Here’s a thought…
“We all live under the same sky, but we don’t all have the same horizon.”
KONRAD ADENAUER
Newest COVID updates from State
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH |||Newest numbers. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) reported a total of 594,488 confirmed cases as of 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 4. There have been 7,860 COVID-19 deaths in Washington.For the most recent tally of cases by county, demographics, and more, visit the Department of
Don’t forget your flu vaccine. Schedule an appointment in upcoming clinics
||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN for DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ||| San Juan County Health and Community Services will be hosting a series of influenza vaccine clinics across the islands. For full schedule and to register, go to: www.sanjuanco.com/flu Occurring between October 20 and November 12, these clinics will help ensure as
OI School Board will convene in special meeting tomorrow morning
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT ||| 10:30 am CALL TO ORDER - School Library Call to Order Approval of Agenda IMMEDIATELY ADJOURN to EXECUTIVE SESSION to discuss personnel matters (per RCW 42.30.110.1 (g) RE-CONVENE SPECIAL SCHOOL BOARD MTG. Personnel decision regarding Mr.Paul Evans. IMPORTANT FUTURE DATES:WED OCT. 6, 2021
Time to review your Medicare plans in forthcoming sessions
||| FROM PEGI GROUNDWATER, SJC SHIBA VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR ||| Medicare enrollees have an opportunity every year between October 15 and December 7 to review their Medicare Part D drug plans and their Medicare Advantage plans to see if they want to make changes that will be effective in the new
Statement from the Washington State Department of Health
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) is aware of the recent death of a King County woman from a blood clot after receiving the J & J vaccine. “Sadly, this is the first such death in Washington State. We send our
Joint 40th District delegation issues statement on unacceptable WSF service
||| FROM SENATE & HOUSE 40TH DISTRICT LEGISLATORS ||| Dear Neighbors and Friends, Washington State Ferries (WSF), being our state’s marine highway system, and only transportation option available for most San Juan County residents, is in dire straits. The unprecedented frequency of service disruptions passengers has endured, either through severely
Grrrr | Attorney General Bob Ferguson versus the Growlers
||| FROM RAINSHADOW JOURNAL ||| Coupevillle – Attorney General Bob Ferguson chose a bucolic setting for his recent Whidbey Island fundraiser, the historic Crockett Barn with its backdrop of Admiralty Inlet and Mt. Rainier majestic in the distance. The crowd of islanders cheered Ferguson when he referenced suing the Navy
Letter to Editor | Join me in supporting Patrick Shepler for Fire Commissioner
||| FROM HILARY CANTY ||| I hope you will join me and vote for Patrick Shepler for the Orcas Island Fire & Rescue (OIFR) Board of Fire Commissioners. Patrick recently retired from a career of service as a paramedic. His deep understanding of the department and the needs of the
Letter to Editor | The San Juans don’t belong in same legislative district as Whidbey Island
||| FROM KEARA AXELROD and MICHELE RODRIGUEZ ||| Washington state has a four-person commission charged with redistricting Washington’s legislative districts in light of the population information recorded in the 2020 census. The Commission recently released proposals for state-level Legislative Redistricting. Two of the four proposals include significant changes to our 40th Legislative District. The
OHS ‘Futures Lounge’ provides inviting opportunity for students to take a deep breath to plan their futures
||| FROM KATE LONG for ORCAS ISLAND HIGH SCHOOL ||| Tucked away at the end of the first-floor hallway at the Orcas Island High School is a classroom converted into a new space: the ‘Futures Lounge.’ The room has many elements of a traditional classroom – whiteboard, overhead projector, and
WSF surprises with early return of Tillikum. Back to normal schedule Tuesday A.M.
||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| WSF maintenance teams and vessel crews were able to repair the Tillikum sooner than expected, and the San Juan Islands route will return to its regular Fall sailing schedule with interisland service beginning Tuesday, Oct. 5. Customers will once again be able to make
There are some ferry good objections to this redistricting scheme
||| FROM CINDY WOLF, SAN JUAN COUNTY COUNCILMEMBER ||| Census numbers are in and the proposed redistricting maps are out. You can see them HERE. In my opinion, the strongest move we can make this week for the future of our ferry system is to respectfully request that Anacortes and
New research indicates COVID variants have higher infection rates than non-variant SARS-CoV-2
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| OLYMPIA -- People in Washington state infected with Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta variants have a higher risk of hospitalization compared to those infected with non-variant versions of SARS-CoV-2, according to new research from the Washington State Department of Health (DOH), in collaboration with Fred Hutchinson
Guest Opinion | It’s long past time for Council to start hollering at WSF
||| FROM ALEX MCLEOD ||| Everyone knows by now that the Tilikum, our interisland boat, stopped running Friday morning, cutting off the ability for school kids and workers and others to move among the islands. Yet it took three days for WSF to switch to the emergency winter weekend schedule
Three raffle winners announced by OPALCO
||| FROM KRISTA BOUCHEY for ORCAS POWER & LIGHT COOPERATIVE ||| Since the OPALCO Annual Meeting in April, co-op members who participated in the Island Way workshops have been entered to win raffle prizes including ten shares of the Bailer Hill Microgrid Project (to be completed in 2022), a Greenworks
School superintendent shares a look into first month of new school year
||| FROM ERIC WEBB, ORCAS SCHOOLS SUPERINTENDENT || Fall has arrived on the island and OISD is entering its second month of the 2021-2022 school year. September has provided students and staff with wonderful learning opportunities and engaging activities, from field trips to sporting events. These opportunities and events could
