Here’s a thought…
“Old age is no joke, but it can feel like one.”
TAD TOMPKINS
No jury duty, July 14 – 18
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| JURY DUTY: JULY 14-18, 2025 All jurors summonsed for jury duty beginning Monday July 14th through Friday July 18th, are excused. Thank you.
Potential purchase by County of property on Decatur Island to support barge landing access
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County’s Public Works Department is seeking to purchase property on Decatur Island, adjacent to the only developed public marine facility on the island – the barge landing. The County has entered into a purchase and sale agreement for the acquisition
Wildland fire still burning, but contained, on Orcas Island
||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN for SJC DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ||| Orcas Island Fire and Rescue has been responding the afternoon/evening of Tuesday July 8th to an active wildland fire in the vicinity of Melba Lane and Bobbyann Road on the West side of Orcas Island, just north of West
The Texas floods were made worse by climate denialism
Elected officials must be held accountable, now and in the future, for the lives lost in disasters brought on by increasingly extreme weather ||| FROM MICHAEL BLOOMBERG at BLOOMBERG.COM ||| The tragic news out of central Texas has been heartbreaking, but it’s also been maddening — because so many lives
Heritage Apples and Wild Hybrids | A deep look at resilience through local food
What do forgotten orchards and wild-growing trees reveal about our island’s future? ||| FROM STEPHANIE PRIMA for SAN JUAN GRANGE ||| Botanist Madrona Murphy returns to the Grange to share discoveries from her work with Kwiaht, the San Juan-based conservation research group. This month’s Islands Resilience lecture explores island-grown apples—some
Free concert this Sunday | Rafe Pearlman and Friends
||| FROM BETHANY MARIE for ORCAS CENTER ||| Orcas Center is thrilled to announce a special performance featuring Rafe Pearlman & Friends alongside Micaela Kingslight on Sunday, July 13, 2025, at 5:00 PM on the Village Green. This free event is part of Orcas Center’s Summer Concert Series and is
Lori Fast works on display at Orcas Library
||| FROM ANDREA COHEN for ORCAS ISLAND LIBRARY ||| July’s Library art exhibit is a tribute to Island artist Lori Fast, who passed away in December 2024 after a years-long battle with cancer. For years, Lori was part of a small, close-knit group of islanders who met weekly for afternoons
Have a garden question? Ask an Orcas Master Gardener
Now at the Market Garden Nursery ||| FROM JULIA TURNEY and JAY LUCAS for ORCAS MASTER GARDENERS ||| Do you have a question about your soil, have a problem with your fruit tree, or are thinking about starting a garden? Is something bugging your plants, or you are curious about
Fires reported to OIFR for first week of July 2025
||| FROM BEN LUNA for ORCAS ISLAND FIRE & RESCUE ||| Between July 1 and July 4, Orcas Island Fire and Rescue responded to five fire calls, including two structure fires in Olga. The first structure fire began at approximately midnight on the 1st, and the second structure fire began
Ferry Talk | Governor Ferguson to host Orcas Island public meeting
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF GOV. FERGUSON ||| The governor is visiting Orcas Island on Monday, July 14, and he will be hosting a public meeting at noon at Orcas Center. We invite the public to come and share their experiences and feedback about Washington State Ferries with the governor
Reports of ICE detaining male on San Juan
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE via FACEBOOK ||| Reports of ICE being present at the Sandpiper Apartments at 250 Tucker Ave this morning, detaining one individual, and taking them away started coming in around 7:50 am. The call notes report that a silver SUV (later found to possibly
Noam Chomsky | How much time is left until the end of Trump
||| BY NOAM CHOMSKY ||| Discover the powerful message behind “How Much Time Is Left Until the End of Trump,” a thought-provoking speech that explores the rise and eventual decline of one of the most influential political figures in modern history. This speech dives into the inevitability of change, the
Weedkiller ingredient widely used in US can damage organs and gut bacteria, research shows
Diquat is banned in the UK, EU, China and other countries. The US has resisted calls to regulate it ||| FROM THE GUARDIAN ||| The herbicide ingredient used to replace glyphosate in Roundup and other weedkiller products can kill gut bacteria and damage organs in multiple ways, new research shows.
Act now to save killer whales, urges new report
Rising marine noise as shipping increases is one key cause of the dangerous decline in the southern resident killer whale population. ||| FROM THE TYEE ||| In March, nearly three dozen scientists gathered over three days in Vancouver with a single focus — to evaluate the state of the southern
WCK serves families and first responders after historic Texas floods
||| FROM WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN ||| Historic flooding has devastated communities across central Texas, submerging homes, stranding families, and prompting widespread evacuations. Intense rain caused the Guadalupe River to rise 26 feet in 45 minutes. Within hours of rescue operations beginning, World Central Kitchen was on the scene. Our team
Beach cleanup at Eastsound Waterfront Park
Join the Fun, Protect the Shoreline ||| FROM JESSICA ARDIS ||| On Saturday, July 19th, community members and visitors alike are invited to roll up their sleeves for a good cause: protecting Orcas Island’s beloved beaches from microplastic pollution. The cleanup will take place from 11am to 1pm at Eastsound
