Here’s a thought…
“The future is already here. It’s just not evenly distributed yet.”
WILLIAM GIBSON
Guest Opinion | Rebuilding the guard rails of our Republic
||| FROM HEDRICK SMITH, RECLAIM THE AMERICAN DREAM ||| Hedirck Smith, NY Times reporter, Frontline producer and founder of Reclaim the American Dream (reclaimtheamericandream.org) Washington – Just when you think we are out of the woods and that, for all his histrionics, Donald Trump will surrender the White
ArtsWA, Department of Commerce announce investment of $3.405 Million in relief funds
||| FROM DIANE MARTINDALE for ArtsWA ||| The CARES Act funding brings much needed assistance to the state’s cultural sector and San Juan County organizations. Nearly 390 nonprofit arts and culture organizations serving 32 Washington counties received funding in recent rounds of CARES Act funding in Washington State. The state’s
PBS to feature Orcas Island’s “Bison antiquus” in upcoming episode
Airs Thursday, January 7, 2021 ||| FROM CAROL KULMINSKI for ORCAS HISTORICAL MUSEUMS ||| The story may be familiar to some residents who remember the remarkable find of the Bison antiquus, the extinct giant bison, at a swamp and peat bog adjoining Obstruction State Park. In 2003, some workmen were digging a trench with a
Senior Center service numbers since March 2020
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| The following are Orcas Senior Center service numbers since March, the beginning of the pandemic: Total # of Buddy Check-In volunteer hours = 730 Total # of Buddy Check-In phone calls = 3,929 Total # of home delivered meals = 8,235
Report on COVID emergency rental and mortgage assistance through Dec. 31
||| FROM LISA BYERS for OPAL ||| I am writing to provide you with an update on the use of OICF grant funds for Covid related rental and mortgage assistance through December 30, 2020. To date, OICF has granted $280,000, and Federal and County funds have provided an additional $95,654.
Food Bank service numbers for 2020
||| FROM HILARY CANTY for ORCAS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ||| The Orcas Island Food Bank had an increase of 2,201 recorded visits in 2020 than in 2019. Our annual percentage growth rate for new customer was 48% and bags of food distributed increased by 174%. Based on the 4 lb average
Guest Opinion | The more things change, the more they stay the same
||| FROM MICHAEL "MJ" JOHNSON ||| On a macro level the beginning of 2021 gives good reason for optimism with the hope that the vaccines coming out now will prove to be a cure-all for the COVID-19 virus. Whether it does or not we can be assured that the criteria
State Parks staff releases environmental determination of U.S. Navy training permit application
Commission will hold public comment meeting Jan. 26 ||| FROM STATE PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION ||| OLYMPIA – Dec. 22, 2020 – Today, staff of the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission released a State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) Mitigated Determination of Nonsignificance (MDNS) finding for the U.S. Navy’s application
Fish For Teeth brings mobile dental clinic to Friday Harbor (and fish tacos)
||| FROM SANDY RABINOWITZ for FISH FOR TEETH ||| We at Fish for Teeth are excited to announce our January dental clinic: January 13 thru 16, at the Mullis Center on San Juan Island. Yes, four days! Fish For Teeth has received additional funding to sponsor a mobile dental van
Midnight Mutterings | Who is Selena Montgomery?
||| BY JACKIE BATES ||| A few days before Christmas I was half-listening to a radio call-in show about favorite books read in 2020. One caller got my attention when she recommended a book by Selena Montgomery. I don’t recall the name of the book, but I do remember that
Qigong workshops with Joan Roulac return to Senior Center
15-Minute Weekly Qigong Workshop with Joan Roulac: Wednesdays at 9 a.m. or Thursdays at 12:30 p.m. by Zoom ||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Quiet the mind and strengthen the body with Joan Roulac’s Ease Please Qigong series. These quick 15-minute sessions will gently loosen tense muscles, strengthen immunity,
WSF has two virtual public meetings upcoming in next year
||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| Washington State Ferries will host two virtual public meetings to kick off the New Year. Staff will be available to answer questions and give an update on what’s happening at Washington State Ferries at each of the meetings. The first meeting will be at
Your Life in Words workshop returns to Orcas Senior Center
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| In its effort to continue offering programming during COVID, Orcas Senior Center once again offers Your Life in Words, an online workshop that focuses on the desire to write one’s life story beginning January 27, 2021. Facilitated by Diane Craig, reporter
Sheriff’s Report | December 23 – 29, 2020
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE ||| WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 23 20-010782 Found Property 08:33:03 12/23/20 A Lopez Island Deputy was called to pick up a license plate that had been found, having apparently fallen off a local vehicle. The Deputy delivered it back to the owner who was unaware
State recap of recent COVID-19 news, updates
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| Newest numbers. The Department of Health reported a total of 237,165 confirmed cases as of 11:59 pm on December 30. There have been 3,461 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
New COVID case update reveals one new case on Orcas
||| FROM BRENDAN 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 may
