Here’s a thought…
“I don’t know why we are here, but I’m pretty sure that it is not in order to enjoy ourselves.”
LUDWIG WITTGENSTEIN
Joint release on Spring Street fire on April 7, 2022 pinpoints the frightening cause
||| FROM SAN JUAN ISLAND FIRE & RESCUE ||| San Juan Island Fire and Rescue, Town of Friday Harbor, and San Juan County Sheriff’s Office (SJCSO) are at a point in the investigation and recovery of the recent fire on Spring Street to share fire origin and cause. On the
Guest Opinion | An open letter to the OIFR Board triumvirate
||| FROM MIA KARTIGANER ||| When you appointed your most outspoken advocate to fill the empty seat on your board, you failed the spirit of democracy. This appointed person has perpetuated misinformation about your fifth board member. The same person who has clearly had immediate access to OIFR business without
Canada ignored warnings of virus infecting farmed and wild salmon
Government was in possession of a newly-released report that linked large-scale farms and wild salmon to contagious virus ||| FROM THE GUARDIAN ||| Canada was warned in 2012 by its own scientists that a virus was infecting both farmed and wild salmon, but successive governments ignored the expert advice, saying
Explore the meeting place of water and land at upcoming Meeting of the Minds
Meeting of the Minds: “Wetlands: A Mystical Meeting Place of Water and Land” presented by Darcey Miller - Wednesday, April 20 at 1 pm by Zoom ||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Wetlands are the meeting place of water and land, attracting a larger diversity of plants
Statement from the Washington State Department of Health
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| OLYMPIA – Today, the Washington State Board of Health (SBOH) voted not to include COVID-19 in the state’s immunization requirements for school entry at this time. As stated in today’s SBOH meeting, the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) supports the recommendation of the SBOH’s
Poetry | Offering Compassion to Ukraine and All Afflicted by War
May suffering arising from hatred be remedied. May those in the grip of fear be released to the safety of understanding. May those lost in confusion find relief in wisdom. May those in refugee camps find their way home. May those who are unsheltered find a safe harbor in community.
Letter to Editor | Early COVID treatment (lack of) availability
||| FROM JANET ALDERTON ||| The closest locations to access Paxlovid, an antiviral medication that must be taken within 5 days of the development of covid-19 symptoms, are Mount Vernon and Burlington. Why are the therapeutics not available in San Juan County? Taking a ferry and chasing down the medication on
Larsen responds to Russian sanctions
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF REP. RICK LARSEN ||| WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02) issued the following statement after the Russian government levied sanctions against Larsen and 397 other members of the U.S. House of Representatives: “If supporting the Ukrainian people and standing up for the young democracy gets
Local author Iris Graville coming to Orcas Library with her new book, Writer in a Life Vest
||| FROM CAROL DAPOGNY for ORCAS ISLAND LIBRARY ||| If you’re looking for information, insight, and inspiration about climate change, put on your life vest and settle in to thirty-six lyric essays about the Salish Sea by Lopez Island author Iris Graville. Orcas Island Library and Darvill’s Bookstore will host
WAFD will display Thom Carnevale photos
||| FROM THOM CARNEVALE||| The photographs of Orcas Island photographer Thom Carnevale will be on display at the Washington Federal Bank Branch (WAFD), in Eastsound, today through Mid-June. Ansel Adams once said, “When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with
Help shape a sustainable future for tourism in the San Juan Islands
||| FROM ANGELA BRODERICK for SJC DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP ||| San Juan County is working to develop a Sustainable Tourism Management Plan (STMP) that outlines the shared community vision, goals, and implementation measures to drive sustainable tourism in the San Juan Islands. WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Public
Health Care District appoints a new commissioner to complete Fralick’s term
||| FROM TOM EVERSOLE, ACTING HEALTH CARE DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT ||| At the April 5 meeting, Orcas Island Health Care District (OIHCD) Commissioners appointed Marie Michnich to serve the remainder of Richard Fralick’s term. Ms. Michnich will serve until the November 2023 elections. By way of introduction, she has shared the
Library is hosting a poetry event on the South Lawn
||| FROM CAROL DAPOGNY for ORCAS ISLAND LIBRARY ||| Listen to poems read and recited by locals or bring your own to share! Thursday, April 14, 6 p.m. on the Library South Lawn. Poets of all ages and poetry of all forms welcome! If weather interferes, the event will be
Our new best buddy, Big Blue is just crushing it out at the Exchange
||| BY EDEE KULPEER, theORCASONIAN REPORTER ||| Meet Big Blue, the new glass crusher at Orcas Recycling Services named by fourth graders Audrey Hance and Lana Sasan after a name-voting contest at school. If you park behind The Exchange, you'll see it a little off in the distance beyond the
EDC steps in to help with recovery from Friday Harbor fire
||| FROM VICTORIA COMPTON, EDC BOARD and STAFF ||| Our business community needs your help right now – the devastating fire of April 7th wiped out numerous businesses, left families without a way to put food on the table, and scarred the heart of our downtown. Could you please help
Overdose deaths in Washington top 2,000 in 2021 and continue to rise
To help save lives health officials urge people to carry naloxone and to know overdose signs ||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| OLYMPIA – New data show that deaths from drug overdoses continue to increase for Washington residents. Provisional data as of April 4 show drug-related overdose deaths surpassed 2,000 in 2021,
