Island News
San Juan County clerk named 2026 Clerk of the Year
Submitted by San Juan County.
Washington Department of Transportation’s Division of Ferries and Washington’s attorney general combine to block legislative review of abandoned Anacortes-Friday Harbor-Sidney, British Columbia ferry route
Submitted by Restore Our Ferries.
Seven meetings in, County Council charts a budget path to November
San Juan County Council members are entering the next phase of a monthslong budget process, following a wave of department presentations in late June that laid bare the scale of a shortfall triggered by the defeat of a levy lid lift earlier this year.
Join OPALCO on July 15 at Eastsound headquarters
||| FROM KRISTA BOUCHEY for ORCAS POWER & LIGHT COOPERATIVE ||| OPALCO will be hosting monthly informal chats with the leadership team starting this month. Ask questions about the Decatur Community Solar Expansion and OPALCO’s renewable energy future. The first of these meetings will be held at OPALCO’s headquarters in Eastsound, starting at 12 pm on July 15. These events will be rotating islands each month. Stop by for a treat and bring your questions for the leadership team!
San Juan County Council considers funding cuts to Meals on Wheels, IOSA, parks maintenance, and potential closure of Eastsound Village Green
San Juan County press release: Over a series of regularly scheduled and special meetings throughout the month of June, the San Juan County Council heard from County department leaders and elected officials on potential cuts to staffing and service levels. Council held meetings on June 9, 15, 16, 24, 29 and 30 to accommodate these […]
Letter to Editor | Fire Works – but doesn’t
||| FROM SUSAN SLAPIN ||| Fourth of July and New Years seem to be the times… There are other ways to commemorate holidays, and create something that benefits humans and animals in a kind, fun, entertaining and positive way. Fireworks Animals are absolutely shaking, trembling, and terrified…I’ve seen it again recently – first hand. Dogs panic, shake and tremble. Some run if given the open field.Horses often run and flee, with severe injury resulting – often irreversible and life threatening.Birds
No more Sheriff’s Report …
||| FROM SHERIFF ERIC PETERS for SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE ||| Effective immediately, the Sheriff’s Office will no longer prepare or distribute the weekly media line report to local newspapers. The Sheriff’s Office remains committed to transparency and keeping the public informed. However, the publication of the weekly media log has resulted in a significant increase in public records requests for the incidents listed in the report, as well as requests for associated body-worn camera foot
Celebrating Revolution | 250 years of independence
||| FROM SUZANNE OLSON for OPAL COMMUNITY LAND TRUST ||| As we mark the 250th anniversary of our nation’s independence, OPAL Community Land Trust homeowners and volunteers, along with friends from the Orcas Island Food Bank, marched in our island’s Fourth of July parade chanting: “Hope, not fear! We all belong here!” July 4th marks the anniversary of the Continental Congress adopting the Declaration of Independence in 1776. While Congress officially voted in favor of independence on July 2nd, it
And the winners are….
San Juan Island Chamber of Commerce released the list of winners of the Friday Harbor 4th of July parade. Best use of THEME – Non-Float: The Cutthroat Pirates Best Use of Theme – float: Soroptimist of Friday Harbor Best use of THEME – Children/Youth – 4H 4-H members San Juan County 4-H Judges Special Choice – […]
Love to sing – Join Master Chorale and Nova Stella
Love to sing? Join the Master Chorale or NovaStella. Master Chorale begins rehearsals begin September 1. 2026. Rehearsals take place every Tuesday from 3 to 4:30 pm. NovaStella, the youth group, rehearsals beginning August 23. Rehearsals take place every Sunday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. For more information contact sjmasterchorale@gmail.com
July 14: Island Verse Literary Collective seek to name Poet Laureates
Island Verse Literary Collective is hosting a weekly series of workshops from July 7 to September 8 at San Juan Island Library. These writing workshops will be a series of sessions focused on craft, style, and recitation/performance, with an emphasis on community engagement. As part of the program, IVLC is seeking the first Poet Laureates […]
From the deep end to Skid Row: Orcas Center’s summer of comedy gets personal
This summer, Orcas Center’s Center Stage will host two touring comedians who have turned their own strangest, most vulnerable chapters into shows — and who both insist that the best comedy only works when it tells the truth.
