Here’s a thought…
“Once a man has tasted freedom he will never be content to be a slave. That is why I believe that this frightfulness we see everywhere today is only temporary. Tomorrow will be better for as long as America keeps alive the ideals of freedom and a better life.”
WALT DISNEY
What is a Chief? How native values can teach resilience
||| FROM DIDIER GINCIG for ODD FELLOWS HALL ||| Artist and Muckleshoot tribal member, John Holliday, will speak about native values and resilience at the Odd Fellows Hall on Friday, November 21st at 6:00. The presentation is relevant to day-to-day challenges faced by our society and as individuals. John Holilday is a blind speaker who is part of
County recognizes Native American Heritage Month w/ proclamation & affirms tribal engagement efforts
Native American Heritage Month and Day celebrate the cultures, history, traditions, art, and contributions Native peoples bring to our communities. ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| During the November 10 Council meeting, a proclamation was issued recognizing November 2025 as National Native American Heritage Month in San Juan County,
Avian flu season | Message from WDFW and Kwiaht
||| FROM RUSSEL BARSH for KWIAHT ||| It’s that time of year when the risk of avian flu in migrating geese, ducks and other waterfowl is greatest. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and KWIAHT ask all of our neighbors in the San Juan Islands to help us be
ATOI announces auditions for A Christmas Carol, a live radio show
||| FROM ACTORS THEATER OF ORCAS ISLAND ||| ATOI announces auditions for A Christmas Carol: A Live Radio Show. Auditions to be held at the Grange, Wednesday November 19th @ 6:00 pm! There will be 5 rehearsals with 3 performances on December 12th, 13th and 14th. Many roles available, including live sound
News Brief | Next year an ambulance ride in Spokane may be more than 5 times higher
||| FROM SPOKESMAN REVIEW ||| Patients who used an ambulance in the city of Spokane, for instance, will pay a base fee of $5,275 starting June 1 plus $52.49 per mile. That compares to $975 for a ride plus $23.45 per mile they paid in 2021. “We have so many
Larsen releases statement on Trump’s tariff executive order
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U.S. REP RICK LARSEN ||| WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) released the following statement after President Trump issued an executive order dropping some agriculture products from its reciprocal tariffs: “The President is once again trying to fix a problem he created, but
News Brief | A Florida report: Economy, food, and fishing
||| FROM SUBSTACK.COM ||| “We don’t have Canadians coming anymore,” said a Sarasota restaurateur. Her lunches and ambiance haven’t changed. Her politics have completely reversed. “Trump killed my business,” she said. Others mention the issue of healthcare and cite the policy of no vaccination for measles prevention. Other businesses in
No Place Like Loam | Winter Garden: What my grandfather’s war garden still teaches me
||| NO PLACE LIKE LOAM by ALEX TAMAYA-WOLF ||| Before dawn the wind comes down off Turtleback like it’s got something personal against me. I step out anyway, half-awake, basketless, breath fogging into the dark. The winter beds are holding steady--barely--but enough to get me through the day: Forellenschluss with
Is this imposter syndrome?
||| FROM ISLAND STEWARDS ||| Looking at the population of San Juan County, it’s easy to wonder how such a tiny place—just 0.000212% of the world’s population—expects to make even the smallest dent in the challenges around us. Our demographic reality is clear: we are aging, our working-age population is
Make your voice heard | Council to hold public hearing on the 2025 Comp Plan update
Council will hold a public hearing on November 25 to accept public comments before formally adopting the updates to the Comp Plan. ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County is updating its Comprehensive Plan (Comp Plan) as part of its 2025 Growth Management Act Periodic Update. Throughout
Guest Opinion | The future of democracy in the United States
An historical perspective ||| FROM DAVID KOBRIN ||| In a representative democracy, it is the people themselves who determine who their leaders will be. This is done through majority rule in open and fair elections. If elections are tainted by restricting voting rights, or by falsifying results, then the purpose
News Brief | WA and Alaska halibut fishing crews see troubling signs
||| FROM THE SEATTLE TIMES ||| The fishing has become a lot tougher, and, last year, a fall fishing trip in the Bering Sea was an outright disaster. Halibut now appear to be at, or near, their lowest point of the past century. In 1973, an average 16-year-old halibut weighed
News Brief | How snowy could it be this winter?
||| FROM WASHINGTON POST ||| No, the colors of the woolly bear caterpillar you saw in your backyard this fall can’t tell you if it’s going to be a snowy winter. The ingredients needed to generate blockbuster snowstorms or persistently snowy winters — freezing air and moisture — are linking
Here’s what’s happening at Orcas Senior Center
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Mindful Tranquility Julia first discovered Buddhism while photographing nomadic families in Nepal, where she was struck by their spiritual richness and generosity. Back in the U.S., she studied Buddhist teachings, immersed herself in Dharma talks, and later worked at Spirit Rock
WA State age- and dementia-friendly survey
||| FROM DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL AND HEALTH SERVICES ||| Washington state is taking meaningful steps to become more age- and dementia-friendly — and we need your help to ensure every voice is heard. DSHS is partnering with the Department of Health and Health Care Authority to gather input from older
Midnight Mutterings | The right to be fat
||| MIDNIGHT MUTTERINGS by JACKIE BATES ||| I have been reading a bit about Kate Manne, an Australian-born, Cornell philosophy professor, who, among her published books, writes about ‘fat phobia.’ and the prejudice against people who are ‘overweight,’ especially women. Instead of my trying to repeat what she says, you
