Here’s a thought…
“There are two ways to slide easily through life: to believe everything or to doubt everything; both ways save us from thinking.”
ALFRED KORZYBSKI
Sheriff’s Report | February 3 – 9, 2021
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE ||| WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3 21-000944 Welfare Check 07:36:57 02/03/21 A Deputy responded to a welfare check in Friday Harbor. The involved person was located in their apartment and found to be deceased. Upon investigation it appeared the person died of natural causes. Report
WSF prepares for severe weather schedule ahead of anticipated snowstorm
||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| With snow in the forecast through the weekend, riders should prepare for the possibility of WSF operating on its severe weather schedules on some routes. We will continue to send updates to let you know if a route switches to its alternate timetables. Our severe
Weekly local case update | SJC total increases from 123 to 126
||| 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
Happy Lunar New Year: Update from Rep. Lekanoff
|| FROM REP. DEBRA LEKANOFF ||| Happy Lunar New Year! Today, the House is recognizing the Lunar New Year to honor heritage, cultural unity, and new beginnings in the Year of the Ox. When we celebrate Lunar New Year, we are highlighting Asian American joy and traditions, as well as
Limited number of vaccine appointments available. Register at 3 p.m. today
||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN for DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ||| For those who are eligible, a limited number of COVID vaccine appointments will open at 3 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 12. Please follow the instructions HERE to register. At 3 p.m., once you have entered the "Find a Vaccination Clinic"
Economic Development Council has news you can use on grants…PPP…EIDL
||| FROM ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL ||| Call your banker - PPP has reopened If you haven't contacted your banker, now's the time: PPP has reopened to businesses, both those that have received PPP funds in the past, and those that have not. More information from the SBA is available for first-time
State recap of recent COVID-19 news and updates
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| Newest numbers. The Department of Health reported a total of 309,673 confirmed cases as of 11:59 p.m. on February 10. There have been 4,633 COVID-19 deaths in Washington. Thursday, February 11, 2021, data note: Total case counts may include up to 300 duplicates. Negative
Islands’ Oil Spill Association welcomes new Executive Diretor
||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN ||| Tony Parkin has been hired as the new Executive Director of the Islands’ Oil Spill Association (IOSA). Hailing from the UK, Tony used his degree in Geology and Oceanography to launch an international career in marine science, remote-sensing, and over the past 30 years, oil
‘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.
Special school board meeting/budget workshop today
||| FROM CATHY FERRAN for ORCAS ISLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT ||| Orcas Island School Board will be convening a Special School Board Mtg/ Budget Worksession Thursday, FEB 11, 2021 at 5pm via zoom. Here is the link to Board Docs, the online platform where we post our Board Agendas and packets:
COVID-19 vaccine distribution update from the Washington State Department of Health
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) continues to make progress with our COVID-19 vaccine distribution and administration efforts. As of Feb. 6, more than 940,000 doses of vaccine have been given across the state, which is nearly 80% of the 1,195,207 doses that
Fish For Teeth again bringing mobile dental clinic to Friday Harbor
||| FROM SANDY RABINOWITZ for FISH FOR TEETH ||| We at Fish for Teeth are excited to announce our March dental clinic: March 3 - 6, at the Mullis Center on San Juan Island. Yes, four days! Fish For Teeth has received additional funding to sponsor a mobile dental van
Health officer has additional recommendations regarding school reopening
||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN for DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ||| San Juan County Health Officer Dr. Frank James recently released expanded guidance to local school district leaders regarding the opening of schools, in particular grades 7-12. The only modifications to the existing guidance are: Dr. James supports school district leadership
Air quality monitoring is upcoming Meeting of the Minds topic
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Meeting of the Minds continues in February with “Air Quality Monitoring in San Juan County,” a presentation by San Juan County’s Environmental Health Division manager, Kyle Dodd. Over the last several years San Juan County has experienced episodes of poor air
Update on vaccine registration process
||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN for DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ||| UPDATE: 7 P.M. When COVID vaccine registration opened at 5pm on Wednesday the 10th, many hundreds of islanders logged on and searched by their zip code for available clinics – just as they were advised to do in our instructional
Sake meets sushi in upcoming ZOOM virtual vineyard
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Join Orcas Senior Center, Doe Bay Wine Company’s Cole Sisson, and sake expert from Seattle, Julie Shizukuishi on Sunday, Feb. 21 at 5 p.m. for “the virtual vineyard”! This month, in place of wine, we are enhancing your knowledge and tastebuds
