Here’s a thought…
“The United States has the military power to do whatever it wants in the world. The Catholic Church had better take its side.”
ELBRIDGE COLBY
Legislative Update: Clean fuels, capital gains legislation get hearings
||| FROM GOVERNOR JAY INSLEE'S OFFICE ||| The 2021 legislative session kicked off Monday. Legislators met in person in Olympia Monday to vote on new rules allowing for remote hearings and voting. Legislators heard a variety of bills remotely this week, including several governor request bills. The Senate Ways &
Is it happening? Planning Commission visions climate change
||| BY STEVE BERNHEIM, theORCASONIAN REPORTER ||| The lack of attention to climate change in San Juan County’s draft 20-year comprehensive “Land Use and Rural” plan erupted like a Pineapple Express in the middle of Friday morning’s Planning Commission meeting devoted to preserving community character against traditional and visible threats
“Healthy Washington – Roadmap to Recovery” reopening plan takes effect
||| FROM GOVERNOR JAY INSLEE'S OFFICE ||| Washington is now in the first phase of the state's new reopening plan, "Healthy Washington: Roadmap to Recovery", which took effect Monday. The plan follows metrics in health systems across eight regions of the state, and each region's ability to move to the next phase of reopening
Orcas Family Health continues to conduct COVID-19 testing. Donations requested to help the effort
||| FROM AAIMEE JOHNSON for ORCAS FAMILY HEALTH CENTER ||| After nine mobile SARS-COVID-19 testing events, Orcas Family Health Center (OFHC) has provided 293 rapid tests to Orcas residents and their family members. Overall, the events have gone very well. Community members coming to be tested have expressed appreciation and
Roadmap to recovery update: All regions staying in Phase 1 for now
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| OLYMPIA – Friday, the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) announced that based on Governor Jay Inslee’s Healthy Washington – Roadmap to Recovery plan, all eight (8) regions in Washington will remain in Phase 1 until at least Monday, January 25, 2021. As
ICYMI: U.S. Small Business Administration announces re-opening of federal Paycheck Protection Program loans to small lenders this week
Businesses can begin preparing to apply now; program will open to all lenders next week; information sessions for businesses offered by Washington Small Business Development Center ||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE ||| Olympia – The Washington State Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) and Department of Commerce are reminding Washington’s
“Virtual vineyard” in the offing from Senior Center, Doe Bay Wine
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| “the virtual vineyard” by Orcas Senior Center & Doe Bay Wine Company by Zoom: Sunday, January 24, 5 p.m. Join Orcas Senior Center and Doe Bay Wine Company’s Cole Sisson and special guest, in “the virtual vineyard” for a fun and
Here’s the contact information at NAS Whidbey to log noise complaints
||| FROM THOMAS G. MILLS for NAS WHIDBEY ||| There has been an ongoing issue with the email comments line for NAS Whidbey Island operations. Written comments, including noise complaints, can be directed to NAS Whidbey Island’s comment line via email to comments@navy.mil. The comments phone line, at (360) 257-6665,
Advance camping reservations soon available for county residents
||| FROM ALICE HIBBERD for SJC PARKS & FAIR ||| San Juan County Parks & Fair is again offering advance camping reservations for people who reside in San Juan County year-round! Proof of residency is required. Choose from San Juan County Park, San Juan County Fairgrounds (RVs only), Odlin County
Non-profit aims to purchase Shaw General Store
||| FROM SAVE THE SHAW STORE BOARD OF DIRECTORS ||| Imagine the Shaw General Store open seven days a week, year round, managed by the Orcas Food Co-op. Imagine the store property owned by a community non-profit organization, self-supporting through the store, the marina, and other revenue sources on the
Midnight Mutterings | Ruthie and the Supremes
||| BY JACKIE BATES ||| National events this week have been so explosive I have to skip them entirely and return to the past in my fortnightly foray into talking to myself in the dark. For example, on Halloween Day, 2020, which now seems a long time ago, if you
Sheriff’s Report | January 6 – 12, 2021
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE ||| WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6 21-000130 Civil Problem 07:27:28 01/06/21 A Deputy responded to a request of a civil standby to get belongings from a relatives residence. The caller retrieve the belongings without incident and the owner of the residence trespassed the caller and
Recap of recent COVID-19 news and updates, effective Jan. 14
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| Newest numbers. The Department of Health reported a total of 271,643 confirmed cases as of 11:59 pm on January 13. There have been 3,876 COVID-19 deaths in Washington. For the most recent tally of cases by county, demographics, and more, visit the Department of Health's
California man missing from ferry route between Lopez and Anacortes
||| FROM TAMARA GREENE for COUNTY PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE ||| A man from California was reported missing from the ferry Yakima after it traveled from Lopez to Anacortes on New Year’s Eve. His wife reports that he has not been seen or heard from in the two weeks since that day
Total SJC case count jumps from 88 to 96, one new case on Orcas
||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN for DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ||| Case Update 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
Hot Topic #41 | Vaccine FAQ 4.0
COVID-19 updates from San Juan County around subjects on the minds of islanders ||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN for DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ||| For obvious reasons vaccine roll-out is the very definition of a hot topic at the moment (and likely for many months to come). This Q&A will attempt
