Here’s a thought…
“Deep breath. Deep breath. The air is free. You can take as many as you want.”
BUDDHIST MONK
Leaders announce $1 million for Seattle Maritime Academy and technical maritime education
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF GOVERNOR JAY INSLEE ||| Gov. Jay Inslee, Seattle Councilmember Tammy J. Morales, Seattle Mayor Harrell’s Office, City of Seattle Office of Economic Development, Seattle Colleges, and the Seattle Maritime Academy celebrated $1 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funding released this week for sustaining
Lit Fest panels to cover a wide range of timely topics
||| FROM MATTHEW GILBERT for ORCAS ISLAND LIT FEST ||| This year’s Orcas Island Lit Fest (June 3 – 4) boasts an extraordinary lineup of authors and artists whose work will anchor the event in some of today’s most pressing challenges while also celebrating the beauty and power of the
Letter to Editor | Living through the hell of Indian schools
||| FROM SPIRIT EAGLE ||| Regarding Gov Inslee's statement about Native American Boarding Schools: I have spoken to many elders who lived through the Hell of the Indian "schools." Not very many people know that there was a family on Sucia Island who had many children. The government agents arrived
Childhood immunization rates decline during the pandemic
Now is the time to schedule a well-child visit to get your child up to date on vaccines ||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| OLYMPIA – A new report shows routine childhood immunization rates decreased during the pandemic, dropping by 13% in 2021 when compared to pre-pandemic levels. The drop was most
Still time to participate as GiveOrcas campaign winds down
||| FROM HILARY CANTY for ORCAS ISLAND COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ||| The Orcas Island Community Foundation’s GiveOrcas campaign is in the final few days. The community has really stepped up to fund all of the great proposals in this year’s campaign, everything from food and art, to ticks and swings. So
SMRU Consulting receives this year’s Finnie Award for stewardship
||| FROM GRETCHEN KRAMPF for STEWARDSHIP NETWORK OF THE SAN JUANS ||| Stewardship Network of the San Juans’ mission is to promote awareness of the Salish Sea ecosystem and our shared responsibility for its preservation and conservation by working collaboratively on education, outreach, volunteer and science initiatives. Since 2008, annual
Larsen: Affordable connectivity benefit lowers broadband costs for working families
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF REP. RICK LARSEN ||| WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02) applauded the launch of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), an initiative made possible by the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) to provide most eligible households with $30 off their monthly internet bill. More than 1.4 million Washingtonians
Sheriff’s Report | May 6 – 10, 2022
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT ||| FRIDAY, MAY 6 22-002757 Suspicious Person/Circumstance 01:12:49 05/06/22 A Deputy was dispatched to a Suspicious Circumstance in the Friday Harbor area. The caller believed there was someone in their residence. The Deputy arrived and checked the residence but no one was located.
Recap of recent COVID-19 news and updates from State
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| Newest numbers. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) reported a total of 1,524,078 confirmed cases as of 11:59 p.m. on May 10. There have been 12,724 COVID-19 deaths in Washington. Data note (Wednesday, May 11): Due to a technical issue in our data systems,
Guest Opinion | Help stop this abuse of power in San Juan County
||| FROM VICKI LEIMBACK ||| On Tuesday, May 17, there is a hearing to remove Steve Smith as a planning commissioner. The accuser has not presented any evidence. Concerned islanders, including past & current county officials, have spent hours reviewing and comparing the accusations to the video records and concluded
Deadline approaches for GiveOrcas campaign
||| FROM MEGAN NEAL for ORCAS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ||| The Orcas Island Community Foundation’s Annual Spring GiveOrcas campaign is going strong! It was a record-breaking year on many fronts and this community has stepped up to meet the needs. In just 11 days, over 600 donors have shown up and
County receives $3.4 million in American Rescue Plan investments
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| SAN JUAN COUNTY, WA. – San Juan County Council is announcing $3.4 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) investments to support pandemic recovery efforts in public health, infrastructure updates, and emergency preparedness. Since receiving the first allocation of ARPA funds in May of
COVID case numbers are on the rise locally
||| FROM KYRA JAHANFAR for SJC HEALTH & COMMUNITY SERVICES ||| Over the previous 5 weeks leading up to last week’s update there were 115 new cases. Since the update last Friday May 5, there have been 100 new confirmed or probable cases in San Juan County. Current case count
Up close and miserable: This is what COVID looks like
||| BY LIN MCNULTY, theORCASONIAN EDITOR ||| Being double vaxxed and boosted didn't spare Orcas Islander Bethany Marie from contracting and experiencing a miserable COVID bout. Yet, she was willing to share with our readers what that looks like and tell us what it feels like. Good wishes, of course,
‘Still Now’ performance at Orcas Center promises to be powerful
||| FROM BETHANY MARIE for ORCAS CENTER ||| Theatre at Orcas Center returns to Center Stage May 19 – 28 with a compelling new play, “Still Now,” written by Katie Bender and directed by Pepper Binkley. Still Now follows Annie (played by Chelsea Sherman), who has a reckoning with her
WSF weekly report with forewarning about high tides next week
||| FROM PATTY RUBSTELLO for WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| Mukilteo/Clinton route moves to restored service stage of restoration process Monday, May 16 I’m pleased to report that our Mukilteo/Clinton route will move to two-boat restored service (Stage 4) in our Service Restoration Plan starting Monday, May 16. This week’s Plan Progress Report shows the
