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
Guest Opinion | Greenwashing San Juan County
||| FROM ELISABETH ROBSON ||| Today I received in my inbox an email from OPALCO extolling an affordable energy future powered by renewables and carried by electric vehicles. We get pictures of solar panels and an electric vehicle happy deal. They claim in this email that their vision of the
Spring donors give big to Community Swim Center
||| FROM CLAIRE ANDERSON for FRIENDS OF LOPEZ ISLAND POOL ||| This spring, Lopezians, San Juan Islanders, and mainlanders together raised a total of more than $144,000 for the Swim Center. To date, the Swim Center has reached 67% of its campaign goal and is currently focused on seeking funding
RE Sources to honor 2021 Environmental Heroes in evening of powerful stories
The nonprofit’s virtual celebration and benefit on June 9 will recognize three NW Washington Environmental Heroes and will also feature State Rep. Debra Lekanoff and WA State Poet Laureate Rena Priest ||| FROM JAY KOSA for RE SOURCES ||| BELLINGHAM, WA — Every year, regional environmental group RE Sources holds
No charge Connection Practice coaching session this weekend
||| FROM SHARON ABREU ||| As a certified Connection Practice Coach, I am so pleased to be able to offer you a coaching session at no charge during the Global Connection Practice Weekend happening this coming weekend, May 22 & 23! If you would like to try out the Connection
All counties move into Phase 3 after reopening pause
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| OLYMPIA – Today, the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) announced that all Washington counties have moved into Phase 3 of Governor Jay Inslee’s Healthy Washington: Roadmap to Recovery phased reopening plan. This includes Cowlitz, Ferry, Pierce and Whitman counties which were previously in
San Juan County Land Bank meeting & agenda for May 2021
Monthly meeting on May 21, 8:30 a.m. via Zoom ||| FROM TANJA WILLIAMSON for SAN JUAN COUNTY LAND BANK ||| A Land Bank team tackled Lopez’s Weeks Wetland Preserve for the Great Islands Cleanup and removed over 400 lbs. (!!) of wood debris: plywood, pressure treated lumber and creosote.
Inslee signs police accountability legislative package
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF GOVERNOR JAY INSLEE ||| Gov. Jay Inslee signed a dozen bills today that will improve accountability for law enforcement in Washington state, and will create the nation’s strongest police accountability system. The governor, joined by community members and families of those impacted, signed the bills
Letter to Editor | Urge county to create a “Truth in Planning” document and public buildout analysis
||| FROM NATALIE MENACHO ||| Hey Islander! I hope this little San Juan County love note finds you reveling in the verdant opulence of springtime. We all moved here for the love of our islands. Gorgeous nature. Tight-knit community. Sweet rural vibes. With gratitude, I think most of us
New book from John Geyman M.D.: America’s Mighty Medical-Industrial Complex
||| FROM EMILY GEYMAN ||| The rise of an enormous medical-industrial complex over the last 60 years in the United States has brought wealth to ever-larger corporations, their shareholders, and CEOs at the expense of most Americans who struggle gaining access to affordable health care. Dr. Geyman describes the failures
Planning Commission to decide if county should create “Truth in Planning” component to Comp Plan
Letters needed now! Planning Commission meets Friday May 21 ||| FROM ISLAND STEWARDS ||| The San Juan County Planning Commission is set to decide if the county should create a "Truth in Planning" component to the Comp Plan in an upcoming public hearing at 9 a.m., Friday, May 21, 2021.
Bipartisan, bicameral legislation introduced in Congress to protect Washington orca and other marine mammals
||| FROM THE SUBURBAN TIMES ||| Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland (WA-10) introduced bipartisan legislation along with Representatives Stephanie Murphy, (FL-7), and Brian Mast (FL-18) to protect marine mammals like orca, dolphins, seals, and whales. H.R.2848, the Marine Mammal Research and Response Act increases funding for two initiatives—the Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue
Larsen announces more than $80 Million for NW Washington students, colleges, universities
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF REP. RICK LARSEN ||| WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02) announced more than $80 million in emergency funding for students, colleges and universities in Washington’s Second Congressional District under the American Rescue Plan. The funding will help local institutions weather the severe financial fallout
Alchemy Art Center prepares for 2021 Artists in Residence, workshops, community programming
||| FROM GLENN HENDRICK for ALCHEMY ART CENTER ||| After suspending much of their programming for more than a year, Alchemy Art Center is thrilled to announce the return of their summer Artist in Residence and Internship Programs and workshops, a new artist talk series, and even more community outreach
Superintendent confirms three positive COVID-19 cases in school district
If you are not contacted by the county in the next day or two, you are not considered a close contact. ||| FROM ERIC WEBB, ORCAS SCHOOLS SUPERINTENDENT ||| I want to take a moment to update you on the current COVID-19 situation that I first wrote you about this
Join this livestream evening of conversation (and music) with internationally known composer
||| FROM LINDA SLONE for ORCAS CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL ||| On Thursday, May 27, at 5 p.m. Pacific Time, composer Jake Heggie joins Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival Founder and Artistic Director Aloysia Friedmann for an informative and entertaining livestream discussion about his career. A Guggenheim Fellow, Heggie is internationally
It’s official: Face masks still required inside local San Juan County businesses
||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN for DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ||| Regarding the continuation of the San Juan County Health Officer Order requiring that face coverings still be worn inside businesses: There are updated posters for businesses available, in both 11 x 17 and 8.5 x 11 versions. As a reminder, this policy will be
