Island News
Local headlines from around the San Juans
County parks recruiting camp hosts for 2027
As the 2026 season comes to a close, San Juan County Parks Dept is actively recruiting camp hosts for 2027. Interested in waking up each day in some of the most beautiful parks the San Juan Islands have to offer? Love interacting with and educating a variety of different people? Then camp hosting might be […]
WSF experiencing lack of crew affecting San Juan routes
For Monday, October 5, Vessel #1 Chelan and #2 Yakima will be out of service due to the lack of crew. The #3 Samish will sail all-stops from Anacortes to Lopez, Shaw, Orcas, and Friday Harbor Update: The following sailings are canceled today, Monday, Oct. 5: Westbound: 11:55 a.m. from Anacortes to Shaw and Orcas Eastbound: 12:55 p.m. Shaw > 1:30 p.m. Orcas > 2:00 p.m. Lopez > Anacortes. The 1:35 p.m. sailing from […]
Burn permits now local on Orcas Island
Orcas Island Fire and Rescue (OIFR) will begin issuing burn permits for Orcas Island. Permits will be available starting October 12, 2026, if weather and conditions allow. The process is online. Apply and pay at orcasfire.org. The site also has burn safety rules and requirements. You may also come to Station 21 at 45 Lavender Lane to purchase in-person. Please note this is a new process and application portal […]
Orcas Island Clothing Bank returns this fall
The Orcas Island Clothing Bank will return this fall, offering community members an opportunity to find clothing and other household items while giving gently used goods a second life. The Clothing Bank will be held Oct. 24-25 at the Orcas Christian School (OCS) gymnasium. The event will be open from 1-6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25. Community members are encouraged to shop both days, with new items added […]
Letter to Editor | I am enthusiastic about Katherine Bryant Ingman
I am giving my enthusiastic support to our County Council candidate Katherine Bryant Ingman. As a thirty five year resident of the County and past Planning Commission Chair, Councilperson and Mayor for the Town of Friday Harbor I see a rare opportunity in electing someone who has shown dedication to issues faced by her community and has worked tirelessly to solve them. I see Katherine’s age as an advantage over the status quo we have […]
October 5: Update – Samish will make all-stops sailings – Links to schedule
For Monday, October 5, Vessel #1 Chelan and #2 Yakima will be out of service due to the lack of crew. The #3 Samish will sail all-stops from Anacortes to Lopez, Shaw, Orcas, and Friday. The interisland #4 Tillikum will assist with Anacortes-Friday Harbor traffic. OCTOBER 5 SCHEDULE SAN JUAN ISLAND https://wsdot.com/Ferries/Schedule/scheduledetail.aspx?tripdate=20261005&departingterm=1&arrivingterm=10&roundtrip=true LOPEZ ISLAND: https://wsdot.com/Ferries/Schedule/scheduledetail.aspx?tripdate=20
October 5: Public hearings on county budget, property tax rate
San Juan County Council will hold five public hearings October 5, 2026. The agenda and instructions on how to participate in the meeting is posted below. The meeting can be streamed. https://sanjuancowa.portal.civicclerk.com/ Monday, October 5, 2026 Legislative Hearing Room, 55 Second Street, Friday Harbor, WA To call in for Public Comment Sign Up by 9am […]
October 10: Surina Block Party – Friday Harbor
October 11: An Act of Faith: Fanciful Yarns and Old Timey Tales – Friday Harbor
Forester’s Notes | Times are tough
The excellent adventure of the Extension Forestry Program has become a bit of a bogus journey of late. We have been hit with significant budget cuts. A few months ago, we lost 40% of our state funding. On the county side of things, San Juan County has now joined Skagit County in withdrawing all support for Extension Forestry education programs, so education resources are dwindling in the North Sound […]
I’m Not the Church Lady | Marketing as a spiritual practice
Marketing as a Spiritual Practice I think maybe God has a Bingo cage. You know the kind—the big wire ball somebody cranks around at Bingo Night while everyone sits staring at their cards, waiting to see what number comes tumbling out. “B-12!” People look down. Nope. “G-46!” Someone puts a little marker on his card. “I-7!” And so it goes. Except I’m beginning to suspect that somewhere along the way […]
October 16, 17 and 23, 24 and 30, 31: Haunted Roche Harbor Cemetery Tours
October 16, 17 and 23, 24 and 30, 31 | sunset to 10 pm | Roche Harbor Cemetery Tours | 193 Afterglow Dr | Friday Harbor,
Schuman: Supports Swanson for county council
