SOUNDER THE ISLANDS’
Serving Orcas, Lopez and San Juan County
WEDNESDAY, October 19, 2011 n VOL. 40, NO. 42 n 75¢
A happy homecoming
Meredith M. Griffith/staff photo
Orcas students dressed up as superheroes last week.
www.islandssounder.com
Winter and spring sports not in the school budget by COLLEEN SMITH ARMSTRONG
endowments and hosting a major event in December. Donations can Unless the community steps up, be made through the Orcas Island Orcas kids will not be playing Community Foundation. The Booster Club is hopeful school sports this winter. Because of state funding cuts, the Orcas Parks and Recreation the district was unable to include District will join in creating a winter and spring sports into the long-term solution similar to what the rec district on San Juan Island budget. does. Of Island “Winter sports are not going to “This is a very severe Rec’s 17-cent levy, seven cents goes to happen unless we funding situation maintaining Friday can find the fundschool ing for it – where and we want to be Harbor sports. ever that may part of the solution.” “OIPRD is in the come from,” said sup er intendent — Kevin O’Brien, booster club recreation business and as such Barbara Kline. “I we have a strong am pretty confident that we will be fine, but desire to help make sure that it’s really unfortunate that we are opportunities to gather, recreate and have fun exist in our comhere.” Middle and high school sports munity,” said Orcas Parks and Rec have always been paid out of commission chair Martha Farish. the school’s Maintenance and “That said, school sports is not a Operations Levy. After the state traditional activity of parks and decreased its funding to the school rec programs. San Juan Island and this spring, the money that was Island Rec provide a good examused for sports is now being paid ple of how to approach solving to keep teachers in the classroom. this conundrum. They decided to In addition, the M&O levy is put the question directly to the based on the school’s income from voters and the voters decided to fund school sports through Island the state. “Because there were so many Rec. The only thing the commiscuts to our income, our levy is sioners have discussed is ways we could be supportive of the parents, less,” Kline said. Middle and high school fall boosters and school officials given sports were included in the budSEE SPORTS, PAGE 6 get, but the winter and spring programs have been left out. Middle school basketball was included in the fall portion, as practice starts Display advertising: in just a few weeks. Friday at noon “Come January we may be in a Classified advertising: better spot financially,” Kline said. “But it looks like there are further Monday at noon cuts on the horizon, so we are Legal advertising: dealing with the great unknown.” Thursday at noon The Booster Club has taken over fundraising for the flounderPress releases, Letters: ing athletics program. The cost of Friday at 3 p.m. coach stipends for winter basketball is $13,000. Other expenses – like transportation and officials’ Office: 376-4500 wages– are paid by participation fees and fundraising by the teams. Fax: 376-4501 More expenses accrue if a team makes it to state play-offs. Advertising: advertising@ “We want to carry the torch for islandssounder.com the school,” said Kevin O’Brien, a Classified: 1-800-388-2527, parent and Booster Club volunclassifieds@ teer. “This is a very severe funding soundpublishing.com situation and we want to be part of the solution.” Editor: editor@ Preliminary ideas include colislandssounder.com lection jars around town, securing Editor/Associate Publisher
Colleen Smith Armstrong/staff photo
Randall Boetger and Claire O'Neill share a laugh during the homecoming parade last week. For homecoming sports coverage, see page 8. Additional photos are online at www.islandssounder.com.
What’s on the horizon for weather Colder-than-normal weather predicted for February in Northwest; snow is likely by COLLEEN SMITH ARMSTRONG Editor/Associate Publisher
There may be more islanders flocking to sunny climates in the months after Christmas. According to meteorologists at Accuweather, winter is going to hit the Northwest hard starting in February. “The brunt of the winter season, especially when dealing with cold, will be over the north-central U.S.,” said meteorologist Paul Pastelok with Accuweather, which is based in Pennsylvania and provides local forecasts throughout the United States and the globe. In February that core of cold weather is predicted to shift westward over the northern Rockies, with colder-than-normal conditions extending all the way to the Washington and Oregon coasts. Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia are predicted to have one of their top three coldest winters in the past 20 years. Though February is expected to be a drier month for Seattle and Portland, chances for any snow events would be highest during this month with the colder air in place. The earlier part of the season is forecasted to fea-
ture more moderate temperatures that average near normal, but a slight increase in rain. Meteorologist Paul Walker said that December will be a particularly rainy month for the San Juans. The region typically has around five inches of rain and highs in the mid-40s with lows in the mid-30s. “We expect that in December the ridge (high pressure area) of the Southwestern United States will be strong and push the jet stream to the Pacific Northwest and bring several storms through,” he said. “Precipitation will average above normal and temperatures will be near normal … if the ridge weakens, it will shift to the south: Northern California and Oregon.” This past summer averaged close to previous years in regards to temperature but started out a bit wet. “We had a few moist systems that moved in and the precipitation averaged a little above normal,” Walker said. Walker says it’s been another warm, dry October due to a Southwest ridge jet stream.
Learn more For more information about weather, go to www. accuweather.com.
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