Island News
Grow Your Own Food – Free Hands-On Gardening Series Launches This Spring
Community members interested in growing their own vegetables this spring are invited to register for Grow Your Own Food – A Hands-On Gardening Series, a free, four‑part lunchtime program designed to help new gardeners gain practical, ready-to-use skills. Hosted by Washington State University San Juan County Extension Master Gardeners, the series will feature live demonstrations, step‑by‑step […]
Merri Ann Simonson Real Estate Update: Buying Property in the San Juans
Buying Property in the San Juans Select an Agent to Represent You As you may be aware, all of the brokerage firms on San Juan Island are members of the Northwest Multiple Listing Service; therefore, any of the agents can assist you with any of the properties listed with Coldwell Banker San Juan Islands or other […]
San Juan Island Fire District adopt 20-year Capital Plan
LWVSJ Observer Corps summary of San Juan Island Fire District #3 Commissioners March 17 Meeting. Chief Monin reviewed changes to the 2026 budget, reflecting adjustments for an additional $100K for new fire hoses and outfitting of new engine purchases. Another large addition is $63K for Professional Service, mostly tech work. Chief Monin anticipates this amount […]
Daffodil Frolic at San Juan Islands Sculpture Park
Spring is arriving, and it’s time to get outside and San Juan Islands Sculpture Park is the perfect place to start. This year, we are celebrating our 25th Anniversary Mid-March to Mid-April with our Daffodil Frolic. David Jenkins, the board president, has planted 1,000 bulbs every year for the past 10 years, culminating in 10,000 […]
Preparing for the next avian flu outbreak
Submitted by Russell Barsh, director of Kwiaht.
Orcas nutritionist brings healthy eating home | Women in Business profile
Submitted by Holistic Nutrition In Your Home LLC.
Capitol celebration marks Declaration of Independence, America’s 250th birthday
By Annika Hauer
Local 4-H members attend 2026 San Juan Islands Agricultural Summit
By Aurora Miller
My Warning to Washington State | Republicans are trying to make it harder for you to vote
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF SEN. PATTY MURRAY |||
Community Meeting | Provide feedback on new facility at Odlin County Park on Lopez Island
The project has cancelled the request for bids, and the public is invited to a community meeting to learn more, ask questions, and provide feedback ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| The San Juan County Parks, Recreation, & Fair Department is seeking feedback on plans to construct a new facility for the County Parks operation on Lopez Island. The facility is planned to serve as a visitor contact station, maintenance facility, and office for park rangers on Lopez Island. […]
Letter to Editor | Eastsound Water’s Clark Well update raises more questions than it answers
||| FROM CORY HARRINGTON ||| Eastsound Water’s latest installment in its Clark Well series (Episode #5) focuses heavily on history, engineering evolution, and inflation. It walks readers through a 2006 concept design, explains how treatment standards have changed, and argues that a project once estimated at $600,000 would reasonably cost around $1.2 million today. That may all be true. But it’s not what members have been asking. The central issue is not whether a project designed in 2006 would c
Auditions | An ATOI Production anxiously anticipated this July
||| FROM LYNDA SANDERS for ACTORS THEATER OF ORCAS ISLAND ||| Moon Over Buffalo is a delightful farce with a whirlwind of hilarious misunderstandings and madcap adventures. This play celebrates the passions and predicaments of theater life, making it a heartfelt tribute to the dedicated “theatre hams” everywhere. In “Moon Over Buffalo,” a delightful and hilarious backstage farce by Ken Ludwig, we meet Charlotte and George Hay, a struggling acting duo on tour in Buffalo in 1953. Their repertoire
Let’s talk public transit for Orcas & the San Juans
||| FROM COLIN WILLIAMS for FRIENDS OF RURAL PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION ||| You’re Invited to a Community Meeting Hosted by the Friends of Rural Public Transportation, Thursday, March 26, 2026, 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM, Orcas Island Public Library Community Room Imagine Orcas & the San Juan Islands where… You can hop on a bus from the ferry to Eastsound, Doe Bay, or Deer Harbor. Kids can get to activities independently. Neighbors have reliable backup transportation when their car is in the […]
Library presents Ken Burns’ The American Revolution
Sunday, March 29 | 1–3 PM | Orcas Center Free and open to all ages ||| FROM SAM GAILEY for ORCAS ISLAND PUBLIC LIBRARY ||| Join the Orcas Island Public Library for a special community screening of selections from Ken Burns’ powerful new documentary, The American Revolution, followed by a thoughtful civic conversation about the founding of our nation — and what it means today. After viewing a portion of the film at the Orcas Center, attendees are invited to stay […]
Weather Alert | Heavy rainfall
||| FROM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ||| Special Weather Statement National Weather Service Seattle WA 1211 PM PDT Thu Mar 19 2026 San Juan County-Cascades of Whatcom and Skagit Counties- Cascades of Snohomish and Northern King Counties- Cascades of Southern King County- Cascades of Pierce and Lewis Counties- Foothills and Valleys of the North Cascades- Foothills and Valleys of Snohomish and Northern King Counties- Foothills and Valleys of Central King County- Foothills and Valleys of Pierce and So
Medicare’s preventive benefits | Why they matter
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Taking care of your health before problems arise is essential—and Medicare helps make that possible. Original Medicare (Parts A and B) covers many preventive services to detect conditions early. Medicare Part B also includes an annual wellness visit, a yearly appointment to review your health and create a personalized prevention plan. Many preventive services are available at no cost, meaning no deductibles, copayments, or coinsurance. These benefi
Ellie Wright among four WWU student journalists selected for Seattle Times ‘Best of the Pacific Northwest’ Symposium
by Betsy O’Donovan
Ladies of Laughter brings national women’s comedy tour to Orcas Island
By Darrell Kirk
Q&A with Asya Eberle and Deborah Jones, owners of Orcas Island Realty | Women in Business
How/why/when did you both choose real estate as a career?
Lawless logging; found fugitive | SJC sheriff’s log
The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office responded to the following calls.
County Health & Community Services publishes its 2025 impact report
Immunizations, dental care, meals for seniors, affordable housing, early learning, and so much more! ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County’s Department of Health & Community Services has released its 2025 Impact Report, highlighting the programs, services, and partnerships that supported the health and well-being of islanders across the county over the past year. “I am proud to present this report to our community and to celebrate the achievements made this past year,” sa
No jury duty March 23-27
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| JURY DUTY: MARCH 23-27, 2026 All jurors summonsed for the jury term beginning Monday, March 23rd through Friday, March 27th, 2026, are excused. Thank you!
San Juan County WA Sheriff’s Log March 11-17: High speed chase of sex offender smoking meth, derelict vessel, speeding, trespassing
San Juan County Deputies responded to 112 calls from March 11-17, 2026 including: San Juan Island deputies attempted to stop a driver for felony warrants for failing to register as a sex offender. The driver fled and a pursuit ensued before the driver drove into a ditch and was unable to continue. The driver was […]
Guest Opinion | Paul Ehrlich was early, not wrong
||| FROM ELISABETH ROBSON ||| When Paul Ehrlich died recently (March 13, 2026), many of the obituaries and articles about him repeated a familiar judgment: he was alarmist, even brilliant, but ultimately wrong. His 1968 book, The Population Bomb, warned of mass famine and ecological collapse that did not arrive on schedule. Critics still point to the famous Simon–Ehrlich wager as proof that he misunderstood the future and missed the advances in our capabilities to extract “resources” (i.e. natur