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
Presentation of findings from recent Vessel Drift and Response Analysis coming up
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County, in partnership with Nuka Research & Planning Group LLC and the UW Puget Sound Institute Salish Sea Modeling Center, has completed the Vessel Drift and Response Analysis for the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the Southern Strait of Georgia.
Poetry | Orcas Origin Story by Bruce Hanna
||| FROM BRUCE HANNA ||| A famous pair of LUMMI native royalty were renowned for bringing joy into the tribe by sharing their playful spirits Long ago Earth Mother Sola became sick and retreated from the People the whole Salish Sea region was overcome with sickness and depression This sister
In Memoriam | Ruth Oser Newman, 1933-2021
||| FROM SOPHI SCARNEWMAN ||| Ruth (Ruthie) Newman died on 4/25/2021 in Sunnyvale, CA after living with Alzheimer’s disease for several years. Ruthie was born on 1/30/1933 in Berkeley, CA to Ida Margoles Oser and Jacob Oser. She spent most of her adult life on Mercer Island, WA, retiring to
San Juan County first in state to reach 60% COVID vaccination rate
||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN for DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ||| It’s a race against COVID, not other jurisdictions, but San Juan County is the first in WA to crack 60% for percentage of population initiating vaccination (DOH). These numbers include those who received their shots on the mainland and listed
In Memoriam | John Madison Burnett, 1937 – 2021
||| FROM EVANS FUNERAL CHAPEL ||| John Madison Burnett, a retired supervisor with the Monterey County Probation Department, died April 10, 2021 of natural causes in Friday Harbor WA where he has lived for the last three years in the good company of his family. He was 84 years of
GiveOrcas 2021 campaign kicks off today
On your mark, get set, GIVE! ||| FROM KATE LONG for ORCAS ISLAND COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ||| The 2021 GiveOrcas campaign opens Monday, May 3 and runs through May 17 (www.giveorcas.org). View the 24 proposals vetted and approved by the OICF Grants Committee. This year’s catalog supports a wide variety of
Letter to Editor | There are some amazing, devoted, dedicated folks holding our schools together during this pandemic
Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week is May 3 - 7 ||| FROM LINDA SHERIDAN ||| Dear Teachers, Staff, and Administrators, I wanted to take a moment to thank you for all of the hard work you have put in over this past year to make Orcas Island School District the
Town Council to hear Arts Commission recommendation for mural on Blair Avenue
||| FROM JULIE GREEN for TOWN OF FRIDAY HARBOR ||| The Friday Harbor Arts Commission (FHAC) will present a proposed mural concept for the long wall on Blair Avenue at the May 6 meeting of the Town Council. The commission convened an Artist Selection Panel of artists, neighbors, and commissioners
Island Hospital has a wealth of classes coming up this month
||| FROM RACHEL LAMBERT for ISLAND HOSPITAL ||| Balance Screening at Island Hospital Determine if you are at risk of falling due to balance issues at a free screening on Tuesday, May 11, between 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. at Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapy at Island Hospital, 1015 25th St.,
Cinema Noesis | New films for evolving minds
||| BY MATTHEW GILBERT for CINEMA NOESIS ||| *** Virtual Spring Festivals! *** FILMS FOR EVOLVING MINDS Spring/Summer 2021 “There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature ― the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter.” ―Rachel Carson Greetings cinephiles! With the arrival of
It’s free, easy: Walk-in, show your arm, get your J&J vaccine, walk out protected
||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN for DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ||| Walk in Johnson & Johnson (single dose) vaccine clinic on May 4th from 1:00- 2:30pm at Fairgrounds. 18+. Free. If able, register in advance HERE, or use QR code below. Or just show-up and we’ll get you quickly signed up at the
Guest Opinion | Inside the GOP gerrymander for 2022
||| FROM HEDRICK SMITH, RECLAIM THE AMERICAN DREAM ||| Washington – Republicans are rejoicing and Democrats are dismayed that population losses in the Rust Belt and gains in the Sun Belt, recorded by the 2020 census, will add Congressional seats in key Republican states and decide the 2022 elections. But
Stand.earth hails stunning new ICCT ship dumping report as a wake up call to U.S., Canada
Oceans face a massive fossil fuel combustion wastewater problem from ships, and world leaders must act now to stop further pollution ||| FROM STAND.EARTH ||| Unceded Coast Salish Territories (VANCOUVER, BC) and Traditional Lummi and Nooksack Lands (BELLINGHAM, WA) — Around the world, oceans and coastal communities face major threats from
Rep. Lekanoff: Legislative session has ended, but work still goes on
||| FROM REP. DEBRA LEKANOFF ||| Join us for the 40th LD Virtual Town Hall on May 6! Before I update you on the 2021 session and dive in to highlights of our final budgets, I want to invite you to join Sen. Liz Lovelett, Rep. Alex Ramel and me on
West Sound Posse has been cleaning up around their side of the island for years
||| FROM WEST SOUND POSSE ||| Several years ago, when the Great Islands Clean Up began, our neighborhood community responded by forming the West Sound Posse. We are now 30+ members strong, made up of regular folks, like artists, I.T. specialists, musicians, a speech pathologist, physicians, a real estate agent,
WSF weekly update includes saga of a fire aboard the Wenatchee
||| FROM PATTY RUBSTELLO for WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| Wenatchee engine room fire Thankfully, no one was hurt when an engine on Wenatchee caught fire last Thursday while the vessel was conducting sea trials with no passengers aboard. The crew, who are well-trained for emergency situations including firefighting, contained and extinguished the fire.
