Here’s a thought…
“Deep breath. Deep breath. The air is free. You can take as many as you want.”
BUDDHIST MONK
Getting ready for Medicare
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Is 2025 your year for joining Medicare? Medicare enrollment is not automatic for most people, so you’ll probably need to enroll with Social Security. Then you’ll have to decide what type of Medicare coverage you want. To make an informed decision
Wildfire Awareness Month in the San Juans
Island Readiness Event with WA DNR, Fire Depts., Conservation Dist., and More ||| FROM ANGIE REQUENA for WILDFIRE READY ||| Date: Saturday, May 10 Time: 1:00-3:00pm PST |*Media check-in begins at 12:45pm Location: Orcas Island Fire and Rescue, Eastsound| 45 Lavender Lane, Eastsound, WA Livestream: Starting at 1:00pm Click here
Systemwide WSF community meetings, May 21-22
||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| As we expand service for the busy summer season, we will host two virtual community meetings in May to provide updates and answer questions on the latest at Washington State Ferries. Both meetings will cover the same topics. Registration is required. To learn more
Health & Community Services launches redesigned website to enhance user experience
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County Health & Community Services is proud to announce the launch of its redesigned website, aimed at providing a more intuitive, user-friendly experience for all community members. The updated site structure introduces clearly defined categories that make it easier than ever
Island Stewards | Thank you for showing up
||| FROM ISLAND STEWARDS ||| Let's Keep the Momentum Going Big thanks to everyone who showed up, spoke up, or cheered us on during the last County Planning meeting. You made it count. Transportation concerns were raised—and heard loud and clear. Friends of San Juan came ready, offering solid ideas
Annual OPALCO member festival a huge success
Madsen, Silverstein, Whitfield Win Seats in OPALCO 2025 Board Election ||| FROM JOHANNA LANGE for ORCAS POWER & LIGHT COOPERATIVE ||| On Thursday April 24, at the OPALCO Business Annual Meeting, Rick Fant of the OPALCO Election and Governance Committee announced the results of the 2025 Board Election. In District
SJC Monthly News Digest – April 2025
This column is part of a series detailing San Juan County’s recent news. Follow along each month to learn about important County projects, Council initiatives, department updates, and more. ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County Launches Pilot Project to Provide Marine Transportation Services San Juan County
Climate and Sustainability Advisory Committee seeks two new members
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County is accepting applications for volunteer positions from two districts on its Climate and Sustainability Advisory Committee. District 3 (Lopez, Shaw, Decatur, Center, Canoe) - 4-year term District 2 (Orcas, Waldron, Blakely, Obstruction, Crane) – 3-year term The Climate and Sustainability Advisory
Letter to Editor | The patient died: a parable
||| FROM BILL APPEL ||| At a faraway hospital at which that faraway region’s foremost medical specialists were on call, a comatose patient was brought in through its busy emergency entrance. The patient had been found unresponsive in the mid-afternoon shade of a city park, and brought in as a
Larsen releases statement on the passing of Yolanda Larsen
||| FROM U.S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Rick Larsen released a statement about the passing of his mother, Yolanda Larsen: “It is a sad day for me, my seven brothers and sisters, and mom’s friends and family. Our mom, Yolanda Jean Larsen (neé Rosenbach) died on
Jurors for May 5-9, 2025 are excused
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| For the jury period beginning Monday, May 5th through Friday, May 9th, all jurors are excused.
Loyalty to the Earth | Bound
When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe. — John Muir ||| LOYALTY TO THE EARTH by ELISABETH ROBSON ||| A forest is not a collection of trees. A river is not water moving downhill. A prairie is not
Salish Sea Early Music Festival returns
||| FROM JEFFREY COHAN for SALISH SEA EARLY MUSIC FESTIVAL ||| On Thursday, May 7, the Salish Sea Early Music Festival brings Louis XIV's Musicians to Orcas Island. Canadian WHAT: Louis XIV’s Musicians 2025 Salish Sea Early Music Festival on Orcas Island WHEN: Wednesday, May 7 at 5:00 PM: WHERE:
Rep. Larsen releases statement on Trump’s first 100 days
||| FROM U.S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Rick Larsen released a statement on President Trump’s first 100 days in office: “Let’s look at some numbers to judge the President’s performance. 5.5% – the increase in the cost of eggs in Everett since Trump took office. (Source:
Letter to Editor | Tidal change?
||| FROM ELISABETH BRITT ||| Investing in equitable treatment for all Washington State Ferries (WSF) workers is not just about fairness, it is vital to the system’s long-term stability and resilience. In the Pacific Northwest, the San Juan Islands are celebrated for their breathtaking beauty and deeply rooted sense of
Coming Soon | Master Gardeners spring plant sales on San Juan, Orcas
||| FROM CAITIE BLETHEN for SJC MASTER GARDENER PROGRAM ||| Healthy herbs, tomato and pepper starts, and locally grown perennial landscaping plants need new homes! One of the most anticipated signs of spring, the San Juan County Master Gardener Foundation Spring Plant Sales will take place on San Juan and
