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Halloween has morphed into Howell-oween at The Slider Café on Morris Street in La Conner. Managers Levi and Kimberly Howell have decked out the restaurant with creative and colorful decorations that celebrate the cute rather than scary elements of the otherwise spooky holiday. The Howell-oween theme has even been enlisted for their daughter Annabelle's Oct. 27 birthday party at the café. Turns out, the Howell family isn't alone when it comes to embracing the Halloween spirit. "It makes e...
NAVAL AIR STATION WHIDBEY ISLAND - Naval aviators Lt. Cmdr. Lyndsay Evans, the flight officer, and Aviator Lt. Serena N. Wileman died when their EA-18G Growler crashed near Mount Rainier Oct. 15 during a routine training flight. Both were 31 and from California. The U.S. Navy released their names Monday after family were notified. The Growler aircraft from Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 130 crashed east of Mount Rainier. Search and rescue teams were first dispatched from NAS Whidbey Island to...
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5. Help get all ballots counted quickly: Vote and return your ballot now. Sign your ballot return envelope. Mail your ballot by Oct. 30 so it’s postmarked no later than Nov. 5. Use a county dropbox. Place ballots in a drop box by 8 p.m. Nov. 5. La Conner-area election drop boxes: 614 Morris Street (in front of the old library) 17337 Reservation Road (Swinomish Indian Tribal Community Social Services Building) You can register to vote on Election Day. Voting information: register at VoteWa.gov. Skagit County E...
More rain than average fell in September, with the 1.6 inches of rain Sept. 25 almost as much rain as most Septembers have gotten this century, an average of 1.9 inches. For the month, 2 inches fell in just six days; the 0.2 inches on Sept. 14 was the only other precipitation greater than a tenth of an inch. After no rain the first nine days, it rained four of the next five days, with four events under 0.01 inch. The 2 inches of rain was the ninth year of at least 2 inches of precipitation....
Emergencies and natural disasters are no fun, but planning for them can be. The Swinomish Indian Tribal Community proved as much with its second annual Emergency Preparedness Fair at John K. Bob Ball Park on Oct. 17. The event was a festive affair with fun demonstrations (the one featuring use of fire extinguishers was especially popular), blaring rock-n-roll music, a food truck and giveaways of home emergency-related items. Flu and Covid vaccinations were also made available to those...
The Board of Skagit County Commissioners adopted an interim ordinance Sept. 23 imposing a moratorium on the acceptance of permits for electrical energy generation or storage facilities on Skagit farmland. The moratorium is for six months and may be extended. The Skagit County Planning Commission is considering a new ordinance for electrical energy generation and storage facilities on lands zoned Ag-NRL (natural resource land). County commissioners are concerned that the prospect of new regulation could cause a rush of new permit applications....
Our mailboxes have been deluged with attack ads against our State Senator Ron Muzzall, saying he is a “two-faced” liar trying to “take away our reproductive freedom.” Some reality therapy: Washington has been one of the states most protective of a right to abortion for over half a century. In 1991, the voters narrowly (50.1% to 49.9%) approved Initiative 120, declaring a right to abortion for any reason until viability (when a child can survive outside the womb) and for any “health” reason after that. In 2018 the Reproductive Parity Act made it...
I am writing as a Skagit County farmer who is eager to see new energy and fresh ideas in our local government. The upcoming election has given us an exciting opportunity, particularly with Rylee Fleury running for county commissioner. It’s not just about electing a younger candidate – it’s about bringing a much-needed change to the way our county addresses key issues like farming and housing. For 16 years, we’ve seen the same face making the same decisions and frankly, the status quo isn’t working for many of us. Our farms, which are the backb...
Thank you, Ken for last week’s editorial concerning the massacre of Israeli innocents on Oct. 7, 2023 and the horrifying war on Hamas and the people of Gaza that is being waged by the present government of Israel and the Israeli Defense Forces (“After a Year of Slaughters,” Oct. 9). Though I appreciate parts of your editorial, it’s very important especially at this time to portray Israel as a country with many different voices. Yes, the present government is waging this war, but the present government doesn’t speak for the majority of Israel...
Should Skagit County approve utility scale battery energy storage projects? Yes. The size of the project, the type of battery and where, exactly, those projects should be located are subjects that will require public discussion. However, as their costs have fallen more than 99% over the last 20 years, large batteries have become very helpful in keeping electricity rates down. Here’s why: The American electric generation system is significantly overbuilt. There’s more capacity to generate ele...
The community group working to secure the future of the La Conner Weekly News now has an interim board of directors and a name that reflects its mission: La Conner Community News. Board President Andrew Ashmore said the group has completed its articles of incorporation with the state and can now do business. It has an Employee Identification Number for the IRS. Tillinghast Postal & Business Center is providing a free mailbox. A Gmail account will soon be active. Joining Ashmore on the interim board are Jerry Willins, vice president; John...
Thanksgiving came a month early for members of La Conner's planning commission. Mayor Marna Hanneman expressed her thanks at their Oct. 15 meeting for the role they and others played in the conversion of downtown First Street to one-way southbound traffic. "I want to thank everyone," Hanneman said at the outset of the 75-minute public session at Maple Hall. "It's a miracle. It was a team effort on First Street." Hanneman and Fire Chief/Code Enforcement Officer Aaron Reinstra were among those...
