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
COVID numbers are still on the rise in the San Juans
||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN for DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ||| Since the last update on Friday January 21, there have been 130 new confirmed or probable cases in San Juan County. Current case count is now 986. LOPEZ ISLAND: There are twenty-two new cases on Lopez Island since the last
Learn the skills to land a job fishing salmon in Alaska
The new Purse Seine Vessel Crew Member Training Program will hold its first session in April 2022 ||| FROM WASHINGTON SEA GRANT ||| Gig Harbor, WA – The Gig Harbor BoatShop and Washington Sea Grant are launching the Purse Seine Vessel Crew Member Training Program, or “Crew School,” designed to
Tahoe imposes new rules for Airbnbs and other short-term rentals amid housing crisis
||| FROM SFGATE.COM ||| Repint at request of Orcasonian reader Six months into a moratorium that halted short-term rentals permits in North Lake Tahoe, Placer County is considering a new set of rules to rein in the proliferation of vacation rentals and protect what little housing inventory remains for locals.
Sheriff’s Report | January 19 – 25, 2022
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE ||| WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 19 22-000437 Animal at Large 08:36:30 01/19/22 A Deputy responded to a report of one dog and two puppies loose in the road in Friday Harbor. The dogs were picked up, an owner was unable to be located, and the
Inslee: “Politicians are not above anyone else”
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF GOVERNOR JAY INSLEE ||| Gov. Jay Inslee testified today in favor of Substitute Senate Bill 5843 at a public hearing in the Senate Committee on State Government & Elections. "The Big Lie, that we can’t trust our democracy to count the votes, has become a weapon. It’s being
Latest from Lekanoff | Salmon recovery, police legislation, and more
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF REP. DEBRA LEKANOFF ||| House Bill 1117 Passed the House A bill I introduced last session, House Bill 1117, passed the House again this week on a vote of 57-40! The bill integrates salmon recovery into the Growth Management Act (GMA), which guides land management and planning in our
Newest numbers from our State Health Department
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| Newest numbers. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) reported a total of 1,257,918 confirmed cases as of 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 25.* There have been 10,580 COVID-19 deaths in Washington. *Data note: Effective Jan. 24, DOH will update the COVID-19 data dashboard on Mondays,
World’s best performers coming to Center Stage in February
||| FROM BETHANY MARIE for ORCAS CENTER ||| Orcas Center brings the world’s best performers to Center Stage in their on-screen offerings from The Metropolitan Opera, Bolshoi Ballet, and National Theatre Live. Join us for these great events coming up in February. Saturday, February 5 at 1 p.m.: Postponed from
Silent Auction at Senior Center is just around the bend
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Come one, come all! Break the winter doldrums by taking part in a silent auction from February 1 to 15 at the Orcas Senior Center. Beginning on Tuesday, February 1, you will find a selection of home décor, original art, and
Orcas Center, Historical Society among Humanities Washington award recipients
||| FROM ASIA LARA for HUMANITIES WASHINGTON ||| SEATTLE – Nonprofit Humanities Washington, Washington State’s affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, has awarded over one million dollars in relief funding for Washington State cultural organizations affected by COVID. The grants, known as Sustaining the Humanities through the American
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.
Island Primary Care–Orcas successfully ‘grandfathered’ as Rural Health Clinic
||| FROM TOM EVERSOLE, INTERIM SUPERINTENDENT for ORCAS ISLAND HEALTH CARE DISTRICT ||| When Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, it included an unexpected reduction of payment rates for Provider-Based Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) that would have jeopardized access to care for Orcas Island residents and visitors. The
Guest Opinion | How gerrymander wars hurt voters
||| RECLAIMING THE AMERICAN by HEDRICK SMITH ||| WASHINGTON – Partisan gerrymandering has run so wild and rampant since the 2020 census that, hard to believe, the next Congress promises to be even more sharply polarized and gridlocked than the current Congress, and there’s nothing voters can do about it
This ballet class for older adults will improve stability, balance
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Beginning Wednesday, February 2 and every Wednesday through March 2, join Emily Anton for an hour of basic and gentle ballet for older adults. Improve your mobility, posture, stability, and balance with this movement class that has been specially designed for
Film Fest will begin the year with this Classics Film Series
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND FILM FESTIVAL ||| In our ever-changing landscape driven by Covid-19, we are all eagerly awaiting the crest and fall of this latest Omicron variant so we can begin our 2022 programming and get back to enjoying films. We are going to start this year with a
School Board Spotlight | Linda Sheridan
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT || Linda Sheridan and family Linda Sheridan has been on the School Board since the spring of 2019, and was re-elected this past November. After living here for 17 years, she decided it was time to give back. Her decision to serve
