Island News
Local headlines from around the San Juans
Guest Opinion | Open letter to County Council
Beheading the Department of Environmental Stewardship In the State of Washington, responsibility falls on the local and Tribal governments to execute Salmon habitat conservation and restoration projects, which is a focused way of saying projects addressing marine health in general. This mission dovetails nicely with the clean water utility function of keeping pollution out of the stormwater and surface water. The solid waste utility is also clearly a part of attempting
Guest Opinion | Permanent, until inconvenient
OPALCO bought land with a recorded Native Growth Area covenant and open-space protections intended to preserve a wildlife corridor. Its solar project conflicted with those restrictions. San Juan County has now approved moving the open-space designation to accommodate the project. The protections dated to 2012. OPALCO bought the property in 2025. Apparently, the forest was in the wrong place. And what project warrants this accommodation? A solar expansion approaching $6 m
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 […]
Larsen reintroduces bill to fight discriminatory voter ID laws
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, U.S. Representatives Rick Larsen (WA-02) and Mark Veasey (TX-33) reintroduced the America Votes Act to protect U.S. citizens who face disenfranchisement because of restrictive voter identification (ID) laws. “As Trump and Republicans in Congress continue their unlawful attempts to suppress the right to vote, it is more urgent than ever to break down barriers to the ballot box,” said Rep. Larsen, a co-founder of the C
Letter to Editor | Protecting your vote
Many people have shared their concerns about election security with me and how election officials can address those concerns. I believe the biggest issues are cybersecurity, ballot security, chain of custody, staffing, and misinformation. My approach would be to be proactive-review our security procedures, make sure ballots are properly tracked and secured, maintain strong cybersecurity, and make sure staff are trained and prepared for unexpected situa
Plain talk on the budget
During the course of my campaign for County Council, I have had countless conversations with people across the islands and have learned a great deal about their concerns. These conversations have given form to how I will, as councilmember, approach the budget. In April, 60.67% of San Juan County voters rejected the county’s levy lid lift. The message was clear: residents are not looking to pay more in property […]
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
Joint statement of Governor Bob Ferguson and Ecology Director Casey Sixkiller on west coast oil pipeline
OLYMPIA — Governor Bob Ferguson and Washington Department of Ecology Director Casey Sixkiller offer the folllowing joint statement regarding the Oct. 1 decision by the Canadian Major Projects Office to list the West Coast Oil Pipeline as a “Project of National Interest”: “We are disappointed in the decision today by the Government of Canada to list the proposed oil pipeline as a project of national interest. The classification puts the project on a [
November 3, 2026, General Election Ballots | Vote! Sign! Ballot Box it!
All registered San Juan County voters will receive a ballot for the 2026 General Election. Ballots will be mailed on October 9 Mark your calendars for the upcoming General Election on November 3! Races for important Federal, State, and County positions will appear on the ballot, as well as vital ballot measures for the State, the San Juan County Fire Protection District No. 4, the Port of Lopez, the Orcas Island Park & […]