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Generations of Skagit Valley College students have been tutored in acting at the Phil Tarro Theatre on the school’s Mount Vernon campus. But Thursday morning it was a real-life drama that played out on the main stage there. That is when SVC hosted oral argument hearings conducted by the three-judge Washington State Division I Court of Appeals, based in Seattle and whose docket takes cases originating in King, Snohomish, Skagit, Whatcom, San Juan and Island counties. The panel heard attorneys present arguments in two civil and two criminal appel...
The La Conner Middle School Rock Climbing Club sponsor is also rock solid in the classroom. Madison Huscher, whose carefully crafted science lesson plans take students beyond the traditional boundaries of textbooks and lectures, has been named the Northwest Educational Service District 189 regional teacher of the year. The award recognizes Huscher's outstanding commitment to teaching and her many contributions to the educational community. As a regional winner, Huscher will compete against...
It’s often said there’s no rest for the weary. For over three decades the Skagit Adult Day Program has been working to put that adage to rest. The organization’s mission is to provide a daytime program where adults with special needs can take part in a supportive group setting with friends, board member and La Conner area resident Jan Taylor told the Weekly News Saturday prior to a major fundraiser at Maple Hall. Caregivers gain time to recharge their batteries or complete daily chores while those in their charge are engaged in an array of su...
The newest members of the oldest active high school alumni association in Washington state were welcomed into the fold Saturday night in La Conner. Members of the Class of 2023 were feted during the 109th annual La Conner Alumni Banquet and Program at the middle school, just hours prior to departing on their senior trip to Knott's Berry Farm. "La Conner is just so special," said 2022-23 high school student body president Rachel Haley, speaking on behalf of her classmates. "We're proud to graduat...
Tommy Murdock had a leg up on the competition throughout the high school track and field campaign this spring. And a big reason the La Conner High School junior was head and shoulders above all comers was his mental toughness, Braves' head coach Peter Voorhees told the Weekly News after Murdock swept the state 2B boys' 110 and 300-meter hurdles contests at Yakima in May. A case in point, Voorhees noted, was how Murdock handled a late start time for his preliminary heat in the 110s. "In the heat...
The past intersected with present and future during Memorial Day services at two local cemeteries Monday morning. The memories of departed veterans, pioneers and tribal members were honored during separate programs at Pleasant Ridge and Swinomish cemeteries, each of which also stressed the blessings of freedoms enjoyed today and offered words of wisdom and optimism going forward. "We remember with thanks our loved ones who are buried here," Rev. Don Robinson said in remarks at Pleasant Ridge,...
Emergency repair work on the rock jetty south of La Conner will continue through June 9 to protect out-migrating juvenile salmon. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is coordinating the project, which includes placement of thousands of cubic yards of cobble and sediment on the Skagit River side of the jetty. The repairs are designed to plug porous areas that have impacted outbound salmon this spring. Until work is completed, fishers and recreational boaters must remain at least 300 feet from the construction area. Only authorized access to McGlinn...
Change and continuity were celebrated simultaneously at La Conner Schools last week. School district retirees and those not returning in the fall as well as the volunteers who invest hours of their time on campus were honored May 23 during a 75-minute open house reception in the middle school gymnasium. Six retirees who have served for a combined total of 124 years were formally recognized. So, too, were over 100 volunteers who assist with tutoring chaperoning, monitoring, speaking, reading and...
La Conner Town Council members were akin to traffic cops during their May 23 nearly 90-minute hybrid meeting at Maple Hall. The council forwarded proposed local restrictions on adult businesses to state officials in Olympia while remanding for review to the town planning commission a bid by developer Greg Ellis to site tiny homes on the lots behind Pioneer Market at Whatcom and Washington streets. Mayor Ramon Hayes echoed what planning staff have previously said for restricting such businesses. “If we don’t regulate them,” said Hayes, “we o...
Lightning struck twice at the Washington state 2B track and field championships on Saturday. First, an actual lightning storm delayed the final round of action. Then, La Conner High School junior Tommy Murdock repeated as a state hurdles champion. Murdock, who captured one state hurdles title in 2022, swept the 110 and 300-meter hurdles in lightning fast fashion this time around, leading the team at Yakima. Murdock ran a personal best 15.01 in the 110s, which he needed to edge Raymond senior Mor...
La Conner Schools, which is considering installation of a campus garden, knows it cannot plant a money tree to solve the district’s present fiscal crunch. But sometimes unexpected financial windfalls appear seemingly out of nowhere without anyone having gone out on a limb to shake loose the funds. The district has received such a surprise, receiving $258,000 in federal impact aid monies, designed to assist districts with tax-exempt federal property such as military bases or Indian trust lands. The allocation wasn’t anticipated at this tim...
Kim Good Rubenstein spent her early career in Studio City, California where she met top film and TV stars like Marty Feldman. Now it’s Rubenstein’s turn to bask in the limelight. A 1973 La Conner High School graduate, she has been selected as the school’s outstanding alumnus this year in recognition of her work in the hotel and hospitality industry, as a tireless advocate in the special education field and for taking on a host of volunteer duties since coming home to the Skagit Valley, where her forebears were among the area’s pioneer...
They say there's no such thing as a free lunch. But that is not entirely true, as was the case at Swinomish Thursday. That's when the local tribal community held its annual Blessing of the Fleet and First Salmon Ceremony, which led off with a noontime feast of salmon and seafood provided by Swinomish fishers. The tribe's gymnasium was filled with those taking part in the meal, many of whom later walked in a large procession up Pioneer Parkway and down Moorage Way to the shoreline, where clergy...
