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Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 1887
Ken Stern is moving on from what he calls his "best job ever" to a retirement that will likely involve travel near and far. Stern, after all, rarely ventured beyond what he calls the greater La Conner area during seven-and-a-half years as publisher of the community's weekly newspaper, which came to be defined by his topical, lively and – often by design – controversial editorials. "For seven years," Stern reflected last week, "I've been chained to my desk here in La Conner. I haven't seen anythi...
The miracle of Christmas came to La Conner early this year. On a day that began with fierce winds that brought down trees and power lines across Puget Sound and imposed choppy currents on local waterways, then ended with a cold, drizzly rain – and in some cases hail – a two-hour evening window of calm, comfortable weather emerged here. Clouds parted and the almost-full moon was plainly visible. It just so happened that last Saturday's respite from harsh wintry conditions coincided with the ann...
A detailed presentation, insightful questions and dreams of the future for La Conner's south waterfront and long underutilized former industrial area marked a nearly two-hour Dec. 11 public forum at Maple Hall. A large audience – at one point requiring Town Administrator Scott Thomas to set up additional chairs – attended the workshop, which explored potential zoning and code revisions and design concepts for the four-acre site commonly known as the old Moore-Clark property. Consultants Tom Bec...
It was more ho-hum than ho-ho-ho as the La Conner Town Council approved a $7 million 2025 municipal budget during its final meeting of the year. No public comment was offered at a budget hearing, part of the nearly hour-long Dec. 10 agenda at Maple Hall. “People come to the meetings here to talk about things and sometimes it can be fairly trivial,” Town Councilor Ivan Carlson noted wryly, “so I’m surprised that no one is here to speak to the proposed budget.” Mayor Marna Hanneman had a ready explanation. “Either we’re doing a great job,” H...
The La Conner School Board on Monday endorsed and approved a four-year replacement levy on the Feb. 11 ballot to bridge the gap between state funding and the cost of staff, materials, services and facilities during a briskly paced 40-minute meeting. The proposal seeks $ 4,745,000 starting in 2026, $1.11 per $1,000 assessed valuation, the present tax rate. The levy and contributions from the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community offset a $1 million shortfall between state funding and rising costs in...
Friday Harbor missed the boat when it came to getting its NW2B/1B boys' basketball season off to a good start. In hindsight, the Wolverines would have fared better had they literally missed the boat – their ferry ride from San Juan Island – to face La Conner in the conference opener for both teams at Landy James Gym Friday night. The home team, behind superb perimeter shooting and relentless full-court defensive pressure, sank Friday Harbor 72-48 in an impressive league debut. "We played har...
Skagit Valley College showed foresight when it envisioned Sarah Cook as a rare two-sport athlete coming out of high school. The Swinomish Indian Tribal Community member and La Conner grad rewarded SVC with a focused 20-20 effort in Skagit's Northwest Athletic Conference volleyball tournament title win over Linn-Benton Community College in Tacoma last month. Cook, a key member of SVC's women's basketball program, delivered 20 kills and 20 digs to help lead the Lady Cardinals to a gritty five-set...
La Conner's favorite tourist is an early riser who also enjoys the local nightlife. Santa Claus, the renowned North Pole toymaker who makes visits to La Conner a winter priority, was in town early on Saturday to greet local children and partake in the local Rotary Club's annual pancake breakfast fundraiser. Following a ride on La Conner's vintage white 1941 fire truck, Santa appeared after nightfall at Gilkey Square for the much-anticipated Chamber of Commerce Christmas tree lighting. Whether...
Once there were two newspapers in La Conner. Soon there will be none. The pending closure of the La Conner Weekly News and retirement of its owner, Publisher and Editor Ken Stern, is the latest headline – though hardly a joyous one – from a robust local journalism tradition dating to the 1870s. The story begins, oddly enough, in Bellingham with James Power, who established himself as a politician and newspaperman of note before Washington became a state. Power published the Bellingham Bay Mail,...
La Conner Schools officials joined colleagues throughout Skagit County Dec. 5 in assigning homework to state lawmakers for the 2025 legislative session. The county’s school administrators and board members asked legislators during an hour-long webinar on Thursday to explore strategies for increased funding support of crucial academic services. Anacortes School District Superintendent Justin Irish moderated. La Conner Superintendent David Cram spoke directly to the lawmakers, citing fiscal stress caused by soaring costs related to special educat...
The Dec. 3 planning commission meeting featured coming attractions related to potential redevelopment of La Conner’s former south end industrial area. Commissioners previewed proposed revitalization plans for the four-acre site that will be shared by consultant Tom Beckwith and his team at a public workshop at Maple Hall tonight at 6 p.m. Beckwith guided commissioners through a nearly hour-long presentation on concepts for the once bustling industrial zone. The Moore-Clark fish feed plant with its massive Victorian era warehouse dominated t...
Better safe than sorry. That’s the mantra embraced by members of the La Conner Emergency Management Commission, which oversaw flood barrier placement along the downtown waterfront and in low-lying areas the past two king tide seasons and recently reviewed La Conner’s emergency operations center at Town Hall. “King tides are not a problem themselves,” Chairman Doug Asbe reminded commissioners during their Dec. 3 meeting at Maple Hall, “but in combination with low atmospheric pressure, winds and the inflow of fresh water from the Skagit Ri...
La Conner High School's fall sports season has ended, but the school's student-athletes are still racking up points with NW2B/1B coaches. La Conner garnered 10 all-league selections in recent post-season polling for conference honors. In volleyball, junior libero Addison Keller was tabbed for first unit All-NW2B/1B recognition. Her La Conner teammates, freshmen Nora McCormick and Abi Poulton, were second team all-league choices. Junior Maeve McCormick was an honorable mention recipient. La...
