Here’s a thought…
“If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don’t have to worry about the answers.”
THOMAS PYNCHON
SJC Parks will now have access to NARCAN
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| Staff at San Juan County Parks are now better equipped to respond to opioid overdoses, thanks to a partnership with the Health & Community Services Department (HCS). Parks staff now have access to Naloxone, better known as NARCAN® Nasal Spray, which is used to
WSF medical preferential loading program’s application process moves online
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION ||| Washington State Ferries’ Medical Preferential Loading program will move online next week. Starting Monday, March 20, faxed applications will no longer be accepted, and customers will need to work with their health care providers to submit one online. Once submitted, both the customer
Important legislative update from Orcas Schools Superintendent Eric Webb
||| FROM ERIC WEBB for ORCAS ISLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT ||| At the Legislative Conference in Olympia, State Superintendent Chris Reykdal talked about the “perfect storm” that will take place if the Legislature does not step up and provide necessary support to school districts. Federal ESSER funds that have “propped up”
Medicare help is available through local SHIBA volunteers
||| FROM PEGI GROUNDWATER for SHIBA ||| Is 2023 the year you join Medicare? Depending on your circumstances you may be enrolled automatically by Social Security or you may need to submit an application. To make an informed decision about your coverage choices, you will need to understand a lot
Community Church to hold youth fundraiser on St. Paddy’s Day
||| FROM CAROL KULMINSKI for ORCAS COMMUNITY CHURCH ||| On March 17, there will be a four course amazing St. Paddy’s Day dinner from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Orcas Community Church. The evening includes music from students, and missions and camp presentations. Tickets are $25 and other donations are gratefully accepted.
Letter to Editor | Who’s who in this homeless count?
||| FROM BEA VON TOBEL ||| Even though I’ve been officially retired for 10 years, my mind continues to ponder life on this island of residence, and has prompted several observation/questions. Some of them may be way out in left field, but because we’ve lived on Orcas for more than
Earthrise | How the Chinese spy balloon can inspire climate action
||| EARTHRISE BY JAY KIMBALL ||| The Chinese spy balloon entered North America on January 28th. Eight days later, it was shot down off the coast of South Carolina. During those eight days, the spy balloon had traveled over 5,000 miles, making its wind-powered way eastward at an average speed
Friends of the Library celebrates Ides of March with special book sale
||| FROM MICHAEL ARMENIA for FRIENDS OF ORCAS LIBRARY ||| The Friends of the Orcas Library (FOIL) is having a special “Ides of March” book sale from March 15th until April 2, 2023, located in the Old Lobby of the Public Library, 500 Rose St, Eastsound. The sale will be
Two great touring bands, one night at Orcas Grange, Thursday March 23
||| FROM RACHEL BISHOP for BROGRASS ||| Poster design courtesy of Printshop Northwest. Two great bands will be stopping on Orcas as part of their Washington tour to play one night at the Orcas Grange on Thursday March 23rd at 7pm. Tangled Up in Blue, known as “TUIB”
New ecotour company, Orcas Enchanted, to operate out of Brandt’s Landing
||| FROM MERMAID LIBERTY ||| The islands welcome “Orcas Enchanted,” a new ecotour company operating out of Brandt’s Landing Marina on Orcas Island by Captain and Marine Naturalist, Davina Liberty. “Liberty,” as she prefers to be called, grew up in the San Juan Islands, ultimately graduating from Anacortes High School
SJC Ag Summit: Skill-building for growers, chasing water
||| BY MATTHEW GILBERT, OP-ED JOURNALIST ||| In an era of $7 lattes, entrée-priced “dinner snacks,” and other assaults on the ethic of local affordability and community identity, it was refreshing to be reminded at the 11th annual San Juan Islands Agricultural Summit that there is a thriving network of
‘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.
Art, oil spills, more art are topics being offered at Orcas Senior Center
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Meeting of the Minds @ Orcas Senior Center: Islands’ Oil Spill Association Presentation by Elaina Thompson – Wednesday, 1pm Islands' Oil Spill Association (IOSA) Interim Executive Director Elaina Thompson will share a brief history of IOSA, revitalization efforts of IOSA over
SJC honors Lucinda Elizabeth Stewart Boyce’s legacy of care with community health van
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| Lucinda Elizabeth Stewart Boyce lived on San Juan Island in the late 1800s and, through radical acts of public service, cultivated a legacy of care. She was known to travel by horseback, buggy, and canoe to serve soldiers, settlers, and indigenous men and
Kiska, Marineland’s lone killer whale and last captive orca in Canada, has died
||| FROM GLOBAL NEWS ||| Kiska, a killer whale at Marineland and the last captive orca in Canada who has swam alone in her tank for more than a decade, has died. SEE PREVIOUS VIDEOThe Ontario government said Marineland, a theme park in Niagara Falls, Ont., informed the province Thursday
Sun Days on Orcas | Helping Hands Noramise
||| SUN DAYS ON ORCAS by EDEE KULPER ||| Winter is an internal time here on the island. Not as many people are out and about, and it's a reminder of how many residents are inside their homes working on all kinds of projects - quilts, plays, poetry, culinary recipes,
