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On again, off again. That’s the way it has been for the past two years in terms of indoor mask mandates designed to help stop spread of the coronavirus. In Washington state, the off button will be pushed March 12 instead of March 21, a decision announced by Gov. Jay Inslee and the governors of California and Oregon Monday, Feb. 28. Local entities are given latitude as to when and where masks can still be required. Town governments can require masks for their employees and inside their buildings. The Town of La Conner policy, however, will e...
For the La Conner Daffodil Festival and the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, the last two years have been all about no. In 2020 there were no visitors to Roozengaarde and Tulip Town and almost no sales when havoc in the food supply chain canceled wholesale and retail cut-flower sales. No Kiwanis Salmon Barbecue, no street fairs, nothing, nothing, nothing. “Don’t come” was the Valley’s message to flower lovers. Then 2021 was all about maybe, as the festivals adopted social distancing and advance...
The lineup at the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office La Conner detachment has been reshuffled. But residents here will not need a program or scorecard to recognize who is in charge. Sgt. Jenny Sheahan-Lee, assigned to La Conner between 2013-16, is returning, moving from supervisor of investigations. Mayor Ramon Hayes well recalls Sheahan-Lee’s prior tenure here. “Jenny did an excellent job,” Hayes told the Weekly News. “She’s very community-oriented and established a good rapport with everyone....
A handful of articles on the local and statewide COVID-19 situation in the Feb. 16 issue of the Weekly News provide confusing messaging on the seriousness of the public’s role in the pandemic. Overall, Skagit County hospitalizations and positive cases are lessening. But per page two and page three articles, hospitalization cases are “still quite high,” local Fire District 13 is forced by the virus crisis to run smaller crews and return to zoom meetings, and the statewide move to end the indoor mask mandate is “in transition” while the manda...
I, too, (Bruce Elliot, letter: “Open space is lost forever,” Dec. 15, 2021) am sickened every time I pass by what used to be our lovely little open space ball field. Whenever my husband and I would drive by and a game was on, he would say “Let’s stop and watch,” and sometimes we would. He had Alzheimer’s and this was a great delight for his deteriorating mind. After he died, I had such bittersweet memories when I drove by the ball field. No more. Am I, as Bruce had said, beating a dead horse on this issue? Yes, but no. It looks to me as thoug...
Paul Farmer, Harvard physician and anthropologist, co-founder of Partners in Health, died on February 21 at the age 62 in Rwanda after a lifetime of caring for the poor in Haiti, Peru, Rwanda, Siberia and the Navajo Nation. He was quoted (AP) as saying,”I am not cynical, cynicism is a dead end.” I try to hold that admirable thought as we witness the unvaccinated clogging, almost breaking, hospital staffs across the United States claiming vaccination mandates designed to protect the population as a whole are “forced” vaccinations that infring...
War. No one wants it, but the option – or possibility, or hope – is readily and easily bandied about. Now Russia has invaded Ukraine, unleashing the greatest military violence in Europe since Hitler’s attack on Poland in 1939. What does it mean? In the long run disaster for Vladimir Putin and disaster for the people of Russia. The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979 only to retreat in defeat nine years later. The U.S. loses war after war, from Vietnam to our own Afghanistan debacle, 20 years of lives and treasure lost there, o...
A story and a satire I was in the Tav last Friday afternoon having a bourbon and a beer before I went out to Anacortes to get my oil changed, there not being any place in town for automotive work. I was telling my friend McCoy that while I was out I was going to get a couple of bunches of daffodils for the Mrs. She really likes those yellow blooms on the kitchen table this time of year. She says they remind her of the sun when she gets up early in the dark after that damned daylight savings time kicks in. So McCoy says to me “Hat,” cause he kno...
Washington State Journal Small business owners and schoolchildren hurt by the pandemic will see some financial relief with approval of state supplemental budget proposals now under consideration. “We’re looking at the basics, food, shelter, health and cash assistance,” House Appropriations Committee Chair Rep. Timm Ormsby, D-Spokane, said. “Those are things in this pandemic economy that are going to make a difference in people’s lives, and that is our focus.” The Washington State House and Senate each released their proposals Feb. 21, just ho...
Libraries are magical places. Every book is a window to the world just waiting to be explored. Maybe it’s because I grew up the grandchild of a high school English teacher, who instilled in me a love for language and books – but I’ve always believed libraries are necessities, not luxuries. Not only do they enrich our minds, they also keep our democracy healthy. By providing comprehensive access to recorded details of history, government, philosophy, medicine and countless other topics, libraries protect and defend every citizen’s right to...
Daniel Rapada has been in and out of hospitals numerous times over the years battling an array of serious health issues. Last Wednesday, his admirers showed their hearts during a benefit fundraiser for the Swinomish teen at Santo Coyote Mexican Kitchen. Rapada, a 2021 La Conner High School graduate, is recovering from a kidney transplant. It is the latest in a series of medical procedures he has undergone since having been diagnosed with Aplastic Anemia, a rare condition in which the body does...
The La Conner girls’ basketball team has punched its ticket to the State 2B quarterfinals in Spokane tomorrow morning. But not before taking an early punch from Chief Leschi in a regional round matchup that La Conner won 91-54 at Everett Community College Saturday. The No.1-ranked Lady Braves found themselves trailing Chief Leschi 21-19 at the end of the first quarter. The team from Puyallup did not miss a shot until late in the frame. “I told the girls in the huddle after the first quarter that we had been punched in the face but were abl...
Lovers of Irish music and culture will gather at the Lincoln Theatre Tuesday, March 8 to hear something new. Starting at 7:30 p.m., the audience will witness Dervish, a native Irish folk band, play music from their latest album “The Great Irish Songbook,” along with their fan favorites. Dervish is recognized with a BBC lifetime achievement award and has been nominated for album of the year by Folk Alliance International. Founding members Cathy Jordan (vocals, bodhran, guitar), Michael Hol...
A sign, by its very nature, is intended to attract attention. And there is one sign drawing attention in La Conner before ever being installed. Town council members at their Zoom meeting last week addressed the controversial 11-foot-tall Love La Conner marketing icon proposed for Gilkey Square, paid by hotel-motel tax revenue for tourism promotion. Two main criticisms have arisen. Art commissioners reject it as art. Park commissioners agree that Gilkey Square is not the appropriate location. Its design dwarfs the portable Love La Conner sign...
Work came to a near standstill for the La Conner planning commission as 2021 wound down, with successive meeting cancellations in October, November and December. The commission did not meet until Feb. 15. Davolio told commissioners that they can expect to review several project applications at their March 15 session, including the housing development proposed behind Pioneer Market and the apartment building planned for Fourth and Center streets behind The Slider Café. “After a couple of months at the end of last year where there wasn’t m...
Sunday, February 20 3:43 p.m.: Stolen car – Caller reported his wife’s key was stolen a couple months prior, and her vehicle was just stolen. Beaver Marsh Rd., Greater La Conner. 5:27 p.m.: Car rollover – Deputies responded to a one car roll over accident. The driver was arrested for physical control and the collision was investigated by Washington State Patrol. Beaver Marsh Rd., Greater La Conner. Monday, February 21 6:03 a.m.: Erratic driver– Deputies were advised of an erratically driven silver passenger car heading s...
My mother’s expression was to “doctor up” a dish to make something plain, a bit more tasty. She often did that with a dab of real butter. For this recipe, I used one can of French style green beans, low sodium. By themselves, a rather bland side dish to a dinner meal. I jazzed them up a bit with a few ingredients I had on hand. I generally keep a full pantry, but during these times of a Covid pandemic, I added several varieties of food to have on hand. Buying by the case became a neces...
