Here’s a thought…
“If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don’t have to worry about the answers.”
THOMAS PYNCHON
Inslee signs commutations following Blake decision on drug possession charges
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF GOVERNOR JAY INSLEE ||| Gov. Jay Inslee has signed commutations for 13 individuals convicted of drug possession charges under a law that was recently struck down by the Washington State Supreme Court. Those individuals have been released from Department of Corrections custody. More commutations are expected
Add amateur radio to your disaster preparedness toolkit
||| FROM GREG HANCOCK for SJC AMATEUR RADIO SOCIETY ||| Has COVID got you thinking about what you can do to prepare for future emergencies and disasters, like the inevitable Cascadia Subduction Zone mega-quake? We know that it will grind our region to a halt for weeks if not months,
State Health Dept. pauses statewide J&J vaccines pending further study
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| The Washington State Department of Health will pause the use of the Johnson & Johnson (J & J) vaccine statewide starting immediately, following the guidance of the FDA/CDC. Use of that vaccine will be put on hold until we receive further recommendations from
Guest Opinion | Tax games corporations play
||| FROM HEDRICK SMITH, RECLAIM THE AMERICAN DREAM ||| Washington – Okay, let’s talk turkey about taxes and their implication for U.S. economic growth and inequality. But let’s get real. Let’s get beyond the political kabuki dance in Washington, with politicians echoing well-rehearsed lines. That means focusing on real-world economics.
Pandemic Poetry | Here in the time between
Here in the Time Between by Jack Ridl Here in the time between snow and the bud of the rhododendron, we watch the robins, look into the gray, and narrow our view to the patches of wild grasses coming green. The pile of ashes in the fireplace, haphazard sticks on
OISD launches COVID testing effort in collaboration with State Health Department
||| FROM ERIC WEBB, ORCAS SCHOOLS SUPERINTENDENT ||| Dear Students, Parents, Staff, & Community, OISD, in collaboration with the Washington State Department of Health, is participating in a state-funded effort to provide voluntary COVID-19 testing that will be incorporated into our existing district reopening plans. This is a tremendous step
Sharon & Mike will be live from New York singing of climate change, environmental justice
||| FROM SHARON ABREU ||| I'm thrilled to invite you to a special online Earth Month Concert hosted by the People's Voice Café, the venue at which Mike and I met in NYC 23 years ago this month. We'll be doing a 25-minute set in this concert honoring Mother Earth at 5 pm
5th annual Steve Resch Memorial Golf Tournament is coming soon
||| FROM STEVE RESCH MEMORIAL GOLF TOURNAMENT ||| The 5th Annual Steve Resch Memorial Golf Tournament is prepping for this popular annual event that will happen on Saturday, May 22, 2020. You may register your team, be a sponsor or donate on our website. Feel free to invite anyone that would
Non-profit leaders commend the community for amazing philanthropic support
||| FROM ORCAS NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS (below) ||| What a year it has been! Thanks to your support, Orcas proved to be a very resilient community. While the pandemic definitely impacted our economy, we also saw a wave of philanthropic support that provided immediate and ongoing relief to so many islanders.
Plan on attending this Ranked Choice voting presentation on Wednesday
||| FROM SHARON ABREU ||| You are invited to attend the SJC Charter Review Commission (CRC) meeting this Wednesday, April 14, from 4-6 pm on Zoom. Here's the info to join the meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85271643269 Meeting ID: 852 7164 3269 Or call in by phone: +1 253 215 8782 This
Letter to Editor | In support of technology capital projects levy
||| FROM TOBY AND SARAH COOPER ||| We are pleased to stand with our many Orcas friends in support of the 2021 Tech Levy. For me, as a student up through graduate studies at Michigan, technology was defined as a Smith Corona manual typewriter, period. Those early Texas Instruments pocket
Responding paramedic, enroute to another call, comes across fatality accident
||| FROM SHERIFF KREBS for SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE ||| On Monday April 12 at 2:30 a.m. an Orcas Fire and EMS Paramedic, while enroute to another call, came upon a motorcycle accident at the 1000 block of Crow Valley Road. The motorcycle rider appears to have lost control
Occupants rescued from plane in water off Blakely Island
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF RON KREBS ||| On Sunday, April 11 at 4:38pm a 911 transfer from Skagit County came into the Sheriff’s Office of a possible plane in the water off the south end of Blakely Island. The Sheriff’s Office, San Juan Fire, San Juan EMS, Orcas
New wine bar and café is coming to Orcas Island
Two island-raised entrepreneurs partner to open wine bar and café in the heart of Eastsound ||| FROM COLE SISSON ||| This summer, Cole Sisson and Shea Sasan will open the doors to their new business in the heart of Eastsound, Roots Orcas Island, on the premier corner of Main St
Friends of San Juans achieves victory for southern resident orca in court
||| FROM LOVEL PRATT for FRIENDS OF THE SAN JUANS ||| On April 6, Whatcom County Superior Court Judge David Freeman delivered a court victory both to Friends of the San Juans and to the endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales. “We’re very excited about this ruling,” said Brent Lyles, Friends’
Statement on recent Roadmap to Recovery announcement from state Secretary of Health
||| FROM UMAIR A. SHAH, MD, MPH for STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| "When we see increased rates of cases and hospitalizations, we need to act fast and do the right thing county-by-county to prevent more serious consequences from COVID-19 in our state. That is why the tough decisions are
