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
Washington State Ferries hosting virtual meetings May 25 and 26 ahead of peak season
||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| SEATTLE – Ferry riders, commuters and terminal neighbors are invited to attend one of two upcoming Washington State Ferries virtual public meetings to hear updates and ask questions about the ferry system. “We learn so much from our community engagement efforts,” said Patty Rubstello,
Guest Opinion | Why I might wear a mask when COVID is over
||| FROM EMLYN "EVE" EON, ORCAS HIGH SCHOOL FRESHMAN ||| It keeps Bugs out of your mouth if you are Biking or Walking Keeps face warm You don’t have to hide any facial expressions; it hides it for you! E.g., sneer, scowl, smirk, growl, screwface, snarl, zombie-face, “my favorite character
COVID-19 vaccine distribution update from State Department of Health
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) is pleased to share our state achieved another incredible vaccine milestone this week. As of May 10, more than 6,046,656 doses of vaccine have been given in Washington. Most people are choosing to get vaccinated. More than
Sigh … Public health officials investigating multi-county outbreak of E. coli
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| OLYMPIA -- The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) is working with local health jurisdictions to respond to a multi-county outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 that may be linked to fresh produce. The outbreak currently includes six confirmed cases across Benton County (1), King County (3),
State says it’s a GO! Everyone 12 & older can now get Pfizer vaccine
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) has expanded COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to everyone 12 and older following recommendations that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is safe and extremely effective for 12 to 15-year-olds. Monday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted an emergency
CDC approves Pfizer vaccine for kids 12 and up
First clinic pre-planned for this Saturday on Orcas, pending final authorization from State of Washington ||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN for DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ||| Today the CDC approved use of the Pfizer vaccine for children 12 and older. San Juan County has pre-planned Pfizer clinics on each of the
Oil Spill Association offering no-cost training for oil spill response volunteers
||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN ||| The Islands’ Oil Spill Association (IOSA) is hosting a no-cost training for local oil spill response volunteers. Anyone interested in becoming an IOSA volunteer is welcome to attend, in addition to existing members of the team. The training will be on Saturday May 22 from
Registration now open for Whale Museum’s marine naturalist training
||| FROM TRACIE MERRELL for THE WHALE MUSEUM ||| Registration is now open for a summer virtual session of TWM’s Marine Naturalist Program. This dynamic and high quality program will be 6-sessions and run on the following dates: July 19-24. The objective of this program is to provide a learning
Letter to Editor | Kudos to our health and community services staff for keeping us healthy
||| FROM SJCo BOH: DALE HEISINGER MD, CHAIR; NOEL MONIN; JOHN GEYMAN MD; CHRISTINE MINNEY, JAMIE STEPHENS, CINDY WOLF, KYLE DAVIES ||| Recently the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation/University of Wisconsin published the county health rankings for states. The rankings were based on health outcomes and health factors (see countyhealthrankings.org for
Statewide COVID response updates
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| Newest numbers. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) reported a total of 384,929 confirmed cases as of 11:59 p.m. on May 10. There have been 5,593 COVID-19 deaths in Washington. For the most recent tally of cases by county, demographics, and more, visit the Department of
Upcoming Garden Club presentation will be all about insects in your garden
Identifying and protecting your best garden friends ||| FROM HELEN HUBER for ORCAS ISLAND GARDEN CLUB ||| The Orcas Island Garden Club welcomes Kate Yturri who will present Insects in Your Garden: Identifying and Protecting Your Best Garden Friends on Wednesday, May 19 at 10:30 a.m. Use this link for
Notice of upcoming town hall meetings with Charter Review Commission
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY ||| NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the San Juan County Charter Review Commission will hold two Town Hall meetings to discuss proposed amendments to the County Home Rule Charter. The meetings will be held remotely & exclusively via ZOOM videoconferencing on Tuesday June 1 and
Genealogy Club will share stories of days past on Orcas Island in special meeting
What was the island like back in the 70s thru 90s? ||| FROM KATHI CISKOWSKI for ORCAS ISLAND GENEALOGY CLUB ||| Join us for a fun morning of unique and memorable stories of days past on Orcas Island! The focus will be on what the island was like back in the
Hot Topic #50 | Update on vaccinations for islanders under the age of 18
||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN for DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ||| Now that most adults in San Juan County have at least received their first shot, there is a rapidly shifting focus to vaccinations for younger residents. This is for very good reasons: they are now our most vulnerable group, they
How to reach Island Primary Care–Orcas for after-hours care
||| FROM LAURA MORONEY for ISLAND HOSPITAL ||| Orcas Island residents have access to after-hours care seven day a week at Island Primary Care - Orcas. Whether during or after clinic hours, call 360-293-3101. After-hours process: Call 360-293-3101 or 3603762561 and listen carefully to the prompts. When calling after-hours, you will
Life Line is returning to Senior Center to conduct preventive health screenings
Life Line Screening at Orcas Senior Center: Thursday, June 10, 2021 ||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Life Line Screening, the nation’s leading provider of preventive health screenings, will offer affordable, non-invasive and painless health screenings at Orcas Senior Center on Thursday, June 10, 2021. A package
