Here’s a thought…
“Old age is no joke, but it can feel like one.”
TAD TOMPKINS
Orcas Senior Center cards have been rebranded as ‘Friendship Cards’
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Orcas Senior Center (OSC) realizes that staff and volunteers couldn’t do this good work without you, our friends! To “second that emotion,” OSC is rebranding its discount cards as “Friendship Cards.” The new cards provide all the same perks with your
Port of Orcas to launch search for Airport Manager, as Sharpe resigns
||| FROM ROBERT HAMILTON for PORT OF ORCAS ||| I am sad to report that Jeannie Sharpe is resigning from her position as Port of Orcas Airport Manager. Jeannie has done a fantastic job over the past two years and is liked and respected by the community and airport users
Next week, join in this celebration of access on Prune Alley
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County is proud to announce the opening of Prune Alley in Eastsound. The public is invited to join County officials and community members in a celebration of access event on Thursday, September 1 at 6 p.m. at the north end of
Hot Topic #38: Diseases in the headlines: Monkeypox virus (MPV) and Polio
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| COVID-19 is not the only disease making national headlines, so we thought it was a good time to bring back our Hot Topic series. There is a lot of information to sift through out there, so we’ve done our best to compile everything
Tourism Management Plan grinds toward reality checks
||| BY MATTHEW GILBERT, theORCASONIAN OP-ED REPORTER ||| On August 23, Kendra Smith, Director of Environmental Stewardship, updated the County Council on the progress of the Sustainable Tourism Management Plan (STMP). The vision and the goals have passed initial scrutiny, and the consultants and project managers are now in the
OI Health Care District (OIHCD) strategic planning continues
||| FROM TOM EVERSOLE, OIHCD INTERIM SUPERINTENDENT ||| At its August 23 meeting, the OIHCD Board received an update on new needs assessment data. Ms. Jody Carona of Health Facilities Planning and Design summarized findings from focus groups (listening sessions) designed for Spanish speakers and individuals with children. Four more
Makers Fair at Pelindaba is opportunity to come out and show your support
||| FROM SAN JUAN MAKERS GUILD ||| The FULL BLOOM Makers Fair at Pelindaba is an opportunity to come out and show your support for the Island Makers who provide such valuable cultural and culinary joy to our lives. Over 50 Makers are now involved in the event and will
Amid housing crises vacation towns limit short-term rentals
||| FROM AP NEWS ||| STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — In the Colorado ski town of Steamboat Springs, motels line the freeway, once filled with tourists eager to pitch down the slopes or bathe in the local hot springs. Now residents like Marc McDonald, who keep the town humming by
Orcas Island Jazz Festival opens next weekend at Orcas Center
||| FROM BETHANY MARIE for ORCAS CENTER ||| The Orcas Island Jazz Festival (OIJF), lights up Orcas Center every Labor Day weekend to celebrate and share the music of jazz. This year, join us in person or on the free livestream for three fantastic nights of live music! Friday, September
After-hours access to Island Health-Orcas clinic has improved
|||FROM TOM EVERSOLE for ORCAS ISLAND HEALTH CARE DISTRICT ||| With support from Orcas Island Health Care District, Island Health has made considerable improvements in access to after-hours care. Here’s the information you need to know: How-To Guide: After-Hours Care If you’re experiencing a life-threatening event, such as a heart attack
Alchemy Art Center is hosting artist talk series
||| FROM GLENN HENDRICK for ALCHEMY ART CENTER ||| Alchemy Art Center, in partnership with the San Juan Islands Museum of Art, is hosting an artist talk series featuring visiting and local artists. Talks take place in the upstairs workshop area of the SJIMA (located at 540 Spring St) from
Guest Opinion | Ferry service is continually becoming more unreliable
||| FROM ALEX MACLEOD ||| I don’t know about you, but it sure seems like ferry service in the islands just keeps getting worse. That’s also the assessment of Jim Corenman, the longtime chair of the county’s Ferry Advisory Committee (FAC), who summarized it in a note to me recently
These Orcas kids love summer camp at Funhouse Commons
||| FROM EMILIE GINCIG for FUNHOUSE COMMONS ||| Summer Camp at The Funhouse has been super amazing! Each day the building has been full of smiling children playing games and running through sprinklers. “The best thing about summer camp is having fun,” said Funhouse kid Ember. Thea enjoyed playing basketball, Maggie liked
Ticks widespread in islands but diseases rare, study finds
||| FROM RUSSEL BARSH for KWIAHT ||| The chance of finding a tick on yourself or one of your pets in San Juan County is greater than previously believed, but only about ten percent of island ticks are infected with pathogens that can cause you harm. Those are the findings
FHFF film explores conflict between oil companies and native peoples
||| FROM ELLEN ROBERTS for FRIDAY HARBOR FILM FESTIVAL || Yasuni Man, Friday Harbor Film Festival’s next offering in The Director Series, focuses on the conflict between oil companies and native Waorani people in South America. In the depths of South America, where the Andes, the Amazon and the Equator
SJIMA is bringing personal stories of everyday life in Kabul to Orcas Center
||| FROM DIANE MARTINDALE for SAN JUAN ISLANDS MUSEUM OF ART ||| Discover what is it like to live in Afghanistan. On Sunday, August 28 from 5-7 at the Orcas Center, the San Juan Islands Museum of Art (SJIMA) features a very special conversation with award-winning photographer, James Longley. In
