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
Join in this online workshop to learn about writing historical fiction
Thursday, May 27, 10:30 a.m. ||| FROM SANDY STREHLOU ||| Author and genealogist John Ickes is a distant relative of early San Juan Island artist Marjorie Walker (1906-1992). His historical research contributed to the understanding of Marjorie’s life and the online publication of her story on HistoryLink.org John has done
School District wants to hear from every one of us in new community survey
||| FROM ERIC WEBB, ORCAS SCHOOLS SUPERINTENDENT ||| Starting on May 26, the Orcas Island School District wants to hear from you about…hearing from you. We are looking to better understand how we send out information -- and how we receive information. We want to understand how you communicate with
Letter to Editor | Orcas Island has always been Lummi Nation homeland
||| FROM SPIRIT EAGLE ||| While appreciating Michael Riordan’s letter to the editor to the Islands' Sounder regarding the Lummi totem pole journey to Orcas Island, there is something of a misconception I would like to clear up: The Lummi Nation did not use Orcas Island as a place where
State investigating reports of possible cardiac symptoms, post-vaccination
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) is aware of reports of a small number of cases of myocarditis or pericarditis in some patients, post-vaccination. Further investigation is needed to determine if these cases are connected in any way to COVID-19 vaccines. Health
State Parks, recreation land managers designate Juneteenth a free day
Designation means four free days in June ||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE PARKS ||| OLYMPIA – May 24, 2021 – The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission announces Juneteenth will now be a Discover Pass free day. In addition to this new free day, June also has three established free days: Saturday, June
Join this rally, march for Palestine solidarity coming up Saturday
||| FROM SANDY STREHLOU ||| You may already know that I am organizing a Palestine Solidarity rally and march. It starts at 11 a.m. next Saturday, May 29, at the SJC courthouse lawn. I hope, pray, beg that you will come. 90 minutes, that’s all I ask. Why The recent
An invitation to ‘sound the call’ in remembrance on Memorial Day
||| FROM KAREN SPECK for ORCAS ISLAND COMMUNITY BAND ||| On Memorial Day, Americans remember those who have died in military service to the United States. The National Moment of Remembrance is an annual event that asks all citizens, wherever they are at 3 p.m. local time, to pause for
A new experience, three years in the making, awaits you at the ferry landing
“I descend from King Salmon and Cedar Trees” --Patti Gobin ||| BY AYN GAILEY ||| When Patti Gobin of the Tulalip tribe was a child and fished the shores of the San Juan Islands with her elders, she was told, "Never step on land here. You might be taken." Today,
Here’s the San Juan County slate of local candidates for upcoming primary
||| BY LIN MCNULTY, theORCASONIAN EDITOR ||| Online Candidate Filing for the upcoming primary election, open from 9 a.m. May 17 to May 21 at 4 p.m., has now closed. Upcoming deadlines of note for the August 3 primary are as follows: 07/16/21 Start of 18-day voting period (through Election
School Board has agenda ready for Thursday ZOOM meeting
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT ||| The Orcas Island School District School Board will be hosting their meetings in-person in The School Cafeteria AND online VIA ZOOM. Public health guidelines in response the Covid-19 pandemic will be followed. In-person attendees will be expected to sign in with their names and contact information
Salish Sea Early Music Festival readies for Jan. 2022 in-person season return
In the interregnum, they share an indispensable performance ||| FROM JEFFREY COHAN for SALISH SEA EARLY MUSIC FESTIVAL || 2021 Salish Sea Early Music Festival ~ Musical Fairy Tales ~ + + + OBBLIGATO: Joseph Bodin de Boismortier + + + Sonata II in G Minor from Opus 91 by Joseph
Commerce awards $4 million to make community buildings more energy efficient
Projects save taxpayer dollars by retrofitting schools, hospitals and municipal facilities and upgrading heating, cooling and lighting systems to reduce energy consumption. ||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE ||| OLYMPIA, WA – The Washington State Department of Commerce today announced nearly $4 million in grants to state and local government
Larsen, Payne: Investment in green ferries steers U.S. toward cleaner transportation future
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF REP. RICK LARSEN ||| WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, Reps. Rick Larsen (WA-02) and Donald Payne (NJ-10) introduced legislation to make it easier for ferry systems to invest in cleaner and greener ferries and combat climate change. The Greenhouse Gas Reduction and Environmental Enhancement through New Ferries Act (GREEN Ferries Act) amends the Federal
Annual evaluation of shellfish growing areas yields good news for some, concern for others
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| OLYMPIA - The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) continues to evaluate the conditions in and around Washington’s shellfish harvesting areas and make growing area classification changes. This year, based on shoreline pollution, source corrections and improved marine water quality, we’ve upgraded 66 acres
Spring clean-up of Senior Center was a total success
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Audrey Hall The Orcas community turned up to help with cleaning up the Orcas Senior Center grounds on Sunday, May 2! The day was beautiful, and the volunteers were cheerful. A special thanks goes out to Allan Rosato and
You’ll want to catch this Artists’ Registry Show at SJIMA before it closes
||| FROM DIANE MARTINDALE for SAN JUAN ISLANDS MUSEUM OF ART ||| “Black Oystercatchers” by Shawna Marie Franklin. Linoleum block print The Artists’ Registry Show with 60+ artists and VOYAGER by Steven Jensen closes on May 31. Catch them before they leave. On Memorial Day, the museum will
