Here’s a thought…
“Old age is no joke, but it can feel like one.”
TAD TOMPKINS
County launches pilot project to provide marine transportation services
Services begin this week and will conclude on June 30, 2025 ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County is pleased to launch marine transportation services throughout the islands as part of a pilot project. These services include emergency barge and foot-passenger transportation during disruptions to Washington State
Letter to Editor | About that Public Works plan on Shaw…
||| FROM JENNIFER WOODBRIDGE ||| Dear County Council, County Manager, and Community Planner: Public Works is planning a future for Shaw Island that most Shaw residents have neither asked for nor want. Public Works’ plan includes heavy industrial activity entirely inconsistent with the spirit and intent of the Shaw Subarea
Quiet your mind, walk the labyrinth at Emmanuel Episcopal
||| FROM NANCY AYER ||| What is a labyrinth? A labyrinth is a single, winding path, often in a circular or spiral pattern, that leads from an entrance to a center and back out again. It is distinct from a maze, which has multiple paths and dead ends, intended to be a
LWVSJ Observer Corps | San Juan County Council April 14, 2025
||| FROM NECIA QUAST for LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS ||| Kari Koski updated the Council on the Derelict Vessel program. Old boats are hard to dispose of and our county offers ideal conditions for people to abandon or hide failing boats. San Juan County was the first in the state
Humans will soon understand dolphins, claim experts
||| FROM THE TELEGRAPH ||| The launch of a new artificial intelligence model has brought humans closer to understanding dolphins, experts claim. Google DeepMind’s DolphinGemma is programmed with the world’s largest collection of vocalisations from Atlantic spotted dolphins, recorded over several years by the Wild Dolphin Project. It is hoped
Loyalty to the Earth | Earth Day was born in the Age of Machines
We do not live in the world. We live in a picture of the world. — Joseph Campbell ||| LOYALTY TO THE EARTH by ELISABETH ROBSON ||| What does it mean to be alive in a world ruled by machines? It means waking up to the hum of electricity before
Earth Day Film Fest news
||| FROM EARTH DAY ORCAS & FRIENDS ||| This is a fun week with great films to enjoy - in person on Orcas, or online from where ever you are. Films that inform and inspire. Even one we produced here in the islands: Island Grown in the San Juans. A
Reminder | Ballots are due by Tuesday
||| FROM CAMOLYN ARMSTRONG, SAN JUAN COUNTY ELECTIONS MANAGER ||| Orcas voters will cast their vote for the Orcas Island Health Care 10-year temporary levy lid lift measure.
Worlds of Color art coming to Senior Center
||| FROM SUSAN SLAPIN ||| Orcas Senior Center beginning May 5 through June, 2025 WORLDS OF COLOR By Two Island Women
Orcas pianist receives First Place award in state Young Composers Project
||| FROM SHELLY RUSSELL ||| Thurmond Russell, 17, of Orcas Island participated in the Washington State Music Teachers Association 2025 Young Composers Project. Thurmond’s composition, Waltz Ballade for solo piano, was awarded first place in his age group. He will perform his winning composition at the WSMTA State Conference in
Rep. Larsen Calls for Kilmar Abrego García’s return to U.S.
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF US REP. RICK LARSEN ||| Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) released the following statement on the Oval Office meeting between President Trump and the President of El Salvador Nayib Bukele: “It is illegal to deport American citizens to foreign prisons. It
If Kilmar Abrego García is doomed, we all are
It’s the administrative error from hell — and that should terrify all of us. ||| FROM WASHINGTON POST ||| Where it stands right now is that Kilmar Abrego García appears to be out of options. The United States government says it is not legally obligated to save him; the Salvadoran
Land Bank will meet on Friday
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY CONSERVATION LAND BANK COMMISSION ||| The San Juan County Conservation Land Bank Commission will hold a regular monthly meeting on April 18, 2025 from 8:30am – 11:10am via Zoom. The meeting will also be available for in person public attendance at the Lopez Island Family Resource Center, located
Start of summer reservations delayed until April 22
||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| Due to technical issues with the WSF reservation waiting room, the summer 2025 release has been moved out one week to Tuesday, April 22 at 10 a.m. We apologize for the frustration and issues this morning.
Time to report: How did your Garden Club daffodil bulbs bloom?
||| FROM NANCY REAS for ORCAS GARDEN CLUB ||| Hello to all of you who received daffodil bulbs from the Garden Club last October as part of Project Blossom. Hopefully, they have all bloomed and are bringing you joy. We have already heard from many of you, almost half of
Bring your plant questions to Master Gardeners on Wednesday
||| FROM KATE YTURRI for SJC MASTER GARDENERS ||| As we welcome spring with days spent in our gardens, we have high hopes of success. However, sometimes the weather, insects, disease, or our garden practices betray our dedication. The Master Gardeners of San Juan County are here to help with
