Here’s a thought…
“No one, I mean no one, has the right to sit in judgment of who’s American enough.”
MICHELLE OBAMA
Local organizations take action to support recovery of Salmon and Orca
||| FROM FRIENDS OF THE SAN JUANS AND SAN JUAN PRESERVATION TRUST ||| An innovative partnership between Friends of the San Juans (Friends) and the San Juan Preservation Trust (Preservation Trust) has been quietly gaining momentum over the past few years. Working with interested private waterfront landowners, the collaborative project
Editorial | I’m not sure where to begin… It’s just a cartoon, folks
||| EDITORIAL by LIN MCNULTY, EDITOR ||| The Occam's Razor cartoon published on Friday on theOrcasonian was focused on both the proliferation and recent thefts of political signs around our island(s). It would be a topic of conversation if we could still gather and have actual conversations. The fact that
Letter to Editor | Why I am supporting Referendum 90 on the ballot this year
||| FROM JEAN HENIGSON ||| Our State Legislature has wisely created and passed a law requiring the teaching of Comprehensive Sexual Health Education for all K–12 students in Washington. This curriculum does NOT in any way introduce kindergarteners and primary-age children to pornographic representations of human sexual intercourse. It DOES
Getting your annual flu shot is especially critical this year
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| In the time of COVID, being vaccinated against flu is especially critical. Depending on COVID and influenza case activity, access to advanced medical care or testing may become more limited, and could cause additional strain on our health care systems, Flu and other
Kruse Reviews | What Unites Us: Reflections on Patriotism
||| BOOK REVIEW by JENS KRUSE ||| Dan Rather and Elliot Kirschner originally published What Unites Us in 2017. I just read it in the 2019 paperback edition that has a new “Afterword.” The book opens with the question “What is Patriotism?” and then unfolds its narrative in five sections
Ag Guild Auction continues each week during October
||| FROM SAN JUAN MAKERS GUILD ||| The Ag Guild Auction is Live! Enjoy featured Artists and Musicians each week during the October at the Island Goods Auction. Check out the featured guests and then check in on the auction items you love most. Island resident or visitor – there
Letter to Editor | Why I am voting for Cindy Wolf
||| FROM MICHAEL DURLAND ||| A couple weeks ago I listed a number of actions by this current County Council that I said were in violation of their oath of Office and the County Charter. My man concern is why this Council instructed or allowed their attorney to argue in
Letter to Editor | It’s simple, Rick Hughes by far the most qualified
||| FROM DONNA LASLO ||| I am voting for Rick Hughes for county council, because he is by far the most qualified for the job. His experience, accomplishments and excellent governmental relationships are what matters most in these challenging times. Now is NOT the time to experiment with inexperienced leadership. We
Letter to Editor | Why Rick Hughes is best choice for County Council
||| FROM DAN CHRISTOPHERSON ||| Rick Hughes is the best choice for County Council. I met Rick a decade ago when I moved to Orcas from Lopez. He was on the Board of the Farmers Market and when an issue came up, he supported our brick and mortar business when
Letter to Editor | Rick and Marlace Hughes are generous life-forces on Orcas
||| FROM LAURIE MILLER ||| I’ve known and appreciated Rick Hughes since 1991 when he worked with my late husband, Warren, and me and when we lived in Vail, Colorado. I knew and greatly respected his late parents, as well...also valuable Orcas Islanders. I’m very conservative and I often object
Orcasional Musings | Community Chest, Food Bank, Community Resource Center, Community Foundation
||| ORCASIONAL MUSINGS by STEVE HENIGSON ||| I lived my first 10 years in a small village in New York State, the population of which was just a bit smaller than that of Orcas today. I was born just a few years after the end of the Great Depression, and
Recent recap of COVID-19 news, updates
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| Newest numbers. The Department of Health reported a total of 96,185 confirmed cases as of 11:59 pm on October 14. There have been 2,232 COVID-19 deaths in Washington. For the most recent tally of cases by county, demographics, and more, visit the Department of Health's
Playground-on-the Green needs a bit more help as it nears completion
||| FROM PLAYGROUND-ON-THE GREEN COMMITTEE ||| The new playground being constructed on the Village Green is almost there--but needs a little more help to get over the finish line. Giant cedar logs donated by Moran State Park are in place; as well as epic stone work and landscaping by Greening
Soroptimists accepting applications for three women’s educational and training awards
||| FROM HEATHER SPAULDING FOR SOROPTIMIST INT'L OF FRIDAY HARBOR ||| Soroptimist International of Friday Harbor is now accepting applications for their women’s educational and training awards, to be given out in the Spring of 2021. Three awards are available, each with differing eligibility requirements. The ‘Live Your Dream Award’
Letter to Editor | Hey, Rick, you have my vote
||| FROM JEFF BOSSLER ||| Hi Rick. Just an FYI .... you have my vote! You have the experience and pragmatism to get things done. You have been functioning in a non-partisan manner as the charter requests, and you speak for all people. You know how to balance idealism and
Letter to Editor | Are we on the right track?
||| FROM ED SUIJ ||| In February 2020 the CO2 content of the atmosphere reached a new high of 416 parts per million (ppm). The last time it was that high was in the Pliocene epoch, between 3-5 million years ago. Temperatures were 5 to 7 degrees F higher and
