Island News
Port Stanley Road wildland fire: Lopez brush fire renews call for preparedness
On Saturday, May 23, at 10:43 a.m., Lopez Island Fire and EMS responded to a wildland fire in the 1300 block of Port Stanley Road. According to the department’s press release, the first-in crew found “a wind driven fire, in the brush and driftwood along the beach, moving rapidly towards neighboring homes.” The cause was one Fire Chief Adam Bigby said he sees all too often — “as is the case with most wildland fires in the San Juan Islands, this was a human caused fire that started from an unatten
Blood donors needed; supply of type 0 down to less than 1-day supply
Our region is facing an emergency blood shortage across the Pacific Northwest. Nearly all blood types are dangerously low, especially Type O blood and platelets that trauma and cancer patients depend on to survive. Right now, there’s less than a one-day supply of Type O blood, and donations haven’t kept pace with patient need. Since early spring, […]
Grow Your Own Program Cultivates Skills and Community in 2026
Friday Harbor, WA — The 2026 Grow Your Own Food program helped local residents turn curiosity into confidence, equipping participants with practical skills to grow their own food while strengthening community food resilience. Originally piloted in 2019 through a collaboration between the Joyce Sobel Family Resource Center, San Juan County WSU Extension Master Gardeners, and […]
June 27: PARDESSUS DE VIOLE, FLUTE & GUITAR – Salish Sea Early Music Festival – Friday Harbor
—PARDESSUS DE VIOLE, FLUTE & GUITAR · Annalisa Pappano, pardessus de viol and treble viol · William Simms, baroque guitar and theorbo · Jeffrey Cohan, baroque flute Saturday, June 27 | 12:30 PM | St. David’s Episcopal Church | Friday Harbor The French royal court musical establishment generated a vast amount of music, to be represented by works of […]
June 6: Bach & Jacquet – Salish Sea Early Music Festival – Friday Harbor
Spanish harpsichordist Irene Roldán from Basel, Switzerland and baroque flutist Jeffrey Cohan present “Bach & Jacquet”, a program celebrating Johann Sebastian Bach and French composers whose influence he benefited from, including Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre, Louis Couperin and Pancrace Royer, in the seventh 2026 Salish Sea Early Music Festival program. Born 20 years before […]
June 6: JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH – Salish Sea Early Music Festival – Lopez Island
—JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH · Irene Roldàn, harpsichord · Jeffrey Cohan, baroque flute Saturday, June 6 on Lopez Island at 6 PM (not 6:30!) Award-winning harpsichordist Irene Roldán (www.ireneroldan.com) was born in southern Spain in 1997. Described by the press as one of the most prominent Spanish harpsichordists on the international scene (ABC Sevilla), Irene currently lives and works in Basel, Switzerland. She gained international […]
June 27: PARDESSUS DE VIOLE, FLUTE & GUITAR – Salish Sea Early Music Festival – Lopez Island
Saturday, June 27 | 6 PM: | Grace Church | Lopez Island —PARDESSUS DE VIOLE, FLUTE & GUITAR · Annalisa Pappano, pardessus de viol and treble viol · William Simms, baroque guitar and theorbo · Jeffrey Cohan, baroque flute The French royal court musical establishment generated a vast amount of music, to be represented by works of Jean-Baptiste […]
June 10: BACH & JACQUET – Salish Sea Early Music Festival – Eastsound
BACH & JACQUET · Irene Roldán (Basel, Switzerland), harpsichord · Jeffrey Cohan, baroque flute Wednesday, June 10, 2026 at 5:00 PM: Irene Roldán, who was honored with the prestigious Bach Prize and an additional special award at the XXXIII. International Bach Competition held in Leipzig, Germany, interprets Johann Sebastian Bach, Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre and Louis Couperin […]
June 30: French Perspective —Pardessus de Viole, Flute, & Guitar – Orcas Island
June 30 | 5 pm | Orcas Adventist Fellowship Church, Eastsound · Annalisa Pappano, pardessus de viol and treble viol ·William Simms, baroque guitar and theorbo · Jeffrey Cohan, baroque flute —PARDESSUS DE VIOLE, FLUTE & GUITAR The French royal court musical establishment generated a vast amount of music, to be represented by works of […]
News Brief | 23 Gray whale deaths on Washington shores since March
||| FROM MY NORTHWEST ||| Changes in the food supply on the whales’ Arctic feeding grounds are leading to a lack of food. Cascadia Research Collective said the public can help by protecting alternate feeding areas the whales rely on, like the ghost shrimp beds in North Puget Sound, and by supporting efforts to reduce entanglements and ship strikes. The latest was on Sunday in Olympic National Park, where researchers have yet to determine the cause of death. READ FULL […]
Port of Friday Harbor invites community to June 4 Open House
Jackson Beach Cannery planning and Friday Harbor Marina office public art ||| FROM MIKE ROLING for PORT OF FRIDAY HARBOR ||| The Port of Friday Harbor invites the community to a public open house on Wednesday, June 4, from 5:30 to 7:00 PM at the Mullis Community Senior Center (589 Nash St, Friday Harbor, WA 98250) to learn more about the future of the historic Jackson Beach Cannery property and share input on the next phase of planning. The event […]
