Here’s a thought…
“Patriotism is supporting your country all the time and the government when it deserves it.”
MARK TWAIN
Reminder: WSF virtual public meetings
||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| As summer comes to an end, we’re hosting virtual systemwide public meetings to look ahead to fall service and recap our busiest season. Join us on September 24-25 as our staff will answer questions and provide updates on workforce development, new vessels and more.
Get help with Medicare costs
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Are you having trouble affording the medical care you need? If you are on Medicare, three programs can help: Medicaid, the Medicare Savings Program, and the Low Income Subsidy Program. If your monthly income is less than $1,904 ($2,576 for a
County receives $1.5M from WA Governor to support local transportation infrastructure
Funding from the Governor’s Office will support three pilot initiatives to address ongoing ferry service disruptions, as well as a third set of crew for the interisland ferry. ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County is thrilled to receive new funding from the Washington State Governor’s Office
Letter to Editor | Land Bank preserves access to shared natural land
||| FROM MARGARET MILLS ||| A balanced community life for us all in San Juan County depends on two things: preserving and improving our shared access to natural land--forests, mountains and shores--and creating and preserving affordable housing for those who live and work here. Both are on the ballot this
Land Bank Commission will meet on Friday
||| FROM SJC CONSERVATION LAND BANK COMMISSION ||| The San Juan County Conservation Land Bank Commission will hold a regular monthly meeting on September 20, 2024 from 8:30am – 11:15am via Zoom. The meeting will also be available for in person public attendance at the San Juan Island Grange at 152 First Street,
Health Care District to meet
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND HEALTH CARE DISTRICT ||| Board Meeting - Special - September 19, 2024 The Orcas Island Health Care District Board will hold a Special Board Meeting on Thursday, September 19, 2024 from 12:30 - 2:00 PM in Maria's Room at the Orcas Island Library, 500 Rose Street, Eastsound. The agenda
Letter to Editor | I’m all in for Kari McVeigh
||| FROM STEPHANIE PRIMA ||| Kari McVeigh has the experience, the skills, and the vision to move our county out of this current 'stuck' position. She fully understands the economic and environmental concerns of full-time island living, already has proposals to balance these needs, and knows how to listen to
San Juan County Affordable Housing News Roundup – Fall 2024
Council approved five Affordable Housing Awards totaling $65,000 and allocated $30,000 to local Resource Centers via the Emergency Rental Assistance Pilot Project. ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County continues to support affordable housing efforts throughout the islands via the Home Fund, the Affordable Housing Awards, Connecting Housing
Animal rights group calls for release of Argentina’s last captive orca
||| FROM WJBD RADIO.COM ||| (LONDON) — Animal rights activists are calling for the release of an orca who has been living in Argentina’s largest aquarium for over 30 years. The orca named Kshamenk, pronounced Shamenk, is the last captive orca in all of Latin America, living in Buenos Aires’
Letter to Editor | Land Bank is successful; let’s not lose it
||| FROM JANE WENTWORTH ||| I am proud to live in a county with a citizen-founded Land Bank. The forward-thinking citizens of San Juan County voted in 1990 to establish the Land Bank real estate excise tax (REET), after helping to create the state enabling legislation. Citizens have renewed it
Inslee provides $1.5M emergency funding for San Juan Island transportation service
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF GOVERNOR JAY INSLEE ||| During a meeting with San Juan Island leaders, residents and businesses today, Gov. Jay Inslee announced he is issuing $1.5 million in emergency and short-term funding to restore critical ferry transportation networks throughout the San Juan Islands. Due to crewing challenges,
Letter to Editor | We are entitled to hear the whole story about McVeigh
||| FROM DAVID JOHNSON ||| I am compelled to respond to Kari McVeigh’s recent letter to the editor published on July 10, 2024, titled “Kari McVeigh responds to attacks.” While Ms. McVeigh attempts to frame the previous news coverage as an unwarranted assault on her campaign, it is crucial that
SJC Tourism at a Crossroads? (Part 2 – Paulsen-Hughes respond)
||| BY MATTHEW GILBERT, theORCASONIAN OP-ED REPORTER ||| In Part 1 on the future of the SJC Visitors Bureau, I had planned to include the thoughts of each candidate vying to represent Orcas Island on the County Council – Justin Paulsen and Rick Hughes – since one of them will likely
New orca calf born to Southern Resident L pod
||| FROM KING-TV ||| A very young orca calf was spotted off the coast of San Juan Island Monday. The calf is the newest member of the L pod subgroup. According to the Center for Whale Research, the calf, L128 and its mother, L90, both look healthy and appear to
Guest Opinion | Energy transition, the bigger picture, Part 3 of 3
||| FROM ED SUIJ ||| Richard Heinberg had seven concurrent steps of what we could do. Here are a couple more. If all happened simultaneously we might have a slim chance. Step 1 It is clear that there is only one way to avert the coming global upheaval, and that
Art Opening | Robert Dash
||| FROM ORCAS CENTER ||| Orcas Center’s Visual Arts Committee (VAC) is pleased to present the next Art Opening, Friday, September 27 from 5:30pm – 7pm with featured artist, Robert Dash in the lobby, and a community show of Drawings and Prints in the Madrona Room. Robert Dash is an
