Here’s a thought…
“The future is already here. It’s just not evenly distributed yet.”
WILLIAM GIBSON
Gifts enable OPAL to acquire 30 acres for future affordable housing
||| FROM CRYSTAL MOSSMAN for OPAL COMMUNITY LAND TRUST ||| In keeping with OPAL’s long-term strategy of thoughtfully stewarding land for the benefit of the community and assuring that Orcas islanders will have access to homes they can afford, the board of trustees took action to acquire the property with
Coronavirus shows you may not be as good at detecting misinformation as you think
||| FROM SCIENCE ALERT ||| Most of us believe we're above average at detecting misinformation. This, of course, is a statistical impossibility – one that the coronavirus pandemic has well and truly put to the test. As case numbers surge in the US, bringing a devastating wave of over 2,000 deaths
Precautionary boil water advisory issued for some Doe Bay water customers
||| FROM WASHINGTON WATER SERVICE ||| GIG HARBOR, Wash. — Washington Water Service (Washington Water), operator of the Doe Bay Water Users Association Water System, today issued a precautionary boil water advisory for a portion of Doe Bay customers. The advisory is due to a service line leak that caused a
Mobile COVID-19 testing on Orcas Island will begin Dec. 21
||| FROM AAIMEE JOHNSON for ORCAS FAMILY HEALTH CENTER ||| Orcas Family Health Center (OFHC) has organized a mobile SARS-COVID-19 testing project. This project does not replace the COVID-19 testing that is currently being performed at the UW Orcas Clinic or OFHC; it is an additional option for the Orcas
Vaccines arrive in Washington State; People in Phase 1a will begin to receive vaccinations this week
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) is happy to announce that COVID-19 vaccines are on the ground in Washington state, and this week, the first doses will be administered to high-risk health workers, as well as staff and residents of
OIHCD regular meeting on Dec. 15 is cancelled
||| FROM ANNE PRESSON for ORCAS ISLAND HEALTH CARE DISTRICT ||| The December 15 Regular Meeting of the OIHCD has been cancelled. The Board will resume meeting on Tuesday, January 5, 2021 at 5 pm. Wishing everyone in the community a very safe and healthy holiday season. We look forward
Guest Opinion | Reasons for hope
||| FROM DAVID TURNOY ||| We find ourselves living in this country in perhaps the most polarized time since the American Civil War. The recent election and diverging opinions over protests this past summer for racial justice and equality are good illustrations. But are we really that divided? Aren’t there
Presson: On seeking care during the medical clinic transition
A Message from OIHCD, Island Hospital, and the Orcas Clinics ||| FROM ANNE PRESSON for ORCAS ISLAND HEALTH CARE DISTRICT ||| We are excited the process has begun to bring health care providers and staff from the two existing medical practices together. It’s been over 15 years since there has
Call for playwrights, both seasoned and brand new
||| FROM AAIMEE JOHNSON for ACTORS THEATER OF ORCAS ISLAND ||| The 15th Annual Ten-Minute PlayFest 2021 is underway! We’re looking for short play submissions from local writers. Whether you are a seasoned playwright or a brand new writer, we’d love to consider your work. For now, we will choose
Department of Health improves how it reports COVID-19 deaths
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| OLYMPIA -- To provide more accurate daily reports, the Washington State Department of Health is making changes to how it reports deaths from COVID-19. These changes will streamline the process as death counts increase. Rather than a preliminary cause of death, the agency will only
Health district, Island Hospital to present joint vision for new clinic
Please join leaders from Orcas Island Health Care District ( OIHCD) and Island Hospital to hear about their joint vision for the new, single clinic coming to Orcas in the spring of 2021. The online meeting will be held on ZOOM, from 5 pm - 6 pm on Thursday, Dec.
Human-made stuff doubles in mass every 20 years
It Just Crossed a Disturbing Line ||| FROM SCIENCE ALERT ||| All of the Amazon's splendid greenery. Every fish in the Pacific. Every microbe underfoot. Every elephant on the plains, every flower, fungus, and fruit-fly in the fields, no longer outweighs the sheer amount of stuff humans have made. Estimates
Putting the green in the holiday season
What do fish sing during the holidays? Christmas corals! ||| FROM AMY NESLER for SAN JUAN VISITORS BUREAU ||| Have you resolved to be more eco-conscious this holiday season? Transition San Juan Island and Plastic Free Salish Sea can help! Check out the ideas below to reduce waste and lighten
COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan update from State Department of Health
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) continues to make progress with our COVID-19 vaccine distribution planning efforts. If everything goes as planned, we expect to have the vaccine delivered early next week in multiple locations across the state. The federal government has given
A special online musical event: Home for the Holidays
||| FROM BETHANY MARIE. for ORCAS CENTER ||| Never has the phrase, “Home for the Holidays” been more appropriate than this year. With many of us unable to attend events with friends and family, it’s hard to get into the holiday spirit. But, fret not - With COVID precautions strictly
Sheriff’s Report | December 2 – 7, 2020
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE ||| WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2 20-010200 Welfare Check 12:47:41 12/02/20 Deputies responded to a welfare check on San Juan Island regarding a person in a mental health crisis. The person involved was peacefully taken into protective custody per a court ordered mental health pickup
