Here’s a thought…
“Volunteering is at the very core of being a human. No one has made it through life without someone else’s help.”
HEATHER FRENCH HENRY
Happy holiday wishes from an Orcas Garden Club poet
||| FROM ORCAS GARDEN CLUB ||| ‘Twas December on Orcas, when all through the isle Not a green thing was growing, or would be for a while The gardening catalogs were marked up with care so past the last frost date new plants would be there. The stalks and the
GiveOrcas Campaign closes with fully-funded campaigns
You amaze us, Orcas! ||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ||| The 2022 Holiday GiveOrcas Campaign was fully funded this year because of you and so many of your neighbors. All in all, 603 people contributed a total of $234,040.72 providing 24 grants to programs serving the community. That is
San Juan County Auditor Milene Henley’s retirement party is postponed
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| Retirement party postponed due to inclement weather. San Juan County is grateful for Milene Henley's 16 years of service and hopes to be able to celebrate her when the weather permits.
Flu cases very high in Washington: DOH urges everyone take precautions
As hospitalizations and deaths from flu rise, DOH strongly encourages everyone eligible to get vaccinated ||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) is informing Washingtonians that the flu is spreading at a high rate in Washington state right now. The current flu
Remembering Ken Balcomb: A candlelight vigil
||| FROM THE CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH and ORCA NETWORK ||| The Center for Whale Research and Orca Network invites you to take part in a worldwide candlelight vigil to remember Ken Balcomb. We will honor his remarkable life during the Northern Hemisphere’s winter solstice – a time of rebirth,
Health Care District board will meet on Tuesday — online only
||| FROM KIM KIMPLE for ORCAS ISLAND HEALTH CARE DISTRICT ||| Due to inclement weather the OIHCD December 20 meeting will be held ONLINE ONLY. In replacement of the regular December board meeting, originally planned for December 27, the commissioners unanimously agreed to hold a special board meeting to conduct
Nearly every country signs on to a sweeping deal to protect nature
Roughly 190 nations, aiming to halt a dangerous decline in biodiversity, agreed to preserve 30 percent of the planet’s land and seas. The United States is not officially a participant. ||| FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES ||| MONTREAL, Quebec — Roughly 190 countries early on Monday approved a sweeping United
Let it snow? Sure, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow
||| FROM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ||| Description * What, Heavy Snow Expected. total Snow Accumulations of 2 to 8 Inches. * Where, Portions of Northwest and West Central washington. * When, from 7pm this Evening to 7pm PST Tuesday. * Impacts, Travel Could be very Difficult. * Additional Details, a
The co-op difference: Capital credit checks are in the mail
||| FROM KRISTA BOUCHEY for ORCAS POWER & LIGHT COOPERATIVE ||| More than $1.1M in capital credit checks are going out to longtime OPALCO members this month, as they do each year. As an electric cooperative, the margin at the end of any given year goes back into the hands
Heavy snow on the way?
||| FROM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ||| * WHAT...Heavy snow possible. Total snow accumulations of 2 to 6 inches possible. * WHERE...San Juan County, including Stuart Island, Waldron Island, Orcas Island, San Juan Island, Lopez Island, Blakely Island, and Decatur Island. * WHEN...From 7 PM PST this evening through Tuesday evening.
Sun Days on Orcas | Pondering God, III of III
||| SUN DAYS ON ORCAS by EDEE KULPER ||| Today is the final question-and-answer session with my brother Jack... Edee: Fear of God (or fear of an absence of God) can change a person's entire motivation, belief, and desire. When I get to the root of who I am and
Orcas Islander writes of being alone on a SUP in the Arctic
||| FROM 48NORTH.COM ||| She was surrounded by women. They all sat on the bench at the front of the community hall in the center of Paulatuk in the Inuvik region of Canada’s Northwest Territories. She looked me in the eyes, pausing to take another drag of her cigarette. Her
Port of Orcas sets new meeting date due to holiday
||| FROM PORT OF ORCAS ||| Attached you will find the Agenda for the Port of Orcas Board of Commissioners December meeting. This meeting is being held one week early, on Monday December 19th, 2022 at 5:00 p.m. due to the holiday.
Health Care District to hold special board meeting
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND HEALTH CARE DISTRICT ||| In replacement of the regular December board meeting, originally planned for December 27, the commissioners unanimously agreed to hold a special board meeting to conduct regular board meeting business on Tuesday December 20 from 5 – 7 PM. The board will conduct
Inslee update: State budget, $4 billion housing referendum, WSU clean energy program, behavioral health
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF GOVERNOR JAY INSLEE ||| Inslee releases 2023 budget proposal with major focus on housing, homelessness and behavioral health Gov. Jay Inslee revealed his proposed budget for the upcoming biennium on Dec. 14 at the capitol. The highlight of the budget is an audacious housing proposal
Housing, homelessness and behavioral health top Inslee’s budget priorities for 2023–25
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF GOVERNOR JAY INSLEE ||| Gov. Jay Inslee released his 2023–25 budget proposals today, urging legislators to continue prioritizing investments in housing, homelessness, and behavioral health with urgency and audacity. His budgets also outline updated plans for climate, salmon recovery, education, public safety, state workforce, and
