Island News
EDC Offers Workshop on Microsoft Copilot for Businesses and Nonprofits
The San Juan County Economic Development Council (EDC) invites businesses, nonprofits, and community organizations to attend a free online workshop, Getting Started with Microsoft Copilot, on Thursday June 11th from 9:00am-10:00am via Zoom. Microsoft Copilot is an artificial intelligence assistant built directly into Microsoft 365 applications including Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Teams. This practical workshop will […]
EDC Offers Workshop on Claude AI for Businesses and Nonprofits
The San Juan County Economic Development Council (EDC) invites businesses, nonprofits, and community organizations to attend a free online workshop, Getting Started with Claude, on Wednesday June 10th from 9:00am – 10:00am via Zoom. Claude, developed by Anthropic, is one of the fastest-growing artificial intelligence platforms and is particularly well known for its writing capabilities, […]
School bus shuttle will be available for graduation
||| FROM SUZANNA SMITH for ORCAS ISLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT ||| Orcas Island School District is excited to celebrate the Class of 2026 on Saturday, June 13. To help make arrival easier for our guests during campus construction, a complimentary school bus shuttle will be available from 1:15 PM to approximately 2:15 PM. Shuttle Location: Community Church, 176 Madrona Street, Eastsound Guests are welcome to park in the church parking lot or adjacent grassy area and ride the shuttle to campus. Following
What should you do if you’re offered free medical services?
||| FROM MARGARET MILLS ||| I called Medicare to report three attempted fraud calls in two days. Medicare sent me this reminder, maybe worth publishing in Orcasonian? Phone callers asked me to confirm that I had Medicare A & B – “In order to inform you about additional services” or the like – If you can capture the caller’s number on your phone, and /or note how they identify themselves, Medicare fraud report services would like to have that information […]
Another EWUA operator resigns
||| FROM CORY HARRINGTON ||| Today, June 3, 2026, another EWUA water operator submitted their resignation. Just days ago, more than 118 members signed an open letter requesting an independent third-party workplace investigation into interactions between management, the Board, and staff. The request followed a May 19 Board meeting attended by more than 75 members concerned about employee turnover, workplace conditions, and the long-term stability of the utility. The Board declined that request, c
Get help paying for Medicare
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Are you having trouble affording the medical care you need? If you are on Medicare, there are three programs that can help: Medicaid (called Apple Health in Washington state) The Medicare Savings Program (also called MSP, and Apple Health in Washington state) The Low-Income Subsidy Program (also called Extra Help or LIS) If your total income from all sources is less than $1,995 per month ($2,705 for a couple), you may be eligible […]
No jurors needed for June 8-12
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| JURY DUTY: JUNE 8-12, 2026 All jurors summonsed for the Jury Period beginning Monday, June 8 through Friday, June 12, 2026 are excused. Thank you.
Have a garden question? Ask an Orcas Master Gardener
Saturday June 6th at the Market Garden Nursery ||| FROM JULIA TURNEY and JAY LUCAS for ORCAS MASTER GARDENERS ||| Do you have a question about your soil, have a problem with your fruit tree, or are thinking about starting a garden? Is something bugging your plants, or you are curious about identifying a plant or insect? Master Gardeners will be staffing Ask A Master Gardener events on Orcas to help answer your questions and collect plant problem samples. Orcas […]
San Juan County announces 2026 Home Fund notice of funds available
Applications will be accepted June 1 to July 13, and staff are available pre-application meetings now ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County Health & Community Services (HCS) has released a Notice of Funds Available (NOFA) for the 2026 funding round for the Home Fund program. Applications will be accepted starting June 1, 2026, with response being due no later than July 13, 2026. HCS staff are available for pre-application meetings. Eligible recipients are nonprofit agencies
Sacred languages discussed on sacred TiLeqw-iLhch during Gathering of the Eagles
At TiLeqw-iLhch (Haida Point) on Orcas Island, on May 21, during the sixth annual Gathering of the Eagles, a large group of indigenous leaders, educators and community members gathered on sacred land recently returned to the Lummi Nation for a conversation about language — its loss, its power and what it will take to bring it back. Speakers represented indigenous nations and communities spanning the United States, Canada, Hawaii and South Africa, bringing together voices from the Lummi, Muscogee
SJC sheriff’s log
The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office responded to the following calls.
