Here’s a thought…
“Deep breath. Deep breath. The air is free. You can take as many as you want.”
BUDDHIST MONK
Poetry | Offering Compassion to Ukraine and All Afflicted by War
May suffering arising from hatred be remedied. May those in the grip of fear be released to the safety of understanding. May those lost in confusion find relief in wisdom. May those in refugee camps find their way home. May those who are unsheltered find a safe harbor in community.
Letter to Editor | Early COVID treatment (lack of) availability
||| FROM JANET ALDERTON ||| The closest locations to access Paxlovid, an antiviral medication that must be taken within 5 days of the development of covid-19 symptoms, are Mount Vernon and Burlington. Why are the therapeutics not available in San Juan County? Taking a ferry and chasing down the medication on
Larsen responds to Russian sanctions
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF REP. RICK LARSEN ||| WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02) issued the following statement after the Russian government levied sanctions against Larsen and 397 other members of the U.S. House of Representatives: “If supporting the Ukrainian people and standing up for the young democracy gets
Local author Iris Graville coming to Orcas Library with her new book, Writer in a Life Vest
||| FROM CAROL DAPOGNY for ORCAS ISLAND LIBRARY ||| If you’re looking for information, insight, and inspiration about climate change, put on your life vest and settle in to thirty-six lyric essays about the Salish Sea by Lopez Island author Iris Graville. Orcas Island Library and Darvill’s Bookstore will host
WAFD will display Thom Carnevale photos
||| FROM THOM CARNEVALE||| The photographs of Orcas Island photographer Thom Carnevale will be on display at the Washington Federal Bank Branch (WAFD), in Eastsound, today through Mid-June. Ansel Adams once said, “When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with
Help shape a sustainable future for tourism in the San Juan Islands
||| FROM ANGELA BRODERICK for SJC DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP ||| San Juan County is working to develop a Sustainable Tourism Management Plan (STMP) that outlines the shared community vision, goals, and implementation measures to drive sustainable tourism in the San Juan Islands. WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Public
Health Care District appoints a new commissioner to complete Fralick’s term
||| FROM TOM EVERSOLE, ACTING HEALTH CARE DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT ||| At the April 5 meeting, Orcas Island Health Care District (OIHCD) Commissioners appointed Marie Michnich to serve the remainder of Richard Fralick’s term. Ms. Michnich will serve until the November 2023 elections. By way of introduction, she has shared the
Library is hosting a poetry event on the South Lawn
||| FROM CAROL DAPOGNY for ORCAS ISLAND LIBRARY ||| Listen to poems read and recited by locals or bring your own to share! Thursday, April 14, 6 p.m. on the Library South Lawn. Poets of all ages and poetry of all forms welcome! If weather interferes, the event will be
Our new best buddy, Big Blue is just crushing it out at the Exchange
||| BY EDEE KULPEER, theORCASONIAN REPORTER ||| Meet Big Blue, the new glass crusher at Orcas Recycling Services named by fourth graders Audrey Hance and Lana Sasan after a name-voting contest at school. If you park behind The Exchange, you'll see it a little off in the distance beyond the
EDC steps in to help with recovery from Friday Harbor fire
||| FROM VICTORIA COMPTON, EDC BOARD and STAFF ||| Our business community needs your help right now – the devastating fire of April 7th wiped out numerous businesses, left families without a way to put food on the table, and scarred the heart of our downtown. Could you please help
Overdose deaths in Washington top 2,000 in 2021 and continue to rise
To help save lives health officials urge people to carry naloxone and to know overdose signs ||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| OLYMPIA – New data show that deaths from drug overdoses continue to increase for Washington residents. Provisional data as of April 4 show drug-related overdose deaths surpassed 2,000 in 2021,
EDC to offer fire recovery sessions for business owners and employees
||| FROM THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL ||| The Economic Development Council of San Juan County (EDC) invites business owners and employees who have been displaced or negatively impacted by the April 7 fire in downtown Friday Harbor, to an informational session featuring local banks, insurers, utility, workforce, and other providers,
Property damage by fire may qualify for property tax relief
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| Our community is deeply saddened by the property loss and impact to lives and livelihoods from the fire on April 7, 2022. If your property was damaged by the fire, there may be property tax relief for the destroyed real and business personal
County Council to finally rule on capping vacation rental permits
||| BY MATTHEW GILBERT, theORCASONIAN OP-ED REPORTER ||| After three years of passionate public comment, Planning Commission debate, and County Council smoke signals, the idea of setting caps on the number of vacation rental permits in San Juan County is finally on the verge of resolution as the moratorium approaches
Poetry | my mother’s hands
my mother's hands by Nate Marshall Nate Marshall ............ would moisturize my face from jaw inward the days she had too much on her hands when what needed to come through did or didn't show. she still shone, still made smooth her every rough edge, heel to brow.
Washington water supply outlook report for April
||| FROM U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE ||| General Outlook What happened to our miracle March and La Nina, you may ask? Well, the warm dry trend from January and February continued through March. There were only 3-4 significant periods where average temperatures were cold enough for snow accumulation. Otherwise, most
