Here’s a thought…
“Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each New Year find you a better man.”
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
As the Paradigm Shifts | Wonders never cease
||| AS THE PARADIGM SHIFTS by ROSIE KUHN ||| About 25 years ago, my friend Joan came to my home to do an energy clearing. She had a lot of experience in Feng Shui and other techniques for bringing harmony and balance to people and spaces. She offered to come
Sheriff’s Report | September 7 – 13, 2022
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE ||| WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7 22-006522 Court Order Violation 10:14:37 09/07/22 San Juan Deputies responded to a report of a domestic violence order violation. One individual was arrested and booked into jail. 22-006524 Accident-HitRun 11:45:04 09/07/22 A Deputy responded to a walk in delayed
EPA announces $67M in funding to Washington for water infrastructure improvements
||| FROM U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY ||| SEATTLE (Sept. 16, 2022) — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the first significant distribution of water infrastructure funds thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The announcement includes $31 million in supplemental funding to the Washington State Department of Ecology to capitalize
Latest COVID update from State Health Dept.
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| Newest numbers. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) reported a total of 1,796,023 confirmed cases as of 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 11. There have been 14,060 COVID-19 deaths in Washington. For the most recent number of cases by county, demographics, and more, visit
Guest Opinion | Sitting silently does nothing for island ferry service
||| FROM ALEX MCLEOD ||| In the early 2000s, I was the chair of the San Juan County Ferry Advisory Committee. This was shortly after the Legislature had killed the motor-vehicle excise tax, a major source of funding for ferries. As a result, fares more than doubled almost overnight and
Orcas Island Food Bank creates fruit tree map for gleaning program
||| FROM RICHARD RHOADS for ORCAS ISLAND FOOD BANK ||| A property owner on Orcas Island said, “We are getting older, and it’s just the two of us now. We have so much fruit, we don’t know what to do with it. We could use a little help.” A
County announces annual stormwater infrastructure maintenance
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County announces the beginning of annual stormwater infrastructure maintenance on Orcas and Lopez Islands. The regular maintenance is conducted before the first flush of the season – the initial surface runoff of a rainstorm -- to reduce accumulated contaminants and debris
‘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.
Your questions answered about sinking of FV Aleutian Isle; what we know so far
||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN for SJC DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT |||| What is the current situation with the wreck? The sunken vessel remains in place on the West side of San Juan Island in over 200 feet of water. The boat is resting on its side, perched bow facing uphill
Reminder: Planned overnight power outage scheduled for Thursday night
||| FROM KRISTA BOUCHEY for ORCAS POWER & LIGHT CO-OPERATIVE ||| All of San Juan County will be affected by a planned power outage necessary for Bonneville Power Association (BPA) to make scheduled repairs to the transmission lines that deliver power to the islands. This maintenance outage will happen during
Guest Opinion | A word about property rights and freedom
||| FROM WILLIAM APPEL ||| In old English common law, private ownership of land included the right to kill intruders. The rebelling American colonies adopted the English law of 1776, and with additional states, modified their property laws (including the right to kill intruders). The Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to
State Health Dept.: Blood donations urgently needed
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| OLYMPIA – As summer ends and the school year begins, the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) and Northwest Blood Coalition urge eligible blood donors to schedule donations. According to the Northwest Blood Coalition, high school and college students make up almost 25 percent
Hot Topic 59: All about the fall bivalent COVID-19 booster vaccine
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| The core message is simple: Get the COVID-19 bivalent booster this fall. What is this bivalent booster? What makes this booster different from the vaccines that came before? New bivalent booster vaccines will soon be available from Moderna and Pfizer. Bivalent Novavax boosters
Orcas Garden Club presenter to speak of climate change
||| FROM ORCAS GARDEN CLUB ||| Thor Hanson On Wednesday, September 21, at 10:30 a.m., the Orcas Island Garden Club will present a virtual (Zoom) meeting featuring Thor Hanson. Thor’s presentation, Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid, addresses the fraught and fascinating biology of climate change, how plants and
Reminder: Planned overnight power outage scheduled for Thursday night
||| FROM KRISTA BOUCHEY for ORCAS POWER & LIGHT CO-OPERATIVE ||| All of San Juan County will be affected by a planned power outage necessary for Bonneville Power Association (BPA) to make scheduled repairs to the transmission lines that deliver power to the islands. This maintenance outage will happen during
MacKaye Harbor shoreline restoration project completed
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County is proud to announce the completion of the MacKaye Harbor Shoreline Restoration Project on Lopez Island. After several weeks of removing old armor from the beach and spreading fresh sand and gravel, crews have officially cleared the site. The
