Here’s a thought…
“If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don’t have to worry about the answers.”
THOMAS PYNCHON
Oh, no. Behind the scenes with Olga Symphony has been cancelled
||| FROM BETHANY MARIE for ORCAS CENTER ||| With San Juan County still under Phase 1 COVID Restrictions, the Olga Symphony has come to the sad decision to cancel our proposed live-stream scheduled for Feb 6. While you know that if the Symphony were to perform in the required masks
Letter to Editor | I am concerned about the future of healthcare on Orcas
||| FROM DOUGLAS ELLIS ||| Some will say that it is easy to “Monday morning quarterback.” I understand the motivation of the OIHCD commissioners to concentrate all of the health care services on Orcas in one clinic, and to associate that clinic with a less than 50 bed hospital to
State COVID-19 data shows some encouraging signs as well as reasons for caution
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| OLYMPIA – [Friday] the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) released the latest statewide situation report on COVID-19. Report findings include: Declining COVID-19 transmission provides an opportunity to get case and hospitalization rates under control before the faster-spreading B.1.1.7 variant takes hold in the state. The best
Skagit Valley College announces Spring Quarter registration dates
Supporting Your Success! ||| FROM ARDEN AINLEY for SKAGIT VALLEY COLLEGE ||| Yes! Skagit Valley College will be open for Spring Quarter! While classes will be offered mostly online, we will offer in-person opportunities in select courses and Workforce programs. Our Basic Education for Adults program will also include limited
Regions advancing to Phase 2 of state’s economic reopening plan
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF GOVERNOR JAY INSLEE ||| Gov. Jay Inslee announced changes to the Healthy Washington - Roadmap to Recovery plan on Thursday that will advance two of the state's eight regions into Phase 2 of the pandemic reopening strategy, Regions moving to Phase 2 effective Monday are: West (Grays Harbor,
Just because …
||| FROM THE FOLKS AT ORCAS CENTER ||| https://youtu.be/80bmzhGtKqk
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,