Celebration of life scheduled for Catherine Pederson
||| FROM SUSAN ASPLIN ||| There will be a Celebration of Life for Catherine Pederson on Sunday, June 7, 2026, from 2-4pm, at the Orcas Center. All are invited. SEE ALSO
Grow Your Own Food program cultivates skills and community in 2026
||| FROM CAITIE BLETHEN for WSU EXTENSION SAN JUAN COUNTY ||| The 2026 Grow Your Own Food program helped local residents turn curiosity into confidence, equipping participants with practical skills to grow their own food while strengthening community food resilience. Originally piloted in 2019 through a collaboration between the Joyce Sobel Family Resource Center, San Juan County WSU Extension Master Gardeners, and San Juan County Health & Community Services, the program has since been refined
Maria Burns, Orcas Christian School class of 2026
||| FROM ORCAS CHRISTIAN SCHOOL ||| Maria Burns, a senior at Orcas Christian School, plans to attend Seattle Central College for two years after graduation to study pre-architecture before transferring to continue her education in architecture. Her favorite memory at OCS was the school’s mission trip to Hilo, which she described this way: “My favorite memory was the mission trip to Hilo, Hawaii. I loved spending two weeks with classmates and teachers while exploring the local beauty and culture
San Juan County WA Sheriff’s Log May 20-26, 2026: Road rage, belligerent bar customer, unwanted tree trimming
San Juan County Deputies responded to 211 calls from May 20 – 26, 2026 including: In the early morning hours of May 24, a San Juan deputy was dispatched to a report of a citizen assist involving an individual who was unable to remove handcuffs. The deputy removed the handcuffs and advised the individuals involved […]
AG Brown joins coalition opposing KIDS Act, supports stronger online protections for children
Submitted by the Washington State Office of Attorney General Nick Brown.
May 30: May-Fly Kite Gathering at Jacksons Beach
$120,000 grant funding available to promote 2027 tourism in Friday Harbor
The Town of Friday Harbor has a total of $120,000 in grant funding available to promote events and activities taking place within the town in 2027. The Town’s Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC) will select among activities designed to attract or entertain tourists or to operate tourism-related facilities owned or operated by nonprofit organizations. Preference […]
WA reporters call for AI regulations and higher wages
Washington News Service: Reporters at five newspapers in Washington and Idaho went on strike for one day this week after a year of bargaining with McClatchy over artificial intelligence guardrails and higher wages. The union says McClatchy, which owns the papers, has refused to pay reporters enough to live in the communities they cover. Kristine Sherred, a […]
Orcas Senior Center June highlights
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Orcas Senior Center offers a variety of ongoing classes, social groups, wellness activities, and creative programs throughout the month. All programs are open to everyone, regardless of age, and new participants are always welcome. A full calendar with dates and times is available at www.orcasseniors.org/calendar-of-events. This Month at the Senior Center: Fitness & Wellness: Chair yoga, Feldenkrais Arts & Creativity: Art with Carla, quilting, need
Audio brunch workshops coming up at Orcas Center
||| FROM COLLEEN SMITH SUMMERS for ORCAS CENTER ||| Orcas Center’s Jake Perrine will present TEN Live Sound workshops on most Sunday mornings at Orcas Center from 11am-12pm from June 14 to August 30. The workshop is open to the public, and designed for audio hobbyists who want to improve their understanding of how audio works, how to work with it, and improve their audio chops for live events, recording, etc. Tuition is a WORK TRADE! Anyone present at 11am for the each workshop will […]
Council seeks to fill open positions on Parks and Recreation Commission
Open positions currently on Orcas Island and Lopez Island with additional positions opening in June on Orcas, Shaw ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| Are you interested in helping to shape the policies that affect our San Juan County Parks? The San Juan County Council is actively seeking to fill several vacancies on the Parks and Recreation Commission. The Commission is an advisory body comprised of volunteer representatives that recommends actions and policies to the Council. The Com
CWR logs two encounters with Bigg’s
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| Full Encounter Report ObservBegin: 01:31 PM ObservEnd: 01:44 PM Vessel: KCB III Staff: Dave Ellifrit, Michael Weiss, Katie Jones Pods: Bigg’s killer whales IDsEncountered: T124A, T124A6, T124A7 LocationDescr: Andrews Bay EncSummary: The team was working in the office while keeping abreast of reports of several groups of Bigg’s in the San Juan Islands. The T90s and some of the T86As were up near the top of President Channel, the T124As were in Spieden […]
No jurors required for June 1 – 5, 2026
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| JURY DUTY: JUNE 1-5, 2026 All jurors summonsed for the Jury Period beginning Monday, June 1st through Friday, June 5, 2026 are excused. Thank you.