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It’s long been said that two things in life are certain – death and taxes. Now a third certainty can be added to the list: high winds in November leading to power outages in and around La Conner. A year almost to the day after a windstorm knocked out power for local Puget Sound Energy customers, gusts exceeding 60 mph Friday night led to extended outages from southeastern Fidalgo Island across Swinomish Channel to the Skagit River at Fir Island. Some households reported a literal “on again, off again” experience with their electrical service...
Faced with rising costs across the board – from insurance to equipment – Skagit County Fire District 13 commissioners approved a resolution Thursday authorizing a one percent levy increase for 2024. The fire district, whose coverage includes Swinomish Reservation and the rural area around La Conner, realized $528,936 from its levy collection over the past year based on a $0.62 per $1,000 assessed property value. The action, coming during its Nov. 9 hybrid meeting at the Snee Oosh Road fire station, will result in an increased dollar amount of...
It is back to the drawing board for at least parts of the controversial 306 Center Street multi-family three-story project. Town of La Conner Planning Director Michael Davolio said several planned elements of the proposed apartment/condo building have been remanded to the project applicant for revision. “We’ve noted three or four things that aren’t consistent with the approved project and we have advised the applicant of these inconsistencies,” Davolio told the planning commission during their Nov. 6 hybrid meeting at Maple Hall. Davolio...
They didn't win a single match this season, but Black Bird Landscaping U-11 girls' soccer players were champions, nonetheless. And not just here in town, but across the entire county. That's because the La Conner team was honored at the end of the regular season with the Skagit Valley Soccer Association's coveted Sportsmanship Award. On that score, it wasn't even close. During the season, referees assigned to youth soccer matches submitted scores for sportsmanship for each team on a 1-5 scale....
Strategic planning and chaos aren't mutually exclusive. That is the approach taken this coming high school basketball season by new La Conner Braves hoops coach Lance Lopez. Lopez, who has served on coaching staffs in various sports at Mount Vernon, Sedro-Woolley and his alma mater Burlington-Edison – larger schools – will employ "borderline chaos" to control tempo and take advantage of a versatile, athletic boys' roster this winter. "I'm very familiar with the group we have here," Lopez tol...
All good things must come to an end. Such was the case last week for a youthful and overachieving La Conner High School volleyball team that scored late season wins over two 3A schools and stormed back from a two-set deficit to league rival Coupeville at bi-district trials to secure a spot in the state 2B net tourney. This season’s stay in Yakima, however, was short-lived for the Lady Braves who, with just two seniors, were eliminated the first day and unable to defend the state crown La Conner had worn since 2018. La Conner fell in four s...
Trudy Newton enjoyed a five-star horoscope on Thursday. That's nothing new for the woman believed to be La Conner's oldest resident. Hers has been a particularly blessed life and Newton's many friends here insist she generously shares those blessings daily. They, in turn, shared well wishes and congratulations of their own during a special celebration of Newton's 107th birthday at La Conner Retirement Inn Nov. 2. "She's a beautiful soul," Executive Director, Jeff Hendrickson, told the Weekly...
Coupeville was on the verge of winning the bi-district volleyball title here last Wednesday. Until it wasn't. The Lady Wolves fell prey to a scintillating La Conner comeback that saw the hosts erase a daunting 2-0 deficit to forge an emotional 22-25, 17-25, 25-23, 26-24, 15-12 two-hour, five-set victory for the 2023 Northwest 2B Bi-District championship and berth to the state tourney today (Nov. 8) in Yakima. La Conner offset Coupeville's relentless power game by playing stellar defense. The...
Unity is a key part of the word community. That theme was stressed throughout the annual La Conner Young Life Dessert Fundraiser held Sunday night in the elementary school commons area. A wide cross-section of folks from in and around La Conner, representing the town, agricultural, Swinomish, Shelter Bay, Snee-Oosh and Fir Island communities attended the two-hour event, supporting the faith-based program that provides summer camp and monthly social and personal growth opportunities for local...
On a morning during which local veterans were honored, La Conner Schools staff employed military precision to blend two indoor student assemblies within 45-minutes. A Veteran’s Day program keynoted by retired U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Scott Poulton, a Shelter Bay resident, meshed seamlessly into a sendoff ceremony for the state tournament bound high school volleyball team. Students in grades K-12 entered Landy James Gym single file to designated seating areas Tuesday morning for the Veterans Day segment of the twin assemblies.. About a half-hour l...
One was a true La Conner original, scion of a storied pioneer family, blessed with a bevy of talents – singing, strumming and storytelling among them. The other was born on the other side of the country, in industrial Pittsburgh, and built an amazing career in southern California before bringing his myriad creative skills and good cheer to La Conner. Both lived richly full lives, artists in their own way, each enjoying more than 90 trips around the sun before passing in recent weeks. Bruce McCor...
Historic First Street could look different in the future as Town officials ponder proposals ranging from one-way traffic flow, occasional pedestrian only access and angled and paid parking downtown. Those are options being discussed in the review and update of the transportation element of La Conner’s comprehensive plan. A presentation on paid parking infrastructure will be made at a joint town council-planning commission meeting Nov. 28 at Maple Hall. Staff from at least one firm marketing metered parking are expected to attend. “There sho...
The Town’s saltwater flood barriers are nearly all in place ahead of king tide season, but for La Conner’s six-member Emergency Management Commission the heavy lifting is just getting started. The panel has focused primarily on short-term flood mitigation this year. It shifted attention during the second half of its one-hour Oct. 24 hybrid session at Maple Hall to long-range preparedness strategies along the waterfront. The commission endorsed a potential cooperative venture between the Town, Port of Skagit and Swinomish Tribal Community to...