A La Conner High School senior is a true lifesaver. Not just once, but twice. Finn Hakenson on separate occasions earlier this month helped two men in distress in Whistle Lake at Mount Erie Park in Anacortes. Both survived thanks in great part to Hakenson's fast thinking and strong swimming skills. The first rescue, on May 12, was the most dramatic. Hakenson was in the lake waiting for his friends and track and field teammates Brenden Kitchen, Isaac Kitchen, Floyd Dent and Flint Huizenga to...
Community journalism has a rich history, but the present business model has its issues. Yet the future of local news coverage across America isn't lacking reasons for optimism. Faced with shrinking advertising revenue that has led to a shedding of reporting, editing and production jobs across the nation, print newspapers are looking at creative strategies to keep the industry alive for the next generation of readers. One promising option, among several suggested during a special forum in Mount...
There’s no escaping flood risks in La Conner, but there are temporary and permanent options that can improve the odds of successfully managing future high-water events like last December’s that caused nearly $2 million in damages. Those options are spelled out in a flood mitigation report from engineer Evan Henke and presented to the Town’s Emergency Management Commission at Maple Hall May 9 by Public Works Director Brian Lease. “This plan,” wrote Henke, of David Evans and Associates, “is intended to be a ‘living’ document that is frequently r...
Now it is the La Conner Town Council’s turn to decide how best to regulate adult businesses should one or more try to locate here. Fortunately, the panel has received some grown-up advice. The La Conner Planning Commission last week unanimously approved forwarding to the Council a detailed and highly restrictive framework developed with Planning Director Michael Davolio and Assistant Planner Ajah Eills based on court rulings issued in First Amendment and freedom of expression cases. The plan limits to industrial zones on the town’s north and...
La Conner High School golfers nearly left the country to qualify for state competition in the Olympia area this week. Four of its members – Sammy Williams, Gage Tenborg, Abi Udlock and Natalee Koch – emerged from Northwest Tri-District 2B trials at Loomis Trails Golf Course in Blaine with single round scores allowing them to advance to the state tournament at Tumwater Valley Golf Club. Williams carded a 90 to place sixth on the Tri-District boys’ leaderboard. Tenborg was one stroke back, at 91, to clinch seventh place. On the girls’ side, U...
La Conner is no stranger to either history or good music. Both will be evident in town on Friday. That’s when the Skagit Community Band, directed by La Conner resident Vince Fejeran, celebrates its 60th anniversary with a free concert and silent auction at Maple Hall. The concert, in keeping with the spirit of the occasion, will feature favorite selections from through the years. After all, the band has played at special events across decades throughout the Skagit Valley area. But La Conner, where Fejeran was a popular music teacher and band d...
The 2023 Shelter Bay Board of Directors campaign trail crossed Rainbow Bridge into La Conner Monday evening. A scheduled three-hour community members-only meet-and-greet with board candidates in the canopied Santo Coyote Mexican Kitchen outdoor patio area gradually shifted from mix-and-mingle to question-and-answer to a free-wheeling and often spirited discussion on a wide range of topics among attendees. About 50 people participated on a come-and-go basis. Seven candidates are vying for three...
The Solar Jam at Maple Hall Saturday could not have been timed better. The hottest day of the year, with bright sunshine drawing crowds of tourists to the town's boardwalk and other attractions, coincided with a program and concert promoting the advantages of solar energy attended by some 25 people. The La Conner-based Skagit Valley Clean Energy Co-Operative organized the afternoon, keynoted by Mason Rolph, Olympia Community Solar founder and president. It is a leader in solar installation devel...
With long-awaited warm weather hinting of summer arrival, La Conner Mayor Ramon Hayes told Town Council members that tighter fitting fashions will be the coming style at their May 9 Maple Hall session. “We’re going to have to tighten our belts this fall,” Hayes predicted, referring to next year’s budget, despite robust sales and hotel-motel tax revenues. “There will be pressure on our budget negotiations,” said Hayes. “Costs are rising, and we see inflation across the board. And labor costs are on the rise.” Councilmember MaryLee Chamber...
La Conner School board members toured native plant gardens on Swinomish Reservation last week, a walking tour that appears to have brought the district one step closer to installing something similar as an outdoor hands-on classroom on campus. A school garden project in partnership with the Swinomish Department of Environmental Protection and Between Two Worlds indigenous science program has cultivated growing support since the concept was introduced several weeks ago by proponents Jen Willup and Morgan Brown. “The board is 100% s...
La Conner High School’s Tommy Murdock qualified for the 2023 Washington State 2B Track & Field Championships in Yakima May 25-27. Murdock captured top honors in the boys’ Northwest Bi-District 110 and 300-meter hurdles events in Coupeville on Saturday. He leads eight La Conner students into the three-day state trials next week. Murdock ran a 15.45 in the 110s and a 40.07 in the 300s. But that tells only half the story. The junior also secured state berths in the 100 meters, which he won with a 12.53 clocking and as a member of the Bra...
The art of leadership took several forms in La Conner last Friday. The current class of Leadership Skagit, which develops leaders from the private, public and nonprofit arenas, visited town to see examples of how the arts help leaders broaden their perspectives. The nearly three dozen participants, selected for the long-running leadership training program affiliated with the Economic Development Alliance of Skagit County (EDASC) and Skagit Valley College, took part in a briskly paced tour...
