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
No more yurts. Orcas Islanders want affordable places year-round
||| FROM KUOW.ORG ||| REPRINT AT REQUEST OF ORCASONIAN READER If you can find a place to live and work on Washington's Orcas Island you’re set. But workers and business owners don't want more yurts, cabins, and tents. They want creative solutions for after the big tourism season. The idyllic
Salmonberry School scales up to serve more students
||| FROM PAUL FREEDMAN for SALMONBERRY SCHOOL ||| January 18, 2022 witnessed the arrival of a new classroom building for Salmonberry School. A crane, barged over from Anacortes lifted a building in two halves over a 30’ utility pole and delicately nestled it onto its foundation. With this new arrival,
In Hawaii, it’s ‘Kanikapila,’ but at Senior Center, it’s ‘let’s play music’
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Join the Kanikapila, Hawaiian for “play music,” led by Kathy Collister every Thursday from 1 to 3 p.m. at Orcas Senior Center. Kathy led a similar group prior to the pandemic, and she is back! The first half hour will be
Midnight Mutterings | Stacey’s extraordinary words
|||MIDNIGHT MUTTERINGS BY JACKIE BATES ||| Yep, I’m muttering about Stacey Abrams again. She has a new book out. This time it’s a children’s book. Her first, and in addition to the wide range of books she has published previously: politics, mystery, thrillers, romance (under pen name Selena Montgomery). In
Sheriff’s Report | January 12 – 18, 2022
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE ||| WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 12 22-000260 Suspicious Person/Circumstance 09:04:15 01/12/22 A Lopez Island Deputy took a report of a subject trespassing on private property. The subject had left prior to the Deputy's arrival. 22-000264 Malicious Mischief 12:30:05 01/12/22 A Deputy on San Juan Island
Inslee shares Washington’s pandemic story with U.S. House COVID committee
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF GOV. JAY INSLEE ||| Almost two years to the day after the first case of the novel coronavirus in the U.S. was confirmed in Washington state, Gov. Jay Inslee testified before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis about how the state has responded
Letter to Editor | Concern expressed in open letter to OIFR, et. al
||| FROM TONI KNUDSON ||| An open letter to Orcas Island Fire and Rescue Chief Scott Williams, Orcas Island Board of Fire Commissioners and Jeff Richey, Executive Director of Airlift NW: There is concern in our community about our 911 system [*Editor's Note below], as has been exhibited by the
Regular Port meeting scheduled for Monday
||| FROM JEANNIE SHARPE for PORT OF ORCAS ||| Please see attached Agenda with Zoom link for the Ports Regular Meeting Monday 1/24/22 at 5 p.m.
Newest State Health Dept COVID-19 numbers
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| Newest numbers. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) reported a total of 997,703 confirmed cases as of 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 19. There have been 10,339 COVID-19 deaths in Washington. For the most recent number of cases by county, demographics, and more, visit
State launches at-home rapid COVID-19 test portal
Tests can be ordered and shipped directly to Washington households at no-cost ||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| OLYMPIA – In an effort to increase access to at-home rapid tests across the state, the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) is launching a statewide portal that will allow COVID-19 tests
Happy Fantastic Friday from Rep. Lekanoff
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF REP. DEBRA LEKANOFF ||| Happy Fantastic Friday! Join us for the 40th LD Virtual Town Hall on January 27! You're invited to join Sen. Liz Lovelett, Rep. Alex Ramel and me on Thursday, January 27 from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. for a virtual town hall! There are
Since last update, 106 new COVID cases in San Juan County
||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN for DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ||| Since the last update on Friday January 14, there have been 106 new confirmed or probable cases in San Juan County. Current case count is now 856. LOPEZ ISLAND: There are nineteen new cases on Lopez Island since the last
Clean out your closet to help Community Resource Center: it’s a win-win
||| FROM MEGAN EHRMANTROUT for ORCAS COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER ||| Are you interested in the idea of cleaning out your closet and making a difference? Now is the perfect time! The Orcas Community Resource Center (OCRC) has an account at Sequel Consignment Shop in Eastsound. Our community needs your help
Request for Proposals issued for 2022 Lodging Tax Facilities/Promotional Grant Program
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County has established a tourism facilities program, funded by a portion of the revenue collected under the State Lodging Tax excise statutes and is seeking proposals from qualified entities interested in 1) funding single project proposals concerned with acquiring, improving, or
‘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.
WSF still has crewing issues, but surprise marriage proposal was a success
||| FROM PATTY RUBSTELLO for WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| COVID-19 crew relief requests continue to affect service We continue to have hundreds of coronavirus-related relief requests among our frontline terminal and vessel employees. As a reminder, we are operating our alternate service schedules on most routes until further notice. The
