Heartfelt thanks to Puget Sound Energy and our U.S. Mail carriers for their service during our recent weather event.
Thanksgiving is a time to be with your family instead of camping in front of Walmart, Kmart or even the mall.
Once again, immense thanks to the volunteers who untiringly work all year to open their doors to bazaars and boutiques so that our community can enjoy and purchase the handmade and home-baked goods.
By now you’ve heard the mantra, “shop locally.”
In recent years, the “Small Business Saturday” has blossomed into a nationally-recognized event.
If you like the look of holly but want something fragrant and non-invasive, consider giving Osmanthus heterophyllus a try. This member of the olive family has holly-like leaves with one to four spiny points on each side and small, white, four petalled flowers that bloom in the fall. You can easily distinguish between holly and O. heterophyllus by the arrangement of the leaves on the stems. Holly leaves occur alternately, while Osmanthus are opposite.
Alcoa’s announcement that it is shutting down our state’s last two aluminum smelters may be a long awaited requiem for some, but there are other factors we should consider before burying it.
I guess it’s time for “The Talk.” No, not that talk. Not unless you’re an adolescent who stumbled upon this gardening column by accident while searching your grandma’s kitchen counter for the missing jar of Nutella and you need the lowdown on the birds and the bees. No, this talk is about not planting invasive species in your garden or giving amnesty to noxious weeds and other big, bad plant bullies.
n Sierra Southwick wrote this essay last year in her AP Literature class at Oak Harbor High School.
Washington state is in the grips of a mental health crisis.
The current obstacles in getting help to people with psychiatric illnesses is the product of a broken system.
Question of the Week: What do you think about the Oak Harbor hydroplane races being cancelled in 2016 because of scheduling problems, to reappear in 2017?
I was happy to see that enrollment in Coupeville’s public schools is on the rise after steadily declining for the past decade. The town’s been feeling a bit arthritic and it needs a burst of youthful energy. We can use more kick-ball screaming and jump-rope rhyming; hopefully that will help drown out the clatter of so many canes and walkers.
Whidbey Veterans Resource Center is currently holding a fund drive to keep the doors open. The group can be reached at 360-331-8081 you can email the program coordinator at AprilP.wvrc@gmail.com
For the past 50 years, Opportunity Council has been one of those pillars in Island, San Juan and Whatcom counties, providing resources and services to people in need.