Orcas Power & Light Cooperative received recognition in the 2010 “Spotlight on Excellence” national awards program, sponsored by the Council of Rural Electric Communicators and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
The Washington State Department of Health has recognized Eastsound Water Users Association for “outstanding performance and treatment plant optimization”.
EWUA is one of only five water systems in the state to receive this performance award this year. The Water Treatment Optimization Program is a Department of Health (DOH) initiative that challenges water systems to meet significantly higher water quality standards than are required by law.
They call it the Chocolate Diablo for a reason: it’s devil’s food cake with whipped dark chocolate and chili, cocoa, cinnamon ganache.
And who dreamed up this devilish creation? Master baker Jami Plummer.
The long-time Orcas resident has just launched Sugar Baby Specialty Cakes.
In May, Eric Youngren, who owns Island Energy Systems, joined friends at the non-profit SolarAid Tanzania to install and rebuild three different off-grid photovoltaic systems, including the learning center’s, using an invention he has dubbed the “SolarNexus Powercenter.”
Bob Coleman announced his resignation this week as president of Islanders Bank,…
If it was made in Europe, can reach speeds well over 100…
An independent steering committee made up of OPALCO members has begun to meet with the mission of developing a proposal for a new green power program. The program would provide financial incentives for renewable generation and, potentially, fund energy efficiency and conservation measures beyond what OPALCO can offer through Bonneville Power Administration’s (BPA) conservation program.
New Italian eatery Luna's has emerged from a long winter eclipse and is ready to tarantella by the light of the moon under the practiced hands of Orcas islanders Heather and Kim Thomas.
“I could never think of it as anything but an Italian restaurant,” said Heather, who remembers eating at La Famiglia with her family as a young child.
Clyde and April Duke, owners of Duke Contracting Services, LLC, have purchased…
When Erica Lyons was a little girl growing up on Orcas, she often wandered the beaches collecting special treasures: smooth stones, dusky bits of old glass bottles, and salty, gnarled shells. Eventually, she graduated from Orcas high and went off to seek her fortune in the wide, wide world.
The Friday Harbor OPALCO office is undergoing a construction remodel to make improvements to the public entrance and front offices.
The member services office is temporarily located to the right of the usual entrance at the back of the parking lot in a modular building. The temporary office will be open normal hours: Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Signage will direct you to parking in front of the modular building during construction.
San Juan Surveying has announced that Andy Holman and Mark Wagner, after…
Shoshana Avree and Holly C. Berman have announced the opening of HOME, a community-style cafe in the Oddfellows Hall, Thursday evenings from 4 to 8 p.m. beginning April 9.
HOME will be serving homemade soup, gluten-free muffins, (dairy-free and agave sweetened) healthy Chai (caffeine, sugar and dairy free), and curried sweet potato bites.
Carole Anderson’s Magic Islands body and beauty products and jewelry, Gypsy Mellonie Eckerson’s Willow Catering, and Willow Eckerson’s Blue Willow Designs were three vendors who set up booths at the first of the midweek markets on July 22. The market hopes to attract between six and eight vendors to the space behind Orcas Online on Prune Alley in coming weeks.
Mikial Denker, the owner of the new Travel Light Cycles and Systems shop believes he is doing what his life experience in bikes, his degree in education and his work in transportation has all been leading him to with his used and refurbished bike shop on Orcas Road.
Long-time Orcas residents Kendall and Sandra, their son Justin, and Justin's wife Keary are new owners of the Orcas Island Golf Club.
It's just about the healthiest gourmet chocolate on the market – and it's made right here on Orcas.
Tracy Oniya created her own raw chocolate after looking for it online and finding it was not very affordable. After several test runs, she created a chocolate that has seven times more antioxidants than other varieties.
Orcas Island Freight Lines was sold on Aug. 10 to Mike and Sarah Aley of San Juan Island.
Orcas resident Wayne Foster sold the business after operating the shipping company for more than 40 years. It is one of the oldest known businesses on the island.
What’s cooking lately at Orcas Island restaurants?
Plenty.
Despite the economic gloom in the news lately, long-time island favorites continue to serve up their specialties, while others are welcoming new chefs to the kitchen.
Miho Ljubic was no stranger to stone while growing up in Croatia,…
Steve Emmes' favorite part of his profession is when he can stand back, survey the gleaming wood around him, and consider it a job well done.
“I really enjoy the process, but the end of the project is most gratifying,” Emmes said. “When we can look at the finished product that was created by all of us.”
Emmes has been a woodworker for 40 years, learning first from his dad, Emery Emmes, a high school wood shop teacher. Steve says his dad passed on traditional techniques, but over the years he has incorporated new methods, tools, and materials.
It has the look and feel of a city restaurant, but it's Orcas Island all the way – from the staff to the food.
After a year of planning, Madrona Bar and Grill opened on Sept. 2 with a full dinner menu; lunch followed a few days later. Owners Monica Oberg and Steve Duthie say they had a bit of a rough start, as the sous chef quit just hours before opening night.
Orcas Island Chamber of Commerce is hosting the seminar "7 Simple Steps to Getting Found Online” on Thursday, Dec. 10 in the Victorian Room of the Outlook Inn. Meeting at 7:45 a.m. for hot beverages and treats, the session will run from 8 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. Chamber members are asked to donate $5 to help offset room costs. Community members are welcome at $15 per person.
