Here’s a thought…
“Deep breath. Deep breath. The air is free. You can take as many as you want.”
BUDDHIST MONK
Orcas Center outlines their reopening plans going forward
||| FROM DIMITRI STANKEVICH for ORCAS CENTER ||| Orcas Center’s closure over the past 15 months has brought about great challenges, change, and opportunities. I am thrilled that we can look towards a more certain future now that the majority of San Juan County residents are vaccinated! As we move
With travel restrictions barely easing, U.S.-Canada border towns stuck in economic limbo
||| FROM SEATTLE TIMES ||| BLAINE — At Border Mailbox and Parcel, just minutes from the U.S.-Canada border, owner Doug Hornsby all but trips over the economic fallout of the pandemic every time he comes to work. Before COVID-19, Hornsby’s customers were primarily Canadians who used his Blaine address for
San Juan County mask requirements to end today
||| FROM DIMITRI STANKEVICH for ORCAS CENTER ||| The San Juan County Health Officer Order requiring the wearing of masks by customers indoors in businesses and other public spaces will end on June 27th, 2021. Health Officer Dr. Frank James explains his decision, “Thanks to the high vaccination rates in the
Enroll to explore Salish Sea marine and near shore terrestrial environments by kayak
Skagit Valley College is enrolling now for a unique Sea Kayak Exploration class in the Salish Sea and the San Juan Islands ||| FROM ARDEN AINLEY for SKAGIT VALLEY COLLEGE ||| If you love the salt air and exploring the beautiful Salish Sea and the San Juan Islands, you’ll want
Use the Whale Warning Flag to protect both whales and boaters
LET YOUR FLAG FLY! ||| FROM ANGELA BRODERICK, SJC ENVIRONMENTAL DEPT. ||| Across the region, homes and businesses will soon be displaying the Stars and Stripes to herald the Fourth of July holiday. Meanwhile, on the waters of the Salish Sea, another flag can be spotted - the whale warning
Are you or someone you know in heat crisis? Hot tips for hot temps
||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN for DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ||| While island temps are considerably lower than on the mainland, it’s hot today and will be again tomorrow. There are a number of common-sense precautions listed below to minimize the impact, but if you or someone you know are in
Inslee announces eviction moratorium “bridge”
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF GOV. JAY INSLEE ||| Gov. Jay Inslee announced a “bridge” proclamation [Thursday, June 24] between the eviction moratorium and the housing stability programs put in place by the Legislature. The bridge is effective July 1 through September 30. More than $650 million of federal relief
Study: Local restrictions on Airbnb listings reduce property values in areas popular with tourists
||| FROM SCIENCE DIRECT || Re-posted at request of Orcasonian reader Abstract Online short-term rental (STR) platforms such as Airbnb have grown spectacularly. We study the effects of regulation of these platforms on the housing market using a quasi-experimental research design. 18 out of 88 cities in Los Angeles County have severely
Ecological Restoration Certificate now available through WWU’s Huxley College of the Environment
||| FROM KAI HOFFMAN-KRULL for SJI CONSERVATION DISTRICT ||| The new Ecological Restoration Certificate in the San Juan Islands is provided in partnership with the San Juan Islands Conservation District (SJICD) and Huxley College of the Environment at Western Washington University. The program combines academic coursework and hands-on implementation of
Hot Topic #52 | The latest on masking guidelines from SJC
COVID-19 updates from San Juan County around subjects on the minds of islanders ||| FROM KYRA KINNAMAN for SJC HEALTH DEPARTMENT ||| THE LATEST ON MASKING: As of June 27, the Juan County Health Officer Order requiring all customers (regardless of vaccination status) to wear masks inside businesses will end.
Orcas Island Community Church is pleased to host three Summer Selah Services
Beginning on Sunday, June 27 at 5 p.m. ||| FROM BRIAN MOSS, for ORCAS ISLAND COMMUNITY CHURCH ||| The word “selah” comes from the Psalms which were often sung. It was most likely a musical descriptor for a rest or an instrumental bridge or improvisation between sung verses. For twenty
Midnight Mutterings | Return to Glacier Bay
||| MIDNIGHT MUTTERINGS BY JACKIE BATES ||| More than thirty years ago, my daughter and I went traveling. We went on a ferry/kayak trip, just the two of us, to Southeast Alaska. First, we took the Alaska State Ferry from our home in Seattle, to Juneau, sleeping in a tiny
Sheriff’s Report | June 14 – 22, 2021
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE ||| MONDAY, JUNE 14 21-004934 Citizen Assist 18:50:24 06/14/21 A Deputy on Orcas Island received a found wallet. The owner was promptly located and took possession of the wallet. 21-004939 Theft 20:47:09 06/14/21 A San Juan Deputy took a report of a bicycle
As of 4 p.m. Friday, here’s the actual, local forecast for this weekend’s heat wave
||| FROM UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES ||| WAZ001-261100- San Juan County- Including the cities of Friday Harbor, Eastsound, and Roche Harbor 312 PM PDT Fri Jun 25 2021 TONIGHT...Clear. Lows in the upper 50s to mid 60s. South wind to 10 mph becoming north after midnight. SATURDAY...Sunny. Highs in
Newest COVID response updates from State Health Dept.
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| Newest numbers. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) reported a total of 413,046 confirmed cases as of 11:59 p.m. on June 23. There have been 5,898 COVID-19 deaths in Washington. For the most recent tally of cases by county, demographics, and more, visit
Latest from Lekanoff | New task force appointment, WaNG kudos, Green Amendment, salmon
Happy Fantastic Friday! ||| FROM THE OFFICE OF REP. DEBRA LEKANOFF ||| MMIWP Task Force Appointment Graphic Credit: National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center Earlier this week, I was appointed as a legislative representative to the newly established Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People (MMIWP) Task Force. The
