Here’s a thought…
“When you re-read a classic, you do not see more in the book than you did before; you see more in yourself than there was before.”
CLIFTON FADIMAN
State takes action following Trump’s refusal to sign Pandemic Unemployment Assistance extension
||| FROM GOV. JAY INSLEE'S OFFICE ||| Gov. Jay Inslee announced today the state will provide funding for almost 100,000 Washingtonians who will lose federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) benefits following President Trump’s refusal to act on the federal coronavirus relief package. The president had until midnight on December 26
COVID-19 transmission flattening, but not enough to reverse skyrocketing trends from early November
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| OLYMPIA – Today the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) released the latest statewide situation report on COVID-19. The report shows substantial decreases in transmission that are still not enough to return the state to the lower levels of disease activity seen earlier in the fall.
State recap of recent COVID-19 news and updates
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| Newest numbers. The Department of Health reported a total of 224,399 confirmed cases as of 11:59 pm on December 23. There have been 3,184 COVID-19 deaths in Washington. For the most recent tally of cases by county, demographics, and more, visit the Department of Health's dashboard and the state’s COVID-19
Guest Opinion | Braver discourse: A defense of Orcas Island School District
||| FROM LIAM GRISKEY-WATSON ||| For some background, I read the “Letter to Editor | ‘Brave Discourse:’ An open letter to Orcas Island School District” by Paige McCormick posted on Dec. 15th and felt that the piece was reductive, confusing, and failed to make a good point to why the
Latest COVID case update from San Juan County
||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN for DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ||| Note: Current positive case numbers are available online at the County Case Count Page. 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
Number of WA Notify users tops 1.5 million, exceeds 25% of adults in Washington state
The more people who use exposure notification technology, the more effective it is ||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) today announced that in less than three weeks, more than 1.5 million people activated WA Notify, a simple, anonymous exposure notification tool that
Sheriff’s Report | December 16 – 22, 2020
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE ||| WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 26 20-010598 Citizen Assist 12:47:41 12/16/20 A Lopez Island Deputy was called by an out of area subject for information about deer hunting. 20-010600 Welfare Check 14:02:41 12/16/20 A Lopez Island Deputy was sent to do a welfare check on
What’s up with being under the mistletoe?
||| FROM DICTIONARY.COM ||| If you celebrate Christmas, it’s likely that at some point this season you’ll find yourself puckering up under a mistletoe branch. What is this tradition of kissing under a plant all about? And does the name have anything to do with human toes? What is mistletoe? Mistletoe is
‘Occam’s Razor’ | Our island, our world through the eyes, pen of S.C. Watson
Welcome to our new weekly feature, Occam's Razor, from local artist S.C. Watson.
White Wine in the Sun for Christmas, anyone?
||| FROM LIN MCNULTY, EDITOR ||| It's sentimental, I know, but I just really like White Wine in the Sun by Tim Minchin. Beyond the obvious atheism, the message is one to inspire. https://youtu.be/_CeY0VdhXK8
School District sends holiday greetings along with outline of the plan ahead
||| FROM ERIC WEBB, ORCAS SCHOOLS SUPERINTENDENT ||| Dear Students, Parents, Staff, & Community, Thank you…This Holiday Season is the perfect time to celebrate the magnificent things we as a district and community have accomplished during this challenging time. This cause for celebration is due to the flexibility, creativity, and
COVID-19 reminders during the holiday season from State Health Dept.
How to say no to gatherings, contact tracing effort continues ||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| OLYMPIA – As we get closer to the holidays, a time normally spent with loved ones, the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) would like to remind everyone about safer ways to spend time
A Christmas present! COVID vaccine has arrived in San Juan County
||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN for DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ||| San Juan County Department of Health and Community Services has just received a shipment of six hundred doses of the recently approved Moderna COVID vaccine from the Washington State Department of Health (DOH). Department staff are actively completing the recently
Might there be something figgy in your Christmas dinner plans?
||| FROM DICTIONARY.COM ||| You know the song. It may start by wishing everyone a merry Christmas, but then the demand starts. “Oh, bring us some figgy pudding…” with its petulant refrain, “We won’t go until we get some.” But do you actually know what figgy pudding is? And why
Celebrating this giving season with and for the community
||| FROM ORCAS COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER ||| Masking up, social distancing, sticking to your pod, Zoom weddings, virtual Thanksgiving feasts – who would have foreseen our new normal back in March when the CDC declared COVID-19 a pandemic? And yet, here we are in the midst of the holiday season,
Debate over short-term rentals comes to ‘Washington’s playground’ as Chelan County considers limits on Airbnbs
||| FROM SEATTLE TIMES ||| As post-pandemic vacationing returns in coming years, tourists may find it harder to book an Airbnb near Leavenworth, Lake Chelan and other coveted areas in Chelan County. County commissioners are considering new limits on short-term rentals and could approve restrictions as soon as next week.
