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Sorted by date Results 734 - 758 of 1887
La Conner Schools officials are fired up about the district’s arts program’s newest addition. It is, after all, a kiln for students to use to fire pottery. The acquisition is made possible by a $2,500 donation from the Anacortes-based Rick Epting Foundation, accepted at the school board’s October meeting. Director of Special Programs Andy Wheeler explained that the Epting Foundation, an all-volunteer organization that raises money for the arts, had decided on a gift of up to $1,500. Wheeler checked with teachers and heard from Steve DeLeo...
Neither time nor distance was an issue at a local museum during an October tour. About two dozen visitors to the Skagit Early Keyboard Museum near Snee-Oosh Beach were transported back centuries and across the Atlantic to the birthplaces of classical music. Museum curators Tamara Friedman and George Bozarth literally pulled strings to make it happen. Friedman, an acclaimed pianist, played selections from famed composers on several of the museum's original and replica instruments while Bozarth,...
Their business is a throwback many wish could go on forever. But, alas, all good things must come to an end. Jon and Linda Peterson's much celebrated Plug Ugly store of vintage fishing gear and one-of-a-kind collectibles for over three decades, is closing at the end of November. Its many loyal customers, near and far, are chagrined. For Jon Peterson, the time just seems right to retire – again. Peterson served various roles in the Seattle Police Department, including motorcycle and bomb squad d...
It was a dark and stormy Sunday night, but Monday at noon the breeze abated and the clouds lifted just before La Conner's school children took to First Street for the annual Halloween Parade. They were safe, for once again La Conner Hook & Ladder – many of them parents of school aged children – blocked First Street to traffic In typical La Conner fashion, it was an all-in, all-ages costume ball, with toddlers and elders alike dressed as scary, strange, other worldly, puffed up and cute. And the...
One special meeting has canceled another. The La Conner Town Council Friday afternoon at a special Zoom session adopted procedures for calling planning commission special meetings that in effect nixed a special meeting the advisory panel had scheduled for Nov. 1. The rationale was process. A council majority objected that a short-handed commission had scheduled a special meeting for last night during a regular meeting not attended by chair Marna Hanneman and only had three members present at its close. Councilmembers Annie Taylor, Rick Dole, Ma...
She's already in the state coaches' Hall of Fame. Now Suzanne Marble is having her name affixed to a space closer to home, off the corridors of Landy James Gym, where she has guided the school's storied volleyball program to six state titles in three decades. The school board voted unanimously to name the gymnasium's women's locker room area after Marble in recognition of her vast impact upon district students and athletes since arriving here in the early 1990s at their Oct. 24 meeting. A...
The road to a seventh state volleyball championship may well go through Manson. If so, the Lady Braves will have to bypass the speed bumps they encountered during a two-day Eastern Washington swing last week that saw La Conner drop matches to 2B Manson and 1A Chelan. The defending state volleyball champions rebounded from those setbacks with a convincing straight-sets home triumph over 2A Squalicum on Friday, Oct. 28. This was the kind of win that bodes well for post-season, which opens...
By Bill Reynolds Ilwaco High School did a victory jig with a 23-0 non-league triumph – the Fishermen's first of the season – when its relentless run game finally wore down the Braves for two fourth period touchdowns Thursday, Oct. 27. Leading 8-0, Ilwaco doubled its margin when running back Dylan Pelas dashed in from five yards out and Sam Needham caught a two-point conversion toss from Ethan Hopkins with 9:40 to play. The Fishermen added an insurance score with 6:03 remaining on a 10-yard Kyl...
At its meeting Oct. 24, the La Conner School board heard reports from middle school and high school students who attended Cispus Leadership Camp in Randle, near the base of Mount Rainier, last summer. The students reported enjoying the experience, saying they had been introduced to problem-solving and leadership skills, gleaned new fundraising ideas, were encouraged to brainstorm and received instruction in how to promote inclusion, kindness and empathy. “I think we all grew a lot,” said high schooler Hadley Shears. La Conner was the sma...
She was the definition of a quick study while a senior at La Conner High School, simultaneously earning an associate-in-arts degree from nearby Skagit Valley College before enrolling in fall 2000 at Western Washington University as an 18-year-old junior. But over the past two decades Louisa Firethorne has also shown great patience and perseverance by nurturing her college senior project to fruition from its start as a mere sketch on a napkin. Firethorne, a professional webpage designer, is first...
Town planning commissioners are getting plenty of chances to hone their listening skills. They have scheduled a Nov. 1 special session ahead of its regular monthly third week meeting to hear priorities from residents for potential changes to the La Conner Municipal Code. This will be the commission’s second special meeting in as many months. Longtime La Conner resident Linda Talman prevailed upon her former colleagues to meet, Commissioner John Leaver confirmed to the Weekly News on Friday. The commission used to meet twice monthly, Talman n...
Ellie Marble is well known in regional volleyball circles and at Central Washington University, where the La Conner High School standout is a prized recruit for veteran head coach Mario Andaya's program. The 6'-0" senior outside hitter and reigning Washington State 2B Player of the Year is also getting plenty of national recognition. Marble was named the American Volleyball Coaches Association Player of the Week for Oct. 3-9 after having led the Lady Braves to key conference net triumphs and...
