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
Master Gardener native plants on sale beginning Jan. 28
||| FROM DIANNE MACONDRAY for SJC MASTER GARDENERS ||| As the snow subsides, I feel we gardeners are ready for spring and warmer weather. If that’s the case, be sure to check out the San Juan County Master Gardener website mgfsjcshop.org beginning January 28. That will be the date you
WA State lawmakers propose year-round Standard Time to get around Congress
||| FROM NWPB ||| Washington state senators are trying a new gambit to stop the twice-yearly ritual of changing our clocks from standard time to daylight time and back again. A previous effort to move the whole West Coast onto permanent daylight saving time failed to win requisite congressional support.
Two years ago today, Novel Coronavirus discovered in WA
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| OLYMPIA – Today marks two years since the first case of 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) was found in Washington and in the United States. Our state lead the nation in the early days of the pandemic response by being proactive, transparent, and tough in
Revisiting John F. Kennedy inaugural speech from 1961
||| REPRINT AT REQUEST OF SPIRIT EAGLE ||| Following is John F. Kennedy's inaugural speech, 1961. It is so pertinent to all of us, right now! It lifted my heart, I hope it does yours, too. Vice President Johnson, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Chief Justice, President Eisenhower, Vice President Nixon,
Soon joining Medicare? Get the scoop on how to do it
||| FROM PEGI GROUNDWATER for SHIBA ||| Are you joining Medicare sometime in 2022? If so, there’s a lot of new information for you to understand. Medicare has its own vocabulary and rules. There are deadlines you need to meet and penalties (some lasting a lifetime) for not doing things
Orcas Senior Center seeks home maintenance, repair pilot program coordinator
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Orcas Senior Center is recruiting for a part-time independent contractor to coordinate its Home Maintenance & Repair (HM&R) pilot program. The HM&R Coordinator will be responsible for receiving maintenance and repair requests, facilitating agreements with contractors, and assuring that work is
Land Bank will hold monthly meeting on Jan. 21
||| FROM TANJA WILLIAMSON for SJC LAND BANK ||| The San Juan County Conservation Land Bank Commission will hold its monthly meeting on January 21, 2022 from 8:30 – 11:10 a.m. The public is invited to attend. Click HERE to download the agenda (includes ZOOM link) and meeting materials. To
State issues emergency order due to globally-damaging green crab invasion
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF GOVERNOR JAY INSLEE ||| Gov. Jay Inslee today issued an emergency order to address the exponential increase in the European green crab population within the Lummi Nation’s Sea Pond and outer coast areas. The European green crab is a globally-damaging invasive species that, if they become permanently
Fiber arts highlighted at SJIMA Artists’ Register Show
||| FROM DIANE MARTINDALE for SAN JUAN ISLANDS MUSEUM OF ART ||| Fiber arts (aka textile arts) have been a diverse and dynamic method of artmaking and storytelling for centuries. The San Juan Islands are home to many skilled fiber artists and their work is increasingly becoming a part of
“ART UNLOCKED” show at Orcas Center postponed until Spring
||| FROM KATHY YOUNGREN for ORCAS CENTER VISUAL ARTS COMMITTEE ||| Due to the COVID related closures of many events at Orcas Center, the Visual Arts Committee is postponing the “ART UNLOCKED” show until a later date, in early Spring. Artists, please use this gift of extra time to finish
School board spotlight | Ayn Gailey
January is School Board Appreciation Month ||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT ||| Ayn Gailey (left) with husband Samuel and daughter Gray. Ayn moved to the island in 2016 with her husband, novelist Samuel Gailey and their daughter, Gray, who is president of her junior class as OISD
Latest statewide COVID response updates
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| Newest numbers. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) reported a total of 971,422 confirmed cases as of 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 17. There have been 10,230 COVID-19 deaths in Washington. For the most recent number of cases by county, demographics, and more, visit
Unvaccinated islander is first COVID-19 related death in SJC
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| A San Juan County resident has recently died, and the cause of death has been attributed to COVID-19. This was an unvaccinated islander who recently contracted COVID, was hospitalized and unfortunately passed away due to the illness. This is the first recorded COVID-19
Place your order for free at-home COVID-19 tests
||| FROM PEGI GROUNDWATER ||| Residential households in the U.S. can order one set of 4 free at-home tests from USPS.com. Here’s what you need to know about your order: Limit of one order per residential address One order includes 4 individual rapid antigen COVID-19 tests Orders will ship free
Master Gardener’s spring plant sale on hiatus for this year
||| FROM DIANNE MACONDRAY for MASTER GARDENERS ||| It was hard to conduct our plant sale online the past two years while observing COVID protocol, so we have decided to take a year off, hoping that by 2023 we will be able to have an in-person sale. We know there
CWR encounter #2 for 2022 | J Pod in Swanson Channel
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| After receiving a report of a large group of whales heading south off Moresby Island, Katie, Kelley, and Dave met at Snug Harbor and left in the boat at 1102. Since the report was an hour and a half old by the time
