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Politics can get quite heated in this day and age. But on Saturday Mother Nature cooled more than campaign rhetoric. Extreme cold weather, with temperatures plunging into the low teens and below throughout greater La Conner, greatly reduced turnout at a Skagit County Republican Party caucus at the Civic Garden Club Building that morning. A couple dozen GOP and independent voters arrived the first hour of the caucus, which ran from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., and chose delegates to the county and state Re...
Skagit County Fire District 13 cares. In both deed and name. The district has implemented a proactive injury and illness prevention program that is providing medical care and assistance while reducing strains on the 911 system. Its coverage area includes Swinomish Reservation and rural La Conner, Early statistics show the effectiveness of District 13’s CARES (Community Assistance Referral and Education Services) program, staffed by three full-time paid personnel. Medical officer Capt. Drew Farrell presented graphs at the Jan. 11 District 13 m...
Brayden Pedroza has been a scoring machine for the La Conner High School boys' basketball team this season. He is also scoring points with the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association leadership. Pedroza was selected as one of its Athlete of the Week Award recipients after he meshed 22 and 27 points, respectively, in Braves' victories over Concrete and Sound Christian Academy the weekend of Jan. 5-6. Pedroza, was named a Skagit Valley Herald Athlete of the Week in December. He is...
Ivory Damien has a name not easily forgotten. But it is his polished game on the court that has given La Conner High School boys' basketball fans plenty of lasting memories. Damien, a guard equally adept at passing and scoring, made a name for himself beyond La Conner with his outstanding play at Concrete and against Sound Christian Academy. The Braves' senior netted 24 points in a 59-31 NW2B/1B win Jan. 5 over the Lions, then added another 21 the next afternoon when La Conner defeated...
La Conner had the home court advantage, but North Mason had the student enrollment edge when the schools’ basketball teams tipped off at Landy James Gym last Friday. The hosts came up on the short end of both non-conference tests, though the boys had a potential game-winning shot at the end of regulation before falling 82-72 in overtime. North Mason is a 2A Olympic League high school with over 700 students. La Conner enrolls less than 500 students in grades K-12. Still, the boy Braves had the higher numbers on the scoreboard through a s...
The popular La Conner waterfront, usually a place for leisurely board-walk strolls, outdoor dining and festive selfie photography, became a grim scene last week as a search was undertaken in Swinomish Channel for a missing 27-year-old Kirkland woman. Several search and rescue agencies from throughout the Puget Sound region, coordinated by the Skagit County Sheriff's Office, descended on La Conner after family members confirmed evidence located in the channel was linked to their relative,...
La Conner High School's annual basketball road trip to Concrete on Friday covered more than the usual hour-long drive time. This one spanned seven decades. La Conner fans filled the visitors' bleachers on a night commemorating the 1952 opening of the iconic Concrete High School gymnasium and the century-old hoops rivalry between the two Skagit County schools. The evening was billed as the "70-Plus Years Celebration" of the Concrete gym. And it was only fitting that the host Lions had La Conner...
During his many years of local public service, both as La Conner's mayor and president of the Chamber of Commerce, Bud Moore often showed a knack for getting people to pull together in support of major projects. Construction of the public restrooms on First Street and the major renovation of Maple Hall into a multi-event community center are just two examples. Now an active and energetic nonagenarian, Moore embraced that sense of teamwork while attending the University of Washington, where he...
In the event of a disaster, the single most important factor for an effective response will be availability of information, La Conner Emergency Management Commission member Jerry George said last week. “And that information,” he stressed, “has to be accurate.” George and the advisory panel are attentive to communications and information systems well ahead of the next flood, earthquake, windstorm, cold snap or heat wave. At its Jan. 2 meeting at Maple Hall commissioners heard from Skagit County Emergency Management Coordinator Joan Cromley...
The La Conner Braves slayed Lions twice in hoops action last weekend. La Conner defeated the NW2B/1B rival Concrete Lions 59-31 on the road Friday, then returned home to Landy James Gym Saturday for a 67-52 non-league win over the Sound Christian Academy Lions. With the wins, the Braves improved to 8-4 overall and 2-0 in league play. Ivory Damien (24) and Brayden Pedroza (23) combined for 47 points at Concrete, which was celebrating the 72nd anniversary of the opening of its storied gymnasium. T...
They were in a foul mood throughout, but the La Conner High School Lady Braves were able to smile after grinding out a 57-29 NW2B/1B for a smashing hoops win at Concrete Friday night. La Conner (7-4 overall, 2-0 in league) won by double digits despite being assessed 21 fouls. Maeve McCormick led nine La Conner scorers with 15 points, including the team’s lone three-pointer. Jacqui Lam, Nora McCormick, Kim Williams and Kiana Jenkins – all eighth graders – finished with eight points apiece for the victors. Another eighth grader, Abi Poult...
The calendar has flipped from December to January; 2023 to 2024. That means it’s a general election year. And the first local polling are two Swinomish Indian Tribal Community Senate primary races later this month. Six candidates, including the incumbents, are vying for a pair of five-year terms on the 11-member tribal governing body. Sen. Eric Day, first elected in 2019, faces challenges from Rodney John and James Bobb for Senate Seat No. 10. Three-term senator Brian Wilbur is seeking re-election to Seat No. 10, opposed by Bruce James and M...
The Town’s newest advisory panel didn’t wait long getting to work in the New Year. The six-member Emergency Management Commission, which spent much of 2023 developing and implementing immediate saltwater flood barriers along the waterfront and in low-lying areas, met yesterday afternoon at Maple Hall. The main agenda topic was their ongoing efforts to craft a community emergency management plan for La Conner. Commissioners were scheduled at their Jan. 2 hybrid session to hear from Skagit Department of Emergency Planner Joan Cromley. “We need to...
