Letter to Editor | Shepler knows how a Fire Department is supposed to work
||| FROM TOMAS ARDAVANY, RN, PARAMEDIC ||| “Who are you?” he asked me at the gas pumps on Mt. Baker Road. “I’m the Paramedic today", I said, as I pumped gas into the rig. “I thought Patrick Shepler is the only medic on the island,” he replied, staring me down.
State to implement schedule tweaks, reduced service system-wide starting Saturday
Service on most routes to be reduced due to severe staff shortages ||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| SEATTLE – Beginning Saturday, Oct. 16, Washington State Ferries will temporarily operate reduced schedules on most routes to provide more predictable and reliable travel. The change comes as the system is exercising
It’s time to get ready for Medicare’s annual open enrollment
||| FROM PEGI GROUNDWATER for SHIBA ||| Medicare beneficiaries have an opportunity each year between October 15 and December 7 to review their insurance coverage and make sure that their current plans will be the right ones for them in the coming year. Why should you do this? Because your
How does housing contribute to a thriving community?
A Dialogue with Coastal Washington Communities Wednesday, October 20, 2021, 9:30-11:00 am PT (virtual) Register for free now! ||| FROM WA STATE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES ||| This discussion will explore questions about housing challenges that have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. These challenges affect the community in multiple intersecting
Inslee statement on U.S. decision to reopen Canadian border entry
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF GOVERNOR JAY INSLEE ||| Gov. Jay Inslee released a statement today regarding reports that the Biden administration will reopen border entry in November to international travelers who are fully vaccinated. “Washingtonians have long been ready to welcome back Canadians traveling by land. I am pleased to hear
State Health Department’s newest COVID numbers
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| Newest numbers. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) reported a total of 608,185 confirmed cases as of 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 11. There have been 8,062 COVID-19 deaths in Washington. For the most recent tally of cases by county, demographics, and more, visit
Big day planned by Whale Museum in November for virtual ‘Gear Down’ workshop
||| FROM TRACIE MERRELL for THE WHALE MUSEUM ||| The Whale Museum (TWM) is holding an exciting virtual Gear Down Workshop for Marine Naturalists this fall on Saturday, November 13. This workshop will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific Time and registrants will join sessions through the
Rep. Larsen statement on short-term increase in U.S. debt limit
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF REP. RICK LARSEN ||| WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02) released the below statement after supporting a short-term increase in the debt limit. The short-term increase passed the House by a final vote of 219 to 206. “Addressing the debt limit is not
Eligible for Pfizer booster vaccination? Register for next week’s clinics
||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN for DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ||| Islanders who are eligible for COVID vaccine boosters (review this FAQ for details) and who are vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine are encouraged to receive their third dose boosters beginning next week at free vaccine clinics throughout San Juan County.
San Juan County Land Bank is ZOOM-meeting on Friday
||| FROM TANJA WILLIAMSON for SAN JUAN COUNTY LAND BANK COMMISSION ||| The San Juan County Land Bank Commission will hold its monthly meeting on October 15, from 8:30 - 11:30 a.m. via Zoom. The public is invited to attend. Click HERE to download the agenda (includes ZOOM link) and
Eth-noh-tec is back with a performance, followed by a raucous conversation
If We Only Knew -- the performance For Better and For Worse -- the fun, if not raucous conversation with four couples who work together NEXT THURSDAY - OCTOBER 21 ||| FROM DANA SHERRY for ETH-NOH-TEC ||| It's back -- rewritten, re-recorded, re-GURGITATED? Click HERE to hear the story of If We
Guest Opinion | Become informed, join me in rejecting specific Charter Review propositions
||| FROM TONY P. GHAZEL, 2021 CRC COMMISSIONER ||| Are we not tired of statements in another’s opinion in theOrcasonian, such as "dis-information," emanating from all sides of the political spectrum when fair minded voters respectfully disagree on subjects that will affect our lives one way or another. The action
No, no, no. No new type of killer whale has been discovered. Nope.
||| FROM THE CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH, ET AL. ||| On October 4, Hakai Magazine published an article with a headline reporting the discovery of “a new kind of killer whale.” Other media outlets subsequently reported similar headlines in Canada, the USA and internationally, and although some content has since
Jan Murphy joins SJIMA in marketing
||| FROM DIANE MARTINDALE for SAN JUAN ISLANDS MUSEUM OF ART ||| The San Juan Islands Museum of Art (SJIMA) in Friday Harbor is excited to announce that Jan Murphy is joining our marketing team. Jan Murphy and friend. As an artist, Jan has been a frequent exhibitor
Letter to Editor | I eagerly endorse Shepler for Fire Commissioner
||| FROM ANGELICA MAYO ||| As a long-time Islander, I eagerly endorse Patrick Shepler for Fire Commissioner. Rather than reiterate his well-documented professional training and experiences, I’ll tell you about the type of person Patrick Shepler is. Patrick Is calm, honest, and authentic. During his 15-years serving Orcas Island as
Transport Canada issues warnings, fines to boat owners violating orca-distance rules
||| FROM THE TIMES-COLUMNIST ||| Transport Canada says it has issued 158 warnings and levied five fines totalling just over $24,000 for vessels in violation of distancing rules that protect the endangered southern resident orcas in the Salish Sea. The federal agency was responding to a report Thursday by an
