San Juan Islands

A precedent-setting move to a shorter work week last year is meeting needs — and gaining wider interest.

It’s risky, it’s costly, and it’s bad for the whales. But, OPALCO continues to pursue the feasibility of harnessing San Juan County’s robust ocean currents for power generation.

“I really want to start an epidemic of listening, but not shallow listening — really listening to what people are saying,” Kay Keeler, 88, said.

Getting around on the ferry is a way of life for those on the San Juan Islands. One resident has been sailing twice per week as she finishes up a manuscript.

Eurasian watermilfoil — a fast-growing, non-native aquatic plant that threatens domestic water sources has infested Orcas Island’s Cascade Lake.

The National Transportation Safety Board has released its preliminary report into the fatal plane crash of former astronaut William Anders.

Tapping tidal flows for power generation has long been an elusive goal for clean-energy advocates. Formidable hurdles make the task far from certain.

Washington State Ferries is low on vessels and crew. Nowhere is harder hit than the San Juan Islands where one in 20 trips were canceled this summer.

The county government proposed the switch for 70% of its workforce because budgets are tight, and they want to draw applicants looking for a specific kind of island work-life balance. But the San Juan Islands are a haven for the rich, and really expensive for everyone else.

Two boaters accused of illegally approaching endangered Southern Resident killer whales in rented boats were fined for violating regulations that protect the whales. State and federal regulations require recreational boats to stay at least 300 yards to the sides of orcas and 400 yards in front and behind them.