The La Conner High School boys’ basketball team got pounded in Seattle over the weekend. But not on the scoreboard. The Braves split two closely fought, loosely called holiday tournament games with teams from larger schools, each contest decided in the final seconds. Ivory Damien and Brayden Pedroza scored 16 points apiece as La Conner edged The Northwest School, the tourney’s 1A host team, 44-41 on Friday night. The Braves led during much of Saturday’s matchup with 2A Black Hills, but fell 44-42 in Saturday’s title round of The Top of the Hil...
History stands to repeat itself in Concrete on Friday. Just as was the case in 1952, when the Concrete High School gymnasium first opened, visiting La Conner hoop teams will take the floor Jan. 5 in a rivalry that precedes the Great Depression. Members of the 1952 Concrete and La Conner teams will be honored as part of a “70-plus Years Anniversary” celebration at the iconic Concrete gym. The night’s events will also include a brief historical presentation and introductions of all-time Skagit County scorers Gail Thulen and Andy Otis of La Conne...
A member of La Conner’s O’Leary family will coach Team USA golfers at the 2024 Arnold Palmer Cup in Ireland next summer. Matt Thurmond, a son of La Conner High School alums Kathy O’Leary Thurmond and the late Joe Thurmond, was chosen last month to be the head coach at the three-day competition on Ireland’s west coast next July. Thurmond is head coach of the Arizona State University men’s golf team. He previously guided the University of Washington men. The Arnold Palmer Cup features the best men’s and women’s collegiate golfers against their...
A server at a La Conner restaurant isn't just singing the praises of Skagit County's musical community. She's lending her voice to it, returning to the stage after a lengthy hiatus, with the Skagit Valley College presentation of "The Music Man," Meredith Wilson's 1957 Broadway musical comedy. Noelle Ford, who by day works at The Slider Café, is rehearsing several nights weekly for the Feb. 23-March 3 run at McIntyre Hall on the SVC campus. She was thrilled to learn that tryouts for parts in...
A U.S. military veteran, John Alcorn knows the importance of a promotion. He does so as a martial arts practitioner and instructor as well. Alcorn, who teaches Taekwondo at USTA Martial Arts in La Conner, was recognized last month for having advanced from second to third Dan (or Degree) Black Belt, a level that requires years of practice at what is universally considered a challenging and physically demanding discipline. But for Alcorn and his students, who range in age from children to adults,...
In La Conner, there's always one thing you can bank on. Tami Mason can be counted upon to pitch in and help when a community need arises. Mason, customer service supervisor at WaFd Bank's La Conner branch, volunteers for several organizations – from the Skagit County Historical Museum and La Conner Sunrise Food Bank boards of directors to the Chamber of Commerce and La Conner Volunteer Firefighters Association. "I love giving back to others," Mason told the Weekly News on Friday, as she w...
La Conner Planning Director Michael Davolio has come up with a way to follow both the letter and spirit of a new state policy that limits to a single public meeting topics reviewed by a hearing examiner. He wants the planning commission to receive all pertinent information in advance of hearing examiner sessions so they can chime in before a decision is rendered. “I want to make sure the public and planning commission has an opportunity for input,” Davolio said at the 90-minute Dec. 19 hybrid meeting at Maple Hall. “I want the planning commi...
Cynthia Elliott isn't the retiring type. The proof is in her willingness – eagerness, actually – to become a La Conner Planning Commissioner, a role not for the faint of heart, just 13 months after wrapping up a 35-year career. Mayor Ramon Hayes announced his choice of Elliot during the Dec. 12 town council meeting to fill the seat vacated by Marna Hanneman, who becomes mayor Jan. 1. Hayes stressed that three "very qualified candidates" had applied and that he and Hanneman reviewed applications....
The new year is bringing a new opportunity for local public service. Pleasant Ridge Cemetery, Skagit County Cemetery District No. 1, needs a commissioner. Candidates must reside within the cemetery district, according to cemetery district secretary Lori Buher. “Interested persons can check their property tax statements to determine if they do reside in our district,” Buher told the Weekly News. “This position would become effective in January 2024.” The vacancy was created when Curt Miller moved to Anacortes. Duties include meeting with pa...
In recent months La Conner has leaned heavily on Langley as a model for community livability issues, from tiny homes and affordable housing to parking. Last Friday it was La Conner's turn to school Langley – on the basketball court. The high school girls' team drubbed South Whidbey 73-34 that afternoon at Landy James Gym while at the same time the high school boys routed the 1A Falcons 60-23 in Langley. "It was a good game on the road while on the holiday break," first-year Braves coach Lance L...
Throughout their shared histories, La Conner and Concrete high schools have been fierce foes vying for league, district and state sports titles. But when they next meet it will be a friendly rivalry in the truest sense of the term. La Conner teams and fans have been invited to participate in celebrations Jan. 5 honoring the “70-plus anniversary” of the opening of the Concrete High School gymnasium to coincide with that night’s girls’ and boys’ basketball games. La Conner was the visiting team in the first-ever boys’ high school junior vars...
The Grinch was on his best behavior at the Swinomish community dinner last Wednesday. The reclusive green grump, best known as the Dr. Seuss character intent on ruining Christmas for the cheery citizens of Whoville, showed his softer side during an appearance alongside beloved toymaker Santa Claus. The Grinch entertained dozens of children before and after they shared with Santa their Christmas gift wish lists. The spirit of goodwill was present throughout the gymnasium. A mountain of door...
