Here’s a thought…
“Deep breath. Deep breath. The air is free. You can take as many as you want.”
BUDDHIST MONK
With upcoming virtual County Fair, there are a variety of in-person activities
||| FROM CARLENE BALCOMB-BARTOK for SAN JUAN COUNTY FAIR || SJC Fairgrounds is hosting a variety of in person activities this August leading up to and during the Virtual Fair. Saturday Aug. 14 9-2 Fair Market & Plant Sale 6-9 Fair Summer Music Series in partnership with Going Left Music
Medicare online class presentation is coming up on Thursday
Online presentation Thursday, July 29, 2 p.m. ||| FROM PEGI GROUNDWATER, SHIBA VOLUNTEER ||| Will you be joining Medicare this year? If so, there’s a lot for you to learn. Medicare has its own vocabulary and rules. There are deadlines you must meet and penalties (some lasting a lifetime) for
As fuel at airport runs out, as COVID cases increase, Orcas Fly-In has been cancelled
||| FROM JEANNIE SHARPE for ORCAS AIRPORT ||| As of late last week I was told the local EAA Chapter is cancelling the Orcas Fly-In due to new COVID cases on the island. I am sure we will still have many campers as usual. Also, as of this morning we
SJC joins regional effort to curb rising infection rates | Masks recommended indoors for all
||| FROM KYRA KINNAMAN for SJC HEALTH & COMMUNITY SERVICES ||| As a part of a regional effort to curb the rising infection rates in Washington, San Juan County Health Officer Dr. Frank James recommends that islanders mask up when entering an indoor public space, including businesses, whether vaccinated or
‘Very saddened’: Toa, the orphaned baby orca that enthralled New Zealand, is buried
Orca cared for by hundreds of volunteers and experts in bitter cold after becoming separated from its pod two weeks ago ||| FROM THE GUARDIAN ||| An orphaned baby orca that captured the hearts of people across New Zealand has been farewelled at a special ceremony and taken away for burial,
Have enough water? San Juan prepares to find out, with USGS study
||| FROM SALISH-CURRENT ||| Over the last 50 years, San Juan County has grown from a year-round population of 3,856 to 18,040 and has attracted a growing number of seasonal visitors and part-time residents. Lopez Island aquifers logged some of the highest recharge rates in the county when water
Effective today, WA law enforcement agencies have new laws charting their responses
||| BY LIN MCNULTY, theORCASONIAN EDITOR ||| A package of five new laws in the State of Washington aimed at law enforcement reform and accountability that were signed by Gov. Jay Inslee in May are now set to go into effect today, Sunday, July 25. The reforms follow the national
A long-time island couple ties the matrimonial knot
||| FROM KRIS KREGER ||| Grace Grantham and Jim Glozier were happily married August 24th at Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Eastsound, Washington. Grace and Jim have been best friends for 25 years, many of those years as a couple. A reception and celebration followed with dinner and dancing.
Island Hospital will host car seat clinic in their parking lot
||| FROM RACHEL LAMBERT for ISLAND HOSPITAL ||| Safe Kids Northwest is hosting a free car seat clinic on Thursday, August 12 from 3–5 p.m. Learn how to properly install and use your car or booster seat. Located in the 24th Street parking lot of Island Hospital, Anacortes. Due to COVID-19
Christina is putting some mussels into upcoming Library virtual cooking event
Thursday, July 29, 6 - 7:30 p.m. ||| FROM CAROL DAPOGNY for ORCAS ISLAND LIBRARY ||| Join Christina Orchid, long time Orcas resident and world renowned chef, as she prepares mussels three ways in celebration of National Culinary Arts Month. Click image to register. Recipes will be available
What would happen if the moon were twice as close to Earth?
||| FROM SPACE.COM In the 2003 Jim Carrey movie "Bruce Almighty," Carrey's character suddenly acquires God-like powers, and uses those powers to lasso the full moon and pull it closer to Earth to woo his beloved. Later in the movie, background shots show TV news reports about massive, unprecedented flooding around
MSNBC’S Chris Hayes’ has some things to say about climate
||| FROM CHRIS HAYES for MSNBC ||| One of the most interesting questions, perhaps the most interesting question, about where America will be in 25 years is where Americans, literally, will live. And that's inextricably linked to the most pressing unknown we collectively face, which is: Just how hot will
New evidence of menopause in Bigg’s Transient killer whales
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| Menopause has long been a puzzle for scientists. In most animals, it will be favorable for an individual to continue reproduction throughout their entire adult lifespan. However, in humans and a handful of toothed whales, females stop reproduction well before the end of
Get in line! | Bookmobile coming to Olga tomorrow
Olga Community Club, Sunday, July 25, 12 - 3 p.m. ||| FROM CAROL DAPOGNY for ORCAS ISLAND LIBRARY ||| The survey results are in! Olga gets the first book (ok, it's a car) mobile this Sunday! We'll have books, magazines, games, a hot spot, a bat detector (!), library card
Latest COVID stats from State Department of Health
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| Newest numbers. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) reported a total of 426,758 confirmed cases as of 11:59 p.m. on July 21. There have been 6,066 COVID-19 deaths in Washington. For the most recent tally of cases by county, demographics, and more,
Midnight Mutterings | Night Shift
||| MIDNIGHT MUTTERINGS by JACKIE BATES ||| I just arrived in Bellingham, along with my constant unseen passenger. She’s been coming along on all my trips, uninvited, for several years now. I say ‘she’ even though I’ve never seen her and wouldn’t know her gender even if I had. She
