Here’s a thought…
“No one, I mean no one, has the right to sit in judgment of who’s American enough.”
MICHELLE OBAMA
Rep. Lekanoff | Building a resilient climate together
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF REP. LEKANOFF ||| We’re over 25% of the way through the legislative session. Today is policy committee cutoff, which is the first big deadline of this legislative session. Today, all bills that will be further considered will have already passed out of their policy committee and will
From the Guv | Supportive housing, one decade of marriage equality, first bill signed of session
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF GOVERNOR JAY INSLEE ||| Youth center and shelters in Longview offer fresh starts for locals Gov. Jay Inslee visited Longview on Tuesday, meeting with local leaders to hear their perspectives about behavioral health challenges. He also visited a local youth center and supportive housing
As the Paradigm Shifts | Wiggly-squiggly truth: Here’s what I believe…
||| AS THE PARADIGM SHIFTS by ROSIE KUHN ||| Creating is one of the most important practices in life. Each individual being is an expression of the Divine energy of LIFE. We are each unique expressions of the Intelligence behind all that is. And, I believe that, our true test
Sheriff’s Report | February 8 – 14, 2023
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE ||| WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8 23-000859 Fraud 11:39:46 02/08/23 San Juan Deputy took a report of fraud. A victim received an email advising they had been charged by McAfee Virus Software and contained a link to dispute the charge. The link allowed the suspect
WSF Weekly Report | Service restoration update
||| FROM PATTY RUBSTELLO for WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| Service restoration update Our latest Service Restoration Plan (PDF 794KB) Progress Report (PDF 608KB) shows our Edmonds/Kingston route hitting 99% reliability over the past two weeks. Unfortunately, because of service disruptions from a bent propeller on Puyallup, the week prior to that two-week period is
When we visit the Food Bank, we know almost everyone who walks in the door
||| FROM RICK RHOADS for ORCAS ISLAND FOOD BANK ||| Do you know an individual or family whose economic, physical, and/or mental health could be improved by nutritional assistance from the Orcas Island Food Bank, but that is reluctant to go, perhaps because they feel ashamed to accept “charity”? If
EDC looking for bookkeeping, accounting instructors for Orcas Island
||| FROM ANJI RINGZIN for ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL ||| Our upcoming Bookkeeping and Accounting class received an overwhelming response. Orcas Island business owners and managers have requested a class on Orcas. We are seeking a CPA or full-charge bookkeeper (current or retired) to dedicate a few hours to help local
Parasite alert: Houdini fly threatens island Mason bee populations
||| FROM RUSSEL BARSH for KWIAHT ||| One of the risks of importing Mason bee tubes from the mainland has been the unwitting introduction of pathogens and parasites that could impact the islands’ native Mason bee species, which are important for spring pollination of wildflower meadows and early-flowering shrubs and
Liz’s Loveletter | Ferries, policy cutoff, and more
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF SENATOR LIZ LOVELETT ||| We are officially one-third of the way through the 2023 legislative session, which means we’re busier than ever, working to pass bills before key deadlines. It has been so incredible to be back in Olympia with my colleagues these last few
‘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.
Do you feel it? Spring is on the way
||| FROM NITA COUCHMAN for ORCAS ISLAND GARDEN CLUB ||| The month of February has a reputation for being the snowiest, most wintery month, not a favorite time of year for some. It starts off with Groundhog Day and weather predictions determined by a rodent, a very curious custom when you
Learn how to navigate Medicare coverage
||| FROM TERRI OSBORNE for SHIBA ||| Is 2023 the year you join Medicare? Depending on your circumstances, Social Security may automatically enroll you, or you may need to submit an application. To make an informed decision about your coverage choices, you’ll need to understand a lot of new information.
Newest offerings from our Senior Center
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Island Hearing Healthcare @ Orcas Senior Center – Thursday, February 2 Stacie Nordrum, Au.D., CCC-A, of Island Hearing Healthcare will offer hearing appointments at Orcas Senior Center on Thursday, February 2 and the first Thursday of each month moving forward. Services
Our students are just as important as Seattle students
||| FROM BLAKE WILSON ||| We are reaching out to urge you to revisit regionalization and the levy lid limit of San Juan County. Attached is a video of one of our beloved librarians discussing the challenges that many of us face living on a remote island. We cannot staff our school, if we
County begins work on Orcas Island’s Fish Trap Creek culvert replacement
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| The County is beginning a project to replace a culvert and repair a section of Cormorant Bay Road near Deer Harbor. The FEMA-funded project will install a ten-foot-wide box culvert, specially designed to improve fish passage to Fish Trap Creek and withstand significant
Half of Orcas islanders qualify for help at Food Bank
||| FROM DAVID & GERI TURNOY ||| Did you know that half the people living on Orcas Island qualify for help at the Orcas Food Bank? The first quarter of 2019 compared to the 4th quarter of 2022, household visits increased by 194%, and new customers continue to register monthly.
