Here’s a thought…
“No one, I mean no one, has the right to sit in judgment of who’s American enough.”
MICHELLE OBAMA
In case you haven’t looked outside, Western Washington affected by wildfire smoke
||| from San Juan County Communications ||| Due to easterly winds, smoke from fires in Eastern Washington is currently settling over the Puget Sound region. Local and Regional Particulate Matter monitors are reporting unhealthy levels of particulate matter for sensitive groups. Air quality sensors were installed earlier this year by San
Local writer and artist Ian Boyden, releases debut book of poetry
||| from Ian Boyden ||| San Juan Island writer, artist and translator, Ian Boyden, releases his new book, A Forest of Names, today (September, 8). Published by the prestigious Wesleyan University Press, the book is available through local bookstores and online. The genesis of the book began in 2016, when Boyden
Welcome to theOrcasonian
||| by Lin McNulty, Editor ||| Here we are! A redesign of Orcas Issues has been front of mind for a very long time. When the pandemic hit and our workload almost tripled, and the government sent me $1,200, it seemed like the perfect time to create a new look
Health District steeped in building upgrades, negotiation plans
||| by Susan McBain, Staff Reporter ||| Nuts-and-bolts details continued to be the focus of the Orcas Island Health Care District at its Sept. 1 meeting. The commissioners engaged the law firm of Chmelik, Sitkin and Davis to represent them in negotiations with Island Hospital (IH) on the contract to
Center for Whale research snaps video of orca superpod
||| from Center for Whale Research ||| This video was taken during our encounter with the endangered Southern Resident killer whales on September 5, 2020. All three pods (J, K, and L) came together in the same area. This gathering is known as a Superpod. Ken Balcomb, Center for Whale
Reminder: Temporary fire ban is in effect
||| from Department of Emergency Management ||| Just a reminder that the San Juan County Fire Chiefs, in coordination with the San Juan County Fire Marshall and San Juan County Department of Emergency Management have issued a temporary, short- term fire ban for all activities beginning today, Monday, September 7,
Tahlequah has a brand new calf in J pod
||| from Center for Whale Research ||| On Saturday, September 5, 2020, J pod was reported near the ODAS buoy off Dungeness Spit in the eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca in US waters. Another large group of the endangered Southern Resident killer whales was a few miles away near
Temporary short-term fire ban in effect Monday – Wednesday
||| from Department of Emergency Management -- San Juan County Fire Chiefs, in coordination with the San Juan County Fire Marshall and San Juan County Department of Emergency Management have issued a temporary, short-term fire ban for all activities beginning at midnight on Monday, September 7, 2020 through to 11:59
New orca encounter by Center for Whale Research
||| Center for Whale Research ||| Dave was working in CWR’s photo-ID office when he heard over the radio that whales had been spotted near Eagle Point. Apparently, J pod had snuck in during the night and had been lost in the fog at the south end of Haro
Village Voices | What will you most remember about the summer of 2020?
||| by Minor Lile, Staff Reporter ||| It’s Labor Day weekend, the traditional end of the summer season. Which leads to this month’s Village Voices question: What will you most remember about the summer of 2020? With the monthly Village Voices series, we aim to take the pulse of the
Kruse Reviews | The Pull of the Stars
||| by Jens Kruse ||| In her ‘’Author’s Note,’’ Dublin born Emma Donoghue -- a prolific writer in many genres, who now lives in London, Ontario -- calls her novel ‘’a fiction pinned together with facts”[293]. Many of the details of one of the main characters’ life are drawn from
Orcasional Musings | What shall we do about illegal aliens?
||| ORCASIONAL MUSINGS BY STEVE HENIGSON ||| Back when I was a child, World War Two was going on, and all of our country's farm workers had grabbed their guns and joined the fight to save the world. But we still needed the food that those farm workers should have
Sheriff’s Report | August 26 – September 1, 2020
||| from San Juan County Sheriff's Office Wednesday, August 26, 202020-007185 Fraud 09:22:23 08/26/20A Deputy on Orcas responded to a fraud call near Deer Harbor. The reporting party was scammed by being sent too much money for something they were selling online. The caller incurred no monetary loss. No suspects
Letter to Editor | Kiwanis says thanks, requests new members
||| from Velma Doty ||| Kiwanis wishes to THANK all who participated in our yard sale at the American Legion Parking lot last Saturday. We did our best to make it a safe day as did all of you. Everyone was very considerate of their fellow shoppers. We had a
Gather ye hazardous waste for upcoming collection event
Free Household Hazardous Waste Pick-up: Saturday, September 26 ||| from Orcas Recycling Services Time to clean out under the sink and in the garage: Orcas Recycling Services and San Juan County Public Works will host a Household Hazardous Waste collection event at the Orcas Transfer Station on Saturday September 26th,
Local COVID case count: No new cases this past week
Second week in a row! ||| from Brendan Cowan for Department of Emergency Management No new COVID cases over the past week.
