Here’s a thought…
“Old age is no joke, but it can feel like one.”
TAD TOMPKINS
Celebrate summer and support the library at the Annual Library Fair Book Sale
||| FROM MADELINE SHEPLOR for FRIENDS OF THE ORCAS ISLAND LIBRARY ||| The Friends of the Orcas Island Library (FOIL) warmly invite community members of all ages to the beloved Annual Library Fair Summer Book Sale on Saturday, August 9th, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Orcas Island
Governor Ferguson selects Eastern Shipbuilding Group to construct new ferries
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF GOV. BOB FERGUSON ||| SEATTLE – Governor Bob Ferguson today announced he has selected the $714.5 million bid from Florida-based Eastern Shipbuilding Group to build three new 160-vehicle hybrid-electric ferries. Washington State Ferries (WSF) will move forward with the contracting process, following the first competitive
These Washington laws take effect July 1
||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE STANDARD ||| Fee hikes for hunting and fishing licenses, workplace protections for immigrants and increased requirements for gun dealers are among the Washington state laws going into effect July 1. Drivers can also expect increased prices at the pump as a 6-cent hike in Washington’s gas
Calling all pickleballers | Register NOW for summer tournament
August 2-3 at Buck Park on Orcas Island ||| FROM SUZANNE OLSON for ORCAS ISLAND PICKLEBALL CLUB Orcas Island Pickleball Club is pleased to announce the 8 th Annual Orca Island Pickleball Tournament will take place Saturday, August 2nd and Sunday August 3rd, 2025. Saturday will feature mixed doubles play;
Youth Green Boating summer internship
||| FROM AYN GAILEY for FRIENDS OF THE SAN JUANS ||| Help protect the Salish Sea this summer! Lead friendly, face-to-face dockside outreach promoting clean boating. $20/hr for just 4 hours/week with a flexible schedule. Must be 16+, have reliable transportation, and have an interest in marine conservation and public
Funhouse seeking future rockstars
||| FROM NICOLE SPINOGATTI for FUNHOUSE COMMONS ||| Attention musical Orcas teens! The Funhouse is pleased to announce the advent of a brand new music program: Academy of Sound. In this two week summer camp, teens will form bands, develop talent, build and perform a live set, and have fun!
Fairgrounds ready to welcome summer picnickers, fairgoers, campers, and more
These upgrades – including new roads, restrooms, roofs, and paint – will benefit the community for years to come. ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| If you haven’t been to the County Fairgrounds lately, you might be surprised by the improved accessibility, refreshed look, and wide range of facility
SJC Monthly News Digest | June 2025
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| County’s Pilot Project for Marine Transport Services Concludes June marked the final month of the County’s transportation project, providing emergency barge and foot-passenger transportation during disruptions to Washington State Ferry (WSF) service as well as travel to and from the mainland (Anacortes) on
San Juan Islands Sculpture Park bird walk
||| FROM MARITA HOLDAWAY for SJI SCULPTURE PARK ||| Join us at the San Juan Islands Sculpture Park on Wednesday, July 2 from 8-10am for our monthly bird walk with avid birder, Tyler Davis, leading the walk. Tyler tells us, “A lot of nestlings have fledged in the last month,
Litch Brothers and more to play at Village Green on July 6
||| FROM BETHANY MARIE for ORCAS CENTER ||| Join us on the Village Green on Sunday, July 6 starting at 5pm for another great FREE Summer Concert Series event presented by Orcas Center, Doe Bay Resort, GiveOrcas/OICF, and San Juan County The Litch Brothers With Tashi Litch on mandolin, Kaj
County investment in affordable housing on Orcas Island is coming to fruition
Kidder Way project will create ten new affordable homes on Orcas Island in a prime location in Eastsound ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| This summer, construction is in full swing at the Kidder Way affordable housing project on Orcas Island. Foundations have been poured, walls have been framed,
Sheriff’s Office statement on incident involving a joint patrol with Coast Guard, Customs & Border Patrol
||| FROM SHERIFF ERIC PETER ||| On the afternoon of 6/26/25, Sheriff’s Boat #2 being operated by Sergeant Peterson and Deputy Fowler was on a Stone Garden patrol with two U.S. Coast Guard law enforcement officers and one (CBP) Customs & Border Patrol Officer. They conducted a vessel stop/inspection on
Orcas ask humans to lunch, share massages
||| FROM DIVERNET.COM ||| More than 30 cases of wild killer whales attempting to share their prey with human beings are the subject of a study published today (30 June). The incidents, spread over four oceans, have been documented over two decades and involved the orcas offering people a range
The first rule in Trump’s Washington: Don’t write anything down
||| FROM THE WASHINGTON POST ||| At the Department of Veterans Affairs, some employees had to sign nondisclosure agreements before reviewing plans for firings and organizational shake-ups. At the Administration for Children and Families, career staff were told not to respond in writing to panicky grant recipients whose funding had
Deaths, fines, and legal drama | End of Florida theme parks with captive animals may be nigh
|||FROM DISNEY DINING ||| In a state known for its theme parks, a very different kind of attraction is now making headlines—and not for the right reasons. The glitz of roller coasters and character parades has long overshadowed the quieter controversy brewing at a series of marine parks scattered across
What we’ll lose if bird banding ends
Scientists have tagged birds for more than 100 years. That preservation program might be defunded. ||| FROM THE WASHINGTON POST ||| I did not know much about bird banding until I signed up to take part in an owl study in my neighborhood outside Portland, Oregon. A federally licensed bird
