Here’s a thought…
“Old age is no joke, but it can feel like one.”
TAD TOMPKINS
IslandRides continues to serve while marking one year anniversary
||| FROM CURT VAN HYNING for ISLANDRIDES ||| This month, June 2022, will mark one full year of service by IslandRides to Orcas Islanders. About fifteen dauntless volunteer drivers have joined with coordinator Sandy Playa to drive 12,000 miles on the island for $1,000 in rider donations. These 2,000 trips
Good Lovelies to headline Summer Solstice Extravaganza
||| FROM BETHANY MARIE for ORCAS CENTER ||| Get ready to welcome the sun with a day packed full of music, dance, and fun this Saturday, June 18 on the Village Green. After the Solstice Parade (beginning at noon), enjoy live music and dancing on the Village Green including performances
Multi-state Salmonella outbreak linked to backyard poultry
11 sickened in Washington state so far ||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| OLYMPIA -- Washington State Department of Health (DOH) is working with local and federal public health partners to investigate 11 identified cases of Salmonella linked to backyard poultry in Pierce, Kitsap, Snohomish, Lincoln, King, Yakima, and Lewis counties. This
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 1,605,181 confirmed cases as of 11:59 p.m. on June 7. There have been 12,932 COVID-19 deaths in Washington. Data note (Wednesday, June 8): Total case counts may include up to 1,920 duplicates.
Paralytic shellfish poisoning illness confirmed in Snohomish Co.
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| OLYMPIA -- Washington State Department of Health (DOH) and Snohomish County Health District have identified a confirmed case of Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) in a Snohomish County resident. The individual experienced tingling and numbness of the lips, tongue, and extremities after consuming butter clams
Sheriff’s Report | June 1 – 6, 2022
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE ||| WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1 22-003478 Found Property 13:56:53 06/01/22 A Deputy responded to a walk-in report of a cell phone found at Linde Park approximately 2 to 3 weeks ago. The phone is an un-initialized phone and an owner was unable to be
Weekly report from Washington State Ferries
||| FROM PATTY RUBSTELLO for WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| Service restoration update Human Resource Manager Sarah Smith talks to new hires at new employee orientation this week. The large group includes 18 deckhand students and 14 terminal students. With elevated cases of COVID-19, and continued vessel and crewing
Got visitors? Get your copy of the San Juan Islands Stewardship Guide
||| FROM AMY NESLER for SJ VISITORS BUREAU ||| Do you care about how our visitors treat the San Juan Islands? Then you’ll love the colorful Stewardship Guides from San Juan County Public Works! Jam-packed with tips covering everything from water and trash to noise and wildlife, these guides engage
Kaleidoscope awarded grant to fund outdoor nature based program expansion
||| FROM AMBER PAULSEN for KALEIDOSCOPE ||| Kaleidoscope, a non-profit preschool and childcare center on Orcas Island, was recently awarded a $700,000 grant by the Washington State Department of Commerce Early Learning Facilities grant program. The grant will bring critical financial resources into our community and support Kaleidoscope in funding
Hurry! Orcas Center’s online auction closes June 12
||| FROM BETHANY MARIE for ORCAS CENTER ||| This year, Orcas Center has taken their silent auction online at www.OrcasCenter.org/auction. Bid on themed packages filled will delights from many local businesses, restaurants, and artisans, including Matia’s, Darvill’s, Pawki’s, Orcas Island Winery, Island Thyme, Hogstone’s, Buck Bay Shellfish Farm, Brown Bear
‘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.
Health District makes changes to meeting dates
||| FROM TOM EVERSOLE for ORCAS ISLAND HEALTH DISTRICT ||| At its meeting June 7, the Orcas Island Health District Board of Commissioners moved by resolution the dates of its regular meetings from the first Tuesday to the fourth Tuesday of the month starting June 28. The move will allow more timely financial reporting
Reminder: WSF virtual community meetings next week
||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| Next week, join one of our virtual community meetings for an update on WSF, ask questions, and learn about upcoming summer service, hiring challenges and successes, and our continued COVID-19 response. Register for the 1 p.m. June 14 meeting here. Register for the 6 p.m. June
Larsen secures key wins for NW Washington’s maritime infrastructure in bipartisan Water Resources Development Act
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF REP. RICK LARSEN ||| WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02) applauded House-passage of the bipartisan Water Resources Development Act of 2022 (WRDA 2022), legislation to authorize critical investments in Northwest Washington ports, inland waterways, flood management systems, ecosystems and other water resources infrastructure. WRDA 2022 passed the
Letter to Editor | If we were to see the actual results of gun violence…
||| FROM JAMES SCHEIB ||| Our people don’t know, in their souls, the true cost of violence because they don’t see the bodies. People come apart when hit with military or big game hunting grade small arms bullets. The description in literature, “people were shot to pieces,” is accurate. I’m
Warm Valley Farm 100-year-old farm house to be replaced with event space
||| FROM JEFF PLATT ||| The story behind the original farmhouse at Warm Valley Farm on Orca Island is a 100-year tale of expansions and additions. However, these days it's best known for sinking and slumping lower and lower towards the dirt. In fact, the current owners say if you've