Orcasites may have been perplexed and amazed in recent months at the sight of a nine-foot long, banana-like vehicle flying down local roads. Rainshadow Solar proprietor John Mottl’s bright yellow velomobile should make anyone smile: it can roll over hill and dale, at a cost of five pennies for every 60 miles.
Rainshadow Solar proprietor John Mottl’s bright yellow velomobile should make anyone smile: it can roll over hill and dale, at a cost of five pennies for every 60 miles. But Mottl rides for free, as he’s been off the grid for over 25 years and powers his velomobile, called the Quest, with the excess energy from his solar panels.
As a man whose says his bread and butter is making custom cabinets and furniture, Mark Padbury’s most recent project veered into unknown territory. “I originally had the idea to make coffins 25 years ago while visiting a museum in Turkey that had beautiful sarcophagi,” he said.
They look and feel just like real newborns, from their soft eyelashes to the imperfections on their skin.
But the babies that come out of the Fairchild Reborn Baby Gallery are works of art, with hundreds of hours put into their creation.
“I can't tell you why they are so popular,” owner and artist Julia Fairchild said. “Some people see them and just back off. But others come up to me and love them, including men.”
Orcas is an island that offers tastes from around the world, but one country is not currently represented: Japan.
Local chef Eli Baird is about to change that.
Baird and Jessi Taylor, who co-owns Lulu's Pasta Rustica in Eastsound, are offering sushi at Odd Fellows Hall on Saturdays from noon to 8 p.m. Their restaurant is called Jounetsu, which is Japanese for passion.
Bills regarding electric vehicle use and farm internships, both sponsored by Sen. Kevin Ranker, D-San Juan Island, cleared the House on Wednesday with near-unanimous bipartisan support.
Walking into Mia's is like stepping into your mom's kitchen – it smells great, it's bustling, and you know your food will be delivered with a smile.
Mia Kartiganer opened her new eatery on Oct. 30 in a space that has housed a handful of island restaurants, including Roses, Comet Cafe, Cafe Jama, Chez Chloe, and most recently, White Lotus. She took over the spot in mid-August, and after completing renovations that included unblocking doorways and taking out the half wall and putting in a counter top, Kartiganer began serving what she calls “healthful comfort food.”
Sarah Lyle, MD, a physician who is board certified in both Family Practice and Adolescent Medicine, has joined Treehouse Pediatrics in Eastsound.
She will be specializing in serving the adolescent and young adult women of the island.
Real Estate in the San Juan Islands, a monthly publication, is available online on this site.
Visit Islandssounder.com/special sections
It all began in a farmhouse in Maine.
When Marie Bigbee met her mother-in-law, Sasha Jean, one of the first things they did together was bake.
“When we first met, I had never made a pie crust, so Sasha shared her recipe,” Bigbee said. “Over the years, we found joy and connected over cooking as a family. What better way to celebrate that than over a slice of pie?”
Northwest Regional Primary Care Association (NWRPCA) welcomes Orcas Family Health Center, Eastsound, Washington, as its newest member organization.
A beloved island culinary legend, Christina's Restaurant, has shuttered its doors forever.
“That day is over; Christina's is done,” said Christina Orchid, who opened her namesake establishment thirty years ago, in 1980.
She said the restaurant will never open under that name again.
Christina and her husband Bruce operated the restaurant together until June 15, 2008, when they arranged to sell the restaurant to Maureen Mullen, formerly of Seattle.
In partnership with the Orcas Island Chamber of Commerce and the Outlook Inn in Eastsound, the San Juan County Economic Development Council will present a free all-day workshop for small businesses and entrepreneurs on Tuesday, April 20 from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Discover more about a sustainable lifestyle at the Sustainable Living Fair on Orcas Island, Saturday, May 1 at the Village Green in Eastsound, followed by field trips the next day.
Admission to the fair is free; field trip fees vary from free to affordable. The weekend’s events are presentations in the Sustainable San Juans series, planned annually by the Stewardship Network of the San Juans.
Islands Marine Center, Inc on Lopez Island was recognized as a "Certified Clean Marina" under the Clean Marina Washington Program on March 30, 2010.
IMC, which is now one of 47 marinas in Washington State to earn this certification, worked closely with the San Juan County Pollution Prevention Specialist and Puget Soundkeepers Alliance to qualify for the program.
NBC Seattle affiliate KING-TV’s Evening Magazine has just announced its 2010 list of “Best of Northwest Escapes,” with categories voted upon by over 14,000 viewers and website visitors. Top 5 placement goes to 30 nominees from the San Juan Islands, including these nine in first place:
The old Thai Sisters restaurant is being transformed in preparation for a sizzling summer of pulled pork, barbecued ribs, chicken, salmon and slow-fired brisket.
Mac Smith and Everett Brooks, co-owners of the new Fire Smokehouse and Grill, are busy stringing up masculine decor – just think Mason jars for light fixtures, a menu scrawled on a thick slab of slate and cast-iron skillets and fishing poles for wall hangings.
The Islands Farm & Feast, coordinated by the San Juan County Agricultural Resources Committee, will include more than 15 San Juan Island farms and island restaurants serving locally grown foods.
Visitors can experience everything from the farmers' market and farm tours, to cooking classes and wine releases, to educational farming workshops.
