Here’s a thought…
“Deep breath. Deep breath. The air is free. You can take as many as you want.”
BUDDHIST MONK
Community emergency response fund to provide relief from flood damage
||| FROM HILARY CANTY for ORCAS ISLAND COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ||| The Orcas Island Community Foundation (OICF) and the Orcas Community Resource Center (OCRC) are launching a trial program to help individuals and families who experienced property damage and suffered economic losses due to the recent deluges. Thanks to generous community
Join us in helping Jennifer and Sebastian heal from Lyme
||| FROM CAITLIN & ZACKARYA LECK ||| We invite you to join us in supporting our dear friends and long-time Orcas Islanders, Jennifer and Sebastian Posada. Jen and Seb are on a healing journey with Lyme, and they need our help to defray the costs of treatment. After exhausting literally
Repair Economy Summit 2021: Who has the right to repair your possessions?
||| FROM STEPHEN SHRADER for SAN JUAN MAKERS GUILD ||| The San Juan Makers Guild attended the Repair Economy Summit 2021: Connecting for Inspiration on Saturday, December 4. Others attending the Washington-based, five-hour virtual gathering, included fixers, makers, tool librarians, as well as staff or volunteers with associated groups, policymakers,
COVID-19 boosters essential for protection as omicron variant spreads across the country
Everyone 18 and older should get a booster shot as soon as they are eligible ||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| OLYMPIA – Vaccines remain the best public health tool available to protect people from COVID-19, slow transmission, and preserve our healthcare system. The emergence of the omicron variant in Washington further
Inslee letter to FEMA requests swift consideration for flood aid
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF GOVERNOR JAY INSLEE ||| In case you missed it: Gov. Jay Inslee sent a letter to FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell on Friday requesting the federal agency's swift action on providing aid to Washington's flood-damaged regions once the state's damage assessment is complete, which is expected soon. The letter
LaPorte Road opens tonight, closes again during day on Tuesday, Wednesday
||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN for DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ||| LaPorte Rd. will be open to traffic after crews wrap up their work at the end of the day today. However, the road will be closed again from 8am until 5pm on Tuesday and Wednesday so that utility providers may
Hawaii housing crisis has Maui pushing to phase out 3,000 short-term rentals
||| FROM SFGATE.COM ||| REPRINT AT REQUEST OF CLAYTON PARSONS As Hawaii’s high housing costs and rising property taxes continue to price out struggling residents seeking to find and keep their homes, Maui is examining how to create long-term housing opportunities to make sure local residents remain local. However, some
Auditor’s customer service will close for annual meeting Dec. 15
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| The Auditor’s Customer Service division will be closed from noon to 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, December 15, for the department’s annual meeting. Customer Service provides recording services, as well as licensing services for vehicles, vessels, marriages, and dogs. Services will be available on
Guest Opinion | Climate resilience actions overdue
||| FROM RUSSEL BARSH for KWIAHT ||| Road washouts last month gave a clear signal to islanders: an increasingly stormy climate threatens critical infrastructure such as roads, power and communications lines, and supplies of potable water. San Juan County urgently needs to act now to “harden” its infrastructure against a
San Juan County readies its new Department of Environmental Stewardship
||| FROM SHARON ABREU, SPECIAL TO theORCASONIAN ||| The San Juan County Council has moved the Environmental Resources group from a division of the Department of Public Works to the new, independent Department of Environmental Stewardship, elevating the status of this team to be on par with Parks & Recreation,
This weekend at the Grange: “It’s a Wonderful Life”
||| FROM DOUG BECHTEL for ACTORS THEATER OF ORCAS ISLAND ||| The Actors Theater of Orcas Island invites you to celebrate the holiday season with us as we enjoy the beloved American holiday classic, “IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE.” This heartwarming story of renewal is presented as a 1940s radio broadcast
Film Fest will re-show ‘The Rescue,’ to present the film with an award
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND FILM FESTIVAL ||| Many islanders and visitors had the wonderful opportunity to experience the powerful lineup of films, presented at the Orcas Island Film Festival this past October. There were 16 films that screened over the five day weekend and attendees were thrilled to be back
The world’s first anti-vaccination movement spread fears of half-cow babies
||| FROM WASHINGTON POST ||| In the early 19th century, British people finally had access to the first vaccine in history, one that promised to protect them from smallpox, among the deadliest diseases of the era. Many Britons were skeptical of the vaccine, however, with fears extending well beyond the
This WA Notify phone app could give you info you need for your health
||| FROM ANNE PRESSON for ORCAS ISLAND HEALTH CARE DISTRICT ||| There’s a new way to verify your COVID-19 vaccination on the go: WA Notify. If you are planning to attend a large event, bar, restaurant, or other establishment that requires proof of vaccination, you can use the new WA
Island Hospital has online childbirth education series coming up, and more
||| FROM RACHEL LAMBERT for ISLAND HOSPITAL ||| Island Hospital is offering a four-week online class series designed to prepare parents-to-be for the arrival of their new baby. Classes are Tuesdays from 6:30–9:00 p.m. starting January 4 and are taught by Teri Shilling, MS, LCCE, CD(DONA), IBCLC. Cost is $95 and
Sun Days on Orcas | Festivity central
||| SUN DAYS ON ORCAS by EDEE KULPER ||| We are smack dab in the middle of one of the most eventful weekends in almost two years, y’all. Yesterday morning, Tide Pool Coffeehouse and the new Salish Sea Yarn Co. (previously Enzo’s) opened the floodgates for people to circulate meaningfully
