Here’s a thought…
“The belief in the possibility of a short decisive war appears to be one of the most ancient and dangerous of human illusions.”
ROBERT LYND
Hot Topic #30 | COVID case trends and the way forward
||| from Brendan Cowan, Department of Emergency Management In many cultures, including our own, there is a common superstition that says “if you acknowledge good luck, your good luck will end.” We’ll call this the knock-on-wood principle. Well, please knock on wood, because in this long and detailed article we’ll
A pastoral reflection
Morning Blessing for a Mask - by Maren Tirabassi(placing my mask in my hands) God, I pray for a blessing on my mask today --that it may symbolize my love for others,but not advertise self-righteousness.May it remind me to prayfor those who have covid 19,those recovered and marked, those who
You may encounter a house on the roadway today
House moving from Golf Course to Rosario -- from Crystal Mossman for OPAL -- On August 27, 2020 another OPAL recycled house will be moved from its current location near the Orcas Island Golf Course via Orcas Road to its permanent home in the Lydia Lane neighborhood of Rosario. The
New testing metric and methodology updates announced for COVID-19 dashboards used to track progress statewide
-- from Washington State Department of Health -- OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Health is making changes to the way we process and report testing data statewide, in an effort to account for the true volume of tests being done and to better benchmark our progress. The following changes
Streaming live from Orcas Center on Thursday evening: Rafe Pearlman
-- from Bethany Marie for Orcas Center -- In a beautiful twist of fate, we find ourselves in the company of Rafe Pearlman who is visiting Orcas this week, and has offered to be a part of Orcas Center's streaming concerts, co-produced with Burl Audio.With over twenty years of experience
A poem for this day
Orcas The sweet scent of hawthornReminder of home, drifting on the airAs we walk the gritty path to EastsoundExchanging stories, thoughts, laughter,Tentative tentacles searching out friendship,Blessed by sun, summer weather in May,Sharing delight in Earth’s beauty:Twitching bunnies on Smuggler’s lawn,Stately heron, ignorant of voyeurs,Stirring at dawn to perform a leisurely
Multiracial coalition launches campaign for equitable 2021 redistricting process
-- from Washington Census Alliance -- SEATTLE—The Washington Census Alliance (WCA)—a statewide coalition of 92 Black and Brown-led community organizations—today announced a campaign to increase and protect community input in the 2021 redistricting process alongside WinWin Action, the Voting Justice Coalition, the League of Women Voters, and Fix Democracy First. On Tuesday, a public panel
Preschoolers prep for the wonderful world of kindergarten
2020 OCRC Kindergarten Transition Program is live -- from Zanetha Amani Matisse for Orcas Community Resource Center -- It’s that time of year again. Orcas Island preschoolers are about to gain entrée into the wonderful world of kindergarten. Orcas transitioning tots will receive an OCRC canvas bag filled to the
Eth-Noh-Tec honors 75th anniversary of Hiroshima, Nagasaki bombings
-- from Eth-Noh-Tec -- In honor of the 75th Anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States, we are presenting our story of one Japanese atom bomb survivor’s journey from revenge to forgiveness. Please take this story into your hearts so that peace has a chance!Takashi's
Recent COVID-19 news and updates
-- from Emergency Operations Center, Camp Murray -- Newest numbers. The Department of Health reported a total of 71,705 confirmed cases as of 11:59 pm on August 24. There have been 1,876 COVID-19 deaths in Washington. For the most recent tally of cases by county, demographics, and more, visit the Department of Health's
Economics of a pandemic | How is SJC doing?
-- from F. Milene Henley, San Juan County Auditor -- I like horror films. I enjoy them, knowing that they’re not real. Monsters can’t really hurt you, and zombies don’t really exist. Right now, I feel like I’m living in a real-life horror film, one about a global pandemic with
Health District gets down into details of upcoming negotiations
-- by Susan McBain, Orcas Issues Reporter -- As promised, the Orcas Island Health Care District commissioners turned their attention at their Aug. 18 meeting to details to be negotiated in their proposed agreement with Island Hospital (IH). The conversation ranged widely across topics, focusing sometimes on areas for general
Guest Opinion | Open letter to Dist. 2 council candidates
||| from Tom Eversole ||| This is an open letter to Cindy Wolf and Rick Hughes as candidates to represent District 2 on the San Juan County Council. Elders in our community and their families will be affected by your positions on the issues below. Please let us hear from
Registration open for Sea Doc’s cheers to 20 years
-- from Justin Cox for SeaDoc Society -- As we announced this spring, our annual Wine & Sea Auction was cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. We wish we could see you in person this year, especially because it’s our 20-year anniversary, but that doesn’t mean we won’t be celebrating! We’ve
Show your support for post office funding
-- from Sandy Strehlou -- This morning, Sunday, August 23, 2020, Friday Harbor residents turned out to show support funding for the USPS, and to protest any attempt by the Trump administration to rig the 2020 elections through mail and election tampering. Yesterday the House of Representatives passed legislation to
WSF postpones upcoming release of new reservations by two weeks
-- from Washington State Ferries -- Because of an unplanned technical problem with its Vehicle Reservation System, WSF must postpone the upcoming release of reservations for vehicle space on the Anacortes/San Juan Islands and Port Townsend/Coupeville routes by two weeks. Reservations for the sailing dates of September 27, 2020 through