JP and OK Rhythm Boys coming to Warm Valley Farm
||| FROM ANITA ORNE for JP AND THE OK RHYTHM BOYS ||| Don’t miss the inaugural Music in Warm Valley concert! Join JP and the OK Rhythm Boys at the Event Meadow on Saturday, July 18 from 5-7pm for a fine evening of summer music at Warm Valley Farm. JP and the OK Rhythm Boys is a trio (JP Wittman, Gordon Koenig, and Anita Orne) performing with strings & vocals, mostly. Music ranges across many genres & decades (swing, hoedown, […]
News Brief | Whale sightings are surging off Canada’s Pacific coast
But 10 grey whales have been found dead ||| FROM THE COOL DOWN ||| Researchers say the Salish Sea, the waterway between Vancouver Island and the mainland, is seeing an unusual concentration of whale activity, helped by plentiful food supplies and years of conservation work. However, as of mid-June, 10 grey whales were found dead along the coast, raising some concerns. Whales are key indicators of ocean health. When they suffer, it can signal food-web disruptions, warming waters, or other […]
San Juan County recognizes ‘America250’ with proclamation and local events
This anniversary is an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the foundational principles, structure, and purpose of both the nation’s and our county’s democratic system. ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County is proud to recognize the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and, with it, the nationwide and local efforts to reflect thoughtfully on our past, present, and future. During the June 30 meeting, the County Council issued a
Have a garden question? Ask an Orcas Master Gardener
Wednesday July 11th at the Market Garden Nursery ||| FROM 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 Master Gardeners will be at the […]
100 UW football players will be in town July 18; Grover Street improvement project set for 2027
LWVSJ Observer Corps summary of Friday Harbor Town Council, July 2, 2026 meeting. A Town resident from the Finnegan Ridge neighborhood thanked the council for paying attention to their community needs and the progress being made with the neighborhood improvements. More than 100 University of Washington Football players will be in Friday Harbor on July 18, participating […]
John Berry exposition at Orcas Public Library / July 2026
||| FROM JOHN BERRY ||| A lone traveler/hiker/pilgrim, kneels prayerful with a living divining branch , and meditatively so, on the top of a hillside mountain that has been stripped of trees. Amidst the apparent devastation of this nature area, water as a spring flows from the aerie, freely flowing down the mountain top hill. This figure inspired by his photograph taken during a blessing of native art on Madrona Point, is the subject of two different works by artist […]
Olga Daze returns, Saturday, July 18
||| FROM SUSAN GORDON BENTLEY for OLGA DAZE ||| Don’t miss Olga Daze, the Island’s beloved celebration that captures the laid-back charm and artistic spirit of the historic hamlet of Olga. Beginning at 10:00am in Olga Park, start your day at the bake sale with world famous maple bars, then join in the fun that includes children’s activities featuring face painting, a pie eating contest and games. There are lots of booths featuring local goods and fun facts about the […]
Ska Island to play next Orcas Center summer concert on Village Green
||| FROM COLLEEN SMITH-SUMMERS for ORCAS CENTER ||| Orcas Center is proud to present its annual Summer Concert Series on the Village Green, bringing free, live music to the heart of Eastsound. This vibrant outdoor series, supported in part by Joe Brotherton and the Doe Bay team, celebrates community, creativity, and the magic of music under the open sky. All performances are free for the community and take place on Sundays at 5 p.m. The series runs now through Aug. […]
SJC sheriff’s log
The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office responded to the following calls.
Friday Harbor celebrates the nation’s Semiquincentennial
July 6: Changes to ferry reservations and making new reservations blocked for Friday Harbor departures
New vehicle Washington State Ferries reservations and changes to existing reservations for all Friday Harbor departures are blocked for Monday, July 6. Limited standby space will be available on a first come, first served basis for drivers without a reservation. Updates will be provided as more information is available. WSF ALERTS
News Brief | New report on economic implications of LSR dam removal
||| FROM IDAHO RIVERS UNITED ||| New research helps answer a question we’ve asked for years: what would removing the four Lower Snake River dams actually mean for the communities that host them? Here’s what the research found: Dams aren’t driving the local economy The local economy is lagging Dam removal does not disrupt local economies Energy replacement is within reach Read the full report.