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Sorted by date Results 426 - 450 of 1887
Over 3,000 greater La Conner residents were without power for several hours Sept. 26 following a vehicle collision north of town. The areas affected by the outage was southern Fidalgo Island east across the La Conner Flats to Pleasant Ridge and the North Fork Skagit River bridge and along McLean Road to Best Road. According to the Safely HQ community health platform, electrical service was interrupted when a motor vehicle crash occurred near the intersection of McLean and La Conner-Whitney roads around 1:40 p.m. Outages were reported on Fir...
There has been extended debate in town over pending new construction of a multi-unit residential building in a commercial zone. The focal point for that dialogue is the "Talmon Project" at 306 Center Street. In a coincidental twist, Town of La Conner Planning Commissioners and staff were asked last week about the status of a longtime commercial building in a residential zone. The former COA restaurant at the corner of Maple Avenue and Washington Street – perhaps better known as the 'new Joe's D...
No amount of rain was going to dampen spirits at the Skagit County Fire District 13 Open House Saturday. That is because the event’s guest of honor, retired fire district commissioner and former Shelter Bay resident Larry Kibbee, has long been admired for his sunny disposition. Kibbee served six years on the fire district’s governing panel prior to moving to Bothell. He returned to the Snee Oosh Road station for the formal dedication of a new residential building that bears his name. “I would...
The wheels are turning – first gradually, than rapidly – as Town of La Conner officials continue work on updating the transportation element of its comprehensive plan. “I’ve been working on this element for several months,” Director of Planning Michael Davolio told planning commissioners at their 90-minute Sept. 19 hybrid meeting at Maple Hall, “and one of the surprising things I’ve learned is that there is enough parking on South First Street to accommodate all the (residential and commercial) uses there. “But,” he cautioned, “it do...
Town leaders hope to spruce up La Conner’s appearance with the planting of new trees along Morris Street. The La Conner Chamber of Commerce and Town Parks Commission are teaming up on a grant application for placing street sensitive trees plus hanging baskets and updated banners to further beautify the town. “The trees will be placed into existing holes with a containment to keep the roots from streets and sidewalks,” parks commission chair Ollie Iverson said in his official report of the panel’s Sept. 13 hybrid meeting at Maple Hall. Iverson...
The La Conner High School boys’ soccer team was on point against Crosspoint Saturday. The Braves (1-3) earned their first victory of 2023 with a convincing 5-0 home shutout of non-conference foe Crosspoint Academy, a traditional soccer power from Bremerton and a SeaTac 2B entry. Lane Tenborg paced the winners by scoring twice and assisting on La Conner’s other three goals. Braves’ head coach Galen McKnight described Tenborg’s play as “brilliant.” McKnight also praised Corran Eisen, who broke a scoreless tie with the lone first half goal of the...
The new-look La Conner High School volleyball team, sporting a revamped lineup following heavy graduation losses from last year’s state 2B championship roster, has not lost sight of the immediate task at hand. Which is to collect as many NW2B/1B match triumphs as possible. So far, the Lady Braves (2-4 overall) have checked that box. The team, which dropped early non-league contests with 1A Meridian and Lynden Christian, 1B Neah Bay and 4A Glacier Peak, has won the match that counts most – a straight-sets sweep of conference rival Concrete Sep...
The La Conner High School girls’ soccer team could not find the net at Auburn Adventist Thursday afternoon.On that score, the Lady Braves are in good company. Auburn Adventist has won four matches this fall by shutout. That is why they sit atop SeaTac 2B League standings, The Lady Falcons added NW2B/1B member La Conner to the list, recording a 3-0 non-league triumph, despite several outstanding individual performances cited by first-year coach Maddie Huscher. Huscher praised striker Izzy Villard, right wing Kailey Carlson, right back Aisley Z...
