Island News
Our Blue Marble | Film fest, arts, nature & climate events
||| FROM SAN JUAN MAKERS GUILD ||| Earth Day Orcas Film Fest, Art, Poetry, Science Workshops this Week include contemplation, inspiration, and stewardship. Film Fest Registration is Open! Stewardship themes for land and sea touch key topics of our time. Register for password access. Streaming begins Apr 17th and runs through the 26th. Big Thanks to Friday Harbor Film Festival. Earth Day Film Fest Registration https://www.fhff.org/earthweek2026 April 15th: Climate Resilience and Solutions. Commu
Letter to Editor | In support of San Juan County levy lift
||| FROM ORCAS COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER ||| On behalf of the Orcas Community Resource Center, we are writing to share our perspective on the proposed Levy Lid Lift. As a social service agency on Orcas Island, we work every day with individuals and families who are doing everything they can to stay afloat—yet are often one unexpected event away from losing their footing. We are deeply concerned about the potential loss of county-funded programs that many of our neighbors rely […]
Youth Fishing Derby welcomes families back to Cascade Lake on April 25
||| FROM FIONA J. STONE for ORCAS ADVENTURES ||| A favorite island tradition returns this spring as the Bill Yarlott Annual Youth Fishing Derby takes place on Saturday, April 25, 2026, inviting young anglers and their families to spend the day outdoors at Cascade Lake. Timed with the opening of fishing season, the derby offers kids under 16 the chance to cast their lines starting at daybreak and take part in a relaxed, community-centered event that has been bringing families […]
2026 candidate filing week is May 4 – 8
During filing week, candidates may submit their filings online, by email, by fax, or in person at the San Juan County Elections Office at 55 Second Street, Suite A, Friday Harbor ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| If you have ever wanted to be an elected official, now is your opportunity. Candidates who wish to run for office this year can submit their names for the ballot during the upcoming candidate filing period from May 4 to May 8, […]
OIFR responds to three simultaneous calls including fatal accident, structure fire
||| FROM BEN LUNA for ORCAS ISLAND FIRE & RESCUE ||| On the afternoon of April 13, 2026, Orcas Island Fire & Rescue (OIFR) was dispatched to three separate incidents simultaneously, requiring the department to divide personnel and resources across multiple scenes. Medical Aid At 3:29 pm OIFR units responded to an aid call at the medical center and required air transportation utilizing Island Air. Motor Vehicle Accident — At 3:57 pm, OIFR EMS and Rescue divisions responded to a […]
SJC sheriff’s log
The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office responded to the following calls.
Thank you for making MAG’s school music benefit a success! | Letter
We are grateful to the Orcas Island community for joining us on Sunday, March 29, at our benefit concert for school music, and for sharing in a standing ovation for the OISD music teacher and Strings Director, Mrs. Pamela Wright, in tribute to her 24 years of teaching in the public school. During her tenure, Mrs. Wright taught many classes of K-3 General Music and built an award-winning strings program for middle and high school musicians from scratch. She plans to retire at the end of this year
Teagan August earns his CDL with help from a Kiwanis scholarship
FRIDAY HARBOR, WA — Teagan August has successfully completed a one-month Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) training program in Bellingham, opening new doors in his career and highlighting a growing shift in how community organizations support workforce development. With the assistance of the Kiwanis Club and funding support from the Dave and Nancy Honeywell Foundation, […]
Fraud expert: AI is ‘supercharging’ scams in WA
Public News Service: April is Fraud Prevention Month and new data show fraud continues to be a big concern for people of all ages, with nearly four in 10 people saying they have already experienced it. The data from AARP found growing confusion and overconfidence around artificial intelligence‑driven scams. Kay Tomlinson, volunteer fraud watch specialist for […]
Be careful when spring cleaning; tips on avoiding HPS
San Juan County Health and Community Services reminds you of a few tips to help make your spring season as fun and healthy as possible. Before you start cleaning your shed, garage, or cabin this season, there are some safety precautions you should take to protect yourself against hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). HPS is a […]
Earth Day Orcas hands-on learning for all ages
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| Your local public health team wants to remind you of a few tips to help make your spring season as fun and healthy as possible. Before you start cleaning your shed, garage, or cabin this season, there are some safety precautions you should take to protect yourself against hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). HPS is a severe, and sometimes fatal, respiratory disease contracted from rodents. Any activity that puts you in contact […]
Orcas Christian students bring spring garden to life through hands-on learning
||| FROM ORCAS CHRISTIAN SCHOOL ||| Red radishes, crunchy with early spring promise. Spinach leaves curl and stretch, green in the gentle breeze. Carrot tops push through newly softened soil. After winter’s stillness, life is returning — and at Orcas Christian School, students are sparking that renewal through collaboration and hands-on projects that engage both mind and body. Kindergarten through fifth-grade students have worked together this year on several cross-curricular projects, including
Conservation Land Bank Commission to travel to Orcas for upcoming meeting
The meeting will be held at the Orcas Island Fire Station ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| The San Juan County Conservation Land Bank Commission will hold its regularly scheduled April 17 meeting on Orcas Island. The meeting is scheduled from 8:30am – 11:10am via Zoom. The meeting will also be available for in person public attendance at the Orcas Island Fire Station, 45 Lavender Lane, Eastsound, WA. The public is invited to attend. What: San Juan County Conservation Land Bank […]
The president is having an actual mental breakdown. Will the vice president take action?
