Here’s a thought…
“The future is already here. It’s just not evenly distributed yet.”
WILLIAM GIBSON
Port of Orcas has regular ZOOM meeting scheduled for Monday
||| FROM PORT OF ORCAS ||| The agenda for the regularly scheduled meeting of the Port of Orcas is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 28 at 5 p.m. Meeting Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87852382775?pwd=M2Nxek5XREtkTzBIT1N3ZGlHT3Judz09 Meeting ID: 878 5238 2775 Passcode: 350949 By Phone: (253) 215-8782 One tap mobile +12532158782,,87852382775#,,,,*350949# US (Tacoma) CALL TO ORDER
State Parks releases environmental determination of U.S. Navy training permit application
Commission will hold public comment meeting Jan. 26 ||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE PARKS ||| 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 to conduct
Navy conducting noise monitoring at NAS Whidbey Island
||| FROM MICHAEL WELDING for NAVAL AIR STATION WHIDBEY ||| NAVAL AIR STATION WHIDBEY ISLAND, Wash. - The Navy completed its first week of real-time sound monitoring at Naval Air Station (NAS) Whidbey Island as directed by the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20). Flight activity
Orcas Community Church invites you to online Christmas Eve service
||| FROM BRIAN MOSS for ORCAS ISLAND COMMUNITY CHURCH ||| Orcas Island Community Church invites you to an Online Christmas Eve Candlelight Service this Thursday, December 24th at 6:00 pm at orcaschurch.org. This service will include Music, Prayer, Candlelight, and a reading of the Christmas story. Pastor Brian Moss will
Upcoming parent orientation night to showcase public school options
||| FROM LORENA STANKEVICH for ORCAS SCHOOL DISTRICT ||| Orcas Island School District has put together a parent orientation night to showcase the three public school options for the Orcas Island School District, especially for those students entering 1st grade. The Zoom event will last about an hour, with short
Inslee issues proclamations on travel restrictions, updates to existing religious guidance
||| FROM GOV. JAY INSLEE'S OFFICE ||| Proclamation 20-83: COVID-19 Prohibitions on Travel from Countries with 501Y.V Variant Circulation Today Gov. Jay Inslee issued a 14-day quarantine requirement for anyone returning to Washington state after visiting the United Kingdom, South Africa and other countries where a new variant of the SARS-CoV-2
Orcas Family Health brings mobile COVID testing to Orcas community
||| BY LIN MCNULTY, EDITOR ||| Orcas Family Health rolled out Orcas Island's first mobile rapid COVID testing at the Olga artworks on Monday. With results available in 15 minutes, 32 tests were conducted in two hours. Testing was done by OIHC nurses Shila Wachtel and Valentina Rivera, as well
Inslee statement on federal coronavirus relief and omnibus package
||| FROM GOV. JAY INSLEE'S OFFICE ||| Gov. Jay Inslee today released a statement on Congress reaching agreement on an omnibus funding package that includes emergency relief to address the health and economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. “While it is many months overdue, I am pleased Congress has reached
Health District/Island Hospital presentation available online
||| BY SUSAN MCBAIN, ORCASONIAN REPORTER ||| At least 100 community members tuned in to the Zoom presentation by Island Hospital (IH) and the Orcas Island Health Care District on Dec. 17. They were there to hear IH CEO Charles Hall, his senior staff, and District representatives describe the services
Solstice Poetry | Still Point by Bruce Hanna
Still Point by Bruce Hanna Contemplating the Infinity of Time and Space a Pacific Ocean still point An ordinary act of profundity in my neighborhood From the edge of a continent at sunset’s minus tide Moon and Earth aligned Near the Winter solstice A special stillness Will the light return?
The Medicare mystery explained in upcoming ZOOM session
||| FROM JULIE MCKEE for ISLAND HOSPITAL ||| Do you find Medicare a mystery? Are you unsure which Medicare plan is best for you? Join SHIBA online for a virtual Medicare 101 class where we will cover the "A, B, C, Ds" of Medicare. Our certified SHIBA volunteers will be
Letter to Editor | Use these three P’s to determine if something is true
||| FROM DAVID KOBRIN ||| The “Three P’s” are a basic method for distinguishing something that’s true — that is actually happening — from something that is “fake” news, or an unsubstantiated internet rumor that’s gone viral. I’ll use a personal household example to illustrate how the “Three P’s” method
Inslee issues proclamation delaying implementation of single-use plastic bags
||| FROM GOVERNOR JAY INSLEE'S OFFICE ||| Gov. Jay Inslee issued a proclamation [Friday] delaying implementation of a law related to single-use plastic bags. Single Use Plastic Bags (20-82): This order delays implementation of a law that passed the Legislature in 2020 that was set to go into effect on January
Moderna vaccine approved by Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup
||| FROM GOVERNOR JAY INSLEE'S OFFICE ||| Gov. Jay Inslee today announced the authorization of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine by the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup. The announcement comes after the FDA and CDC granted their initial authorization of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. The Western States Workgroup, comprised of
Upcoming free class: Powerful tools for caregivers
||| FROM JAMI MITCHELL for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| If you are an unpaid, family or friend caregiver, you are invited to a FREE six-week class series called Powerful Tools for Caregivers. This workshop offers tools and strategies to help handle the unique challenges caregivers face. The online series will
Solstice Poetry | Sunny Solstice Greetings
Sunny Solstice Greetings by Bruce Hanna As Mister Rogers said... It’s a beautiful day In the neighborhood He also said... It’s a neighborly day In this beauty wood Let’s make the most Of this beautiful day Since we’re together Might as well say Would you be, Could you be, Won’t
