Here’s a thought…
“The future is already here. It’s just not evenly distributed yet.”
WILLIAM GIBSON
Statement from Washington State Department of Health
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) updated Washington’s 1A vaccine allocation guidance [Dec. 30]. We have worked closely with Gov. Inslee and his team and Dr. Umair A. Shah, the Secretary of Health, to review and update COVID-19 vaccine related matters in
New Year Poetry | The Dance by Bruce Hanna
The Dance Let us give thanks for our shared dance. Thanks that this is a dance hall of spirits and lives; That real people with hopes and fears, anger and joy, All the contradictory confusion that is our lives— Are welcomed back here when the music starts. Thanks that although
Inslee extends eviction moratorium
||| FROM GOVERNOR JAY INSLEE'S OFFICE ||| On December 31, Gov. Jay Inslee formally issued an extension of the eviction moratorium, extending all existing provisions and making adjustments to provide additional support for landlords and property owners. The governor initially announced the extension last week. Proclamation 20-19.5 extends state rental assistance
Birthday greetings for 2021 from the oldest Baby Boomer on the island (probably)
||| BY LIN MCNULTY, theORCASONIAN EDITOR ||| Today is my 75th birthday. And for probably 50 or more years, I have been saying that on the first day of each year I should send my friends a birthday card; after all, they remember MY birthday and I'm horrible about remembering
‘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.
2020 | The year we found our inner island
||| BY LIN MCNULTY, theORCASONIAN EDITOR ||| One of our first real news stories of 2020 was the good news that Deer Harbor Yacht Club was an official entity. That means they are now celebrating their first anniversary. That's good news! We'll see if the rest of the year's wrap-up
Auld Lang Syne | So it means, ‘old long since,’ eh?
||| FROM DICTIONARY.COM ||| New Year’s Eve is full of traditions that are easy to understand. Counting down the seconds until the day the calendar changes, for example. Others are a little less straightforward. Case in point: singing “Auld Lang Syne”—or at least humming along while it plays on TV
Rick Hughes honored with public service award by Orcas Chamber
||| FROM ORCAS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ||| The Orcas Island Chamber of Commerce and its Board President Colleen Smith have announced they are honoring Rick Hughes with the “President’s 2020 Public Service Award for Dedicated Service to the Community." Hughes is being recognized for his eight years of service as
Community Foundation shares emergency response fund data with community
||| FROM HILARY CANTY for COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ||| Attached please find a spreadsheet of the grants made from the Community Emergency Response fund. The Fund was established in March with a focus to gather the resources needed to address the impact of Covid and the subsequent economic crisis on our
Stimulus package update from Economic Development Council
||| FROM ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL ||| The EDC is continuing to analyze the details of the just-passed stimulus package. Our comprehensive summary with links can be found here and we will continue to post updates at that link. We are still days away from PPP applications reopening but businesses that
Guest Opinion | Rebuilding the guard rails of our Republic
||| FROM HEDRICK SMITH ||| 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 House on January 20,
2020 in Review | Can we talk?
||| BY STEVE BERNHEIM, theORCASONIAN REPORTER ||| In 1964 my mother took me to the World’s Fair in New York. I drove a car along a track at the Ford or Hertz pavilion, glided by the dancing marionettes of It’s a Small World, and gazed briefly upon the Videophone from
First COVID vaccines arrive in San Juan County to more than 50 welcoming arms
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY NEWS ||| San Juan County Health and Community Services staff provided the first COVID vaccine to islanders on Wednesday, Dec. 30. As per state and federal guidelines, initial distribution is limited to healthcare professionals, emergency responders, and long-term care facility staff and residents. This group
Another recap of COVID-19 news, updates: An ongoing saga
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| Newest numbers. The Department of Health reported a total of 231,724 confirmed cases as of 11:59 p.m. on December 28. There have been 3,369 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
OISD strings present a holiday virtual concert
||| FROM SHARON HO for MUSIC ADVOCACY GROUP ||| https://youtu.be/nXi-tAD_OLE The Music Advocacy Group sends holiday greetings to the Orcas Community, and wants to share the virtual Holiday Concert of the OISD strings program with you. We are so proud of our music students for their new skills and
New Mukilteo ferry terminal opens with a virtual ribbon cutting video
State’s first new ferry terminal in 40 years opens to traffic ||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| MUKILTEO – The state’s new Mukilteo Multimodal Ferry Terminal, Washington State Ferries’ first new terminal in 40 years, officially opens with the arrival of the ferry from Clinton at 5:50 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec.
