Here’s a thought…
“Old age is no joke, but it can feel like one.”
TAD TOMPKINS
Senior Center addresses effects of loneliness and social isolation on health
||| FROM JIM GLOZIER for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| The American Heart Association recently conducted a research study on the impacts of social isolation and loneliness on health. Those that experience these are at a 29% higher risk for heart attack and/or death and 32% higher risk for stroke. The
Weekly COVID update from State Dept. of Health
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| Newest numbers. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) reported a total of 1,830,508 confirmed cases as of 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 18. There have been 14,411 COVID-19 deaths in Washington. For the most recent number of cases by county, demographics, and more, visit
Letter to Editor | Vote ‘Yes” for road levy
||| FROM DAVID ZERETZKE ||| Please vote ‘Yes’ for the Road Levy - Proposition 1. The San Juan County road fund lacks sufficient funding to repair critical infrastructure in San Juan County. Your ‘Yes’ vote will address: 1) over a dozen marine facilities, 2) hundreds of
WSF Report: Support for (baseball) Mariners
||| FROM PATTY RUBSTELLO for WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| Showing our support for Mariners playoff run We partnered with the Seattle Mariners for an onboard celebration Friday, ahead of the weekend’s Major League Baseball American League Division Series home game. Tacoma, which was temporarily renamed Mariners “Good Vibes Only,” was
Letter to Editor | Krebs is the right person for the sheriff job
||| FROM RICK HUGHES ||| Hello, my name is Rick Hughes, and I live on Orcas Island. My wife and I operate Ray’s General Store and Pharmacy, Con’s Pit Stop and Island Life on Orcas and I served for eight years as the San Juan County Council member from district
‘Occam’s Razor’ | Our island, our world through the eyes, pen of S.C. Watson
Welcome to our weekly feature, Occam's Razor, from local artist S.C. Watson.
Be glad you vote in San Juan County
||| FROM DEMOCRACY DOCKET ||| 2022 Daily Docket — Thursday, Oct. 20 Here are some updates from today. As early voting is underway in Arizona, the secretary of state’s office has referred a report of voter intimidation to the Arizona attorney general and U.S. Department of Justice. Right-wing activists in Arizona have called
OPALCO has scheduled Eastsound power outage tonight
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ||| For businesses in the Eastsound core please be aware that OPALCO will be conducting a planned power outage tonight at 11:30 pm (to 5:00 am). The 289 meters in the Eastsound business core; from Lover’s Lane over to the Schools, down to
Letter to Editor | Linden Rhoads appointed to UW Board of Regents
||| FROM RICK RHOADS, PROUD FATHER ||| Today Gov. Jay Inslee announced the appointment of Linden Rhoads and the re-appointment of Blaine Tamaki to the University of Washington Board of Regents. Rhoads's term will start Oct. 24, 2022 and end Sept. 30, 2028. Tamaki's new term will end Sept. 30,
Why do “left” and “right” mean liberal and conservative?
||| FROM DICTIONARY.COM ||| The words left and right are closely associated with differing “wings” of the political spectrum. But how did liberal politics become associated with the word left, anyways? And why are conservatives labelled as right? When we discuss the origins of words, we often warn against origin stories that sound too good to be
Watch Thor Hanson’s Garden Club presentation
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND GARDEN CLUB ||| THOR HANSON -- Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid In case you missed this September program or would like to watch it again, the recording of Thor Hanson's September presentation is online and available for viewing. VIEW THOR'S PRESENTATION
New school immunization data shows childhood vaccination rates remain flat
On-time immunization throughout childhood helps protect from diseases ||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) has updated their school immunization data dashboard to include data from the 2021-2022 school year. The newest data included show that the vaccination rates have remained flat. “Vaccines remain
Want help during Medicare open enrollment?
||| FROM PEGI GROUNDWATER for SHIBA ||| Confused by the ads on TV and the information you get in the mail or from your friends and neighbors? SHIBA volunteers are available to give you free, unbiased information about the choices you have. They can also help you figure out if
How to protect yourself from this wildfire smoke
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| Smoke from nearby wildfires has settled over the islands – resulting in unhealthy air quality. San Juan County’s Department of Health and Human Services urges residents to take precautions to protect yourself and family members. “We have three air quality monitors one on
Halloween in Eastsound! Celebrate safely on Monday, October 31
Orcas Island Chamber of Commerce works to safeguard Trick or Treaters on North Beach Road ||| FROM ORCAS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ||| Come celebrate Halloween on Monday, October 31 in Eastsound. The Chamber of Commerce wants to make sure we all keep an eye out for little goblins and ghouls
Here’s some really great news – K45 is female!
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| During field work near Swiftsure Bank this August, our colleagues at Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) were able to get photographs of K45’s belly, which show that K45 is female! Born this year, K45 is the first new K pod female since 2010.