Dear Editor, We’ve known Jennifer Swanson for over 20 years and worked with her on numerous community events on Shaw. She’s empathetic, smart, and seemingly tireless. On issues that impact our islands’ way of life, she’s purposely well-informed and open to hearing all views. Jennifer’s a proven leader, having served on the Ferry Advisory Committee, […]
OCS students learn from Orcas Island musician Jim Bredouw
Students at Orcas Christian School had an opportunity to learn from one of Orcas Island’s longtime musicians and sound engineers when Jim Bredouw visited the school to share stories from his career, projects and music. Bredouw spoke with OCS middle and high school students about his experiences in music and sound engineering, taking students through several stages of his life, including his years as a guitarist, his career in sound engineering, his time in […]
Library to feature art of Shawna Marie Franklin
Shawna Marie Franklin will be October’s featured artist at the Orcas Island Library. Her monoprints and paintings will be displayed in a show entitled Being with Kelp: Ongoing. The subject began as an artistic endeavor when Shawna’s kayaking career ended in 2019, and continues today. Shawna has found in Bull Kelp a subject of great beauty and design options, a metaphor for her love of the ocean and a means to […]
Emmanuel’s summer Market Day helps Orcas islanders all year
Warm homes. Good food. Help in need. Services for seniors. And, for students, a chance to learn to fly. These are the gifts to Orcas islanders from shoppers at July’s Market Day, the annual rummage sale of Emmanuel Episcopal Church. From the proceeds, Emmanuel has donated $1,150 each to OPALCO’s Project Pal, the Orcas Island Food Bank, the Orcas Community Resource Center, Orcas Senior Center, and to the Air Hawks Flying […]
Artworks featured artist for October is Maria Papademetriou
Orcas artist Maria Papademetriou describes her work is a kind of visual storytelling used to create a narrative, mood,, or message. “My creative process is multilayered and intuitive, using found objects, ceramics, and old photographs. “From a very early age, 4 to be exact, I have been fascinated by the discarded and the forgotten. I strive to give these objects, a new life and a new story. “Through my art, I seek […]
Midnight Mutterings | Hand II
I’m calling this ‘Hand II because I think I wrote a column years earlier called ‘Hand’ about my brother’s serious injury to his right hand when he was eight years old that put him into an six+ hour surgery followed by months in hospital in a ward filled with adult male soldiers with war injuries. My brother’s hand and life were saved by penicillin newly added to wound treatment. Shots every three hours […]
Town of Friday Harbor Proclamation | Hope to live free of abuse
PROCLAMATION WHEREAS, October is recognized nationally as Domestic Violence Awareness Month; and WHEREAS, domestic violence is a complex and pervasive public health crisis that affects individuals without regard to age, race, gender, education, religious, economic, or societal lines; and WHEREAS, domestic violence is not just physical violence; it often presents as sexual, psychological, emotional, financial, or technological abuse; and WHEREAS, domestic violen
San Juan County sheriff’s log
The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office responded to the following calls.
Supporting our strong community
Strong communities are built by people who choose to engage, learn, and lead, and this fall we have several ways to support that work on Orcas. In August, Eric Liu visited Orcas Island for our National Nonprofit Day program, Beyond the Echo Chamber: Strengthening Civic Culture on Orcas Island. His message about listening across differences and taking part in civic life resonated with everyone in the room. If you missed […]
Getting to Know Katherine | People-first leadership & proven results
Excellent council members bring neighbors together, build on community strengths, identify solutions by focusing on shared goals, and lead through change and crisis with empathy and compassion. I have a proven, professional track record of effective community facilitation, mediation, and equitable outcomes — even in circumstances where diverse viewpoints seemed irreconcilable. With the Lopez Island Prevention Coalition, I helped bu
In Memoriam | Doug Marshall
It is difficult to find the words to say goodbye to someone who has been an important part of my life. My beloved husband, Doug Marshall, passed away on September 15 with me by his side. Doug loved this island, and in 1995 made a decision to purchase property in West Sound and to build our retirement home. He loved the beauty of the island, the quiet moments, the familiar places, and most of […]