Here’s a thought…
“Volunteering is at the very core of being a human. No one has made it through life without someone else’s help.”
HEATHER FRENCH HENRY
As general election approaches, County Elections office prepares
||| BY MINOR LILE, REPORTER ||| With eight weeks remaining until the November 3 general election, there are many significant issues confronting a fair and safe voting process around the country. Many States are having to implement alternative voting procedures in response to the COVID-19 epidemic. There has also been
Small businesses relying more than ever on your support as they creatively cope with COVID
Eat, Shop, Stay, Play Locally: Here’s the first of a series of stories about their survival. ||| from San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau, EDC and the Lopez, Orcas and San Juan Island Chambers of Commerce ||| San Juan County businesses are being creative and adapting during these very tough times.
Three ways to catch Eth-Noh-Tec in September
||| from Eth-Noh-Tec ||| Sunday, September 13, 3-4:30 pm (PST): Storytelling Tea Party, featuring Nancy Wang Thursday, September 24, 5-5:30 pm (PST): Storytelling with Eth-Noh-Tec: Festival of the Moon Anytime: Catch our June, July, and August shows on the Eth-Noh-Tec YouTube channel! Read on for details on each show! Storytelling
You’re invited to join ‘Circle of Chi’ virtual spiritual gathering
||| from Stephanie Rosenblatt ||| Stephanie and Gretchen invite you to join "The Circle of Chi’s BALM Technique.” A spiritual gathering in the comfort of your home with Zoom as we harness the power of Mother Earth’s seasonal energies to experience a more mindful, harmonious journey in achieving your dreams and
SVC worker retraining program covers tuition, books for unemployed
||| Arden Ainley for Skagit Valley College ||| Skagit Valley College is pleased to announce that we are offering you new options for Fall Quarter taught by our trained, experienced online instructors. Classes start Tuesday, September 22 and registration is going on now! Are you unemployed from Aerospace, Construction, Logging,
School Board calls special meeting
||| from Orcas Island School District ||| Notice of a Special School Board Meeting Thursday, September 10, 2020 AGENDA ZOOMLINK: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7661783771 5 p.m. CALL TO ORDER - SPECIAL Mtg.- via ZOOM Approve the Agenda. Racial Equity - Natasha Meskew Grading practices - Kyle Freeman OISD Legislative platform - Greg White
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
