Here’s a thought…
“Deep breath. Deep breath. The air is free. You can take as many as you want.”
BUDDHIST MONK
Senior Center welcomes Carson Sprenger in talk about forest health, resiliency
Meeting of the Minds: “Forest Health and Resiliency in San Juan County: A Restoration Forester’s Perspective” presented by Carson Sprenger - Wednesday, March 16 at 1pm by Zoom ||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS ISLAND SENIOR CENTER ||| Join Carson Sprenger as he discusses how a 400-year-old tree-ring record helps
DOH updates school guidance as mask mandate lifts starting March 12
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) has released new guidance for schools, child care, day camps, and other youth activities, with changes to masking rules effective March 12. This guidance is being announced in coordination with the end of Washington’s masking requirement,
Working through nonprofit Restore Hope: Liberia, John Morris purchases a Toyota 4-Runner to help those in dire need
||| FROM RESTORE HOPE: LIBERIA ||| East Chatham, NY—Orcas Island, WA, resident and retired general contractor who had once dedicated his life to historic home repairs/remodels for mostly low-income families, John Morris, took his passion for helping others and turned it into a mission of hope, strength, tenacity and commitment. He
Larsen supports ban on Russian oil and gas to further isolate Russian economy, outlines actions to relieve pressure of Putin’s price hike on consumers
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF REP. RICK LARSEN ||| WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02) voiced his support for the U.S. ban on imports of Russian oil, gas and other energy products. In 2021, Russian oil accounted for 8.2% of U.S. imports and 3.5% of U.S. consumption. “I support
School Board to meet in special session tomorrow
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT ||| Notice of a SPECIAL SCHOOL BOARD MEETING The Orcas Island School District School Board will be hosting their meeting in person at The OISD School Library and online via Zoom: Here is the link to sign up for free ZOOM: https://zoom.us/freesignup/ Please click
Another COVID update from the State
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| Statewide Response Updates Newest numbers. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) reported a total of 1,432,321 confirmed cases as of 11:59 p.m. on March 6.* There have been 12,076 COVID-19 deaths in Washington. Data notes *Effective Jan. 24, 2022, DOH updates the COVID-19
From our County Auditor | A surprising 2021 comes with hope for 2022
||| FROM MILENE HENLEY, SAN JUAN COUNTY AUDITOR ||| Spring is a time full of hope. Last spring, we hoped we would soon see the last of COVID. That didn’t turn out the way we’d hoped. But in many other ways, 2021 turned out to be a pretty good year.
To feed people, to build community, join Orcas Food Project
||| FROM GERI TURNOY ||| “Food costs a fortune on Orcas” has become a frequent refrain. We may not be able to fix that, but an easy way for you to help meet the nutritional needs of Orcas Island residents who don’t have a fortune is through the Orcas Food
Health Care District is on the hunt for an Administrative Assistant
||| FROM TOM EVERSOLE, INTERIM SUPERINTENDENT ORCAS ISLAND HEALTH CARE DISTRICT ||| The Orcas Island Health Care District (OIHCD) is seeking a half-time Administrative Assistant to work directly with the District Superintendent. Hours can be flexible. OIHCD provides financial support to the Island Primary Care-Orcas Clinic to ensure that high
Gardening in San Juan County for healthier and happier people, plants, and land
||| FROM ORCAS & LOPEZ GARDEN CLUBS ||| Emily Aring On Wednesday, March 16, at 10:30 am, the Orcas Island and Lopez Island Garden Clubs’ virtual (Zoom) meeting will feature Emily Aring presenting Gardening in San Juan County for Healthier and Happier People, Plants, and Land. This presentation
From San Juan Makers Guild: Food news for the San Juans
||| FROM SAN JUAN MAKERS GUILD ||| James Beard Award Recognitions for Ursa Minor and Matia The James Beard Foundation has announced the 2022 James Beard Award semi-finalists in its sought-after awards of recognition and two San Juan County restaurants are on the list. Congratulations to Nick Coffey at Ursa
Poetry | We lived happily during the war by Ilya Kaminsky
||| POSTED AT THE PROMPTING OF POETIC ORCASONIAN READER ||| We Lived Happily During the War by Ilya Kaminsky Ilya Kaminsky was raised in Odessa, Ukraine. At age four, he lost most of his hearing after a misdiagnosis. His book, Deaf Republic (Graywolf Press, 2019), was the winner of
Evidence of Orcas Island explosions has been recovered
||| FROM SHERIFF RON KREBS ||| Based on reports the Sheriff’s Office received from the Orcas Island community, we were able to recover evidence of the explosion that occurred on Crescent Beach during the early morning hours of the March 6. While we know the time and location of the
Latest CWR encounter included the newest addition to J Pod (J59)
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| After being contacted by several people relaying reports of J pod heading down the Strait of Georgia toward Boundary Pass and then President Channel, Dave and Katie met at Snug Harbor and left around 1250ish. We arrived on scene near the bottom of
Larsen supports bipartisan bill to expand care and benefits for veterans exposed to toxic substances
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF REP. RICK LARSEN ||| WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02) recently supported House passage of Honoring Our PACT Act, bipartisan legislation to treat toxic exposure as a cost of war by addressing the full range of issues impacting toxic-exposed veterans, including access to earned benefits and health care
Classes, workshops, taxes: EDC has it all coming up
||| FROM ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL ||| EDC to offer Website Works Join the EDC and Course leader Shannon Borg, business coach and Squarespace web designer, for an informative workshop on improving business websites. Click here to register: https://sanjuansedc.org/EDC Business Resilience Call Fun educational activity for kids! San Juan County kids are
