Friday, July 28 at p.m. at 7 p.m. at Orcas Center — by Margie Doyle — Hedrick Smith, an innovator as well as an institution in journalism, will speak as an Orcas Currents Lecturer, along with Sarah Stillman, a writer for the New Yorker magazine, at Orcas Center on Friday, … Continue reading
— from Mike Welding for NAS Whidbey — Search and Rescue (SAR) teams from Naval Air Station (NAS) Whidbey Island conducted two rescues this past weekend, one on Saturday evening, July 22 and another on Sunday, July 23, 2017. The first rescue was in the Olympic Mountains the second in … Continue reading
— from Washington State Governor Jay Inslee — “It’s inconceivable that any of our nation’s leaders think our health care system will be improved by ripping away health care from 22 million Americans and vastly increasing the costs for millions more. “President Trump promised Americans he would improve our health … Continue reading
— by Walt Corbin — There appears to be little concern on the part of County leadership in addressing the matter of future planning for the County, as required under the Growth Management Act. Unfortunately many citizens are complacently comfortable in the warm waters of summer, not realizing that the … Continue reading
— from Dave Pringle for Senator Ranker’s Office — Sen. Kevin Ranker, D-Orcas Island, released this statement today after Senate Republicans refused to allow a vote on the state capital budget: “It is incredibly unfortunate that on the final day of the special legislative session, the Senate Republicans placed their … Continue reading
— from Jaime Smith, Communications Director | Office of Governor Jay Inslee — It’s clear at this late hour there is no agreement on Hirst or the capital budget. The Republicans have not done their due diligence to work on brokering an agreement on either of those issues, and at this point … Continue reading
Friday, July 28, 7 p.m., Orcas Center — from Michael Riordan — With journalism under increasing siege in the United States, two of its leading practitioners will meet in Orcas Center on Friday, July 28, to discuss “The Future of Journalism in a Post-Truth Environment.” Sponsored by Orcas Currents and … Continue reading
— from Andrew McVicar, Washington State Legislature — Negotiators representing all four legislative caucuses reached an agreement on Tuesday evening on a proposed $4 billion capital budget, which funds construction projects for schools, colleges, parks, and the environment around the state. Tens of thousands of jobs are at risk—and a construction … Continue reading
— by Margie Doyle — On Tuesday, July 18, the Immigration Rights Group of Orcas Women’s Coalition (OWC) gathered at Emmanuel Parish Hall with signature-gatherers and others to celebrate the “overwhelmingly positive response we received” to the initiative petition campaign to place “AN ORDINANCE PROTECTING THE LEGAL RIGHTS OF ALL … Continue reading
— by Susan McBain — The “hot topic” for the July 17 meeting of the Orcas Board of Fire Commissioners wasn’t on the agenda. The public wanted to talk about Inter-Island Propane’s proposed location of a 30,000-gallon propane tank on Aeroview Lane near Seaview St., and the capacity of Orcas … Continue reading
— from Washington State Ferries — [Ed. Note: See earlier stories on recent ferry delays] Because of a generator failure on the M/V Yakima, the Anacortes/San Juan Islands/Sidney, BC route is operating on a four-boat emergency schedule until another vessel can join the route and restore it to a full … Continue reading
Wednesday, July 26, 3 – 5 p.m., Legislative Hearing Room — from San Juan County Communications — Representatives from the North Sound Accountable Community of Health will be visiting San Juan County on Wednesday, July 26, 2017, to host public informational sessions on state, regional, and county-level efforts to improve … Continue reading
— from Rock Island Communications — You may receive an email claiming to be from Rock Island asking you to update your email account and providing a link to rockisland.com. Please be aware that is a fake request and DOES NOT originate from Rock Island. The link will not take … Continue reading
— from Washington State Ferries (WSF) — UPDATE: July 17 at 8 p.m. The Yakima is out of service until further notice due to a problem with the vessel’s generator. The Anacortes/San Juan’s route will be operating on an adjusted schedule on July 18. There are no new reservations at … Continue reading
Monday, July 17, 5:30 p.m., Eastsound Fire Station — from Marla Johns for Orcas Fire & Rescue — Commissioners Wesley Heinmiller (Chair), Barbara Bedell, Amanda Montague, Jim Helminski, Tim Fuller, Chief Scott Williams, Orcas Island Fire and Rescue staff, and the community will be in attendance at the next regularly-scheduled meeting of … Continue reading
— by Margie Doyle — State Transportation/Ferries officials joined County executives and staff to celebrate the revamped Orcas ferry landing on Tuesday, July 11. Lots of changes have been made, and there are lots more to come. They also toured ongoing work on the future Park and Ride lot up … Continue reading
— by Margie Doyle — Orcas Island School District Business Manager Keith Whitaker presented his initial analysis of the recent State Budget and its provisions for funding “Basic Education” in compliance with the McLeary Decision, in a written report at the Board’s Special Meeting on Tuesday, July 11. He responded … Continue reading
Friday, July 21, 8:45 a.m., County Council Chambers — from San Juan County Communications — The San Juan County Planning Commission will conduct a public hearing on proposed amendments to the vacation rental and code enforcement provisions of the San Juan County Code. The hearing will begin on or after … Continue reading