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Gov. Jay Inslee signed the “Healthy Washington - Roadmap to Recovery” proclamation he introduced last week on Monday, Jan. 11. The plan uses a two phase and regional approach to evaluate progress in reducing the coronavirus pandemic and opening the state’s economy. All regions start in Phase 1. Skagit County is in the North Region with Island, San Juan and Whatcom counties. Phase 1 continues the governor’s limits on people’s abilities to engage in economic and social activities. Restaurants cannot have indoor dining and limits are placed on...
La Conner students have done plenty of homework this year, due to the remote learning format adopted to curb spread of COVID-19. School officials have been loaded with homework, too. Their assignment: develop a plan to safely transition students to in-person instruction. A Feb. 1 start was part of the framework unanimously approved by school board members during a 75-minute Zoom meeting Monday night. La Conner Schools’ Director of Special Programs Andy Wheeler outlined the plan, which had been d...
The Weekly News asked several merchants how they fared in December and what they expect in 2021. Sales varied widely. The Vintage La Conner store the Soroptimists own was hampered by too few volunteers to cover all shifts. Store co-chair Dyann Provenzano reported a strong November but that December sales were the “lowest since reopening.” Store staff are concerned of historically slow January and February traffic. They continue to accept donations by reservations only. Mark Epstein’s Go Outsi...
Loyalty. What and who are we loyal to? The U.S. Constitution is the bedrock document upon which everything within the United State of America stands. Elected officials, from the president, through the Congress, down to this and every district’s school board members, start their terms with an oath to the U.S. Constitution. Our elected officials serve us, in service to the Constitution. Our government starts and ends with the Constitution. Those loyal to President Trump over their nation are revolutionaries against our government. They, as in e...
A catechism is a set of, typically, religious instruction framed in the form of questions and answers to instruct the young, to win converts, and to testify to the faith. A Trumpian catechism follows. Why do you support President Trump? The president puts America first. He calls for law and order. He is against immigrants, socialists and homosexuals and criticizes protesters who loot and riot. How do you support the president? We follow him on Twitter. We organize, practice and prepare to follow his instructions. We stand down and stand by as...
The Republican Party used to stand for strong American values. The character and morality of their candidates was important to voters. I ask you to compare John McCain to Donald Trump. John McCain was a war hero and an honest man. He understood political compromise as a necessity for functional government. John McCain and Joe Biden were best buddies even though they fought like cats and dogs on the floor of the Senate for their ideals and their constituents. Take a step back and look at the draft-dodger Trump. Which of the seven deadly sins...
Today I was asked to share my feelings about the events in our nation’s capital this past week. As I thought about the behavior of those involved in the movement that led to the insurrection on what has always been a traditionally honorable event in our national election process, four words immediately came to mind: despicable, disgust, disappointment and disgrace. I am extremely disappointed in the behavior of a number of citizens to be so degrading to such an important part of our nation’s Capitol building, to force illegal entry with no res...
I am remembering and reflecting on Christmas, 2020. There is only One whom I care to mention in this letter. He is Immanuel, God with us. I met Him personally, that is I put my full trust in Him as my Savior and Lord at the age of 22. So He is my foundation of truth. His word, the Bible, is my guide book in all aspects of my life; and I find the truth of scripture will let me discern what is true and what is false in our world. I can recommend turning from one’s own way, to Him, not to a religion, but to a relationship, but to a living God, t...
To the editor: For the first time in American history we have not had a peaceful transfer of power after a presidential election. Because on Jan. 6, 2021, a career conman, who, to our lasting shame, happens to be president of the United States, attempted his biggest con – reversing the outcome of an election he lost convincingly. Even with the help of his lap dogs in the administration and Congress, with the endless stream of lies on Fox News, talk radio, and far-right websites, with the power of social media platforms to spread these...
My focus for the 2021 session is simple: how can we help families, schools and businesses recover from this pandemic? It is critical that we support a sustainable economy that allows all members of our community to thrive. The Legislature and our state must prioritize economic development and recovery in rural communities, sustained environmental and economic health, and better access to higher education and family-wage jobs. Here are my top legislative priorities: Jobs – I am working on legislation that will continue to champion key K-12...
Washington State Journal OLYMPIA — Increased security was deployed around the Capitol building in Olympia on Jan. 11 for the start of the 2021 Legislative session. The decision to add security follows the storming of the Capitol Building in Washington D.C. and incursions onto the property of the Governor’s Mansion in Olympia last Wednesday, Jan. 6, when protestors forced open a gate and advanced to the governor’s mansion porch. Gov. Jay Inslee on Thursday laid the blame for both events squarely at the feet of President Donald Trump. “Th...