La Conner quarterback Ivory Damien accounted for more than 200 yards in total offense, including a 79-yard first period scoring strike to wideout Logan Burks, but the visiting Braves still fell 48-6 to NW2B grid foe Coupeville at Mickey Clark Field Friday night. Coupeville prevailed on the strength of superior roster depth and a punishing ground attack led by Mike Robinett, who ran for three touchdowns and was effective all night on inside blasts. The Braves also hurt themselves by yielding six...
The drive to reinstate student public service hours as a La Conner High School graduation requirement intersected Monday with a concrete example of the level of community support enjoyed by the school district. School Board members at their 75-minute Sept. 25 hybrid meeting expressed appreciation for a donation of 11 ukuleles by the La Conner Arts Commission to the elementary music program. Board President Susie Deyo cited the commitment demonstrated by the group as a prime reason of the great value for everyone when students engage in the...
Soroptimists are optimists – and with good reason, especially in La Conner. Members of the local chapter daily express appreciation for the widespread community support received for their multiple service projects. Their global volunteer organization provides women and girls access to education and training needed for economic empowerment. “It’s totally amazing what we get in donations,” Diane Goetz, co-president with Margaret Hillard of La Conner Soroptimists, said of the merchandise stocked at the chapter’s Vintage La Conner thrift store. Go...
La Conner Schools Finance Director David Cram is confident the district’s new fiscal game plan is headed in the right direction after declining student enrollment and loss of COVID-19 emergency funds forced severe budget cuts for the 2023-24 academic year. Now Cram is hopeful the district’s transportation department can likewise get past some bumps in the road in the form of a bus driver shortage that has plagued La Conner Schools since the start of the calendar year. “We’re definitely in need of drivers,” said Cram, whose expanded role this...
The sands of time have shifted from the hourglass to poly bags that will soon be strategically placed along the La Conner waterfront ahead of king tide season. Facing an Oct. 1 deadline to install sandbags and ecology blocks in areas prone to flooding, the La Conner Town Council last week approved purchases of equipment and barriers designed to thwart the high-water damage that plagued the town last December. The council, acting upon recommendations of the Emergency Management Commission, gave Public Works Director Brian Lease the go-ahead at...
Contributions to local firefighting by retired Skagit County Fire District 13 Commissioner Larry Kibbee won’t soon – if ever – be forgotten. That is because Kibbee’s name will be associated with improvements at the district’s Snee-Oosh Road firehall. The district’s new firefighter and EMT residential units will be dedicated in honor of Kibbee’s service and showcased during a Sept. 13 public open house 12-2 p.m. at the Snee-Oosh station. “It will be a two-hour event,” district fire chief Wood Weiss said, and will include building tours, i...
The Wahkiakum School District lost its two-year legal challenge seeking increased state funding for campus building and maintenance projects Washington state’s Supreme Court unanimously ruled Sept. 7. La Conner Schools officials feel the southwest Washington district’s pain. “It was too bad that they lost,” La Conner School Board President Susie Deyo said during the local panel’s 45-minute study session Sept. 11. The district had donated $3,000 to the Wahkiakum district’s legal battle. “All together, they raised about $100,000,” Deyo said. The...
The Lady Braves soccer team gained a win in town last Thursday. Lydia Grossglass and Maicy Bowles scored goals and Josi Straathof and Annika Keith recorded key saves for a home non-conference victory over Forest Ridge Sacred Heart High of Bellevue. The La Conner girls’ soccer team (2-2) was slated to open league play at home Tuesday opposite Friday Harbor. Boys soccer The Braves soccer team, meanwhile, played NW2B power and defending state champion Friday Harbor on nearly equal terms at home Friday afternoon. The Wolverines, with the wind at t...