La Conner High School senior Thomas Kitchen and his Braves teammates unleashed heat that Providence Classical Christian defenders couldn't handle during conference boys' home soccer action Friday night. Kitchen delivered a laser shot into the net at the 6:33 mark of the first half to break a scoreless tie and give La Conner a lead it wouldn't surrender enroute to a 2-1 Senior Night triumph in cold and wet conditions at Whittaker Field. "We've been playing a lot better," Kitchen said afterward. "...
TV ratings in Shelter Bay were down a lot Sunday night. A significant number of residents turned off their remotes during prime time, opting instead to attend a one-hour town hall meeting called by the Shelter Bay Community’s board of directors to address issues affecting the residential community. A standing room only crowd of perhaps 75 gathered in their clubhouse for a briskly paced question-and-answer session on topics ranging from aging infrastructure and increased homeowners’ association fees to the status of ongoing master lease neg...
Slamming scamming was a popular pastime in Skagit County on Wednesday, Oct. 19. The American Association of Retired Persons teamed up with the Washington State Attorney General’s Office, TechConnect, Boeing Employees’ Credit Union and Nomorobo on a free 90-minute Tip-Offs to Rip-Offs online event designed to help Skagit County area consumers stay a step ahead of scammers. That heavyweight lineup landed quite a haymaker against con artists. “We had a solid showing for the event, with 114 signing in from the Skagit County area,” Jason Erskine...
A Small project is a big addition to downtown La Conner. Skagit Valley artist Roger Small, whose work is on display at Earthenworks Gallery, is making an impact on the town's outdoor landscape. Small, a retired union ironworker who grew up in Burlington, is creator of a stunning sculpture donated by resident Marilyn Thostenson and installed recently by the Town public works staff at the foot of the Benton Street stairway. It was relocated from the Skagit County Historical Museum. Entitled "The...
Skagit Bay Search and Rescue volunteers are trained to locate people in distress. These days they are also in search of others to join their ranks. "We're actively looking for new members in the La Conner area who can respond to calls in a short amount of time," SBSAR President Sue White confirmed to the Weekly News. " Established in 2002, SBSAR is a non-profit organization that provides marine-based support to the Skagit County Sheriff's Office and is a familiar presence at such iconic local ma...
La Conner High School volleyball fans were in the mood to celebrate Thursday night. And that was before the defending state 2B champions knocked off 4A Glacier Peak in straight sets in front of a supportive home crowd at Landy James Gym. It was a festive mood that filled the arena Oct. 13 as Washington Hall of Fame Coach Suzanne Marble was formally honored courtside on her 30-year career here, a tenure marked by six state titles, three academic state championships, 17 state tournament trophies...
Once upon a time, the late Doug Caldart insisted the only parking problem in La Conner was when there were no cars here to fill spaces in front of closed and boarded up storefronts. Those days are long gone. For decades the issue has instead been there are too few parking spaces available to handle increased traffic downtown. Shortage of parking is now a major topic residents gave voice to at the La Conner Town Council hybrid meeting at Maple Hall Oct. 11. Center and Morris Street residents do not believe there is enough parking for the...
If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. More than a familiar adage, it’s now the approach local Fire District 13 could well approach to solve manpower issues going forward. The district has in recent months faced the loss of personnel to what Chief Wood Weiss calls “career departments” able to pay full salaries and benefits. In response, Fire District 13 is providing fuel stipends for commuting shift staff and is considering use of two-person rather than three-person crews. That’s not all. The district will budget for two new paid positions nex...
The La Conner High School homecoming football game last Friday was full of bright shining moments. Not so much in the final score, but certainly during isolated moments of a 67-18 grid loss to league foe Friday Harbor and at intermission when the royal court led by King Jacob Pommels and Queen Makayla Herrera was introduced to a large Whittaker Field crowd. While the homecoming royalty could not decree a second straight Braves win a week after the team broke a lengthy scoring drought in a...
The defending state 2B La Conner High School volleyball team is used to posting big numbers when it takes the floor. But none bigger than last Wednesday at Landy James Gym. The Lady Braves swept Mount Vernon High School in straight sets Oct. 12 and raised more than $1,000 for breast cancer research as part of their annual Dig Pink/Senior Night match. The Dig Pink effort shows head coach Suzanne Marble's commitment to providing public service projects for her players. As for Senior Night, fans...
Just weeks after selling his auto repair business in Burlington, Mark Hulst is revved up for his next gig. Hulst, owner of the Skagit Cellars tasting room here, has been tapped as the new executive director of the La Conner Chamber of Commerce. He succeeds Heather Carter, who stepped down in June after nine years at the helm. Hulst was introduced by Chamber board president Chris Jennings at the La Conner Town Council hybrid meeting Oct. 11. Thursday he hosted an open house at the Chamber...
The La Conner municipal code did not receive a complete facelift upon Town Planning Commission review at Maple Hall last Tuesday. But there are a few new wrinkles for the town council to consider. Perhaps the most significant development during the 90-minute public hearing, continued from Sept. 20, came when commissioners embraced town planner Michael Davolio’s proposal that they rule on conditional use permit applications and not the contracted hearing examiner. The idea floated by Davolio came near the end of the commission’s Oct. 4 mee...
La Conner Planning Commissioners last week got a closer, on-the-ground look at long-range Port of Skagit plans for the northern industrial area of La Conner Marina. The five-members held a special Oct. 3 public meeting at La Conner Maritime Services, a well-established marina tenant eyeing future expansion to meet market trends. Port staff, including Executive Director Sarah Young, joined commissioners, residents and Town Administrator Scott Thomas on an afternoon walking tour of the La Conner...
