Here’s a thought…
“If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don’t have to worry about the answers.”
THOMAS PYNCHON
From quilts to masks and back again, islander makes whopping donation to Senior Center
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Maggie Kaplan, local quilting artist and Orcas District Committee member, has been hard at work throughout the COVID-19 pandemic making hundreds of masks for community members and visitors alike. She, along with Orcas Arts & Gifts, and Sherrie Schiff, have successfully
Next Socrates Café on tap for this Sunday at Senior Center
Sunday, May 11, 4-6 p.m. ||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Join us for the next Orcas Socrates Café by Orcas Senior Center on Sunday, May 9, 4-6 p.m. Orcas Socrates Café is an opportunity to gather virtually, as a community, for a broad conversation on philosophical
County announces 2021 funding round for the Home Fund Program
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| Approved by voters in November 2018, the San Juan County Home Fund is projected to generate $15.2 million over a 12‐year period to develop, produce, and/or preserve affordable housing in San Juan County. The Home Fund will be used exclusively for the development
Public Works pushes pause on Prune Alley project
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY PUBLIC WORKS ||| Public Works looks to push pause on construction and delay construction-related community impacts until Spring of 2022. Plans for a single continuous construction effort remain unchanged from Main Street through North Beach Road. Staff will utilize this time to continue improving efforts
Latest COVID-19 numbers, updates from State Health Department
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| Newest numbers. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) reported a total of 378,225 confirmed cases as of 11:59 p.m. on May 3. There have been 5,528 COVID-19 deaths in Washington. For the most recent tally of cases by county, demographics, and more,
Alert: Orcas airport will be out of fuel until mid-May
||| FROM JEANNIE SHARPE for PORT OF ORCAS ||| I am sending this quick notice out about the fuel level at the pump. We have roughly 100 gallons of pumpable fuel left in the fuel tank as of this morning. The truck of fuel will be here on 5-14-21. To
Climate Eyes | Taking an inventory of where we are in this climate crisis
||| CLIMATE EYES BY STEVE BERNHEIM ||| “How can we work with the Comprehensive Plan … to create a culture that lives harmoniously with … Nature?” Last week twenty local residents hooked up on a conference call to ponder this question and share their thoughts. According to several persons at
Help Orcas Montessori School celebrate their new expansion project
||| FROM THERESA CHICANO for ORCAS MONTESSORI SCHOOL ||| Orcas Montessori School invites the community to come celebrate the completion of our Expansion Project at our Grand Opening on Saturday May 15 from 11-1. Come tour the school at 1147 North Beach Road, and meet the staff. We are so grateful
Deer Harbor Plan Review Committee monthly meeting coming up
||| FROM BARRY MADAN for DEER HARBOR PLAN REVIEW COMMITTEE ||| Deer Harbor Plan Review Committee Monthly Meeting (DHPRC) Public Meeting Agenda for May 11, 2021 4:00-5:30 p.m. VIA Zoom Meeting ID 883 0891 7591 Password 828652 Chair: Barry Madan Call to Order at: Establish a quorum: Chair: Recognize public
Current board, committee vacancies, and positions with terms ending within 30 days
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| If you are interested in serving on a board or advisory committee fill out an Advisory Committee Application or contact the Council Office at: (360) 378-2898 Email:ingridg@sanjuanco.com. Committee Position Term Agricultural Resources Committee Agricultural Tax Advisory Committee Position #3 At Large 1 Year
Inslee signs economic justice legislation to help working families
||| FROM GOVERNOR JAY INSLEE'S OFFICE ||| Gov. Jay Inslee today signed an economic justice legislative package, including the Working Families Tax Credit and the capital gains excise tax, that starts the process of making Washington’s upside-down tax system fairer and more equitable. The governor signed the package at the
It’s time to be on the lookout for newborn fawns
||| FROM SHONA AITKEN for WOLF HOLLOW ||| In the past week Wolf Hollow has received several calls about newborn fawns, so we know spring fawn season has arrived. May is when most local Black-tailed Deer give birth to their fawns and people become concerned when they find a little
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
