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
Poetry | Belonging by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer
||| SUBMITTED BY JOELLEN MOLDOFF ||| Belonging ROSEMERRY WAHTOLA TROMMER And if it’s true we are alone, we are alone together, the way blades of grass are alone, but exist as a field. Sometimes I feel it, the green fuse that ignites us, the wild thrum that unites us, an
Thankful for blessings of having ‘swallowed the anchor’
||| FROM JEFF STRUTHERS ||| It is Thanksgiving Eve, and I find myself recounting the many blessings of having “swallowed the anchor” on Orcas Island now more than two decades go. Yes, serious threats are about. COVID-19 persists, though so-far, locally, held largely at bay … perhaps due, in no
Occam steps in to deliver our Thanksgiving greetings
Welcome to our weekly feature, Occam's Razor, from local artist S.C. Watson.
Keeping food safe during the holidays
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| OLYMPIA -- Each year the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 48 million people get sick from foodborne illness and 128,000 are hospitalized. As families and friends gather for the holidays, a traditional meal is often a big part of the celebration. So, before
Update from State Health Department
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| Note: There will be no bulletin on Thursday, Nov. 25, in observance of Thanksgiving Day. Statewide Response Updates Newest numbers. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) reported a total of 674,917 confirmed cases as of 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 22. There have been 9,177
Letter to Editor | We can build bridges and move a mountain; What a community!
||| FROM CINDY WOLF, COUNTY COUNCILMEMBER ||| The relative calm of this afternoon before Thanksgiving Day is a perfect moment to pause and reflect on the last week with gratitude. In the face of a storm I once again watched our community and our County team build bridges and move
Letter to Editor | Contributions to Community Emergency Fund help direct resources where they are needed most
||| FROM HILARY CANTY for ORCAS ISLAND COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ||| Recently, the Orcas Island Community Foundation (OICF) received a significant anonymous gift to the Community Emergency Response Fund (CERF). This fund was established in March 2020 as the pandemic began to provide a vehicle for the Orcas community to quickly
Crow Valley Road is now a ‘go’ in both directions
||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN for DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ||| The green light is lit for Crow Valley Road Crow Valley Road (Orcas Island) emergency repairs are now complete and the road is open in both directions. Thanks to everyone for your patience!
Celebrating our island farm heroes
||| FROM MARCY MONTGOMERY for SAN JUAN MAKERS GUILD ||| Fall is a great time for learning about local food and supporting island farms. As we move into Thanksgiving after the successful Farm Tour events, ‘where’ our food comes from becomes an increasingly relevant conversation. Recognizing Island Farm Heroes is a
New doctor joins PeaceHealth Peace Island medical group
||| FROM ANNE WILLIAMS for PEACEHEALTH PEACE ISLAND ||| Steven Hoang business portrait. Bellingham, WA. © 2021 Mark Turner Steven Hoang, DO, has joined the PeaceHealth Medical Group Family Practice at PeaceHealth Peace Island Medical. Dr. Hoang comes to Peace Island from Spokane, Wash., where he recently completed
Moderna booster appointments are now available
||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN for DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ||| San Juan County Health & Community Services has just released 4,000 Moderna booster appointments for clinics occurring on Lopez, Orcas, and San Juan Islands the week of December 13. Full details and links to register are available at: https://www.sanjuanco.com/1737/COVID-Vaccine-Info These boosters
Gratitude from Doe Bay community to all the miracle workers
||| FROM THE DOE BAY COMMUNITY ||| With heartfelt gratitude from all of us in Doe Bay! November 24th, 2021 FROM THE DOE BAY COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION To the miracle workers who restored our road … To the helpful folks at Doe Bay Resort who became our lifeline … To the
Letter to Editor | We need to ask ‘why’ of our Fire Department
||| FROM COLEEN O'BRIEN ||| I write in support of our Volunteer FireFighters and EMTs and the employees of the Orcas Island Fire Dept. We Orcas livers and lovers depend upon them to save our homes (three times for me! Yup!) and to support us in illness. It is quite
Pt. Lawrence Road opens at NOON on TUESDAY NOV. 23rd
||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN for DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ||| Emergency repairs to Pt. Lawrence Road have been completed and the road will be open to traffic beginning at noon on Tuesday, November 23. The road is only one lane. Caution must be used, and cars traveling westbound (towards town)
Giving thanks for island farms
||| FROM MARCY MONTGOMERY for SAN JUAN MAKERS GUILD ||| This Fall the Islands saw a great response to the annual Farm Tour. September and October saw over 500 people out visiting island farms on San Juan, Orcas and Lopez and enjoying a preceding online film and discussion. Spanning three
Prepare your property for the next big rain event
||| FROM ANGELA BRODERICK for SAN JUAN COUNTY PUBLIC WORKS ||| The massive rain event last week caused a wide range of impacts in the county and caught many islanders off-guard. The severe weather was caused by an atmospheric river: a long, narrow band of water vapor that often is
