Here’s a thought…
“Old age is no joke, but it can feel like one.”
TAD TOMPKINS
Excitement in the air as Art+Environment Youth Art Show gets underway at Alchemy
||| FROM GLENN HENDRICK for ALCHEMY ART CENTER ||| This spring, Alchemy Art Center partnered with the San Juan Island Conservation District and the Madrona Institute on the first ever Art+Environment program, a 10-week arts and environmental stewardship program hosted at Alchemy and geared toward middle school age kids. Each
Sun Days on Orcas | Tideland property and the law
||| SUN DAYS ON ORCAS by EDEE KULPER ||| Judi Watson I bet a lot of people on the island wonder what is legal when it comes to walking along a beach here on Orcas Island. I know that I'm always wondering what the correct thing to do
Senior Center GiveOrcas, May 2-16: Building community through companion services
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Orcas Senior Center (OSC) was selected to participate in the 2022 OICF GiveOrcas fundraising campaign, May 2-16. With your help OSC will raise $25,000 for OSC’s Companion Services—Hearts and Hands and Buddy Check-In programs—expand its reach to seniors and adults with
Salish Sea Early Music Festival to perform ‘L’Apothéose de Lully’ in Eastsound
||| FROM JEFFREY COHEN for SALISH SEA EARLY MUSIC FESTIVAL ||| Salish Sea Early Music Festival • L'Apothéose de Lully Tuesday early evening, May 10, 2022 at 6:00 PM at the Orcas Adventist Fellowship Church Susie Napper (Montreal) ~ viola da gamba Elisabeth Wright (Bloomington, Indiana)~ harpsichord
350 volunteers made the spring Great Islands Clean-up a success
||| FROM KATIE FLEMING for SJC ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP ||| Jim McNairy from San Juan Island carries a large piece of Styrofoam he collected from Jakle’s Lagoon. Thank you to the 350 dedicated volunteers who collected 3,500 pounds of litter on Orcas, San Juan, Shaw, and Lopez Islands during
Gov. Inslee weekly update includes urgency of abortion protection
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF GOVERNOR JAY INSLEE ||| "We are going to fight like hell” – State leaders vow to protect access to abortion Jennifer Martinez, PPAA’s board president who spoke of her experience as a patient and soon-to-be-parent. Hundreds of people attended the press conference and rally
A reminder to remember how to secure your vehicle load
||| FROM HEATHER WALLACE for ORS RECYCLING SERVICES/THE EXCHANGE ||| There are just 3 weeks left in the Secure Your Load for Safer Roads campaign that was launched in April by San Juan County to help islanders understand the benefits and proper procedures for securing loads on vehicles. An unsecured
Letter to Editor | VRBO outlines legislative changes regarding vacation rentals
||| FROM JAN SCILIPOTI ||| I just received an email from VRBO, a short term vacation rental platform, that outlines changes in WA State legislature regarding VRs. Since 2018 in San Juan County, VR permits holders are already required to do all of these items. In fact, we have additional
Health Care District clarifies guidance on receiving after-hours care
||| FROM TOM EVERSOLE, INTERIM HEALTH CARE SUPERINTENDENT ||| In partnership with 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 heart attack
Sheriff’s Report | April 27 – May 5, 2022
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE ||| WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27 22-002556 Civil Problem 10:55:22 04/27/22 Deputies served two temporary orders for protection to an individual on San Juan Island baring the person from his mother's residence. Deputies explained the orders to the person being served, he gathered his belongings,
The latest COVID numbers from the State
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| Statewide Response Updates Newest numbers. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) reported a total of 1,508,065 confirmed cases as of 11:59 p.m. on May 3. There have been 12,679 COVID-19 deaths in Washington. Data note: DOH is still experiencing delays in reporting cases, hospitalizations,
Mercy Pilots put out call for more local pilots
||| FROM JEANNIE SHARPE for PORT OF ORCAS ||| Our local Mercy Flight Pilots are looking for pilots willing to fly people off island to their doctor appointments or pick them up. Some airport drop-offs include Bellingham, Anacortes and Skagit, but maybe more. This small team needs help with the
County officials discuss affordable housing, infrastructure investments with Rep. Larsen
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| Saturday and Sunday, April 30 and May 1, San Juan County officials toured Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) through the islands to discuss affordable housing and infrastructure investments. On Saturday, April 30, San Juan County Health and Community Services Director Mark Tompkins led
Letter to Editor | We’ve experienced ‘high’ delivery drivers, not once but twice
||| FROM JENNI BERRINGER ||| We have been working on a two year home renovation on San Juan Island. Aside from the pandemic creating major delays on supplies, getting good delivery services to our area is even more challenging. We had a large order of tile last year that we
Newest update from WSF
||| FROM PATTY RUBSTELLO for WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| Life-saving appliance training Our crewmembers go through a lot of practice to make sure everyone on board is safe. As the weather warms up, our training department is conducting sessions almost daily to make sure our crews meet their requirements and
Here are the latest COVID numbers from San Juan County
||| FROM KYRA KINNAMAN for SJC HEALTH & COMMUNITY SERVICES ||| Over the course of the past five weeks and since the last update on Friday April 1st, there have been 115 new confirmed or probable cases in San Juan County. Current case count is now 1390. Note that these
