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
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
Earth Day Poem | XI by Wendell Berry
XI by Wendell Berry The need comes on me now to speak across the years to those who finally will live here after the present ruin, in the absence of most of my kind who by now are dead, or have given their minds to machines and become strange, "over-qualified"
Port sets agenda for next meeting
||| FROM JEANNIE SHARPE for PORT OF ORCAS ||| REGULAR MEETING AGENDA April 26th, 2021 5:00 P.M. Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89432112153?pwd=OXUydStLNHFBVmtzYk1Gb2tRZTMrQT09 Meeting ID: 894 3211 2153 Passcode: 547239 One tap mobile +12532158782,,89432112153#,,,,*547239# US (Tacoma) CALL TO ORDER – 5:00 P.M. AGENDA AMENDMENTS PUBLIC ACCESS MONTHLY BUSINESS 1. Approval of Previous
Letter to Editor | School levy will support more than just repair, replacement of equipment
||| FROM LINDA SHERIDAN, ORCAS ISLAND SCHOOL BOARD PRESIDENT ||| Please Vote! The School Board members of the Orcas Island School District unanimously voted to place a Capital Projects and Technology Levy on the ballot for the upcoming special election. Ballots are due back to San Juan County Elections by
Lummi totem pole journey, Red Road to D.C., will have stopover in San Juans
||| FROM STEPHANIE BUFFUM ||| A totem pole carved at the Lummi Nation from a 400-year-old red cedar will begin a cross-country journey next month, evoking an urgent call to protect sacred lands and waters of Indigenous people. The journey, called the Red Road to DC, will culminate in early
New property tax deferral signed into law for businesses with real property
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| Rhonda Pederson, San Juan County Treasurer said Gov. Jay Inslee signed a new bill into law on April 16, 2021, ESHB 1332 , which provides a deferral of 2021 property taxes for businesses with real property. Businesses with a documented 25% reduction of its
Inslee statement on Chauvin trial verdict
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF GOVERNOR JAY INSLEE ||| Gov. Jay Inslee released a statement today regarding the conviction of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the death of George Floyd. "This was more than the death of one person. It
Hot Topic #47 | This is your best chance to get vaccinated; Sign up now
||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN for DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ||| More than 2,000 vaccine appointments are now open on Lopez, Orcas, and San Juan Islands. Sign up ASAP to ensure you get a spot. Links to register at: www.sanjuanco.com/1737/COVID-Vaccine-Info 18* OR OLDER? NOT VAXED? RIGHT NOW IS YOUR BEST REMAINING
Hurry! Sign up! Vaccine appointments still available
||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN for DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ||| For many months, islanders have been awaiting the day that San Juan County is fully vaccinated. We’re getting close, and the best remaining opportunity for anyone over the age of 18 to get their shot is open for registration now.
Agenda posted for second School Board meeting on Thursday
||| 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 prior to
School Board schedules annual meeting with Waldron School
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT ||| ANNUAL SPECIAL SCHOOL BOARD MEETING with WALDRON SCHOOL via ZOOM, Thursday, Apr 22, 2021 - 10 a.m. 10:00 AM CALL TO ORDER via ZOOM 1.1 Call to Order 1.2 Approve Agenda 1.3 Student Presentations 1.4 2021-22 Budget Presentation ADJOURN 3. IMPORTANT FUTURE DATES: MAY 13, 2021; MAY
State Health Dept. recap of recent COVID news, updates
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| Newest numbers. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) reported a total of 361,104 confirmed cases as of 11:59 p.m. on April 19. There have been 5,407 COVID-19 deaths in Washington. For the most recent tally of cases by county, demographics, and more, visit
Letter to Editor | I have questions before I can vote for school levy
||| FROM BEA VON TOBEL ||| In order to help me decide how to vote on the levy, I have the following questions: What does OISD project as the annual funds to be made available through this levy, starting in 2022? Since the printed levy information states that ‘a portion
Local poet shares his spring poetry
Narcissus by Dave Kosiur Slowly it lifts its greenery from the soil And then spring into a bright bloom. Oh, what an appropriate name Spring is for the season! We may have planted the bulb and admire the clean whiteness of the bloom But it just stands there in the
Motorcycle operator from last week’s fatality accident has been identified
||| BY LIN MCNULTY, theORCASONIAN EDITOR ||| The operator of a motorcycle involved in a fatality accident on Monday, April 12 has been identified. An Orcas EMS Paramedic was enroute to another call at 2:30 a.m. on Crow Valley Road when he happened across a motorcycle off the roadway that
