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 South Carolina town that grew too fast now wants to stop growth
||| FROM WALL STREET JOURNAL ||| LAKE WYLIE, S.C.—This lakefront suburb of Charlotte, N.C., is among the Sunbelt’s strongest magnets for young families. Since 2000, Lake Wylie has tripled in population to 12,000 on the strength of its good schools, low taxes and proximity to Charlotte’s jobs in the financial
State Department of Health welcomes new leader of public-private vaccination effort
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| OLYMPIA – Today, the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) announced the appointment of Mr. Dan Laster as Director of the COVID-19 Vaccine Action Command and Coordination System (VACCS) Center to create public-private partnerships. In this role, Mr. Laster will tap into the unique capabilities
Salmonella outbreak prompts removal of backyard bird feeders in B.C.
||| FROM VANCOUVER SUN ||| A salmonella outbreak in the B.C. avian population has prompted the B.C. SPCA to ask the public to temporarily remove backyard bird feeders. The B.C. SPCA is asking the public to temporarily remove backyard bird feeders in order to stop the spread of a
Alex Ramel: Advancing a recovery plan for Washington, a bold new transportation package, and a vaccine update
||| FROM REP. ALEX RAMEL ||| Last week saw a transition of power in our federal government, a step toward stability and democracy and away from corruption and chaos. I was in a meeting about ending unnecessary fossil fuel tax subsidies at the fateful moment that our new president was
All In Washington match grant to Community Foundation has been approved
||| FROM HILARY CANTY for ORCAS ISLAND COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ||| The Orcas Island Community Foundation has received word from the Seattle Foundation that donations to the Community Emergency Response Fund received from July 8 through December 31, 2020 will be fully matched, bringing an additional $630,000 to Orcas for covid
Friends of the Orcas Library are starting their annual membership drive
||| FROM DAVE KOSIUR for FRIENDS OF ORCAS LIBRARY ||| Despite restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Orcas Island Library has managed to provide both book loans and various other programs to the community this past year and will surely continue to do so in the future. The Friends
State COVID-19 vaccine distribution hits 500,000 total doses administered
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF GOVERNOR JAY INSLEE ||| Gov. Jay Inslee today announced progress toward the state’s goal of administering 45,000 vaccine doses a day. As of Monday, the state’s current seven-day rolling average was 23,960 doses administered. The governor also announced a record number of COVID-19 vaccines administered
Prune Alley improvements project to soon begin construction
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY PUBLIC WORKS ||| The rumors are true, the Prune Alley Street Improvements project is planned for construction this year! But not just one block, the entire project, from Main Street through the School and North Beach Road intersection! County Council met on Tuesday 01/12/2021 and
Council discusses vacation rentals, hears from Environmental Resources
||| FROM STEVE BERNHEIM, theORCASONIAN REPORTER ||| The San Juan County Council identified county-wide and island-by-island caps on new vacation rental (VR) permits as regulatory priorities at its Monday, January 25, 2021 meeting. Having enacted earlier this month a moratorium on new VR applications, the Council must now write new
Letter to Editor | An inside view of those North Beach trees
||| FROM DON WALTERS, CHILDREN'S HOUSE BOARD PRESIDENT ||| I wanted to comment on the article from January 22 by Matthew Gilbert, titled “North Beach trees on the chopping block.” Cory Harrington does not officially represent the board of Children’s House. I don’t think he officially represents the board of
Health District meeting addresses vaccinations, clinic transition
||| FROM SUSAN MCBAIN, theORCASONIAN REPORTER ||| Plans for COVID-19 vaccinations on the island and for the transition to Island Hospital (IH) as operator of a single practice in the Orcas medical center were the focus of the Orcas Island Health Care District’s Jan. 19 regular meeting. The discussion began
Letter to Editor | Vaccination rollout is ‘haphazardous’
||| FROM ERIC AND BARBARA GOURLEY ||| [Sunday] morning Fareed Zakaria called America's handling of the CV19 vaccination program "a haphazardous rollout." Has anyone besides my wife and I tried the County's CV19 Eligibility and Application websites? We would have to agree with Fareed that its "Websites to Nowhere" aptly
Kwiaht to receive coastal watershed grant to build shellfish reefs as living breakwaters on Lopez
||| FROM RUSSEL BARSH for KWIAHT ||| A heads-up that EPA and Restore America's Estuaries will announce awardees of this year's national Coastal Watershed Program Grants at a virtual event on Wednesday, Jan. 27 -- and Kwiaht will be one of the grantees featured in the roll-out and a short
Effort to save the Shaw Store gains momentum
||| FROM THE SAVE THE SHAW STORE BOARD OF DIRECTORS ||| Dear friends and neighbors, Save the Shaw Store has gotten off to a terrific start. Within just a few days of the first public announcement, enthusiastic responses have come from across the islands (as well as from the rest
Upcoming balance screening, diabetes classes at Island Hospital
||| FROM RACHEL LAMBERT for ISLAND HOSPITAL ||| Balance Screening at Island Hospital Determine if you are at risk of falling due to balance issues at a free screening on Tuesday, February 2, between 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. at Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapy at Island Hospital, 1015 25th St.,
New “Roadmap to Recovery” dashboard now live; All regions to remain in phase 1 for now
||| FROM STATE HEALTH DEPARTMENT ||| OLYMPIA –Today, the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) announced that based on Governor Jay Inslee’s Roadmap to Recovery phased reopening plan, all eight (8) regions in Washington will remain in Phase 1 until at least Monday, February 1, 2021. DOH, in partnership with Microsoft AI for Health, has
