Here’s a thought…
“The future is already here. It’s just not evenly distributed yet.”
WILLIAM GIBSON
Ferry ridership at lowest level in nearly 50 years. Annual riders down 10 million from 2019 due to pandemic
||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| SEATTLE – Annual ridership aboard Washington State Ferries plunged by nearly 10 million customers in 2020 – a drop of 41% from the previous year – to roughly 14 million. Stay-at-home orders, remote work and decreased tourism because of COVID-19 are the main reasons for the
EDC will host a PPP webinar this Thursday
||| FROM JOHN GOMEZ for SJC ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL ||| On Thursday, January 14, 2021, the San Juan County Economic Development Council will host a Zoom webinar on the upcoming PPP (Paycheck Protection Program) loan application process, presented by Janie Sacco and Steve Burke from the Washington Small Business Development
Inslee statement on start of 2021 legislative session
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF GOVERNOR JAY INSLEE ||| Gov. Jay Inslee released a statement today on the first day of the 2021 legislative session: "Today convenes one of the most unique and challenging legislative sessions I can remember for our state. As the pandemic era has forced us all
Health District meeting focused on COVID, clinic transition plans
||| BY SUSAN MCBAIN, theORCASONIAN REPORTER ||| Two major topics occupied most of the Orcas Island Health Care District’s first meeting of 2021: combatting COVID-19, and planning for the transition to a single medical clinic at the beginning of April. Orcas Family Health Center (OFHC) staff members Aaimee Johnson and
Makerspaces and closing the solid waste loop in San Juan County
||| FROM MICKEY VON DASSOW ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL ||| Islanders interested in makerspaces and sustainability are invited to join the Economic Development Council of San Juan County (EDC) to hear about “closing the loop” on Thursday, January 14 from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. on Zoom. Nikyta Palmisani, the Training, Education
Deer Harbor Plan Review Committee will ZOOM meet on Wednesday
||| FROM BARRY & BEV MADDEN for DEER HARBOR PLAN REVIEW COMMITTEE ||| P0Agenda for January 13, 2021 4:00-5:30 p.m. Deer Harbor Plan Review Committee Monthly Meeting (DHPRC) VIA Zoom Meeting ID 82206209066 Password 644605 Chair: Barry Madan Call to Order at: Establish a quorum: Chair: Recognize public attendees. Members
If you’re not doing anything else, why not write a play for PlayFest?
||| FROM AAIMEE JOHNSON for ACTORS THEATER OF ORCAS ISLAND ||| If you are like most of us, you are bored out of your mind. Do something! Exercise your mind! It's PlayFest time! Write a play!! There were almost 600 views of our 2020 Playfest (Titled PlagueFest) on YouTube. If
Letter to Editor | I’m challenging myself to listen; in the process, I might learn something
||| FROM SHARON ABREU ||| I've been reading discussions about the current issue of censorship and social media. I think it's a very important discussion. Censorship of any kind can be a slippery slope. I don't want FB, Twitter, etc. deciding whether or not my posts qualify for censorship. Yet
New texts from DOH will speed exposure notification across the state
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| OLYMPIA –Starting today, the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) will begin texting a verification code to every person in Washington state who tests positive for COVID-19. The goal is to help WA Notify exposure notification users alert fellow users faster if they’ve been exposed. People
Stimulus package update from SJC EDC
||| FROM SJ ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL ||| The EDC is continuing to analyze the details of the just-passed stimulus package, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021. Our comprehensive summary with article links can be found here and we will continue to post updates at that link. We are still days away from PPP
Two hundred was Senior Center’s magic number in 2020
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Once again, the Orcas community has risen to the challenge! Thanks to you, the Orcas Senior Center non-profit has not only reached, but has exceeded, our annual fundraising goal of $50,000. Even more than the money raised, we are touched by
Island Hospital upcoming webinars on mental health, healthy sleep habits
||| FROM RACHEL LAMBERT for ISLAND HOSPITAL ||| Mental Health Webinar Join Dr. Hammer, a psychiatrist at Island Hospital Psychiatry and Behavioral Health Clinic, for a discussion on managing and maintaining mental health in the face of stress. We will discuss common myths and misconceptions about mental health, and you
Senior Center, Orcas Center to present Seniors Have (Virtual) Talent
Do you have a talent to perform? ||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Orcas Senior Center and Orcas Center are excited to announce a collaboration on the much-anticipated Seniors Have (Virtual) Talent! The event, featuring talented community members, will be aired on the Orcas Senior Center and
Free webinars upcoming: How to grow great veggies
||| FROM CAITLYN BLETHEN for SJC WSU MASTER GARDENERS ||| Please join the San Juan County WSU Master Gardeners for two free community webinars exploring how to successfully grow your own food. Dr. Carol Miles and Dr. Linda Gilkeson will spend 2 hours each on two separate Tuesdays, reviewing the
Cinema Noesis | Films for evolving minds
||| BY MATTHEW GILBERT for CINEMA NOESIS ||| Farewell, 2020! For most of us, that will be a year to remember, but for all the wrong reasons with no need to elaborate. And now as winter settles in and a new year unfolds, it’s a good opportunity to take another
A civilian’s guide to insurrection legalese; is this our new vocabulary?
||| FROM THE MARSHALL PROJECT ||| In the 24 hours since a mob incited by the president of the United States stormed the Capitol attempting to halt the functioning of American democracy, the news media and everyone else have been at a loss for words to describe what happened. Was
