Dozens of children’s faces peered curiously from schoolbus windows as a 5th grader on his bike pedaled across the intersection of North Beach Road and School Road. He didn’t see the car coming, but some of them did.
They stared in horror as the 11-year-old was knocked over and dragged beneath the vehicle, a gray/blue compact model. He was not wearing a helmet.
Volunteers prepared to serve food bank patrons during the holidays.
Eastsound trees have lately sprouted a smattering of colorful, trunk-warming sweaters. It’s a mystery who’s behind the cheerful smockery, but the pranks may be an offshoot of an international “yarn bombing” movement by the knit graffiti group Knitta Please, founded by Texas textile artist Magda Sayeg. June 11 has been designated as “International Yarn Bombing Day.”
John Olson spends time every week with a little boy who loves to go crabbing, chop wood – and eat sweets.
“He is well disciplined, except when it comes to asking for candy,” laughs Olson, who has been part of the Funhouse’s mentor program for three months. He is following in the footsteps of his wife Suzanne, who has been mentoring a young girl for the past five years.
San Juan County sales tax revenue and real estate sales in 2011 are down slightly from 2010 totals.
Sales tax numbers
The Vikings were defeated by the Shoreline Christian Crusaders on Friday, Dec. 16.
The score was 21-32 at halftime, but the Crusaders widened their lead to 65-38 by game’s end.
Two small children were taken from their Bellingham home by authorities last year because their mom was addicted to meth. They were placed in Amber and Justin Paulsen’s foster home, and became part of the island community for nine months.
When unfounded allegations of child abuse by the kids’ birth mother – who was mentally ill and had no contact with her children – spurred an investigation of the Paulsens, they decided to stop taking kids for a while.
“We could have lost everything,” said Amber, the director of Kaleidoscope child care center with four children of her own. “We were incredibly traumatized.”
A preliminary analysis tipped them off: some islanders are having difficulty getting access to needed medical, dental and mental health care.
The Orcas Island Community Foundation wants to know more.
“What is the real status of mental, dental and medical care on the island?” asked board member Helen Bee at a recent gathering of health care professionals, philanthropists and other concerned citizens.
Over the next year, foundation board members plan to gather as much information as possible on the subject, and they want to hear from community members.
Over 150 people visited the docks at Eastsound’s Brandt’s Landing Marina the evening of Saturday, Dec. 10 to oooh and aaaah over boats strung with colorful lights and candy canes.
A new commodore presided over the Orcas Island Yacht Club-hosted event, fittingly attired as Old Saint Nick, passing out tiny candy canes and welcoming families aboard a boat laden with holiday cookies, hot cider and cocoa.
A steady stream of children thronged through the assembly line outside Wildflour Bakery yesterday to decorate a sugar cookie with colorful frosting and sprinkles.
Kids slathered icing to their hearts’ delight onto snowmen, stars, and glass ornament-shaped cookies, which were quickly devoured.
Over 1,000 cookies were baked yesterday by Orcas Christian School kids, teachers and volunteers for delivery to senior citizens around Orcas Island today.
Each classroom trouped through the kitchen in turns to lend a hand cracking eggs, scooping sugar, melting chocolate and sifting flour, turning out batches of red and white candy canes, chocolate crinkles, pretzel-M&M bites, shortbread, coconut magic bars, cranberry cookies and more.
Clock in, lend a neighborly hand, clock out – and watch your credit grow at the bank. The next time you need help, you can cash in on that credit.
That’s the philosophy of “Time Banking,” an innovative reincarnation of a very old concept that has recently mobilized a group of Orcas Islanders.
“Time Banking is a way for communities to come together to help each other, without using dollars, or local currency, just time,” said Time Bank volunteer Diane Emerson,
A group of island women gathered this morning to raise funds for Healing Hearts, an organization that offers confidential online counseling and studies for people with pain in their pasts.
While they walk, they say they will pray for healing for those involved in Healing Hearts.
