Here’s a thought…
“Old age is no joke, but it can feel like one.”
TAD TOMPKINS
Orcas Island School District music program inspires local youth
||| FROM MUSIC ADVOCACY GROUP ||| The Orcas Island School District music program is moving to a quick beat. A schedule adjustment has meant that high school band and strings groups are meeting at 8:30 AM four days a week instead of at zero hour (7:15 AM) every day. This
The day federal agents busted PNW’s prolific bootlegger
||| FROM SAM GAILEY for ORCAS LIBRARY ||| On Thanksgiving Day, 1925, Roy Olmstead was trapped by federal prohibition agents and their Tommy guns on a lonely Puget Sound dock. His reign as the Northwest’s most prolific bootlegger had ended. But big questions—political, cultural, and legal—remained. Why did Olmstead, the
Larsen: Extreme GOP bill restricts reproductive health care, hurts Northwest Washington families
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF REP. RICK LARSEN ||| WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02) released the below statement in response to House Republicans’ extreme health spending bill (H.R. 5894), which includes several anti-choice provisions: “MAGA Republicans are more concerned about restricting reproductive health care than protecting families,” said Larsen. “Instead
Health Care District Board to hold public budget, levy hearing tomorrow
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND HEALTH CARE DISTRICT ||| The Orcas Island Health Care District will hold a Public Budget and Levy Hearing on Wednesday, November 15 at 4:30 p.m. in the Community Room at the Orcas Island Library, 500 Rose Street, Eastsound. All Meeting materials and meeting information will be posted below Download OIHCD
Island Health Emergency Department renovations underway
||| FROM LAURA MORONEY for ISLAND HEALTH ||| The multi-faceted Emergency Services Project at Island Health is progressing, with construction beginning within the Emergency Department (ED) this week. The ED work includes new flooring, paint and casework around the central workstation. Island Health anticipates this portion of the project will
Odd Fellows delivers a cord of firewood to raffle winner
||| FROM DIDIER GINCIG for ODD FELLOWS ||| The Odd Fellows Wood Raffle ticket winner this year is Don Marcum. A cord of wood was delivered by the Odd Fellows and will keep a young family warm this winter. The Odd Fellows wishes to thank everyone who bought a raffle
BC mega container terminal questions answered
||| FROM SALISH CURRENT ||| The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority has proposed that Roberts Bank Terminal 2 (RBT2) — a mega project consisting of a new three-berth marine container shipping terminal adjacent to an existing coal terminal — be constructed in Delta, British Columbia. The building site is about 1 kilometer
Flotsam & Jetsam | To my dearest ferry Yakima
||| FLOTSAM & JETSAM by MAURICE AUSTIN ||| I getcha—hope the break does you good! We’re all dealing with the effects of budget cuts--fewer sailings, larger class sizes. But you’re looking great, despite the paint. Am not so sure I’m far from being taken out of service myself—though perhaps for
Any weather geeks out there? We have an El Niño winter advisory
After three straight winters of La Niña, El Niño is expected for 2023-2024 ||| FROM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ||| EL NIÑO/SOUTHERN OSCILLATION (ENSO) DIAGNOSTIC DISCUSSION issued by CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER/NCEP/NWS 9 November 2023 ENSO Alert System Status: El Niño Advisory Synopsis: El Niño is anticipated to continue through the Northern Hemisphere spring
Most recent election results
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY AUDITOR ||| November 7, 2023 General Election Last updated on 11/13/2023 3:21 PM Number of Precincts 23 Number of Registered Voters 14,725 Total Ballots Counted 7,154 Estimated Ballots Left to Count 50 Next Ballot Count On 11/16/2023 5:00 PM Last Tabulated 11/13/2023 3:21 PM Voter
County Manager Mike Thomas stepping down after 10 years of public service in the islands
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| County Manager Mike Thomas recently announced that he is stepping down from his position after 10 years with San Juan County. He has worked in local government in Washington State for over 33 years. During his career, Mike has held positions that cover
Letter to Editor | I intend to vote ‘Yes’ on this budget
||| FROM ORCAS FIRE COMMISSIONER NICK NEGULESCU ||| Some people in the community have characterized this action and this budget as "vindictive". I want to speak directly to those people. I don't live in a fantasy realm where we can magically - and in good conscience - send the fire
Island Kids | What you need to know now that RSV season is here
||| ISLAND KIDS BY EVAN BUXBAUM, M.D. ||| Long before Coronavirus became a household name- and a household lockdown- Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) topped the list of viruses that we worried about for our youngest children, as well as older and immunocompromised people. After years of waiting, we now have
My adventures into Tai Chi Land: Second of a four-part series
“You must teach!” ~ Mrs. Chow ||| FROM STEPHANIE ROSENBLATT ||| I was in my early twenties when I began my exploration of tai chi, so when Mr. Chow was escorting me to the door after my first class and said, “You will become tai chi and tai chi will
Have you ever heard such a thing? Olga Symphony is back for its beloved holiday concert
||| FROM ANITA ORNE for OLGA SYMPHONY ||| They’re back! Longtime favorite island holiday tradition the Olga Symphony concert will be happening at Orcas Center on Friday, November 24 and Saturday November 25 at 7 p.m. Melinda, Gordon, Z, JP, and Anita will once more bring guitar, fiddle, bass, mandolin,
Welcome to Medicare presentation at Orcas Senior Center
Wednesday, November 15, 10:30 am ||| FROM LENA KASS for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Will you be joining Medicare sometime in the next year? Medicare enrollment is not automatic for most people, so you’ll probably need to enroll with Social Security. Then you’ll have to decide what type of Medicare