The La Conner High School football team saved its best for last, closing out the campaign with a convincing 26-13 non-league victory over Annie Wright Academy of Tacoma on Senior Night at Whittaker Field last Friday. Versatile junior C.J. Edwards paced the La Conner attack – doing damage as a runner, passer and receiver – while the Braves stop unit forced Gator freshman quarterback Charlie Finch to flee the pocket much of the night, often resulting in tackles for loss. Edwards rushed for two scores, reeled in two touchdown passes from Ivo...
There was no way La Conner wouldn’t win its soccer match at Whittaker Field last Wednesday. But the question afterward was which of the two teams the Braves or Lady Braves won the impromptu home finale match. A paper tally, including post-game penalty kicks, had the Braves posting an 11-4 triumph. The scoreboard told a different story. It indicated the Lady Braves had recorded a lopsided 50-11 victory. “Look, we won!” exclaimed a member of the girls’ team, who recorded the electronic final score with her phone camera. The afternoon pairing...
This year’s La Conner High School volleyball team, with its several underclassmen – including eighth graders – playing key roles, has taken a different route to reach a familiar destination this fall. That being the Northwest 2B Bi-District Tournament. The Lady Braves tuned up for a postseason run with an impressive 3-1 victory at Mount Vernon High Thursday. Monday they were paired against Auburn Adventist in a first-round bi-district clash at Landy James Gym. On the opposite side of Monday’s bi-district bracket, NW2B/1B rival Coupevi...
There was no way La Conner wouldn’t win its soccer match at Whittaker Field last Wednesday. But the question afterward was which of the two teams the Braves or Lady Braves won the impromptu home finale match. A paper tally, including post-game penalty kicks, had the Braves posting an 11-4 triumph. The scoreboard told a different story. It indicated the Lady Braves had recorded a lopsided 50-11 victory. “Look, we won!” exclaimed a member of the girls’ team, who recorded the electronic final score with her phone camera. The afternoon pairing...
After 42 years on the job in La Conner, Jeanie Hertz ended her career Thursday the way it started – with style. The buoyant and cheery cosmetologist, who began styling hair when shaggy bobs and wispy bangs were all the rage, has handed over the keys to La Conner Hair Design on Maple Avenue to Katrina Brumley, ending what has literally been a colorful four-decade tenure at the local salon. The transition, as might be expected, has been bittersweet. “I cried for three days when I made the dec...
Having committed to a new K-12 math curricula that has already paid dividends in terms of improved student achievement, La Conner school board members Monday also reaped the benefits of that investment. The five-member panel was saluted as a School Board of Distinction among Washington state’s small enrollment districts for its embrace of the ambitious new math initiative and implementation of Professional Learning Communities, Universal Design for Learning and other innovative programs. The announcement was made via Zoom by Tricia Lubach, dire...
There will be cheers and tears at La Conner High School's home football game Friday. That's guaranteed regardless of the outcome. The former will be led, as always, by the cheer squad. The tears, on the other hand, will reflect the bittersweet acknowledgement that La Conner cheer sponsor Theresa James is stepping down from that assignment – one of several hats she wears for the school district – after a remarkable 30-year run. James is being honored for what district officials laud as her "as...
David and Lynette Cram are united in both marriage and their shared love of La Conner Schools, where they first forged career plans and were taught the value of public service. The Crams, both La Conner alumni, have since college taken on various leadership roles with their hometown school district, he twice on the administrative team and she as a coach, sports trainer and school board member. David Cram began his second tour as the La Conner Schools finance chief in March, enlisted to stanch a bleeding budget pierced by successive years of...
This completes the two-part look at Ramon Hayes time as La Conner's mayor For 16 years while mayor of the Town of La Conner, Ramon Hayes has championed the successes teamwork has created, deflecting attention from himself. He did it again in August at the La Conner Rotary Club's annual dinner and auction. When the chapter presented the Paul Harris Fellow recognition to him, a $1,000 contribution to the national Rotary Foundation in Hayes' name, he recognized another accomplishment. He – t...
It’s okay to feel scared and spooky in La Conner next Tuesday. In fact, it’s encouraged. That’s because Oct. 31 is Halloween, one of area residents’ favorite celebrations and the unofficial kickoff to the holiday season. The fun starts with the La Conner Parent-Teacher-Student Association costumed parade on First Street, at 3 p.m., after school. Parade participants are to meet immediately beforehand at the La Conner Marina south basin parking lot. The festive walking serpentine will start at the corner of First and State streets and proceed...
The new-look La Conner High School volleyball team rekindled memories of the recent past during two impressive matches last week. The net program, which has suffered heavy graduation losses in the wake of four straight state titles dating to 2018, flashed championship form with twin straight-sets triumphs over NW2B/1B rival Friday Harbor on the road and 3A Marysville-Getchell at home. The team defeated M-G 3-0 on Oct. 17 in its annual Dig Pink Senior Night event at Landy James Gym. Morgan Huizenga and Addison Keller fueled a comeback in the...
A solid ground game supported by a potent passing attack led by quarterback Ivory Damien wasn't enough for La Conner to defeat archrival Coupeville in the Braves' Homecoming football game at Jack Whittaker Field Friday night. Seeking its first NW2B triumph of the campaign, the team fell 43-12 to the Wolves despite a strong start that saw the Braves reel off a methodical nine-play touchdown drive on their first possession. C.J. Edwards capped the 46-yard march, which came after holding...