||| FROM MILES TAYLOR for DEFIANCE.ORG ||| Sunday night into Monday morning, the president of the United States conducted an all-night social media binge that would alarm any reasonable observer, whether or not he was the president, and which cemented a growing sense of dread about Trump’s mental stability. It began at 9:03 p.m. with a savage, 334-word screed against Pope Leo XIV, attacking the first American-born pontiff as “WEAK” and “terrible for Foreign Policy.” It continued at 9:49 p.m. […]
April 28, 2026, Special Election | Vote Early! Sign! Send!
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| All registered voters in San Juan County will receive a ballot for the Special Election on April 28, 2026. This election will include measures for San Juan County and the Lopez Island Park and Recreation District. San Juan County is proposing a regular property tax lid lift of $0.85 per $1,000 of assessed value to sustain public health, safety, and essential community services. The Lopez Island Park and Recreation District, established during the […]
Kenmore Air returns with seasonal Friday Harbor–Victoria seaplane flights
Daily 30-minute flights now through October 31, with fares starting at $124 one-way ||| FROM SCOTT MEIS for KENMORE AIR ||| Kenmore Air has resumed its seasonal seaplane service between Friday Harbor Marina on San Juan Island and Victoria, B.C.’s Inner Harbour, offering a quick and seamless way for islanders to cross the border from dock to downtown in 30 minutes. Operating daily through October 31, the route offers a relaxed alternative to traditional travel: no TSA lines, no airport […]
Letter to Editor | The cost of a ‘No’ vote on county levy
||| FROM NATHAN KESSLER-JEFFREY ||| As we all consider the County’s proposed levy lid lift, I hope we take a moment to consider the true impact of a “no” vote. I’m a property owner, and yeah, voting ‘yes’ will increase taxes about $22 per month to maintain services. But a no vote will cost us so much more. A ‘no’ vote comes with significant and lasting costs to our community. The working plan if the levy doesn’t pass is for […]
EDC and Washington Lawyers for The Arts to Host Free Workshop on Protecting Artists in the Modern World – registration required
The EDC will host a free online workshop led by Taylor Fairchild from Washington Lawyers for the Arts, to help artists of all mediums better understand and protect intellectual property (IP), including how to protect against AI use of IP. The session, Protecting Artists in the Modern World, will be at the Orcas Library Wednesday, April 22 from 10:00am – 11:30am. Virtual participation will also be available. With current technology it’s easy for almost anyone to steal art available online. Images
Sing Along with the Art at the San Juan Island Library
The latest art at the San Juan Island Library is inspired by songs, both popular and obscure! The new art exhibit, titled Songs, Delightful Songs, will be showing for visitors, staff, and volunteers until June 20, 2026. Featured are abstract or representational pieces created by professional, emerging, and beginning artists, by adults, teens, parents, and […]
ROAM: Art and literary pop-ups
Submitted by HALO.
Edge of the Salish Sea | Art, poetry, science walk and workshop
Submitted by event organizers.
Solvitur ambulando: Orcas Island resident launches immersive walking tour
There is a Latin phrase that Rusty Diggs carries with her on every walk: solvitur ambulando — it is solved by walking. For Diggs, a 25-year resident of Orcas Island, those words are more than a motto. They are the philosophy behind a new venture she hopes will change the way visitors experience one of the Pacific Northwest’s most beloved destinations.
Mark Sawyer | Passages
Mark Andrew Sawyer, age 60, passed unexpectedly on April 2, 2026, due to a tragic boating accident.
Orcas resident dies in single-car collision in Eastsound
An Orcas resident has died after a single-car collision on Enchanted Forest Road on April 13, around 4 p.m. According to Sheriff Eric Peter, the other occupant of the car was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.