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
WSF Weekly Report | 20.1 million customers in 2025; Governor signs ferry bill; summer reservations open Tuesday
||| FROM STEVE NEVEY for WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| A message from Steve In 2025 we carried 20.1 million customers, nearly 1 million more than the previous year. That translates to 152,592 sailings. Each one starts and ends at a ferry terminal. Only 22 trips were canceled for terminal-related issues
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.
Garden Club presents | History and cultural legacy of pansies and violas
Join us at 9:30 AM (just before the program) for social time, and feel free to bring something for the Sharing Table ||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND GARDEN CLUB ||| Please join the Orcas Island Garden Club on Wednesday, April 15 when we welcome Brenna Estrada of Three Brothers Blooms to
Larsen requests $77 Million for local job-creating infrastructure, public safety
Larsen submits requests for federal funding for 20 projects in FY27 spending bills ||| FROM THE OFFICE OF US. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) has requested $77,113,331 for 20 local projects in the Fiscal Year 2027 spending bills. “This funding will create good-paying local jobs
County receives support from Rep. Larsen for funding repairs at Orcas Landing
Applying for these new funding sources is just one of several ways the County is continuing to manage budget shortfalls in 2026 and 2027 ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| In an effort to manage budget constraints in 2026 and 2027, San Juan County pursued congressional funding to help
Hearing Examiner rejects permit that allowed a major expansion of a Whatcom County LPG terminal
||| FROM LOVEL PRATT ||| The Whatcom County Hearing Examiner sided with six local environmental groups in ruling that the County mishandled its review of a series of expansions of a liquefied petroleum gas facility near Bellingham. The groups charged that the Ferndale Terminal at Cherry Point significantly and illegally
Larsen defends free and fair elections
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U.S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) released the following statement: “President Trump has no constitutional authority to change election law by executive order. This is an unlawful effort to suppress the right to vote. No matter what the President says,
Densmore’s artwork featured at Library for April
||| FROM ANDREA COHEN for ORCAS ISLAND LIBRARY ||| David Densmore will be April’s featured artist in the Art in the Library series at the Orcas Island Library. David has been capturing the beauty and spirit of Orcas Island in his paintings for many years, and his style continues to
Town parking lot closure April 7 and 8
||| FROM JENNIFER KREMBS for TOWN OF FRIDAY HARBOR ||| Residents are advised of a temporary closure of the Town parking lot located at 330 Spring Street across from Wells Fargo Bank, April 7 through mid-day on April 8, 2026, for parking lot improvements. The Streets and Parks Department will
Let’s talk public transit for Orcas & the San Juan Islands
||| FROM COLIN WILLIAMS for FRIENDS OF RURAL PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION ||| Hosted by the Friends of Rural Public Transportation Tuesday, April 7, 2026 1:45 PM - 3:30 PM Orcas Island Public Library Community Room Online Meeting Link Imagine Orcas & the San Juan Islands where... You can hop on a
Award-winning illusion, music, puppetry show + free magic workshop
||| FROM PHINA PIPIA ||| Hailed as “Imaginative, intelligent, and strangely mesmerizing” by the San Diego Union Tribune, Phina Pipia brings award-winning solo show to the Orcas Island Odd Fellows Hall A tuba lights the way, beds make music, paintings come to life, and a radio delivers a message from
Don’t forget! Join the community meeting on April 6 to review the Critical Areas Ordinance update
YOU'RE INVITED to comment on the first draft! Join County staff on Monday, April 6, from 6:00-8:00 pm to ask questions and learn more about the regulations included in the CAO ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County is updating its critical areas protections, also referred to
News Brief | Trump issues order attempting to change rules for mail-in voting
||| FROM THE WASHINGTON POST ||| President Donald Trump signed a sweeping executive order Tuesday that purports to change rules for mail ballots even though the president has limited authority over elections. Elections experts called the order legally questionable and noted that courts blocked the major provisions of an executive
Vegetable Gardening Workshop with Dr. Carol Miles set for April 11
During the event, San Juan County Master Gardeners will be available to answer attendees’ specific gardening questions, from soil challenges to pest troubleshooting ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| The WSU Extension San Juan County Master Gardeners invite the community to kick off the 2026 gardening season at a
Orcas celebrates Trans Day of Visibility
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND PRIDE ||| Today is Trans Day of Visibility. Today, we honor our trans brethren that have passed away, and celebrate the lives of those of us still living. We did a screening of the film Heightened Scrutiny in February alongside a Q&A with the director, Sam
Independent Bookstore Day celebrates its 13th anniversary
Darvill’s Bookstore is happy to announce our participation in the 13th Anniversary of Independent Bookstore Day ||| FROM SARA FARISH for DARVILL'S BOOKSTORE & COFFEE BAR ||| This year, Darvill’s Bookstore & Coffee Bar on Orcas Island is celebrating with a full day of events for book lovers of all
