Island News
Local headlines from around the San Juans
LWVSJ Observer Corps | SJC Board of Health September 16, 2026
Arlesia Bailey is the new executive director of Accountable Communities of Health (ACH). Evergreen Recovery has posted two job positions, based in the county and in partnership with the SJC Sheriff’s Department. Northwest Regional Council (NWRC) approved a 3% budget increase ($210 for the county). The NWRC is part of a statewide consortium to lobby the state legislature to maintain funding streams for health homes and senior nutrition progra
Updated | Coming to Orcas Center | Kids Got Talent show
UPDATE: The time for Saturday’s show has been changed to 6 p.m. Orcas Center’s annual youth talent show will highlight the island’s youngest performers who will sing and dance, do skits or play an instrument. The show is on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 5 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 27 at 2 p.m., and will be hosted by 12-year-old Agathe Elverum. Kids Got Talent is directed by Clint McCune. The show is […]
Guest Column: Jennifer Swanson impressed by community participation
Dear Editor, This week, I had the pleasure of experiencing community engagement, up close on both Waldron and Lopez Islands. Last Sunday, I visited the Waldron community and had several informative conversations. I heard their concerns about receiving county services on a remote island, along with basic infrastructure issues. I was able to share my […]
Christine Hopkins: Supports Swanson for county Council
Dear Editor, There are many reasons I support Jennifer Swanson in her bid for Council Position #3. I’d like to focus on two of her strengths: Jennifer is hard working and displays equanimity when leading. Jennifer has stepped into a variety of community organizations on Shaw Island and throughout the San Juan Islands. You can […]
Carole Davis: Supports Swanson for county Council
I was very pleased to learn that Jennifer Swanson was running for our county council. I cannot imagine a more qualified candidate. I have known Jennifer for more than 20 years. She is smart, informed, well organized, articulate, and responsible. She has a wonderful way of bringing people together, making people feel heard, and diffusing […]
Sheila Gaugin: Supports Swanson for county Council
I’m voting for Jennifer Swanson for County Council, District 3 position, and I hope you will too. I have known Jennifer for more than 20 years and have seen her in numerous community service roles, including school board, Ferry Advisory Committee, The Shaw Community Land Trust board, the teacher housing committee, and more. Of all Jennifer’s […]
Yoga & Ukulele Thursday mornings at Orcas Center
Yogalele’s fall season is now in session! Join us Thursday mornings from 8:30 to 9:15am in the Madrona Room at Orcas Center to stretch and strum, pluck and smile, experience savasana, and possibly learn a few new moves and chords. All levels (yoga and ukulele) welcome, each class tailored to the attendees. Bring your mat and your ukulele if you have one (ukes are not required, non-players always welcome!) and get your […]
Coming to Orcas Center | Yungchen Lhamo in concert with Rafe Pearlman
Internationally acclaimed Tibetan singer Yungchen Lhamo, recipient of the 2026 Distinguished Artist Award from the City of Kingston Arts Commission and the Department of Arts & Cultural Affairs, will make her first-ever visit to Orcas Island this fall. She will perform in concert at Orcas Center on Saturday, Oct. 3, with Rafe Pearlman as the opening artist. Yungchen will sing some songs a cappella, others accompanied by guitarist John Alevi
Orcas Christian School brings generations together for Grandparents Lunch
The lunch at Orcas Christian School (OCS) was filled with conversation, laughter and familiar faces as students welcomed grandparents and other special guests for the school’s first Grandparents Lunch. Held in celebration of Grandparents Day, the event brought around 25 grandparents and guests to campus to share a meal and spend time with OCS students. For OCS Vice Principal Kammi Griffen, seeing the room filled with students and their loved ones was what made
Katherine Bryant Ingman on San Juan County budget
San Juan County is set to spend more than it takes in for 2027. To legally balance the budget, it needs to cut $3.7 million. This didn’t happen overnight. In April 2026, a levy lift failed, with over 60% voting no, forcing difficult decisions. Costs the county can’t control have kept climbing: state mandated programs,insurance, and inflation have all grown faster than revenue. Some revenue tools haven’t kept up. Permit […]
Port of Friday Harbor: Island Air moving into Hangar 80; Port staff working with county on Cannery property uses
LWVSJ Observer Corps: Friday Harbor Port Commission, September 11, 2026 meeting Michelle Herko, Friday Harbor Labs Program Director, reported on the program she oversees allowing fifth grade students to perform water testing at the Friday Harbor Marina. They share their results with the Port. She emphasized the program’s value and submitted a funding request to […]
September 20: Paws, Pedals and People at Eastsound airport
Paws, Pedals and People | Sunday, Sept 20 | 9 to 11 am | Orcas Island Airport | Free. Orcas Island Port Commission’s ‘Better, not Bigger’ project includes a major rehabilitation of the runway.. Before any aircraft touches it, they invite the Orcas community to come walk it, run it, bike it, bring the dog. […]
