Here’s a thought…
“Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each New Year find you a better man.”
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
Newest updates and summary from State Health Dept.
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| Newest numbers. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) reported a total of 1,414,222 confirmed cases as of 11:59 p.m. on Feb. 22.* There have been 11,732 COVID-19 deaths in Washington. Data notes *Effective Jan. 24, 2022, DOH updates the COVID-19 data dashboard on
Lekanoff’s Latest | Budget week & Billy Frank Jr. statue meeting scheduled
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF REP. DEBRA LEKANOFF ||| Happy Fantastic Friday! It’s budget week in Olympia! With only a few weeks left in the 2022 legislative session, my colleagues and I are hard at work finalizing the details of supplemental state budgets to best meet the needs of our
Local COVID lowdown: Are we seeing an advancing, ongoing decline?
||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN for DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ||| Since the last update on Friday February 18, there have been 27 new confirmed or probable cases in San Juan County. Current case count is now 1202. This is a significant drop from last week’s case count (67), and hopefully
Silver Swans virtual ballet sessions coming up at Senior Center
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS ISLAND SENIOR CENTER ||| Silver Swans Virtual Ballet with Emily Anton by Zoom (Wednesdays, 11am-12pm) Join Emily Anton for Silver Swans, an hour of basic and gentle ballet for older adults on Wednesdays, 11am-12pm by Zoom. Improve your mobility, posture, stability, and balance with
‘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.
Request for Proposals issued for Coffelt Farm Preserve
||| FROM TANJA WILLIAMSON for SAN JUAN COUNTY LAND BANK ||| We invite proposals from skilled farmers and/or farm organizations who wish to move their farm operation and/or agricultural program to Coffelt Farm Preserve on Orcas Island. The long-term farm lease includes 150 acres of pasture, a house, and extensive farm
Ease Please Qigong with Joan Roulac by Zoom
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS ISLAND SENIOR CENTER ||| Joan Roulac Quiet the mind and strengthen the body with Joan Roulac’s Ease Please four-week Qigong series. These 15-minute sessions will gently loosen muscles, strengthen immunity, build balance, and increase energy. Series begins either Wednesday, March 2 at 9am or
State efforts to advance evidence-based, community-supported intervention and gun violence prevention strategies gain national attention
Washington’s Office of Firearm Safety and Violence Prevention reports progress, recommendations, next steps in addressing gun violence in Washington communities ||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE ||| OLYMPIA, WA --- Firearm violence is a persistent health and safety threat for communities and families in Washington state, where a person is
After more than 30 years, one of our key life savers signs off the air
||| BY LIN MCNULTY, theORCASONIAN EDITOR ||| The job of 911 Dispatcher can be a rewarding career choice, both for self and for the community served. In large metropolitan areas, the career expectancy of a dispatcher, however, largely due to the stress, is only six years. Saturday, February 19, 2022,
What’s new at Island Primary Care?
||| FROM ISLAND PRIMARY CARE ||| Robert Wilson, M.D. We are excited to announce the arrival of our new provider, Robert Wilson, MD on March 7. Dr. Wilson is a regionally-based board certified family medicine physician. He has over 25 years of primary care and urgent care experience
Interisland travel for next few days may take you through Anacortes
||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| Interisland service in the San Juan Islands will be suspended Thursday and Friday due to crewing shortages that will take the #4 Sealth out of service both days. Customers needing to travel between islands on Thursday and Friday should give themselves extra travel time and
Planning Commission “overly” cautious in justifying vacation rental cap?
||| BY MATTHEW GILBERT, theORCASONIAN OP-ED REPORTER ||| On February 19, the SJC Planning Commission finalized its “findings of fact” to support its recommendation that there be a countywide cap on vacation rentals of 650 for a period of five years. New permits would be issued by lottery, with the
No interisland for remainder of day
Be sure to make note of their solution if you are scheduled for a cancelled sailing ||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES || Interisland service on the Anacortes/San Juan Islands route is suspended for the remainder of the day due to a shortage of available crew taking the #4 Sealth out
Fundraiser auction for Jennifer + Sebastian Posada is now live
||| FROM CAITLIN LECK ||| We are very pleased to announce that Jen and Seb’s fundraiser auction is live! Open for the next two weeks, the auction features an incredible array of beautiful offerings. All proceeds will go toward defraying medical costs to help Jen and Seb in their extremely
Partnership improves acute care on Orcas
Improved working relationship between primary care and Orcas Island Fire and Rescue ||| FROM TOM EVERSOLE, ORCAS ISLAND HEALTH CARE DISTRICT INTERIM SUPERINTENDENT ||| For the past year members of both the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) of Orcas Island Fire and Rescue (OIFR) and the Island Primary Care-Orcas (IPC-O) clinic
Protecting your biggest assets – EDC offers Homestead Exemption workshop
||| FROM GAIL SCHNEE for ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL ||| The San Juan County Economic Development Council (EDC) and attorney Mary Schmitt will present a workshop on the New Homestead Exemption Monday, February 28, 2022, at 12 noon via Zoom. The Homestead Statute was amended last year in response to the
