Here’s a thought…
“Patriotism is supporting your country all the time and the government when it deserves it.”
MARK TWAIN
School District is seeking applications for Pro and Con statement committees
||| FROM SUZANNA SMITH for ORCAS ISLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT ||| Orcas Island School District is seeking applications from persons interested in being appointed to a committee to write the “for” or “against” statements for the San Juan County Local Voters’ Pamphlets related to the Districts replacement Educational Programs and Operations
Health & Community Services launches new program, growing families
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| Growing Families San Juan Islands (“Growing Families”) is San Juan County Health & Community Services’ (HCS) local, public health home- and community-visiting service offered to growing families throughout our County. After much planning, the program officially launched this October! Through this program HCS
In Memoriam | Paqo, October 15, 2006 – November 24, 2023
||| FROM DAVID SHINSTROM, M.D. ||| It is with profound sadness that David Shinstrom announces the death of his beloved constant companion, Paqo. Hundreds of Orcas residents got to know Paqo in his integral role of greeter and comforter at Orcas Family Health Center. Countless patients commented on how Paqo’s
Hallelujah! Come hear Handel’s Messiah this weekend
||| FROM LYNN BAKER for ORCAS CHORAL SOCIETY ||| Orcas Choral Society presents the world’s best-beloved choral work, Handel’s Messiah, in three performances, Dec. 1-3, at the Orcas Center. Come and listen. Or, on Sunday, come and sing along. “Why is music for choir and orchestra, written 280 years ago,
Coast Guard partners with local agencies to respond to sinking vessel in West Sound
||| FROM U.S. COAST GUARD SECTOR PUGET SOUND ||| SEATTLE — Crews from Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound, Washington Department of Ecology, and the Islands’ Oil Spill Association (IOSA) responded to the sinking of the 80-foot vessel El Capitan at West Sound Marina on Orcas Island, Saturday, Nov. 18. Watchstanders
My adventures into Tai Chi Land: Fourth in a four-part series
||| FROM STEPHANIE ROSENBLATT ||| Tai Chi offers physical and emotional balance and gifts the practitioner with an inward journey that heals the soul. This unfolding is similar to Dorothy’s adventures in the Wizard of Oz. And like the Yellow Brick Road, Tai Chi is a winding path as it
Fire Commission to meet tomorrow for special meeting
||| FROM KAT BARNARD for BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS ||| The SJC Fire Protection District #2 Board of Fire Commissioners invites you to a Special Meeting on Wednesday, November 29th, at 3 p.m. at the Eastsound Fire Hall or on Zoom (link below and in the attachment). Please review the agenda
Our Christmas tree will come to life at Friday lighting ceremony
Tree lighting festivities this Friday on the Village Green from 4-7pm. ||| FROM CAREY ESKRIDGE for ORCAS ISLAND CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ||| We’ll have a tent set up to keep folks comfortable since the weather looks a bit iffy and feature a Little Elf Workshop for the kids, including build-your-own
Deadline through Friday: Last chance to take the Community Health Survey
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS || San Juan County Health & Community Services wants to hear from you! The Community Health Survey is collecting responses through Friday, Dec. 1 to include in the Community Health Assessment Report, which will be released in early 2024. If you haven’t taken the quick survey
Check out this Immersive Salish Sea Education program
||| FROM AYN GAILEY ||| Kids and adults who feel more connected to the Salish Sea are more likely to protect it. That's why we are asking islanders to support our OICF GIVEORCAS project: Immersive Salish Sea Education program for Orcas Island youth. Listen to how the kids refer to
PeaceHealth reaches agreement with Washington State on charity care
||| FROM ANNE WILLIAMS for PEACEHEALTH ||| VANCOUVER, Wash. – PeaceHealth has announced that it reached an agreement with the Attorney General of Washington regarding charity care. For years, PeaceHealth cooperated with an investigation by the Attorney General, providing tens of thousands of documents and supplying evidence that the not-for-profit
Children’s Holiday Market coming up Sunday December 3
||| FROM RACHEL BISHOP for ORCAS ISLAND LIBRARY ||| Are you looking for a unique gift for a friend for the Holidays? Then head on over to the library on Sunday December 3rd. The 10th Annual Childrens' Holiday Market will be at the Orcas Library on Sunday December 3rd from
Repeated vandalism forces Land Bank to remove toilet at Zylstra Lake Preserve
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| The Conservation Land Bank made the difficult decision to close and remove the public restroom at Zylstra Lake Preserve due to excessive vandalism. Facing repetitive repair costs and continued misuse, the portable toilet was removed from the property on October 20, 2023. “Starr
Full Moon Tarot | Joy and self trust face difficulty in love
||| FULL MOON TAROT by NIK SCHULZ ||| Here’s my interpretation for what Spirit offers for the coming lunar cycle starting on November 27th. This lunar cycle starts off with joy, celebration, and optimism, which blossoms into a deep connection with nature and self but then faces difficulty in love
A Uniquely Orcas Production: Sea Island Nutcracker
||| FROM BETHANY MARIE for ORCAS CENTER ||| Orcas Center and the Orcas Dance Collective are proud to present a maritime take on a holiday classic: The Sea Island Nutcracker. With over 50 performers and 180+ costumes, this rendition of the holiday classic features many wildlife and nautical themes that
Flotsam & Jetsam | A Turkey Day tale
||| FLOTSAM & JETSAM by MAURICE AUSTIN ||| Among the joys of rolling out of bed early on Turkey Day at O’ Dark Thirty and heading for the Red Eye—loading the last bits of the load by headlamp even though missing the headlamp—is that one or another essential item for