A tough loss was soon forgotten as the La Conner High girls’ basketball team bounced back from a heartbreaking 48-47 setback at 3A Mount Vernon last Wednesday to defeat Lummi in a key road test on Saturday. Maeve McCormick (13) and Abi Poulton (12) combined for 25 points in leading La Conner (2-2) to a solid 45-36 triumph at Lummi. McCormick scored nine points in the second half, helping La Conner stave off a late Lummi comeback bid. Poulton scored 10 of her points before halftime as the visitors built a 25-15 lead at the break. Nora McCormick...
If ever there was a friendly rivalry, it’s the one shared by the La Conner and Lummi Nation boys’ basketball programs. Cousins related through the Edwards family of Swinomish played key roles for both teams in the latest meeting of the non-conference foes, a 63-49 home win by Lummi on Dec. 7. Lummi’s Dyson Edwards, who played middle school hoops at La Conner, led 1B Lummi with 22 points, including three perimeter treys in the second half. His cousin, Jerome Toby Jr., finished with 16 points, 12 coming before intermission. Lummi, which earli...
History is full of mysteries and a good one focuses on a collection of old photographs stored for decades in the attic of a rural La Conner home. Steve Thein, of Landing Road southeast of town, came across the studio-quality black-and-white prints while clearing space to insulate his attic. The photos, judging from hairstyles and clothing fashions they reveal, appear to date from the early to mid-20th century. Some photos are identified only by first name, others not at all. Only a few photos ar...
It was a La Conner Town Council meeting that nearly wasn’t. The Nov. 26 session at Maple Hall was almost scuttled due to lack of a quorum among the five-members. Councilmembers Ivan Carlson, Mary Wohleb and Annie Taylor were absent as the 6 p.m. start time approached. Fortunately, Taylor – who Mayor Marna Hanneman said was under the weather – shook off the effects of fatigue and illness and arrived to save the day 10 minutes later. “We’ll try to make this as short as possible,” the mayor stressed, as Taylor took her seat, “so that Annie ca...
The La Conner High School girls' basketball team couldn't rebound from a slow start against 3A Ferndale in the season opener for both clubs at Landy James Gym Nov. 30. The 2B Braves trailed 21-4 after the first quarter and fell behind 28-8 early in the second period before mounting a furious comeback bid that brought the hosts to within 35-32 midway through the third frame. Ferndale closed with a 25-10 run to post a 60-42 victory. Maeve McCormick led La Conner with 19 points, 15 in the second...
Maeve McCormick scored a game-high 17 points, leading eight La Conner players in the scoring column, as the Braves evened their record at 1-1 with a 48-27 non-conference victory over visiting Blaine in girls’ hoops action Monday night. McCormick scored nine first quarter points, including a perimeter trey, as the hosts bolted to a 15-7 lead and never looked back. The team clinched matters with a 13-5 run in the third quarter fueled by five points from Faith Jenkins, a three-pointer and free throw by Shaniquah Casey, and two points each by M...
The middle school basketball game between La Conner and Conway here last week was emotional. So, too, was a special pre-game ceremony. Before the teams tipped off for what was a seesaw, down to the wire 49-46 La Conner victory, Braves coach Greg Edwards honored his mentor, the late Rich Watkins. "Rich really helped me out my first five years of coaching," Edwards told the large crowd gathered at the middle school gymnasium. "I had great respect for him." A beloved figure at La Conner Schools – h...
La Conner Schools has put its STEAM into student creativity and critical thinking. The district last Wednesday hosted STEAM Night, an interactive and fun event for families to solve puzzles, play games of chance, enjoy dessert treats and experience countless ways of applying classroom lessons to everyday life. STEAM is the acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math. Students and staff manned activity-oriented stations so engaging that two hours seemingly passed in the blink of...
Only 26 shopping days remain until Christmas. But another significant deadline looms even sooner. The Town of La Conner will hold its second public workshop on proposed revitalization of the four-acre former south end industrial zone on Dec. 11 at 6 p.m. at Maple Hall. That's just two weeks away. Draft concepts for the area will be presented. Planning Director Michael Davolio confirmed that a spokesperson for property owner Triton America, whose focus is aviation, has been invited to all...
Jerry George vowed for several months that a draft La Conner Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan would be completed by year's end. The town's Emergency Management Commission approved and sent the 36-page document to the town council at its Nov. 19 meeting. It includes a risk assessment for potential natural disasters and spells out emergency response procedures, operations and communications policies. Ironically, the hour-long session at Maple Hall was held just ahead of a bomb cyclone that...
Having all five starters return to the La Conner High School girls' basketball team should help the program tackle a tough 2024-25 schedule. "It feels like we've joined the Northwest 1A/2A/3A League this year as we play Ferndale, Mount Vernon, Anacortes, Lakewood, Burlington-Edison, Bellingham and Blaine," La Conner head coach Joe Harper told the Weekly News on Saturday. But Harper sees the tough non-conference slate in positive terms ahead of La Conner's chase for a 2B playoff berth. "I think t...
Despite returning four starters, the La Conner High School boys' basketball team will sport a new look this winter. The Braves will don new home and away jerseys with a tribal motif and red accents, harkening to the 1970s, along with backpacks bearing the player's number and the district's stylish blue thunderbird logo. Second-year head coach Lance Lopez, who guided La Conner to a 16-8 mark and state regional berth last season, said the varsity squad will make its much anticipated fashion...
