Orcas News

As news of the I-5 bridge collapse reached the islands on Thursday evening, the first instinct of local government was to help it's neighbors.

When you call 9-1-1 or knock on our door, Orcas Island Fire and Rescue is at your service.

Visitors can leave their cars behind this summer and ride the island-based shuttle bus to popular recreational, cultural, historical and scenic spots along the San Juan Islands Scenic Byway.

All Orcas Islanders are invited and encouraged to attend the workshops for the Community Design of the New Building to House The Exchange.

The San Juan County Sheriff's Department remains on course to acquire a new and improved emergency response boat, built by federal dollars, despite the fact that several public safety agencies that previously were expected to chip in for its maintenance and operations have abandoned ship.

A day and a half of closed-session interviews with applicants for the open county manager position has reduced the field to two finalists.

The filing period for candidates for the November General Election is closed and 20 races are unopposed.

Islands A Cappella presents a "Sentimental Journey" through a world of love songs May 17-19. From a hymn by Thomas Tallis to the sweet strains of "Till There Was You" from The Music Man, love in all its many guises will be sung and celebrated.

San Juan Island Fire Department covers Brown Island, Pearl Island, the Port of Friday Harbor Marina, Roche Harbor Marina, Jensens Shipyard, Shipyard Cove, and the Friday Harbor Ferry Terminal in addition to San Juan Island with its numerous shoreline homes.

An Orcas Island woman with extensive criminal history is contesting a five-year prison sentence handed down in the wake of recent convictions for felony burglary and misdemeanor theft.

One more talk is set for The Whale Trail 's series, announced today by TWT's Donna Sandstrom : "Adventures with Orcas in the North Pacific, From A1 Stubbs to Iceberg, the White Russian Bull," featuring author/researcher Erich Hoyt .

San Juan County Council narrowed the field of candidates for county manager from five to two today, May 15.

A collaborative effort by San Juan County Sheriff Rob Nou, U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, the Department of Homeland Security, the Captain of the U.S. Coast in Seattle resulted in a $789,000 grant to build a public safety boat for the county.

From a hymn by Thomas Tallis to the sweet strains of "Till There Was You" from The Music Man, love in all its many guises will be sung and celebrated during the Island A Cappella three-island tour starting May 17 on San Juan Island, continuing on May 18 on Lopez and May 19 on Orcas.

San Juan County has been awarded state funding to continue administering the Transportation Voucher Program through 2015.

The Island Sinfonia will present its spring concert on Orcas at the Emmanuel Episcopal Parish Hall on Sunday, May 12 at 2 p.m. The varied program will feature "Variations on a Shaker Melody" by Copland; "Habanera" by Chabrier; "The Swan of Tuonela" by Sibelius - featuring Ginni Keith on English horn; Lerner and Loewe favorites; "Meditation" from ... (more)

Eighteen months after voters rejected the County Council's plan for financing solid waste disposal operations with a property tax parcel fee, glitches in negotiations and financing are causing frustration and impatience on all sides, as schedules slip and costs mount in the county's ongoing effort to privatize solid waste and recycling operations ... (more)

The former school board candidate still cares about issues around children. And she wants city workers to pay more on health care.

Members of the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation watch Luna while paddling in a canoe in Mooyah Bay, west of Gold River, B.C. Photo: / Associated Press The young killer whale, which somehow got separated from his whale family in the back bays of Vancouver Island, died in a grisly collision with a tugboat's propeller Friday.

Itching to be an elected official. How about Mayor of Friday Harbor or a Town Council member; or a Lopez, Orcas or Friday Harbor Port Commissioner; or a board member of the Hospital District Board; or of the San Juan or Orcas Parks and Rec Board; or of the San Juan, Orcas, Shaw or Lopez School Board; or a Fire Commissioner from those same islands; ... (more)