The shorthanded La Conner Emergency Management Commission managed some heavy lifting last week. Commissioners Doug Asbe and Jerry George at their Oct. 15 meeting took a deep dive into a risk analysis of various emergency scenarios listed in a draft community Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan due for completion by the end of the year. They were joined by Administrator Scott Thomas, who called the 75-minute session “a productive meeting” after the trio discussed challenges posed by some 20 potential disaster threats ranging from storm sur...
The Mount Vernon Library Commons library opened Tuesday. Hours are 10 a.m-6 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and 10 a.m-4 p.m. Saturday. Use the main entrance on the corner of Kincaid and Second streets. Park in the lot at the old library on Snoqualmie Street. Visit and use the library. Some services may be unavailable until construction is completed. The parking garage and conference center are closed....
The conditions couldn't have been harsher for the La Conner High School boys' soccer team when it faced NW2B/1B foe Friday Harbor at Whittaker Field on Friday. Southerly winds gusted to 45 mph, hard rain fell the entire second half and temperatures plummeted into the 40s by game's end. That wasn't the worst of it, at least emotionally. The Braves briefly led the contest in regulation until a potential Braves go-ahead goal late in the second half was disallowed on an official's questionable...
There was no place like home for the La Conner High School volleyball team last week. The Braves (10-7) defeated 1A Sultan in a seesaw, five-set, non-conference match at Landy James Gym on Oct. 15 with Nora McCormick (8) and Reese Bird (7) combining for 15 kills to lead the La Conner attack. Results were less favorable when La Conner went to Coupeville. Coach Pam Keller’s charges lost in straight sets to the NW2B/1B rival on Oct. 17. League-leading Coupeville (11-2 overall; 8-0 in NW2B/1B matches) was paced against La Conner by Teagan C...
In volleyball, as in U.S. courtrooms, the defense never rests. A prime example is La Conner High School junior libero Addison Keller, whose outstanding defensive play and clutch serving has been formally recognized by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association, the governing body of extra-curricular programs in the state’s schools. The WIAA has named Keller its Athlete of the Week based on her play as libero – a defensive player specializing in passing and digging – in La Conner’s recent victories over Mount Vernon Christian and Darr...
Mike Elliott, president of the La Conner Retirement Inn Residents Council, holds a $5,000 check to give to Tessa Deyo, a La Conner Community Scholarship Foundation member. Witnessing the event are other officers of the council and some of the volunteers that worked to make their September garage sale successful. The money was earned from the Labor Day week-end sale which was directed by Allie Kester, activities coordinator at the Inn. The residents at the Inn are excited to have participated in...
It is finally fall and a great time to come to the library to check out a new book or re-read an old favorite and remember, if we don’t have the book you are looking for, we can get it for you from one of our partner libraries. Check out these exciting new books: Coming Soon! local author Shanna Lowe’s newest book, “Lotte Skale and the Wyvern Hatchery.” Lotte Skale and her father run a hatchery for magical and endangered wyverns. In an era when magic and magical creatures are forbidden, their actions are punishable by death. When her father...
The world premiere of “Van Gogh: Poets & Lovers” is one of the many highlights of the 12th annual Friday Harbor Film Festival this weekend, Oct. 25-27. The 16 full length documentaries and 21 short films are shown twice on five screens at three venues. “Fish War” covers over 50 years of indigenous tribal fishers fighting to secure their treaty rights with legal battles ending in the U.S. Supreme Court and now the fight to save salmon. “Van Gogh: Poets & Lovers” producer Philip Grabsky is coming from London for question and answer sessions. T...
The Museum of Northwest Art was awarded a major capacity building grant from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust of Vancouver, Washington in September to fund the new position of director of curatorial affairs and curator of Northwest art . The new director will provide strategic vision and managerial oversight for the museum’s exhibition program and collection, a position essential to advancing and fulfilling the museum’s mission. This transformational investment in MoNA’s growth lays the foundations for the museum to develop a compr...
Arts Alive! 2024 kicks off its 39th anniversary show “Along Salish Shores” 1-8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25, in Maple Hall, 104 Commercial St., La Conner. Opening reception begins at 5 p.m. Arts Alive continue from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26, and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 27, and Monday, Oct. 28. More info: artsalivelaconner.com. “This Machine is Made for Earth”: The Madrona Project at MoNA. Poets will converge at the Museum of Northwest Art, 121 S. First St., La Conner, from 2-4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2, to offer a reading and discussion from the...
Karl Olson gave up hunting and sports a quarter-century ago in favor of distance walking. The former La Conner resident has for an even longer time been tracking steps taken to protect the rights and improve the quality of life for members of the developmentally disabled community. All too often, said Olson, a member of La Conner High School’s class of 1988, progress has been measured in baby steps. Olson believes that despite passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act and related state and federal legislation, more can and should be d...
It is October in the western Skagit Valley and that means that tens of thousands of snow geese have migrated down from Wrangel Island in Russia for the winter. These immigrants will be flocking to farm fields, areas set aside as refuges and other lands they spot....
Sunday, Oct. 13 12:16 p.m.: Prowling cars at least – Caller had a window broken out of her vehicle and several items taken from inside. Deputies had been out the previous evening with a suspect for other thefts in the area and believe this may also be related. Bay View-Edison Rd., Bay View. 1:53 p.m.: Husband: call home – Caller reported that her husband had taken a boat out to the island for hunting and had not returned. When a deputy arrived, they learned that the subject had returned and everything was OK. Goat Island. Monday, Oct. 14 8:4...
