Here’s a thought…
“P H E W !!”
THE WORLD
A group of Orca outcasts is now dominating an entire sea
||| FROM THE ATLANTIC ||| On a warm September afternoon, on San Juan Island off the northwestern coast of Washington State, I boarded J2, a sleek black-and-white whale-watching vessel. The boat was named after a locally famous orca, or killer whale, affectionately known as “Granny.” Until her disappearance in 2016,
Letter to Editor | Years of planning went into creating the new health clinic; give it a chance
||| FROM HILARY CANTY ||| The Orcas clinic transition is scheduled to officially occur on April 1. This has been years, if not decades, in the making and as we near the date, things have grown complicated. Two of the doctors who currently are at the UW clinic have opted
Midnight Mutterings | Crowds
||| MIDNIGHT MUTTERINGS BY JACKIE BATES ||| Not one of us will soon forget the images of the incursion on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, and the physical and psychological damage incurred. That event has led to speculation and explanation based on, well, a lot of thoughts, beliefs,
Rep. Lekanoff: Economy, legislation, health, and, oh yeah, dinosaurs
||| FROM STATE REPRESENTATIVE DEBRA LEKANOFF ||| Step One for Washington’s Community and Economic Recovery House Democrats announced today the first step in the House and Senate plan for Washington’s community and economic recovery, starting with the allocation of $2.2 billion in federal funds to provide assistance to Washington families
Sheriff’s Report | January 20 – 26, 2021
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE ||| WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20 21-000590 Malicious Mischief 10:08:04 01/20/21 A Deputy responded to a report of a vandalism in Friday Harbor. Upon investigation it was found that there was no suspect information, no witnesses, no video of the incident, and no workable leads
Latest local case numbers from County show two new cases on Orcas
||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN for DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ||| Note: Current positive case numbers are available online at the County Case Data Dashboard. 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
Hey! This is the weekend for Seniors Have Talent
||| FROM DIDIER GINCIG ||| Seniors Have Talent, Saturday, January 30 at 6:00. This will be a virtual show that is a collaboration between the Senior Center and the Orcas Center. Folks can tune in virtually at either www.orcasseniors.org or www.orcascenter.org. Didier Gincig is producing the event, and Jake Perrine is doing
Recap of recent COVID-19 news, updates
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| Newest numbers. The Department of Health reported a total of 293,978 confirmed cases as of 11:59 pm on January 27. There have been 4,243 COVID-19 deaths in Washington. Thursday, January 28, 2021, data note: Total case counts may include up to 690 duplicates. Negative test results
OIHCD Superintendent Presson provides an update on progress toward new clinic
||| FROM ANNE PRESSON for ORCAS ISLAND HEALTH CARE DISTRICT ||| It has been another eventful and challenging week for health care on Orcas Island. The announcement by a second UW physician that he is choosing not to pursue employment with Island Hospital has understandably raised concerns and questions from
The most recent update on San Juan County vaccine distribution
||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN for DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ||| Some key information islanders should be aware of about the ongoing San Juan County Health & Community Services vaccination effort: Current eligibility for vaccine is limited to individuals in Phase 1a and Phase 1b Tier 1. This includes healthcare workers,
New WSF Assistant Secretary transitions into new position
||| FROM PATTY RUBSTELLO for WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| Ahoy, Washington State Ferries! Hello everyone, I’m Patty Rubstello, the new WSDOT Assistant Secretary of Washington State Ferries! I’m excited to be in this role and I’ve already learned so much from former head Amy Scarton and several of my new
‘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.
Inslee announces metric changes to Healthy Washington - Roadmap to Recovery
||| FROM GOVERNOR JAY INSLEE'S OFFICE ||| Gov. Jay Inslee today announced several changes to the state’s Healthy Washington — Roadmap to Recovery. The governor first announced the regional, phased reopening plan Jan. 6. The plan will be changed in two ways; first, the evaluation criteria for regions to move from Phase 1 to Phase
Children’s House is looking for some new board members
||| FROM CHILDREN'S HOUSE ||| We are reaching out today to seek recommendations from our long-standing Children’s House supporters. We recently lost a few members of our Board of Directors due to expired terms, and we are looking for new board members to replace these positions. We also wish to
South Africa records one of their own killer whales for first time
||| FROM BUSINESS INSIDER ||| The sounds of a "chatty" killer whale have been recorded in South Africa for the first time, off Fish Hoek in False Bay on Tuesday. The sounds were captured by researchers Tess Gridley and Simon Elwen from Sea Search, a non-profit based in Muizenberg that focuses
Pandemic will continue to affect ferry schedules; current schedule extended through May 8
||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| As Washington State Ferries continues to operate under the constraints of the COVID pandemic, it will extend its current schedule through May 8. Currently vehicle reservations on the Anacortes/San Juan Islands and Port Townsend/Coupeville routes are available two weeks or two days in advance
