Here’s a thought…
“I am so convinced of the advantages of looking at mankind instead of reading about them, and of the bitter effects of staying at home with all the narrow prejudices of an islander, that I think there should be a law amongst us to set our young men abroad for a term among the few allies our wars have left us.”
LORD BYRON
Don’t miss out on SJC Master Gardener’s online plant sale
||| FROM TANJA WILLIAMSON for SJC LAND BANK ||| Spring is around the corner – be ready to get your favorite native plants into the soil and established. Have you checked out the San Juan County Master Gardener Foundation’s online plant sale? In addition to bundles of bare root shrubs
New radiation oncologists join PeaceHealth
PeaceHealth cancer centers in Bellingham and Sedro-Woolley add radiation oncology expertise ||| FROM ANNE WILLIAMS for PEACEHEALTH ||| BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Building on its comprehensive portfolio of the latest technologies to diagnose and treat cancers and decades of experience providing comprehensive and compassionate care to patients, PeaceHealth is pleased to
Poetry | A Black History Month tribute
||| POSTED AT REQUEST OF ORCASONIAN READER ||| I, Too BY LANGSTON HUGHES Langston Hughes I, too, sing America. I am the darker brother. They send me to eat in the kitchen When company comes, But I laugh, And eat well, And grow strong. Tomorrow, I’ll be at the
Sun Days on Orcas | Guard your heart
||| SUN DAYS ON ORCAS by EDEE KULPER ||| Teenagers and college kids, every form of media is telling you about love. You don’t turn on the radio and hear songs about riding horses or flying drones. You don’t see teen magazines on racks in the store with articles about
Lovelett bill to provide transitional food assistance unanimously clears Senate
||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE DEMOCRATS ||| OLYMPIA – The Washington State Senate ... unanimously approved legislation to provide transitional food assistance for more families. Senate Bill 5785, sponsored by Sen. Liz Lovelett (D-Anacortes), would direct the Department of Social and Health Services to provide transitional food assistance to households that no
Park & Rec has some great opportunities to play, volunteer, or pursue a career
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND PARK AND RECREATION ||| We have some fun youth and adult programs open for enrollment, as well as a variety of volunteer and career opportunities. For more information and program registration, see below or visit www.oiprd.org. ART: After school art with Ms. Brook (this program is in
WA Verify surpasses huge milestone: 1 million digital vaccination cards successfully created
State’s digital tool gives Washingtonians convenient access to their COVID-19 vaccine records ||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) is pleased to share WA Verify, the state’s Digital COVID-19 Verification Record system, has successfully generated more than 1 million QR codes for
Inslee: Could mask requirements be lifted soon?
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF GOVERNOR JAY INSLEE ||| Inslee says pandemic ‘turning point’ could see mask requirements lifted soon Gov. Jay Inslee welcomed declines in COVID hospitalizations this week as evidence the state is at a turning point in the pandemic. COVID-19 hospitalizations and case counts remain high, but
Economic Development Council always has such cool opportunities available
||| FROM ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL ||| Register for Webinar to learn about new Childcare Grant Save the date! Informational webinar Feb. 28 Monday, Feb. 28, 12:30 p.m. – 2 p.m. Commerce will host an application webinar covering eligible grant costs, program requirements, eligible organizations and instructions on how to
Sheriff’s Report | February 2 – 8, 2022
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE ||| WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 2 22-000754 Domestic Dispute or Assault 12:41:20 02/02/22 Lopez Deputies responded to a domestic incident. An arrest was made for DV Malicious Mischief 3rd and DV Assault 4th. 22-000756 Found Property 16:45:14 02/02/22 A San Juan Deputy responded to a
Weekly WSF report indicates plans still underway for service restorations
||| FROM PATTY RUBSTELLO for WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| Planning for restoration of service We know our alternate service schedules are significantly affecting many of our riders and I assure you we’re working hard on building back our service. We have a team currently analyzing our employee numbers, vessel availability and ridership
Newest numbers from State Health Department
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| Newest numbers. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) reported a total of 1,391,026 confirmed cases as of 11:59 p.m. on Feb. 8.* There have been 11,194 COVID-19 deaths in Washington. Data notes: *Effective Jan. 24, DOH will update the COVID-19 data dashboard on
Canvassing Board scheduled to meet February 17
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| The San Juan County Canvassing Board will meet on Thursday, February 17, to review the results of the February special election and to review and adopt proposed changes to the San Juan County Canvassing Board Manual. By statute, the canvassing board is
Another Fantastic Friday report from Rep. Lekanoff
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF REP. DEBRA LEKANOFF ||| Introducing Move Ahead Washington, a transportation package for a sustainable future I’m excited to announce that House Democrats have unveiled Move Ahead Washington, our transportation package that creates a sustainable, achievable future for our transportation sector. It delivers historic investments to preserve our
Letter to Editor | Here are reasons for my resignation as Fire Commissioner
||| FROM JANET MARLOW ||| In order to clarify the reasons behind my resignation from the Orcas Island Fire & Rescue Board of Fire Commissioners, the full content of my February 1 resignation letter follows. Dear BOFC members, OIFR members, and interested community members: It’s with a heavy heart that
SJC case count up or down depending on your island
||| BRENDAN COWAN for DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ||| Since the last update on Friday February 4, there have been 64 new confirmed or probable cases in San Juan County. Current case count is now 1112. This is slightly more than the number of cases reported last week, cases remaining
