Here’s a thought…
“People will forgive you for being wrong, but they will never forgive you for being right.”
THOMAS SOWELL
Island Hospital class offerings for upcoming week
||| FROM RACHEL LAMBERT for ISLAND HOSPITAL ||| Island Hospital offers online class on Healthy Lifestyles: SLEEP Join Bridgett Bell Kraft, a provider with Island Hospital’s Sleep Wellness Center, for a conversation to improve your understanding of what sleep is, how sleep patterns change with aging, and the symptoms of
Seasonal changes bring extra challenges to Southern Resident Killer Whales
As summer Chinook salmon runs wane in the Salish Sea, and Southern Resident Killer Whales typically begin to travel further south in Puget Sound in search of prey, the orcas face compounding challenges. ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| As summer Chinook salmon runs wane in the Salish Sea,
Medicare open enrollment is here; be prepared
||| FROM PEGI GROUNDWATER for SHIBA ||| 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 year. Medicare
Sun Days on Orcas | Unexpected healing
||| SUN DAYS ON ORCAS by EDEE KULPER ||| Two years ago, I was out running with my husband. We hadn't exercised much at all together over the past 14 years, and I was elated to finally be doing it again, especially since that's how we met and courted. Parenting
Orcas Senior Center appeals to you to help meet unmet critical needs
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Over the last 18 months, the pandemic has shined a bright light on unmet critical needs of our island’s seniors. COVID-19 opened our eyes to new challenges, but it also opened doors. We responded by introducing Buddy Check-In and other new
Letter to Editor | Shepler understands the role of the fire service in our community
||| FROM R. J. MYERS, FIREFIGHTER/EMT ||| When Paramedic Patrick Shepler entered the back of the classroom in my fire academy nearly 10 years ago, a pager hanging off his belt, cup of coffee in hand, smile on his face, he was introduced to our class of new firefighters and
Senior Center’s Meeting of the Minds will learn about past, present, future of the Exchange
Meeting of the Minds – “Past, Present, and Future of The Exchange/Orcas Recycling Services” by Orcas Senior Center: Wednesday, October 20, 2021, 1 p.m. ||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| For the next Orcas Senior Center Meeting of the Minds presentation Board President Jim “Duff” Duffield and
Letter to Editor | Yes, Patrick Shepler for Fire Commissioner
||| FROM JESSICA GIASULLO and JAMES SCHEIB ||| Patrick Shepler for Fire Commissioner Patrick Shepler is running for commissioner of the Board of Fire Commissioners, Orcas Island Fire and Rescue (OIFR). My husband James Scheib and I have been close friends with Patrick for many years. As a volunteer with OIFR,
Latest from Lekanoff | It’s Orca Recovery Day, COVID updates, student financial aid, and – yes – ferries
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF REP. DEBRA LEKANOFF ||| Orca Recovery Day Today is Orca Recovery Day - a day in which people from across Washington will go out in their communities and take action to help recover our salmon and orca populations. Supporting salmon supports orcas because the largest
Letter to Editor | Please join me in supporting upcoming climate proposals on the ballot
||| FROM SUE BAUER ||| Please research then consider joining me in supporting the CRC proposals, especially Proposition 3 which creates a “Climate and Environment Commission.” This body would be made up of 11 of our neighbors each appointed by County Council but from these crucially important and currently unrelated groups:
Sheriff’s Report | October 6 – 12, 2021
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE ||| WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6 21-008967 Agency Assistance 09:20:39 10/06/21 A Lopez Island Deputy accompanied representatives of a state agency to contact a resident. The person was not located. 21-008972 Theft 12:43:36 10/06/21 A San Juan Deputy took a report of an incident of
School Board holding an in-person, all-day work session tomorrow
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT ||| The Orcas Island School District School Board will be hosting a meeting IN-PERSON only for an all-day work session on Saturday, October 16, at 9 a.m.. The School Board will convene at Four Winds, Westward Ho Camp Lodge - 286 Four Winds Rd.
This week’s numbers: Lopez 0, San Juan 4, Orcas 16. This is not a sports score
||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN for DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ||| Since the last update on Friday October 8, there have been 20 new confirmed or probable cases in San Juan County. Current total case count is now 332. Of these 20 new cases, initial investigations indicate that 3 appear to
Do you need a vaccine booster? Yes and no
||| FROM ANNE PRESSON for ORCAS ISLAND HEALTH CARE DISTRICT ||| Need a good news boost? Look no further than the arrival of COVID-19 vaccine boosters. Recently authorized by the CDC and the FDA for the Pfizer vaccine and for certain groups of people, boosters are here to protect higher risk populations
Orcas School District identifies 11 COVID positive students
||| FROM ERIC WEBB, ORCAS SCHOOLS SUPERINTENDENT ||| Over the past few days, Orcas Island School District has identified 11 COVID positive students and several other positive individuals within their households. All cases originated from outside of the district, and no spread within the district has been identified. During this
This week’s COVID-19 statewide response update
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| Statewide Response Updates Newest numbers. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) reported a total of 612,757 confirmed cases as of 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 13. There have been 8,198 COVID-19 deaths in Washington. For the most recent tally of cases by county, demographics,