Prof. Robert Alden Littlewood | Passages
March 24, 1930 – April 29, 2026
Michael George Aley | Passages
May 2, 1945 – May 27, 2026
Bruce Knox Parker | Passages
March 1, 1945 – May 13, 2026
Ann Jones | Passages
August 26, 1945 – May 22, 2026
Carli caps standout prep running career with 1st-, 2nd- and 4th-place finishes at state meet
Friday Harbor’s Stella Carli capped a standout prep running career with first-, second- and fourth-place finishes at the 2026 Class 2B Track and Field Championships in Yakima May 28-30. Sophomore Flora Compton posted eighth- and 11th-place finishes in the long-distance runs for the Wolverine girls. Carli shaved more than seven seconds off her preliminary effort […]
June 17: Dept of Licensing mobile unit on Lopez Island
Lopez islanders creating 75 life-sized dorsal fins for Orca Action Month
This June, during Orca Action Month, our vision is to have 75 life-sized dorsal fins created by the community and on display throughout the Salish Sea region and beyond. Our goal is that these visual representations will spark conversations, inspire storytelling and education, and encourage people to learn more about the plight of these whales […]
Graduation ceremonies in the San Juan Islands
JUNE 6: 12 noon Griffin Bay School graduation ceremony at San Juan Island Grange Hall in Friday Harbor JUNE 6: 2 pm Lopez Island High School graduation ceremony at Lopez School JUNE 6: 5 pm Friday Harbor High School graduation ceremony in Turnbull Gym in Friday Harbor JUNE 12: Spring Street International School graduation ceremony […]
Orca Action Month film series brings free documentary screenings to San Juans
Four Events. Six Documentary Films. One Urgent Story ||| FROM ELLEN ROBERTS & KAREN PALMER for ORCA ACTION MONTH ||| Throughout June the San Juan Islands are celebrating Orca Action Month with a remarkable series of free documentary film screenings dedicated to the story of the Southern Resident killer whales as well as the salmon, rivers, kelp forests, and communities whose fates are bound to theirs. The Orca Action Month Film Series is presented by the Stewardship Network of the San […]
Pamela Wright retirement set for June 20
||| FROM ALICIA WIGFIELD for ORCAS ISLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT |||
Orcas Island Library invites community to 4th annual summer nature sketching event
||| FROM SAM GAILEY for ORCAS ISLAND LIBRARY ||| The Orcas Island Library is pleased to invite community members of all ages to its 4th Annual Summer Nature Sketching Event on Thursday, June 11, at 5:00 p.m. at the Orcas Island Library Park. Led by local biologist, naturalist, and nature illustrator Robin Lee Carlson, this popular annual gathering offers participants the opportunity to slow down, observe the natural world, and practice the art of nature sketching in the beautiful surroundings […
Larsen announces 2026 Congressional App Challenge
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U.S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| Today, U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) announced the launch of the 2026 Congressional App Challenge (CAC). The annual competition accepts entries through Monday, October 26, 2026, is open to high school and middle school students who live in or attend school in Washington state’s 2nd congressional district. The Congressional App Challenge is an opportunity for students to learn coding and computer science skills and schools to expand ac
Rooted in Community | Leadership transition at Orcas Community Resource Center
||| SUBMITTED BY THE RESOURCE CENTER COMMUNICATIONS TEAM ||| The Orcas Community Resource Center is preparing for a big transition as Holly Southern, Programs Director, sets out to begin a new chapter in Atlanta after more than six years with the organization and over a decade on Orcas Island. For many islanders, Holly has been a familiar and steady presence during some of life’s hardest moments. She joined the Resource Center just before the COVID pandemic, stepping into what would […]