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
Most recent recap of COVID news, updates from State
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| Newest numbers. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) reported a total of 342,269 confirmed cases as of 11:59 p.m. on March 31. There have been 5,262 COVID-19 deaths in Washington. For the most recent tally of cases by county, demographics, and more,
Senior Center seeks a Companion Services Coordinator
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Orcas Senior Center is seeking applicants for a Companion Services Coordinator. This position coordinates oversight and functionality of the Companion Services program (i.e., Hearts and Hands, Buddy Check-In, and other companion services). Position: Companion Services Coordinator Hours/Week:
‘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.
Library/Rotary hosting upcoming session with Brendan Cowan on being prepared
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND PUBLIC LIBRARY & ORCAS ISLAND ROTARY CLUB ||| Being Prepared Is the Island Way Friday, April 2, 9-10am via ZOOM™ Brendan Cowan Director, Emergency Management, San Juan County The Orcas Island Public Library and the Orcas Island Rotary Club invite you to join us on Zoom
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 March 29, more than 3,325,998 doses of vaccine have been given across the state, which is 83% of the 4,006,330 doses that have
Letter to Editor | Passing along the American Rescue Plan stimulus
||| FROM STEVE JUNG ||| Last week, my wife and I received our American Rescue Plan stimulus payments from the federal government, with gratitude for its efforts to jump start our pandemic-afflicted economy. There is no question that we have bills to pay and necessities to buy that could put
Gov. Inslee releases statement on Pres. Biden’s American Jobs Plan
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF GOVERNOR JAY INSLEE ||| Governor Jay Inslee released a statement today regarding the announcement of President Joe Biden's "American Jobs Plan," the first part of his "Build Back Better" agenda. "I applaud President Biden for laying out a vision to spur America’s economic recovery with
April 15 is date for all Washingtonians over 16 will be eligible to receive COVID vaccination
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF GOVERNOR JAY INSLEE ||| Gov. Jay Inslee today announced that effective April 15, all Washingtonians over the age of 16 will be eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. Over the past four months since Washington began administering doses of the vaccination, the state has followed
Who can resist this unique offer open to Orcasonian readers?
||| BY MARILYN PERATIVE, BEHIND THE SCENES EDITOR ||| Only a sample of the thousands of images available in this one-time exclusive offer to Orcasonian readers. They are called "Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT)," or simply, cryptoart. And when one sold recently at Christie's auction for a staggering $69M, it
Orcas resident group sues County, seeks incorporation
||| BY theORCASONIAN REPORTER WALTER ZUSTOVICH ||| On March 31, a group of Orcas island citizens calling themselves Liberate Orcas filed a suit against the county demanding that the island be free to incorporate. In a statement to the County’s Prosecuting Attorney’s office, the group noted that “ . .
Studies shed light on why dams matter to salmon and orca
||| FROM KITSAP SUN ||| There is something inexplicable that draws us to orcas. The large dolphins — often referred to as killer whales — inhabit every ocean on Earth and have captured the attention of humans for thousands of years. The Southern Resident population that frequents the Puget Sound
Letter to Editor | Another thank you from the Food Bank
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND FOOD BANK ||| This time we are focusing on the many businesses, nonprofits, and organizations who have supported the Orcas Island Food Bank over our COVID year. The list is too long to put in a letter to the editor—way over 100. Some might surprise you!
Recapping recent statewide COVID-19 news, updates
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| Newest numbers. The Department of Health (DOH) reported a total of 340,371 confirmed cases as of 11:59 p.m. on March 29. There have been 5,237 COVID-19 deaths in Washington. For the most recent tally of cases by county, demographics, and more, visit the Department of Health's
Reality check on vacation rental moratorium
||| BY MATTHEW GILBERT, theORCASONIAN OP-ED REPORTER ||| Five weeks after the County Council approved a moratorium on new vacation rental permits in activity centers, hamlets, and the Eastsound and Lopez UGAs, the Department of Community Development’s (DCD) Erika Shook gave a status report. In a memo to council members,
Cases of COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough confirmed in Washington state
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| OLYMPIA -- The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) is investigating reports of people in the state who tested positive for COVID-19 more than two weeks after being fully vaccinated. Scientists call these “vaccine breakthrough” cases, which are expected with any vaccine. Large-scale
Pre-register for this Chamber Music Festival cooking event with Miro Quartet violist
||| FROM LINDA SLONE for ORCAS ISLAND CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL ||| On Sunday, April 11, at 1 p.m., you won’t want to miss Miró Quartet violist and chef extraordinaire John Largess as he entertains Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival’s online audience with a free livestream cooking class, where he will
