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
Melody a strong addition to Fidalgo Medical Associates’ Women’s Health team
||| FROM LAURA MORONEY for ISLAND HOSPITAL ||| Lisa Melody, PA-C, joined Fidalgo Medical Associates this month as part of the Women’s Health team. Melody earned her Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies from Samuel Merritt University in Oakland, CA. Her work in obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN) includes physician
County provides a quick update on Pt. Lawrence Road repairs
||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN for DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ||| Things are looking good for a potential opening tomorrow (Tuesday - knock on wood). Public Works is awaiting delivery of barriers for the road edge that are due to arrive on the 5:30 a.m. ferry on Tuesday from Anacortes. Once
Huh. So, what we just experienced is called an atmospheric river
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| 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 released as rain or snow
Letter to Editor | Thank you to our public health workforce
||| FROM TOM EVERSOLE ||| Today is “Public Health Thank You Day,” a day to recognize the hard work and resilience of the public health (PH) workforce. I would like to thank San Juan County PH staff, their co-workers and volunteers who worked together this year to promote and protect
New rule opens door to widespread testing for harsh chemicals in drinking water
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| OLYMPIA – Drinking water for over 6 million Washington residents will be tested for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) under rule changes adopted by the Washington State Board of Health (SBOH). The rule now sets State Action Levels (SALs) and requires widespread testing of public drinking water
Climate Eyes | Dry wet
||| CLIMATE EYES by STEVE BERNHEIM, theORCASONIAN REPORTER ||| In the Pacific Northwest, we’ve survived the Heat Dome but now less than five months later the bridge at Doe Bay is washed out. While each of us decides what to do or not about the climate emergency, local authorities have
Orcas Christian School graduates first aviation student
||| FROM MIKE PARNELL for ORCAS CHRISTIAN SCHOOL ||| Diego Rivera, a senior at Orcas Christian School, recently completed his ground school and passed his Airman written test. On a recent sunny evening Mr. Rivera completed his first solo flight with the Air Hawks Club! Air Hawks is a local
COVID booster now encouraged for everyone 18 and older
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| OLYMPIA – Booster doses of all three COVID-19 vaccine types are now available for everyone 18 and older. The expansion comes following recommendations from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunizations Practices, and the
A drained lake, a re-routed river, and the rain: the deep roots of the Sumas flood crisis
||| FROM FRASER VALLEY CURRENT ||| Reprint at request of Orcasonian reader Sumas Lake once covered much of the Fraser Valley's fertile farmland. This is the story of how it disappeared, how it could re-appear, and some of the challenges ahead. To understand the flood crisis currently gripping the Sumas
Orcas Library set to ‘pop up’ at Doe Bay bringing books, movies, games to stranded East-enders
||| FROM CAROL DAPOGNY for ORCAS ISLAND LIBRARY ||| This pop up is for those East-est Orcas Islanders who cannot get to the library due to the road closure and must use the pedestrian bridge for access. Doe Bay Resort parking is reserved for workers, guests, and road repair crews.
Library Board meeting rescheduled to Tuesday, noon
||| FROM JANET MARLOW for ORCAS LIBRARY BOARD ||| We had to reschedule our usual monthly Orcas Island Library Board Meeting, and it will now be Tuesday, Nov. 23, at 12 p.m. Please find the agenda attached.Library11 - Nov 23 2021 Resceduled Regular Mtg Agenda
Letter to Editor | A community comes together
||| FROM JOE BROTHERTON for DOE BAY RESORT ||| We hope this message finds you well and safe after the most recent deluge that hit the Pacific NW. For us, we were met with a most unexpected surprised on Monday morning to find the road between the upper and lower
Meeting agenda available for Port meeting on Monday
||| FROM JEANNIE SHARPE for PORT OF ORCAS ||| The Port of Orcas will conduct a regularly-scheduled meeting on Monday, November 22, 2021 5 p.m. 2021 11 22 Regular Agenda
This week’s upcoming Island Hospital classes
||| FROM RACHEL LAMBERT for ISLAND HOSPITAL ||| Island Hospital offers Doc Talk on Healthy Sleep Habits Join Dr. Robert Reyna, Medical Director at Island Hospital Sleep Wellness Center, for a review of healthy sleep habits to help you obtain a good night’s sleep. Join us on Wednesday, December 1,
New funding available to support private landowners in forest health, reduce wildfire danger in SJC
||| FROM KAI HOFFMAN-KRUL for SJI CONSERVATION DISTRICT ||| The San Juan Islands Conservation District (SJICD) has received funding from the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to assist forest landowners in San Juan County with improving forest health and wildfire resiliency. The forest health practices being targeted are
Poetry | Mediterranean Blue by Naomi Shihab Nye
||| SUBMITTED BY ORCASONIAN READER ||| Mediterranean Blue by Naomi Shihab Nye From her latest book, “Everything Comes Next: Collected and New Poems” If you are a child of a refugee, you do not sleep easily when they are crossing the sea on small rafts and you know they can’t
