Island News
Public Health Hot Topic | Hantavirus
Addressing community questions and concerns about Hantavirus ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| With recent news stories about a Hantavirus outbreak linked to a cruise ship, many people have questions about what Hantavirus is, how it spreads, and whether they should be concerned. Public health officials want people to know that the overall risk to the public remains very low. As your local public health team, we want to address some of the most frequently asked questions we’re getting.
Port Commissioners to meet on Monday
||| FROM CHIP LONG for PORT OF ORCAS ||| The Port of Orcas Board of Commissioners will hold a Regular Meeting on Monday, May 18th at 4:00 p.m. online via Zoom and in-person at the airport terminal conference room. Access and agenda information can be found at portoforcas.com.
Friday Harbor Film Fest | Explorers & adventures feature, The Last Dive
Best of Fest screens free on May 22 ||| FROM ELLEN ROBERTS for FRIDAY HARBOR FILM FESTIVAL ||| Friday Harbor Film Festival’s Best of the Fest Series continues with another powerful, inspiring documentary, The Last Dive, which will be shown Friday, May 22 at 7 PM at the San Juan Island Library and Lopez Center for Community and the Arts. A pre-recorded interview with director Cody Sheehy will follow the screening. Free and open to the public, no ticket or RSVP is required. […]
WA Legislators introduce bipartisan bill to expand funding for local drug task forces to combat opioids
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U.S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Reps. Rick Larsen (WA-02), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03) and Dan Newhouse (WA-04) introduced the End Fentanyl Trafficking with Local Task Forces Act to establish a dedicated federal funding stream to help multi-jurisdictional drug task forces combat opioid trafficking in Washington state and across the country. The bill’s introduction coincides with National Police Week, celebrated from May 11th through May 17th to rec
On tap at Senior Center | Climbing beyond the summit
||| FROM LYNNETTE WOOD ||| All my life, I’ve been driven by goals. But not achieving a goal is very different from failing. Three years ago, at age 70, I took up rock climbing—and in doing so, I began learning far more than how to scale a wall. Like learning to cook, every burned dish or strange flavor reveals something new. A setback isn’t a dead end; it’s a direction to a new path. Setbacks are a sign you’re stretching […]
Real Estate Updates by Merri Ann Simonson: Buyer Agency Agreements
As buyers and sellers in the real estate market know, effective 2024 the Law of Agency was revised in our state. The result was much more transparency and disclosure upfront on the amount of compensation paid to buyer’s and seller’s agents, and who the compensation is paid by. Further refinement occurred this year and agents […]
Notice of upcoming joint Town Council / Port of Friday Harbor meeting
||| FROM TOWN OF FRIDAY HARBOR ||| NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Town Council and the Port of Friday Harbor Commissioners will hold a special joint meeting on May 21, 2026, from 9:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. The special meeting will take place in Council Chambers located at 60 Second Street. For more information, contact the Town Clerk at clerk@fridayharbor.org.
OrcasFest music festival returns to Eastsound
||| FROM REEB WILLMS for ORCASFEST ||| OrcasFest is a new music festival held in Eastsound May 28-30, 2026. OrcasFest is in its second year and is a celebration of music and community started by Reeb Willms and Orcas Island born musicians Caleb Klauder and Tashi Litch. These three touring musicians hatched a plan to bring the world class music that they encounter out on the road back home to Orcas Island to be experienced by locals and visitors. They wanted to create a […]
May 18 is Haitian Flag Day
Monday, May 18, is Haitian Flag Day, celebrating the nation’s independence and honoring the creation of the flag. 2026 will be its 223rd anniversary. Several businesses in Eastsound will be displaying a Haitian flag and donating a % of the day’s sales to Helping Hand Noramise.
Crisis at Eastsound Water Users Association | Column
If you are one of the 70% of Orcas Island residents who receive water from Eastsound, Doe Bay, Rosario and Olga water users associations, you depend on the experienced water system operators of the Eastsound Water User Association who operate all of these water systems. EWUA water operators are the dedicated, highly trained and certified professionals who work behind the scenes treating and delivering safe drinking water 24/7, 365 days a year so your family can turn on the tap with confidence.
“All we need is love”: New pastor, Scott Harris, returns home to Orcas Island
“The Jesus way — the Beatles got right when they wrote their famed song, ‘All We Need Is Love.’ Love is the foundation of a walk with Jesus, and it’s what we all need. All of us is to learn to love,” said Scott Harris, incoming senior pastor, Orcas Island Community Church.
