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
Soroptimists now accepting applications for women’s educational and training awards
||| FROM HEATHER SPAULDING for SOROPTIMIST FRIDAY HARBOR ||| Soroptimist International of Friday Harbor is now accepting applications for its women’s educational and training awards, to be given in the Spring of 2022. Two types of awards are available for women residing in San Juan County, each with differing eligibility
Throughout history, pandemics allowed geniuses to flourish
Centuries ago, the plague forced people into quarantine for years. Isaac Newton and Galileo used the time to revolutionize the world. ||| FROM BIG THINK ||| As we begin a new year — and a third year enshrouded in the COVID-19 pandemic — tempers are running short and frustration is mounting. A
Hey, we had a Tsunami Advisory this morning
||| FROM DAVE HALLORAN for DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ||| Good morning, in the news today is a volcanic eruption near the Tonga Islands. The Tsunami Warning center (tsunami.gov) has issued an Advisory for the outer coast of WA and the coast along the Strait of Juan De Fuca. The
OIFR reports on last week’s Cascade Way structure fire
||| FROM KIM KIMPLE for ORCAS FIRE & RESCUE ||| Orcas Island Fire and Rescue responded to reports of a fully involved house fire in the 100-block of Cascade Way on Sunday, January 9 at 11:55 a.m. The fire was called in by multiple individuals in the area who noticed
Join in on this Jens Kruse book talk at Orcas Library
||| FROM CAROL DAPOGNY for ORCAS ISLAND LIBRARY ||| Please join the Orcas Island Library for a Book Talk with Jens Kruse on Wednesday, January 19 at 6 p.m. by Zoom meeting. In Observations from Orcas Island, author Jens Kruse – born in Hamburg, Germany in 1949, citizen of the
Governor announces steps to alleviate hospital staffing crises
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF GOVERNOR JAY INSLEE ||| With COVID-19 cases rising due to the transmissibility of the Omicron variant, hospitals are seeing a dramatic increase in COVID hospitalizations. The healthcare staffing shortages have led hospitals to be at or over their capacity to treat patients. Gov. Jay Inslee
Sheriff’s Report | January 5 – 11, 2022
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE ||| WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5 22-000098 Trespassing 11:57:09 01/05/22 A San Juan Deputy responded to a request to trespass an individual from a local business. A trespass notice letter was completed and signed by the employee. The involved party had already left and will
Until further notice, no Provisions (Cafe) at Anacortes terminal
||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| The Provisions Cafe at the Anacortes terminal is closing until further notice. Vending machines are available at the terminal and on board the vessels. Updates will occur when more information is available.
Recap of recent COVID-19 news and updates from WA DOH
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| Statewide Response Updates Newest numbers. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) reported a total of 901,887 confirmed cases as of 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 12. There have been 10,143 COVID-19 deaths in Washington. For the most recent number of cases by county, demographics,
Emergency order on non-urgent health care services issued by governor
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF GOVERNOR JAY INSLEE ||| Gov. Jay Inslee [yesterday] issued an emergency order to temporarily restrict non-urgent health care services, procedures and surgeries that are performed in hospitals as part of a package of measures taken to address the current COVID-related state of crisis in hospitals. The
Latest from Lekanoff | Welcome to 2022 legislative session
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF REP. DEBRA LEKANOFF ||| Welcome to the 2022 Legislative Session Just like last session, we’ll be doing most of our work virtually to help keep the public, staff, and lawmakers safe. There are also some guidelines we’ll be following to help protect the health of our communities
SJC now accepting grant applications funded by SJC lodging tax
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| The SJC Council and the San Juan County Lodging Tax Advisory Committee are now accepting applications for grants funded by the San Juan County Lodging Tax. Proposed projects must support the operations and capital expenditures of tourism-related facilities owned or operated by a municipality
Larsen announces WA share of bridge repair funding from Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF REP. RICK LARSEN ||| EVERETT, WA – On Friday, January 14, Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02) will join City of Everett staff to announce Washington will receive approximately $121 million for Fiscal Year 2022 and $605.1 million over the next five years in federal formula funding to
‘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.
Weekly WSF update | As COVID-19 still affects service, system-wide meetings, transport of pregnant woman from FH
||| FROM PATTY RUBSTELLO for WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| Breakthrough COVID-19 crew cases affecting service The highly contagious omicron variant is affecting transportation agencies around the world – airlines, bus services and marine transport. We are not immune to these impacts. Due to COVID-19-related relief requests from hundreds of our
OISD welcomes Chris Sutton back to the school board
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT ||| Following John Fleming's departure from the Orcas Island School Board, previous board member, Chris Sutton has stepped back after a four-year absence. "I am a dad, a garage-tinkerer, a software developer, and a community volunteer. My son is in grade 10, my daughter
