Here’s a thought…
“No one, I mean no one, has the right to sit in judgment of who’s American enough.”
MICHELLE OBAMA
Fairgrounds looking for vendors for Flea & Craft Market
||| FROM CARLENE BALCOMB-BARTOK for SAN JUAN COUNTY FAIR ||| Calling all vendors for the Spring Flea & Craft Market at the San Juan County Fairgrounds! The Markets will be held on Saturday May 14th. We are looking for vendors of all types including: food vendors, crafters and artists, community
A question for today: To bee or not to bee?
||| FROM CYNTHIA BRAST ||| Nostalgia reigns over the little European (now re-named Western) honey bee (Apis mellifera). We think of honey in terms of “liquid gold” or perhaps reminiscent of A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh, gobbing it all over himself as he dips his paw into the honey jar. Honey
Sit-down kindergarten transition dinner scheduled for next month
||| FROM MEGAN EHRMANTRAUT for ORCAS COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER ||| With the lazy days of summer approaching on Orcas, many preschoolers are looking forward to a big first step towards Kindergarten this fall. The Orcas Community Resource Center (OCRC) is excited to once again be holding the Kindergarten Transition Banquet
Sheriff’s Report | April 20 – 26, 2022
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE ||| WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20 22-002400 Citizen Assist 08:20:47 04/20/22 A Lopez Deputy responded to a citizen assist call. A citizen reported frequent reckless driving behaviors on the south end. A report was taken, and patrol will be increased. 22-002401 Theft 08:36:22 04/20/22 A
Draft Turtleback Mountain Preserve Stewardship and Management Plan now open for public comment
||| FROM TANJA WILLIAMSON for SAN JUAN COUNTY CONSERVATION LAND BANK ||| The San Juan County Conservation Land Bank is seeking public input on its recently completed Draft Stewardship and Management Plan (SMP) for Turtleback Mountain Preserve on Orcas Island. The purpose of the SMP is to provide overarching goals
Inslee rescinds proclamations for drivers licensing, open meetings act
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF GOVERNOR JAY INSLEE ||| Today, Gov. Jay Inslee announced the upcoming rescission of Proclamations 20-15 and 20-28. Proclamation 20-15 suspended and waived certain statutes related to in-person drivers licensing eye examinations and in-person drivers licenses/identicards renewals. The Department of Licensing is now or will soon be able to
State Health Dept’s latest COVID numbers
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| Newest numbers. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) reported a total of 1,493,194 confirmed cases as of 11:59 p.m. on April 26. There have been 12,686 COVID-19 deaths in Washington. Data note: DOH is still experiencing delays in reporting cases, hospitalizations, and deaths as
WSF weekly update
||| FROM PATTY RUBSTELLO for WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| Service restoration update Our latest Service Restoration Plan Progress Report released this week shows that our Seattle/Bainbridge route has reached 95% reliability over the last three weeks. As a result, I’m happy to report that the run has moved from trial service (Stage 3)
Reminder: Local authors book signing event at Orcas Island Historical Museum
||| FROM NANCY STILLGER for ORCAS ISLAND HISTORICAL MUSEUM ||| Come to the Orcas Island Historical Museum in Eastsound Saturday, April 30 from 1:30 - 3:30 p.m. for a book signing and talk by local authors. Authors Edee Kulper, Boyd Pratt, Judi Watson, and Edrie and Terri Vinson will sign
‘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.
Tuberculosis cases on the rise globally and in Washington state
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| OLYMPIA – Washington’s tuberculosis (TB) cases are on the rise, putting state and local public health officials on heightened alert. Widespread disruptions in public health and healthcare services and missed TB diagnoses due to similarities in symptoms between COVID-19 and TB are thought to have contributed
Sheriff: Orcas burglary suspect in jail pending hearing
||| FROM RON KREBS, SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF ||| On April 28, 2022 Orcas Deputies served a search warrant on the residence of an Eastsound man in connection to a string of burglaries happening over the last couple of months. A 34 year old Orcas man was arrested for Burglary
Guest Opinion | Henry Cayou, an indigenous Orcas “pioneer”
||| FROM RUSSEL BARSH ||| In a purportedly celebratory press release earlier this week, the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced the latest steps in renaming Harney Channel for Henry Cayou, “a Lummi fisherman.” Ironically, this choice of words diminished Cayou’s importance to the history of San Juan County
Oahu, Hawaii’s most populous island, will now limit Airbnbs and short-term vacation rentals in a big way
||| FROM SFGATE.COM ||| REPRINT AT REQUEST OF ORCASONIAN READER Oahu, Hawaii’s third-biggest island, will now place further restrictions on where Airbnb, Vrbo and other short-term rental properties can be located throughout Honolulu and the island. In a move that has roiled landlords and other short-term rental operators, Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi
Larsen announces more than $6.49 Million to lower Washingtonians’ energy costs
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF REP. RICK LARSEN ||| EVERETT, WA - Today, Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02) announced Washington state will receive more than $6.49 million in federal funds to bring down heating and cooling costs for working families. These investments, secured through last month’s bipartisan government funding legislation Larsen supported, will help
Poetry | An Earth Song by Langston Hughes – 1901-1967
An Earth Song by Langston Hughes - 1901-1967 It's an earth song,— And I've been waiting long for an earth song. It's a spring song,— And I've been waiting long for a spring song. Strong as the shoots of a new plant Strong as the bursting of
