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
Sheriff’s Office investigating string of business burglaries in Eastsound
||| FROM RON KREBS, SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF ||| Since the beginning of December, businesses in Eastsound have experienced a string of burglaries and attempted burglaries which are happening at random times on random days between midnight and 6 a.m. While the Sheriff’s Office is investigating and following up on
Chronic pain empowerment group ongoing at Senior Center
Chronic Pain Empowerment Support Group @ Orcas Senior Center: Wednesday January 12 at 10 a.m. by Zoom ||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Orcas Senior Center hosted its first Chronic Pain Empowerment Group via Zoom on December 8. While we had a good turnout of participants, more
Socrates Cafe continues at Senior Center
Orcas Socrates Café @ Orcas Senior Center by Zoom: Sunday, January 9, 4-6pm ||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Orcas Senior Center continues to virtually host the Orcas Socrates Café from 4-6pm on the second Sunday of each month. It’s an opportunity to engage in an open
Newest COVID numbers from the State
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| Statewide Response Updates Newest numbers. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) reported a total of 784,491 confirmed cases as of 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 3. There have been 9,909 COVID-19 deaths in Washington. For the most recent number of cases by county, demographics,
WSF community meeting is tonight
WSF meeting at 6 p.m. Notification received at 10:15 a.m. ||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| WSF will host the first of two upcoming community meetings later this evening. The meeting will be at 6 p.m. Come ask questions and learn more about the current state of ferry service and
Letter to Editor | Alert: This may be a new IRS scam
||| FROM JIM BIDDICK ||| As you all know, I have been doing taxes at the Senior Centers for free for a number of years. These last few days I have gotten calls from clients saying they got a letter from the IRS saying they have a credit coming and
Elections will conduct logic, accuracy test of ballot equipment
||| FROM CAMOLYN ARMSTRONG for SJC AUDITOR'S OFFICE ||| A “Logic and Accuracy” test of ballot tabulating equipment used in San Juan County for the February 8, Special election is scheduled for January 11, at 11 a.m. The test works by tallying the results of a prepared set of test
Reservations open soon for SJC residents at county parks
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY PARKS & FAIR ||| San Juan County Parks & Fair is soon offering advance camping reservations for San Juan County year-round residents, for two weeks only. Proof of residency is required. Early resident reservations will be accepted from January 26 until February 9. Email requests
WSF to kick off the new year with two virtual public meetings
||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| Washington State Ferries will host two virtual public meetings to kick off the New Year. Staff will be available to answer questions and give an update on what’s happening at Washington State Ferries at each of the meetings. The first meeting will be at
Editorial | Will Orcas Island Fire & Rescue respond?
||| BY LIN MCNULTY, EDITOR ||| You have probably received the mailer from Orcas Island Fire & Rescue (OIFR) by now, reassuring our community that our Fire Department will indeed respond when called. Anyone on Orcas who doubts for a minute that OIFR would not answer our calls for assistance,
PeaceHealth urges boosters, safe practices amid rise in COVID-19 cases
||| FROM PEACEHEALTH ST. JOSEPH MEDICAL CENTER ||| BELLINGHAM, WA – Due to a sudden and significant increase in COVID-19 patients, PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center is expanding its COVID bed capacity to meet the demand and asking for the community’s help in minimizing the transmission and severity of infections. The
Outlook Inn under new ownership, joins Columbia Hospitality
||| FROM AMY CUNNINGHAM for COLUMBIA HOSPITALITY ||| The Outlook Inn on Orcas Island announced that it has been sold to a private investment group. The Farish family is investing in the new ownership entity along with another local family with deep roots on Orcas Island. There are no current
School asks for assistance in reporting COVID cases in your household
||| FROM ERIC WEBB, ORCAS SCHOOLS SUPERINTENDENT ||| Dear Parents and Staff, Due to the widespread number of COVID cases on the island, we ask that you contact OISD school nurse, Cindy Sapp (csapp@orcas.k12.wa.us) or OISD Health Aide, Debbie Bruland (dbruland@orcas.k12.wa.us) to report any COVID cases in your household. The county
Generous donors allow Orcas Senior Center to launch home repair program
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Thanks to so many generous donors, Orcas Senior Center’s 2021 GiveOrcas Holiday Catalog campaign through Orcas Island Community Foundation (OICF) was a success, and OSC’s new Home Maintenance and Repair (HM&R) Pilot Program reached its goal of $15,000 a whole day
Rolf Eriksen pens new book detailing history of Mt. Constitution’s tower
||| FROM TONY SURUDA ||| Rolf Eriksen has published a wonderful book The Tower on Top of Mount Constitution. It has photos and plans for the original construction, a nice discussion of the history of Moran State Park, and photos of the recent renovation. His website is MountConstitution.com. The book
Upcoming class offerings from Island Hospital
||| FROM RACHEL LAMBERT for ISLAND HOSPITAL ||| Island Hospital offers online class on healthy digestion Take a journey into the digestive system with Registered Dietitian Amber Phillips. Learn common symptoms of digestive distress. Tuesday, January 18, 10 a.m. Register online www.islandhospital.org/classes or call 360-299-4204. Island Hospital offers free memory screening
