Here’s a thought…
“I am so convinced of the advantages of looking at mankind instead of reading about them, and of the bitter effects of staying at home with all the narrow prejudices of an islander, that I think there should be a law amongst us to set our young men abroad for a term among the few allies our wars have left us.”
LORD BYRON
‘Occam’s Razor’ | Our island, our world through the eyes, pen of S.C. Watson
Welcome to our weekly feature, Occam's Razor, from local artist S.C. Watson.
San Juan County Superior Court, Juvenile Division, shines a spotlight on importance of reunifying families
||| FROM LINNEA ANDERSON, for SAN JUAN SUPERIOR COURT ||| During the month of June, San Juan County joins Washington State in celebrating Family Reunification Month, which honors the many families who have successfully reunified after having a child removed due to a child dependency (or child welfare) action. San
Washington moves closer to reopening goal as 67.8% of people 16+ initiate vaccination
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) continues to make progress with our COVID-19 vaccine distribution and administration efforts. As of June 14, more than 7,528,340 doses of vaccine have been given across the state and more than 4.1 million people have received at
Joan Roulac Qigong workshop coming up at Senior Center
Qigong Workshop for Improving Joint Mobility, Arthritis, and Heart Function with Joan Roulac by Zoom: Tuesday, June 22, 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. ||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Joan Roulac, certified Qigong teacher since 1987, will be providing another workshop by Zoom using the ancient practice of
Vote early, vote often remains the hue, cry of Eastsound mayoral race
||| FROM DON WALTERS for HONORARY EASTSOUND MAYORAL RACE ||| The Honorary Eastsound Mayoral Race is in full swing, with Ricky the Lizard Wizard as the current front-runner, scurrying ahead with a victory in yesterday’s Mayoral Madness to take an extra 200 OrcasSuperDelegate votes and the lead. Can Ricky maintain
Hey! Check this out: SJC mask mandate now has an end date
||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN for DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ||| The San Juan County Health Officer Order requiring the wearing of masks by customers indoors in businesses and other public spaces will end on Sunday, June 27, 2021. Health Officer Dr. Frank James explains his decision, “Thanks to the high
Orcas Garden Club readies Safe Garden Tour as pandemic nears end
||| FROM NITA COUCHMAN for ORCAS GARDEN CLUB ||| The Orcas Island Garden Club invites you to join us at our 2021 Safe Garden Tour on Saturday, June 26 and Sunday, June 27 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. As you explore each of the five lovely tour gardens, enjoy
Contractor? You’ll want to check out this upcoming free class on Contracts
||| FROM MICHELANGELO (MICKEY) VON DASSOW ||| Islanders seeking to make their construction businesses thrive are invited to an online class on Contracts for Contractors. Event is Wednesday June 23 at 3 – 4:30 p.m. over Zoom, with Jim McAdam, EA at Island Tax Service Inc. presenting. Builders will learn
Navy wraps up third sound monitoring period; no final report yet
||| FROM MIKE WELDING for NAS WHIDBEY ISLAND ||| NAVAL AIR STATION WHIDBEY ISLAND, Wash. - The Navy completed its third week of real-time sound monitoring at Naval Air Station (NAS) Whidbey Island as directed by the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20). Flight activity was monitored
Students, staff, parents, community all receive heartfelt kudos from school superintendent
||| FROM ERIC WEBB, ORCAS SCHOOLS SUPERINTENDENT ||| Dear Students, Parents, Staff, & Community, On behalf of Orcas Island School District, I would like to thank you for a successful school year! You, along with other members of our island community, students, families, OISD Staff, local organizations and businesses (OIEF,
Could Portsmouth to Cherbourg in 40 minutes mean Anacortes to Orcas in 11 minutes?
Seagliders will whisk 150 passengers to France at speeds of 180 mph by 2028 ||| FROM THE DAILY MAIL ||| 'Seagliders' will transport passengers across the Channel in just 40 minutes by 2028, if a new maritime transport project led by Brittany Ferries is successful. The vehicles, revealed today in
San Juan County Land Bank agenda for June 2021 meeting
||| FROM TANJA WILLIAMSON for SAN JUAN COUNTY LAND BANK ||| The San Juan County Land Bank Commission will hold its monthly meeting on June 18, from 8:30 a.m. - 11:15 a.m. via Zoom. The public is invited to attend. Click HERE to download the agenda (includes ZOOM link) and
Skagit Valley College to hold virtual commencement
||| FROM ARDEN AINLEY for SKAGIT VALLEY COLLEGE ||| Skagit Valley College will honor the Class of 2021 graduates on Friday, June 18, 2021 at 6 p.m. The ceremony will be virtual and can be viewed on Facebook Live and/or YouTube. About the Class of 2021: There are 1,438 degrees,
Inslee statement on reopening numbers, staying the course
The federal government and our state are using different metrics to track vaccination progress. ||| FROM THE OFFICE OF GOVERNOR JAY INSLEE ||| Gov. Jay Inslee released a statement today on numbers used to determine when Washington state will fully reopen. “Many people, myself included, are eager for our state
Oops! District Committee election for Orcas Senior Center misprint
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Recently, Orcas Senior Center sent 1300 Special Election Newsletters with mail-in ballots for the Orcas District Committee election beginning June 21, 2021. A candidate notified us of a misprint on page three of the newsletter. On page three in the Mail-in
Orcas Food Bank adds a refrigerated vehicle awarded by WSDA Grant to build capacity
||| FROM RICK RHOADS for ORCAS ISLAND FOOD BANK ||| The two blue 40’ shipping containers in front of the Food Bank have become four. A white Freightliner Sprinter cargo van with a rear lift gate and a bulge on the roof, revealing that it’s refrigerated, will soon be here.