Washington State Journal OLYMPIA — This year’s legislature will not just be about numbers and budgets: it will explore social inequities, the proper role of policing and just how much authority the governor is due. Gov. Jay Inslee said his budget proposal specifies funds for marginalized communities, who have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. His plans to remedy these issues include forming independent agencies to investigate police violence, expanding early childhood education and increasing access to h...
Washington State Journal OLYMPIA — Desperately needed COVID-19 relief is a top priority for this year’s Legislature, and Republicans and Democrats generally agree it will be necessary to get that aid out as soon as possible. The parties are split, however, when it comes to increasing some taxes to erase a pandemic-caused revenue shortfall. House Speaker Laurie Jinkins, D-Tacoma, last Thursday outlined some of the early action economic relief Democrats have lined up. This included, among other things: at least $300 million for rental a...
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, high school sports schedules have changed again and again. Still more changes were announced last Wednesday. The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) executive board, in response to new pandemic guidelines outlined by Gov. Jay Inslee, has ruled practices for the traditional fall sports season can begin Feb. 1. After several planned launches dating to last summer, the WIAA is now calling the seven-week fall campaign Season 1. “The change in guidelines,” WIAA Executive Director Mick Hof...
The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted the tide of public forums to on-line sessions. For Friends of Skagit Beaches, a local group in its second decade highlighting life in and around shoreline and marine ecosystems of the Salish Sea, that is the case both literally and figuratively. Friends of Skagit Beaches is launching the 16th year of its popular lecture series on-line 7 p.m. Jan. 15. Details for the Zoom link to this Friday’s lecture are at skagitbeaches.org. The one-hour program will address “Seals and Sea Lions: Pinnipeds of the Salish Sea...
How cold has your family been? Hopefully, they are not suffering in this pandemic year, or even your lifetime, but reflect on your family however many generations they have been in America, or perhaps throughout your family’s history: For how long has comfort been the norm? In 1909 in the Skagit Valley, in Seattle, in Spokane, would your ancestors have hopped freights and hitched rides in the back of wagons as day laborers, with all the possessions they owned rolled up in their blanket slung over their backs? Many of them probably did, as d...
ANACORTES — The Island Hospital Foundation and Island Hospital are hosting a free, online community briefing on the COVID-19 vaccine 5 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 14 with a panel of Island Hospital providers and senior leadership. The types of COVID-19 vaccines, side effects and current recommendations from the CDC on who should receive it will be discussed. Panelists will include Dr. Jason Hogge, Family Medicine/Obstetrics with Anacortes Family Medicine and medical director of the Walk-in Clinic, Dr. Brandon Greene, pediatrician with Anacortes...
These days news is often shared via platforms and messaging networks that are ephemeral in nature. Think Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter, as examples. They are literally here today, gone tomorrow formats. But there is still room – on bookshelves and elsewhere – for time-honored means of sharing and preserving news, such as journals, clipbooks, and scrapbooks. The thick collection of news accounts from the pages of the Puget Sound Mail compiled 50 years ago by late La Conner business leader and Rotary Club officer Paul Thompson is a...
Monday, Jan. 5 11:37 a.m.: Went which way? – Report of a speeding vehicle. Deputies conducted a patrol check. Maple Ave. / Morris St., La Conner. 12:18 p.m.: Not left behind – Report of an abandoned truck towing an RV. Deputies tagged the vehicle for removal. Deputies returned the next day to check on the vehicle and it was gone. Fir Island / Dike Rds., Conway. Tuesday, Jan. 6 7:59 a.m.: Right with God – Deputies responded to a report of a suspicious “Environmental Services” van. The van was last seen in the parking lot of...
Lighting Rainbow Bridge has created a welcome nighttime glow in La Conner this winter. But another new look, atop Pioneer Park, is intended to refract rather than transmit light. It is the 20-foot extension of the Crown Castle Cell Tower, put in place last month – like the lights on the bridge – but fitted with a special camouflage film that allows it and attached antennas to mimic the sky and blend in with the surrounding area. There are, however, late afternoons this time of year...
My first taste of Fire Cider was almost in a moment of desperation. I had a lingering cold virus, stuffy nose and hacking cough. We all know that feeling. Back, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, a cold virus made us uncomfortable. Fire Cider helps ease some of the symptoms of a sore throat. A teaspoon sip or two as the remedy for the symptoms. I became enthused about making a homemade version after our friend Becky Black assembled hers. And Myk Heidt, who works for the Swinomish Indian Tribal...
