Here’s a thought…
“If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don’t have to worry about the answers.”
THOMAS PYNCHON
A plea to the community on travel, new variants, keeping safe: DON’T TRAVEL, DON’T HOST
||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN for DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ||| As was seen in the islands over the holidays and throughout this crisis, island residents traveling off-island or hosting guests from off-island is far and away the most likely source of COVID transmission in San Juan County. As most are
Strengthening Community: Latinx-focused peer-to-peer mentoring at The Funhouse
||| FROM NICOLE SPINOGATTI for FUNHOUSE COMMONS ||| This fall, Funhouse Commons partnered with Equity Institute, an organization whose mission is “to impart leadership and life skills to Latinx youth,” to create a bilingual youth empowerment peer mentor program within Orcas Island Middle and High Schools. 8 high school mentors
County’s Mark Tompkins addresses our most pressing COVID-19 vaccine questions
||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN for DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ||| San Juan County Health & Community Services Director Mark Tompkins is featured in a recent video Q&A addressing the COVID-19 vaccine topic: https://youtu.be/8KjZ5_em9Ls Thank you.
Join the treasure hunt! We’re looking for Orange Jelly Fungus on Orcas Island
||| FROM RUSSEL BARSH for KWIAHT ||| KWIAHT's Ten Treasures project, supported by more than 30 individual donors through the Orcas Island Community Foundation, will highlight a unique local plant, animal, or other organism twice a month, with clues about where to look for it on Orcas, and a map
Recap of recent COVID-19 news and updates
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| Newest numbers. The Department of Health (DOH) reported a total of 300,018 confirmed cases as of 11:59 p.m. on February 1. There have been 4,316 COVID-19 deaths in Washington. For the most recent tally of cases by county, demographics, and more, visit the Department of Health's
With COVID-19 vaccine supply limited, PeaceHealth is contacting eligible patients
||| FROM DEANNA ELLEFSON for PEACE HEALTH ||| Although the state of Washington recently expanded COVID-19 vaccine eligibility, the demand for vaccine continues to exceed the number of doses the state has made available for eligible groups. As we receive vaccine, PeaceHealth is reaching out to patients whose health record
Prune Alley construction: What to expect
||| FROM JESSE DOUGLAS SEITZ, PROJECT MANAGER ||| What to expect during construction: Traffic control, including lane and entire block closures, detours, flaggers and limited access. The road will be pulverized with heavy machinery in multiple phases. Trenching to remove and replace the entire stormwater conveyance system including manholes, catch
Community Foundation announces call for 2021 spring GiveOrcas grant program
||| FROM KATE LONG for ORCAS ISLAND COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ||| OICF is excited to announce a call for proposals for the 2021 spring GiveOrcas grant program. Nonprofits serving Orcas Island are invited to apply now through March 5th, 2021 to be included. Applications will be vetted by the OICF Community
Health Officer has guidance regarding school reopening
||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN for DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ||| San Juan County Health Officer Dr. Frank James recently released up to date guidance to local school district leadership to better guide and support their decision making about the reopening of schools. The full text of that letter is available
Letter to Editor | Actual vaccination process, needle in arm, was a breeze
||| FROM HARVEY HIMELFARB ||| I am one of the fortunate few who managed to get an appointment for my first COVID-19 Vaccination last Friday, January 29 at the Orcas Center. I write to express my appreciation to the San Juan County Department of Health Professionals, the Orcas Fire and
It’s finally back-to-school time for these grade schoolers
||| FROM ERIC WEBB, ORCAS SCHOOLS SUPERINTENDENT ||| It is with great joy that we welcomed our remaining third graders on campus this morning for their first day of in-person learning in over nine months! Students and Mrs. Johnston preparing for the day OISD’s plans have remained steadfast in our
Letter to Editor | Seniors Have Talent was great fun
||| FROM DIDIER GINCIG ||| Seniors Have Talent was great fun! It was a successful collaboration between the Senior Center and the Orcas Center. Thanks to everyone who was involved in the show! We have received such strong feedback from people who enjoyed the show. I think we were successful
There’s a curious effect urban trees might have on depression, study finds
||| FROM SCIENCE ALERT ||| There's already a long list of reasons to like trees, we know. Warding off depression could be the latest entry on that list, based on a study of 9,751 residents in Leipzig, Germany. For a more consistent measure, researchers used antidepressant prescriptions rather than self-reporting to
Orcas Island Library is again open for browsing
||| FROM PHIL HEIKKINEN for ORCAS ISLAND LIBRARY ||| As of an update published last Friday from Governor Inslee, libraries in Washington in both Phase One and Two of the “Healthy Washington - Roadmap to Recovery” plan are again able to offer limited in-building services. For us, that means resuming
Remains of two eagles discovered near Mount Grant summit
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY LAND BANK ||| On January 22, Tom Marschner and his faithful walking companion, Ellie the Golden Retriever, encountered a rare and sad occurrence near the summit of Mount Grant. Splayed out on a mossy outcrop, with broken-tipped beaks, were two dead Bald Eagles. Tom and
Letter to Editor | I’m losing my doctor
||| FROM MELINDA MILLIGAN ||| Speaking as one of the many people on Orcas who do not use the U of W clinic as their primary health care provider, I want to say that I'm losing my doctor in a few months, too. I'm losing him to well-deserved retirement, a