Friday Harbor converted three straight second quarter La Conner turnovers into touchdowns, securing a convincing 41-0 NW2B grid triumph at Whittaker Field on Thursday. Quarterback Whiley McCutcheon threw a pair of scoring tosses to Triston Bremer and ran for another TD – all in the final 5:14 of the opening half –to break open what had been a closely fought defensive battle in the league opener for both teams. With the win, Friday Harbor improved to 2-1 overall. La Conner, fell to 0-2 after a 28-12 setback to 2A Evergreen of Seattle. The tea...
The new-look La Conner High School volleyball team, beset with heavy graduation losses, produced quite familiar results at NW2B foe Concrete Thursday night. The defending state 2B title winners forged a straight-sets triumph in their league debut, after successive setbacks to tough 1A net programs Lynden Christian and Meridian and a 3-1 loss to a talented 1B Neah Bay club Wednesday at Landy James Gym. Neah Bay swept NW2B Coupeville, a team La Conner is expected to vie for conference top honors, during its long two-match road swing from Cape...
There's no doubt Marna Hanneman has the resume to be La Conner's next mayor. Having served nearly a decade on the La Conner Planning Commission, a key advisory panel focused on land use and historic preservation, Hanneman comes with relevant academic and professional credentials. She holds a degree in business administration from the University of Maryland and has enjoyed wide-ranging careers in marketing, property management and insurance. And not to be overlooked is her long managerial stint...
Short-term rentals have been the talk of the town. That isn’t going to change anytime soon. The community can participate at a 6 p.m. open house Oct. 17 at the La Conner Civic Garden Club. Encouraging input on revising short-term rentals regulations is the goal. The La Conner Planning Commission has been reviewing the issue this summer. “We want to hear from as many people as possible,” Assistant Planner Ajah Eills told the Weekly News Friday. “The Town is totally neutral on this.” Short-term rentals are permitted in La Conner’s commercial...
All wasn’t lost when the new-look La Conner High School girls’ soccer team dropped two tough non-league tests to open the 2023 campaign. First-year coach Maddie Huscher was encouraged by her club’s effort in an 8-1 setback to North Mason and 7-0 shutout defeat at Northwest House of Seattle last week. “It was tough competition playing a team not in our division,” Huscher told the Weekly News after the road trip to Northwest, “but it was a great learning experience. We played on a turf field, something we aren’t used to.” Huscher said the team’s...
C.J. Edwards reeled off a 53-yard touchdown run, Ivory Damien delivered a 45-yard scoring strike to Tommy Murdock and the La Conner High School defense recovered five fumbles, but the Braves still fell 28-12 to Evergreen of Seattle in their grid opener at Whittaker Field Friday night. The difference, even more than the Wolverines' 16-point margin of victory, was in roster depth. Evergreen is a 2A King County program that rolls out 57 players. The 2B Braves, by contrast, suit up 20, two of them f...
Among its many devotees, the annual Pioneer Picnic in La Conner is always a winner. Especially by the staff and volunteers at the Skagit County Historical Museum. This year was no exception as proceeds from the annual picnic in August allowed the La Conner Civic Garden Club and Skagit County Pioneer Association to contribute a total of $4,000 to the museum last week. The joint contribution by the organizations to the museum was approved during the association’s board meeting at the Skagit City School Building on Fir Island Friday afternoon. T...
Despite perfect late summer weather, thoughts of potential natural disasters – earthquakes, tsunamis, wildland fires and more – were on the minds of those visiting John K. Bob Ball Park on Swinomish Reservation Saturday afternoon. Emergency management staff and volunteers from throughout the region shared information and provided take-home items for use during major disaster events. The four-hour Swinomish Disaster Preparedness Fair, coordinated by the tribal emergency management dep...
A master storyteller, La Conner author Tom Robbins lent his name to another well-received work here Saturday. Only this time he did so not with his pen, but with his mere presence. And it had everything to do with fun rather than work. That's because a large crowd – many dressed as characters from his best-selling novels – descended on town for a festive, sun-splashed afternoon celebrating the La Conner wordsmith's decades-long mastery of wit, wisdom and eclectic thought. The timing cou...
