospital offers free memory improvement class Join Island Hospital speech-language pathologist Libby Lewis, MA, MEd CCC-SLP, to learn strategies and activities to improve your memory and keep your mind sharp. Wednesday, September 29, from 10:30–11:15 a.m. This is a free, online class. Register online
Disturbing new video of self-harm emerges of Marineland’s orca, Kiska
Truly disturbing video. Brace yourself. ||| FROM BlogTO, TORONTO ||| Two more concerning videos have just been leaked of Kiska, Marineland's most famous and undeniably loneliest animal, as people continue to fight for her release after years of mistreatment. If you care at all for the plight of living creatures
Learn how to run construction projects with EDC and LCLT free course
||| FROM MICKEY VON DASSOW for ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL ||| The Economic Development Council (EDC) and Lopez Community Land Trust (LCLT) are offering a free course on conceptual skills to run a construction project effectively. Instructors Sandy Bishop (Executive Director, Lopez Community Land Trust) and Pete Kilpatrick (former owner of