September 20: Writing Workshop Orcas Island Library
Sep 20, 2026 | 2 to 4 PM | Orcas Island Public Library | 500 Rose St | Eastsound | RSVP Join Island Verse founder Danny Sherrard for a free, in-depth writing workshop from 2–4 PM at the Orcas Island Library. We’ll spend the afternoon digging into the craft, generating new work, and making space to […]
September 27: Poetry Reading: Gary Thompson with Sam and Sally Green
Sunday, September 27, 2026 | 3 to 4:30 pm | San Juan Island Library Join us for a delightful afternoon of local poetry, with San Juan Islander Gary Thompson, and Waldron Islanders Sam and Sally Green, who are launching their newest collections of poetry. For half a century Sally Green has been the caretaker of words […]
September 21: Poetry of Place at Westside Preserve
September 21, 2026 | 5 to 7 PM | Westside Preserve | 296 West Side Rd #298 | Friday Harbor, WA Join land steward Shauna Barrows and Danny Sherrard at the West Side Preserve for a Poetry of Place writing workshop! Find nature in your nature and your nature in nature. Island Verse event
Letter to Editor | Civic engagement beyond ballot box
This week, I had the pleasure of experiencing community engagement, up close on both Waldron and Lopez Islands. Last Sunday, I visited the Waldron community and had several informative conversations. I heard their concerns about receiving county services on a remote island, along with basic infrastructure issues. I was able to share my priorities as a candidate for council, especially around the complex budget challenges our county is f
Letter to Editor | Why I support Swanson for Council
I’m voting for Jennifer Swanson for County Council, District 3 position, and I hope you will too. I have known Jennifer for more than 20 years and have seen her in numerous community service roles, including school board, Ferry Advisory Committee, The Shaw Community Land Trust board, the teacher housing committee, and more. Of all Jennifer’s volunteer roles, none could have been more challenging or meaningful to the community than the seven years she served as […]
Midnight Mutterings | About lying
Have been thinking about lying lately and why it’s so disturbing. My conclusion is that part of why it is so confusing to me is that it makes me question my own perceptions. Can I really have been so wrong about what I observed, what I saw and heard and the conclusions I reached? Does another person think I can be convinced that what I recall is in error. (I mean, beyond just […]
Preparing for a resilient future
As Orcas Islanders prepare for fall, shorter days, harvesting buckets upon buckets of apples, and unpredictable weather, many nonprofit organizations are launching fall programs and events, and are working to raise awareness and support for the needs of the community. Fall is a perfect time to get engaged, meet new people, and take part in shaping the future of the organizations you care about. If you’re considering joining a b
Call to Artists | Community show: Six X Six
Art intake on October 22; Art Opening on October 23 The Visual Arts Committee of Orcas Center announces a new community show — “Six x Six” – to open on October 23. For this show, we will be filling the Madrona Room with a multitude of small works of art, each measuring approximately six inches by six inches. Space permitting, up to six pieces per artist will be accepted. […]
Community budget with county council chair Justin Paulsen scheduled Sept. 23 on San Juan
The San Juan County Council Chair and District 2 Representative will hold a meeting with the community to discuss the County budget and related fiscal challenges at the San Juan Island Library Meeting Room from 6:00-7:30 p.m. San Juan County Council Chair and District 2 representative Justin Paulsen is hosting “Community Budget with County Council Chair Justin Paulsen” – an opportunity to hear the outline of how the County budget works, ask questions,
Build Financial Confidence | Space still available in Orcas Money Smart
There is still time to register for Orcas Money Smart, a practical 7-month financial education program from Orcas Community Resource Center that helps community members build financial confidence and make informed decisions about saving, spending, borrowing, and protecting their money. Now in its fifth year, Orcas Money Smart offers a welcoming space for participants to strengthen everyday financial skills and better understand the choices tha
Kwiaht launches arsenic testing and action project
Islands conservation laboratory Kwiaht is seeking participants in a study of the extent of arsenic contamination in island wells, and actions to reduce adverse health effects Islanders may be at increased risk of colon cancer due to the widespread presence of small amounts of arsenic in the islands’ well water. Although the regulatory ceiling for arsenic in drinking water is 10 parts per billion (ppb) in Washington State, concentrations as low as one […]
Call to artists | ‘Of the Water’ community show at Orcas Center
Art intake on September 23; Art Opening on September 25 The Visual Arts Committee of Orcas Center announces a new community show — “Of the Water” – to open on September 25. For this show, the VAC welcomes artists to contribute pieces that reflect their own interpretation of the theme. Space permitting, up to three pieces per artist will be accepted and all art mediums will be considered for display. Community shows […]