Here’s a thought…
“The future is already here. It’s just not evenly distributed yet.”
WILLIAM GIBSON
Mobile COVID-19 testing comes to Orcas Island; A thank you from OIHCD
||| FROM ANNE PRESSON for ORCAS HEALTH CARE DISTRICT ||| Orcas Family Health Center (OFHC) delivered an early Christmas present to the Orcas community, launching a mobile SARS-COVID-19 testing project on Dec. 21. Recognizing the impact COVID-19 testing was having on staff at both the OFHC and UW Orcas Clinics,
Advisory committee seeks community input on Coffelt Farm Preserve recommendations
||| FROM TANJA WILLIAMSON for SJC LAND BANK ||| The Conservation Agriculture Resource Team (CART-Coffelt) is holding an online public meeting, on January 14th 2021 from 5:30-7pm, to gather input on their draft report of recommendations for future agricultural operations at the Land Bank’s Coffelt Farm Preserve. CART will present
2020 In Review | The fate or future of Eastsound
||| BY MATTHEW GILBERT, theORCASONIAN OP/ED REPORTER ||| It's hard to pick just one story, since so many issues are intertwined. But as I look ahead, the nexus of many of our challenges will be found in Eastsound proper: Growth, rural character, vacation rentals, tourism, and housing. Eastsound is governed
County Planning Commission endorses vacation rental moratorium
||| FROM YONATAN ALDORT for VACATION RENTAL GROUP ||| NEWS: Last month, the San Juan County Planning Commission issued a recommendation to the County Council in which they addressed six of the eight regulatory reform items that were contained in our December 18, 2019 letter to then-Councilmembers Hughes, Stevens and
Islander shares what it’s like to live on an island, in gratitude, during world-wide pandemic
||| FROM JAMES CONNELL ||| [This] is my attempt to musically and visually represent what it's like to live in gratitude on our beautiful island amidst 2020's frenzied and frightening events throughout the world. It has five of our wonderful Orcas photographers' work in it -- Steve Alboucq, Rosemarie Altberg,
New County Council members sworn in
||| BY MINOR LILE, REPORTER AT LARGE ||| Christine Minney and Cindy Wolf were sworn in as members of the San Juan County Council at 11:00 am this morning. San Juan County Superior Court Judge Kathryn Loring presided over the ceremony. Due to COVID restrictions, attendance in the courtroom where
Soon! No more overhead power lines in Eastsound
||| FROM KRISTA BOUCHEY for ORCAS POWER & LIGHT ||| Starting January 15 th , OPALCO will begin the process of replacing the overhead power lines on Prune Alley. Moving the lines underground will increase reliability by reducing the likelihood of power outages due to high winds or falling trees.
2020 in Review | COVID-19 interview with Dr. Frank James
||| BY MINOR LILE, ORCASONIAN REPORTER ||| It could perhaps go without saying that the biggest story I played a part in covering this year has been the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. It seems important to emphasize the ‘played a part’ portion of the preceding sentence. Much of the information about
Island Hospital has some upcoming classes of interest
||| FROM RACHEL LAMBERT for ISLAND HOSPITAL ||| FREE MEMORY SCREENING Free memory screenings will be held on Tuesday, January 12, from 1:30-3:30 p.m. at Island Hospital’s Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapy clinic, 1015 25th St., Anacortes. Our experts will help identify the nature of your memory difficulty and determine if
One of America’s richest islands got pummeled by COVID. Then the warring started.
The wealthy decamped there to escape the virus. But it arrived anyway. And now, residents are pointing the fingers at each other over who is to blame. ||| FROM THE DAILY BEAST ||| HYANNIS, Massachusetts—As the freezing water sloshed up against the sides of the boat and the first winter
2020 in Review | Contract finalized with Island Hospital, health-care district
||| BY SUSAN MCBAIN, ORCASONIAN REPORTER ||| My top story of the year was the finalization of the contract with Island Hospital. A lot happened at the Orcas Island Health Care District this year -- the commissioners finalized their preferred model, released a request for proposal for a partner to
How federal funds helped Washington communities and families fight COVID-19 realities
||| FROM GOV. JAY INSLEE'S OFFICE ||| Over the past nine months, Washington state has distributed more than $2.1 billion to orchestrate ongoing, significant relief efforts across multiple sectors during the COVID-19 pandemic — a public health crisis affecting more aspects of life than most people have ever experienced. This funding was
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