July 4- August 31: Port of Friday Harbor’s Summer Music Concert Series
Each summer the Port hosts the “Summer Music Concert Series”. This free series of concerts in our waterfront park features local musicians from the islands & surrounding areas. Make sure to include this great music experience in your weekend activities on the island. The 2026 series kicks off on the Fourth of July. JULY 4 […]
The newly named Whale Response team training sessions on Lopez, Orcas and San Juan Islands
San Juan County since the early 1980s. Each decade has brought changes in how animals and people use this region, but our mission has remained the same: advance the protection and understanding of marine mammals and the Salish Sea through research and education. Our team responds to reports of marine mammals in distress, conducts necropsies, […]
OPALCO receives Conditional Use Permit for the Decatur Island Solar Expansion Project
Tuesday, May 12, 2026 OPALCO was notified that they were granted the Conditional Use Permit for the Decatur Island Solar Expansion Project. The Decatur Island Solar Expansion project is a proposed ~1.6 MW AC Community Solar project. It’s adjacent to OPALCO’s substation and the current Community Solar project that was installed in 2017. In March 2025, OPALCO acquired […]
Sheriff’s Report San Juan County, WA May 6-12, 2026: TikTok harassment video; two men produced weapons while arguing, DV
San Juan County Deputies responded to 153 calls from May 6 – 12, 2026 including: A San Juan deputy responded to a report of harassment involving a TikTok video made by one student, of another. All parties were contacted and the incident was documented. Lopez Deputies, Fire & EMS responded to a cell phone that […]
Latest happenings from The Exchange
||| FROM ORCAS RECYCLING/THE EXCHANGE ||| Home Composting Classes are Back Join us at The Orcas Grange on 5/22 or 5/23 and learn how to compost at home and keep food scraps, garden, and yard materials out of the waste stream. Tickets are $75 each and include: (1) 82 gallon FreeGarden® EARTH compost bin with a locking lid, harvesting door, rodent-proof bottom screen, and anchoring pins ($150.00+ value) and one instructional class on: Fri, May 22nd (5–6:30pm) or Sat, May […]
Cantwell Grills USFS Chief on Trump Admin Withholding Wildfire Funds Crucial for WA Preparedness Ahead of Peak Fire Season
Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture unexpectedly changed the terms for states to receive federal dollars, effectively cutting off their funding as the West heads into peak wildfire season WA communities are waiting on $49 million to help with wildfire response and forest management WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, May 13, 2026 U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), […]
Community-hosted candlelight vigil scheduled for Ella & David
Friday, May 15th—7:30 pm ||| FROM FRIENDS OF THE FAMILY ||| 7:30—Gather AT VILLAGE GREEN. Write a thought, memory, or blessing for Ella & David to be offered during the vigil. 8:30—Ceremony with music performed by Grace McCune 8:45—Lighting of the candles 9:11—A shared moment of silence for Ella & David Organized by friends and community members
Land Bank May 2026 meeting, agenda
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY CONSERVATION LAND BANK ||| The San Juan County Conservation Land Bank Commission will hold its monthly meeting Friday, May 15. The meeting is scheduled from 8:45am – 11:10am via Zoom. The meeting will also be available for in person public attendance at the Mullis Community Senior Center, Friday Harbor, WA. The public is invited to attend. Click HERE to download the agenda (includes Zoom meeting link) and meeting materials.
Orcas Island Kindergarten registration underway
OPALCO receives conditional use permit for Decatur Island solar expansion project
||| FROM KRISTA BOUCHEY for OPALCO ||| On Tuesday, May 12, OPALCO was notified that they were granted the Conditional Use Permit for the Decatur Island Solar Expansion Project. The Decatur Island Solar Expansion project is a proposed ~1.6 MW AC Community Solar project. It’s adjacent to OPALCO’s substation and the current Community Solar project that was installed in 2017. In March 2025, OPALCO acquired property on Decatur Island to expand utility-scale community solar. Since then, OPALCO has und
May 14: Kindergarten Kick-Off at Friday Harbor Elementary School
Incoming kindergarteners and their parents or guardians are invited to the Friday Harbor Elementary Kindergarten Kick-Off on Thursday, May 14, 2026, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Families can meet school staff, tour classrooms, ride the bus, and connect with others in the community.
No jurors needed for May 18-22
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| JURY DUTY: MAY 18-22, 2026 All jurors summonsed for the Jury Period beginning Monday May 18th through Friday May 22nd, 2026 are excused. Thank you.
Community-hosted candlelight vigil for Ella and David
Submitted by friends of the family.