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 resumes use of Johnson & Johnson vaccine
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) will immediately resume use of the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccine across the state. This decision is based on recommendations from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
New classes, screenings upcoming at Island Hospital
||| FROM RACHEL LAMBERT for ISLAND HOSPITAL ||| Swallow Screening at Island Hospital Determine if you might have a swallowing disorder at a free screening on Tuesday, May 4 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapy clinic at Island Hospital, 1015 25th St., Anacortes. Appointments
Rep. Lekanoff sums up legislative past week, heading into sine die on Sunday
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF REP. DEBRA LEKANOFF ||| Bill Updates The 2021 Legislative Session ends this Sunday, April 25. As the session comes to a close, I want to give you a final update on my bills. As I reported last week, House Bill 1372, my bill to honor Billy Frank Jr.
Park & Rec District is now accepting applications
||| FROM TERRI RODGERS for ORCAS PARK & REC ||| Orcas Island Park and Recreation District is accepting applications for the positions of Program Assistant and Park Steward. See below for the job announcements, descriptions and application. Please submit completed application with your cover letter and resume to terri@oiprd.org. Program Assistant
Lopez Swim Center rallies to raise remaining funds to start pool construction
Make a Splash with GiveBIG! ||| FROM CLAIRE ANDERSON for FRIENDS OF LOPEZ ISLAND POOL ||| If you’re committed to creating a safer, healthier, more connected San Juan County, please GiveBIG to build a nonprofit community Swim Center on Lopez, slated to begin construction this summer if funding goals are
Sheriff’s Report | April 14 – 21, 2021
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE ||| WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14 21-003006 Fraud 06:29:28 04/14/21 A Lopez Deputy responded to a fraud call. A Lopez citizen received a call from an unknown source asking for their Medicare information. The Deputy took a report and advised the citizen to not provide
School District addresses upcoming levy with FAQs UPDATED (See below)
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT ||| Orcas Island School District is placing a Capital Projects and Technology Levy on the ballot for the Special Election of April 27, 2021. Here are answers to questions that Orcas residents may have about this levy, its purpose, and district needs: Q -
Statewide response updates from State Health Department.
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| Newest numbers. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) reported a total of 363,840 confirmed cases as of 11:59 p.m. on April 21. There have been 5,428 COVID-19 deaths in Washington. For the most recent tally of cases by county, demographics, and more, visit
Weekly San Juan County COVID case update
||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN for DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ||| Note: Current positive case numbers are available online at the County Case Data Dashboard. As indicated on that page, these numbers are only updated after case confirmation is complete, usually daily. It is possible that other information sources in community
WSF weekly update: How they are making every day Earth Day
||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| In honor of Earth Day, here’s an update on our first-ever Sustainability Action Plan. As part of our Environmental Stewardship & Sustainability Program, we launched the two-year plan on this day in 2019 to outline our goals and actions to protect orca whales, reduce greenhouse gas
‘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.
State says COVID-19 immunity increasing, but not enough to slow transmission
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| OLYMPIA – Today the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) released the latest statewide situation report on COVID-19. Report findings include: Population immunity is helping control transmission, but isn’t enough to counteract risky behavior. The report includes two estimates of the reproductive number (Re), which tells us
Two dental vans will be coming soon to see patients
||| FROM HILARY CANTY for ORCAS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ||| The Arcora Foundation - SmileMobile will be on Orcas April 26 - 29 to see babies (first tooth) up through high school age and pregnant/postpartum people with Apple Health and those who are uninsured. The dentist and team may provide one
COVID-19 vaccine distribution update from the Washington State Department of Health
||| 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 April 19, more than 4,765,270 doses of vaccine have been given across the state, which is nearly 82% of the 5,820,340 doses that
Climate Eyes | Warmer weather? Greenhouses gasses? Fire danger? What are we in for?
Earth Day launches new climate column by Steve Bernheim ||| CLIMATE EYES BY STEVE BERNHEIM, theORCASONIAN OP-ED REPORTER ||| Local TV weather announcers couldn’t be happier: record high temperatures and sunshine in April. Viewers seem unconcerned, even giddy. On these warm sunny days, Orcas Island can seem far from a
Want to buy a resort? Rosario Resort & Spa on Orcas Island hits the market
||| FROM PUGET SOUND BUSINESS JOURNAL ||| Rosario Resort & Spa on Orcas Island is for sale — all 82.89 acres and 2,166 feet of waterfront. Current owners are Jerrel Barto of Anacortes, who along with his son, Craig Barto, own Signal Hill Petroleum and are principals of Rosario Signal LLC. They bought it at auction
