Here’s a thought…
“Peace is not something we ask for — it’s something we practice, together.”
WALK FOR PEACE
COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan update from State Department of Health
||| FROM STATE HEALTH DEPARTMENT ||| OLYMPIA -- The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) continues to make progress with our COVID-19 vaccine distribution planning efforts. Vaccine authorizations and approvals The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) received its first Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) application from a COVID-19 vaccine manufacturer on November
Poetry: Chat With a Young TV
||| FROM BRUCE HANNA ||| Chat with a young TV Yes, I am pretty! Why here on this limb? It IS morning, you know Not many uplifts yet and such a bother to… as you say… FLAP my wings But let’s talk about YOU and your kind, lots of you
‘Occam’s Razor’ | Our island, our world through the eyes, pen of S.C. Watson
Welcome to our new weekly feature, Occam's Razor, from local artist S.C. Watson.
Perfect Thanksgiving poem | Thanks by W. S. Merwin
Thanks BY W. S. MERWIN Listen with the night falling we are saying thank you we are stopping on the bridges to bow from the railings we are running out of the glass rooms with our mouths full of food to look at the sky and say thank you we
Port of Orcas gathered 445 pounds of food for community
||| FROM JEANNIE FRANK-SHARPE and MIA KARTIGANER for PORT OF ORCAS ||| The Port Of Orcas would like to say THANK YOU for all the food donations we received at our Fly Washington Passport Program. This was the first annual food drive benefiting Orcas Island Food Bank. With a few
Remember the old times, when Thanksgiving meant gathering with loved ones?
||| BY LIN MCNULTY, EDITOR ||| It is hoped that the 2017 photo above by Edee Kulper of the traditional Odd Fellows Thanksgiving potluck will evoke warm, giggly memories. As we choose this year to abide by the social-distancing rules brought about by the global COVID-19 pandemic, we make a
COVID-19 continues spreading at a breakneck pace as hospitalizations climb
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| OLYMPIA – Today the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) released the latest statewide situation report on COVID-19 transmission. Report findings include: COVID-19 continues to spread rapidly throughout the state. The best estimates of the reproductive number (how many new people each COVID-19 patient will infect) were
Update on San Juan County COVID cases
||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN, DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ||| Note: Current positive case numbers are available online at the County Case Count Page. 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 may
Giving thanks to family and friends
||| FROM BRUCE HANNA ||| I wrote this for the traditional thankful gathering of friends and family. I wrote it in 2002, the year my wife died, and most of my kids were together thereafter. For many of us, this year has been such a time — of sacrifice and
COVID-19 hospital occupancy is soaring in Washington state
New data provide deeper insight into the impact of COVID-19 patients on hospitals ||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| OLYMPIA – COVID-19 hospital occupancy is rapidly increasing throughout Washington as the state continues to experience exponential growth in new cases. We are seeing alarming increases in the number of COVID-19 patients
Paul Kamin retires from Eastsound Water after 15 years of service
Dan Burke to Lead Association as New General Manager ||| FROM DAN BURKE for EASTSOUND WATER ||| On November 25, 2020, Eastsound Water User Association (EWUA) announced that General Manager Paul Kamin will be retiring from service on December 31, 2020. Dan Burke, a long- time islander and former Rock
The last covid-free places on earth have something in common: Travel shutdowns
Strict protocols kept these 10 places free of the coronavirus ||| FROM WASHINGTON POST ||| Before 2020, the remote islands of the South Pacific were more accessible to leisure travelers than ever before. Thanks to affordable global air travel, little-known places such as Tonga, Vanuatu and the Cook Islands welcomed
Recap of recent COVID-19 news and updates
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| Newest numbers. The Department of Health reported a total of 151,019 confirmed cases as of 11:59 pm on November 23. There have been 2,690 COVID-19 deaths in Washington. For the most recent tally of cases by county, demographics, and more, visit the Department of Health's dashboard and
Orcas Physical Therapy adds strict new requirement for clients
||| FROM SCOTT HEISINGER for ORCAS PHYSICAL THERAPY ||| These are difficult times for all. At Orcas Island Physical Therapy, we are trying hard to stay open during this current Covid-19 spike. To protect our patients, some of whom are elderly or medically vulnerable, we added a strict new requirement.
SJC courts issue emergency orders: All jury trials postponed
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY SUPERIOR & DISTRICT COURTS ||| On Friday, November 20, 2020, San Juan County Superior and District Courts entered emergency orders postponing all jury trials until after January 15, 2021, due to the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. San Juan County has experienced a resurgence of COVID-19 cases
Eastsound Water’s financial assistance program extended
||| FROM PAUL KAMIN for EASTSOUND WATER ||| At the recent November meeting of the Eastsound Water Board the Eastsound Water Financial Assistance Program was extended till the end of the year. The program was developed back in March and has provided dozens of members financial relief for their water
