Lifestyles - Islands' Sounder

Engagement announcement: Danielle Amanda Johanneck and Karl Hamavand

Lisa and Tom Clark of Eastsound, Wash. and Joel Johanneck of Bonney Lake, Wash. announce the engagement of their daughter, Danielle Amanda Johanneck to Karl Hamavand, the son of Parviz and Clara Hamavand of Lacey, Wash.

Crossroads lecture: 'Early Humans and You: Discovering the Past through our Genes'

The Orcas Crossroads Fall Lecture Series concludes on Saturday night, Oct. 29, with “Early Humans and You: Discovering the Past through our Genes.” In this lecture, award-winning writer Steve Olson describes one of the most profound insights to be gleaned from the Human Genome Project: the remarkable unity of the human species at the genetic level.

Local dog Loretta is model in Norm Thompson photo shoot

A crew from the Norm Thompson clothing company has been on Orcas all week shooting images for its spring collection. Local rescue dog Loretta was chosen to model in the catalogue.

'Eyes of Islanders' documentary film will highlight the splendor of the San Juans

It will take you soaring over the blue-green San Juan Islands, plunging beneath the sea’s surface to peruse underwater creatures, into local hangout spots and face-to-face with more than a dozen individual islanders. All from your couch.

San Juans' resident orcas are starting their fall travels south

The Orca Network has announced that the San Juan Islands' resident orca pods have begun their annual fall forays to the south into Admiralty Inlet and lower Puget Sound.

Farmer who battled Monsanto over GMO canola drift will speak on San Juan Island

Canadian farmer Percy Schmeiser, famous for challenging Monsanto over contamination of his fields with RoundUp Ready canola, will speak at the San Juan Island Grange Hall on Sunday, Oct. 23. Schmeiser will discuss his experiences battling Monsanto in court and speak about the dangers of introducing genetically modified organisms to the food system.

Enchanted Quilters of Lopez Island

Norm Thompson catalogue photo shoot on Orcas Island today

Passersby stare as a lovely - and shivering - model clad in spring attire poses for a photo crew in front of the historic Episcopal Parish hall. A cold wind whips in off East Sound waters as sea-reflected sunlight highlights her auburn hair.

Birth announcement: Grant Tyree

Grant Walter Ibero Tyree was born Sept. 8, 2011 at 12:36 p.m. at Island Hospital. He was 8.1 lbs. and 21.5 inches tall.

Sofie Thixton named 'commended student' in National Merit competition

Orcas High School senior Sofie C. Thixton has been named a “commended student” in the 2012 National Merit Scholarship Program. Thixton will be presented with a Letter of Commendation from the school and National Merit Scholarship Corporation, which conducts the program. She is one of about 34,000 “commended students” nationwide who placed among the top five percent of the more than 1.5 million students who took the 2010 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).