Here’s a thought…
“The future is already here. It’s just not evenly distributed yet.”
WILLIAM GIBSON
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
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,
