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Wind, rain, cold and hail made Sunday pretty miserable, but growers did not complain. “Some daffodils were bent, but they will straighten out after a couple days of sun,” said Brent Roozen of the Washington Bulb Company. At Tulip Town, early varieties on the outside of rows were damaged. Had the storm been two weeks later, said Andrew Miller, the damage could have been extensive. Roozen, Miller and just about every business in the valley have high hopes for this tulip season. “It’s gonna b...
Narrowing the field is not the sole domain of college basketball this month. La Conner school board members last weekend chose two finalists from among 21 applicants for the district’s superintendent position, the last step in a process that began last fall. David Forsythe, assistant superintendent of operations at Northwest Educational Services District #189, which serves 35 public school entities and 170,000 students in Skagit, Island, San Juan, Snohomish and Whatcom counties, and Will N...
Update and corrections in April 7 issue. The Town of La Conner signed papers to sell the Hedlins Ballfield property for $800,000 on March 2 and will gross perhaps $20,000 on its purchase. It looks like the Town did not spend taxpayers dollars to buy the property. Mayor Ramon Hayes signed a purchase and sale agreement without the Town apparently ever owning the acreage. The agreement with the buyer, represented by Mountain Pacific Bank loan officer Frank Jeretzky, was “contingent on Seller’s exercise of its Purchase Option of the Pro...
The La Conner community – actually a subset of parents, staff and residents of the school district – spent most of Saturday listening to and questioning candidates for the district’s superintendent position. Some folks returned Monday and Tuesday to provide input to the La Conner School District Board of Directors before a new superintendent was chosen today. Last Wednesday evening another portion of the community, again parents and residents, met with Town elected officials and staff over Zoom to discuss the purpose and shape of th...
There has been a rise in crime in town: car prowls, burglaries and a robbery have occurred since the start of the pandemic. For heaven’s sake, the Town’s Department of Public Works has been robbed twice. It is worth noting the problems at the Port with the theft of expensive equipment from boat owners. The Town contracts with the Skagit County Sheriff’s department to the tune of $330,000 a year. Gone are the days of community policing, with Sheriffs walking through town, meeting merchants, residents and visiting the schools. Last year thing...
Thank you thank you Ken Stern for printing the whole tribal obituary of Mike Cladoosby, and thank you to the writer. It was like a history of the bridge between the Swinomish Tribe and La Conner. I didn’t know Mike Cladoosby personally but I feel I got to know him through the stories told in this obituary. What a pillar of the Tribe, the school and the La Conner community. Joan Cross La Conner...
I was saddened and frustrated to hear about the town council and mayor’s decision to sell the Hedlin Ballpark, most of which will be developed into housing. I think this is a tremendous mistake by town leaders that will erase a cherished place for La Conner’s youth citizens. For kids growing up in La Conner the Hedlin Ballpark was the place many of us first learned to play baseball, soccer or failed at attempts to fly a kite. Its pastoral backdrop is seared into our memories along with wads of bubble gum, sunflower seeds and the unforgettable f...
Republicans in the state legislature oppose new taxes. Always have, always will. In his column in last week’s Weekly News, Senator Ron Muzzall follows the party line. He opposes SB5096, recently passed by the state senate by a 25-24 margin, calling it an underhanded attempt to institute a state income tax. He is wrong. This bill is about tax fairness. It would impose a 7% tax on capital gains over $250,000 a year. It will affect only about eight thousand of the state’s almost eight million residents, and it would raise, according to est...
Some have written about the slowing down of our court system during the pandemic. The history of Rome shows us how bad our current situation really is. In its early days, Rome suffered from a terrible epidemic. Rome’s public affairs depended on everyone being involved. The epidemic sickened not only public officials and militia members but also brought the justice system and elections apparatus to its knees, says historian Livy. The problem in America today is that our people are not engaged in processes of government like Romans were. Rome r...
Burlington, WA — The restaurant at Skagit Regional Airport is reopening with new operators, but they are not new to the Skagit Valley. Spinach Bus Ventures, the team who owns Tulip Town, Skagit Acres and the Fairhaven Mill is moving into the restaurant space at the Port of Skagit, bringing their love of the Skagit Valley to the dining table. The new restaurant, called Skagit Landing, will begin meal service on April 10th with “grab & go” style breakfast and lunch, and work up to full-service dining in the weeks to follow. Chef Josie Urb...
COVID-19 has been demanding social isolation, which is a real challenge for someone like me. But isolation does not mean stagnation and I have been blessed with a wonderful companion, my dog Rosie, who turns 1-year-old on April Fool’s Day. Rosie and I spend a lot of time driving around Skagit County admiring what a beautiful place we get to live in. When I see something particularly stunning, I stop my car and take my iPhone out of my pocket and snap a picture, like the one you are looking at r...
In a stunning 5-4 decision, the Washington State Supreme Court recently ruled the state’s felony drug possession law unconstitutional. Essentially, the mere act of finding an illicit substance on someone’s person or on their property is no longer considered an arrestable offense. The ruling in State v. Blake decriminalizes the possession of all drugs, including methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine. The court’s decision reverses decades of convictions, related fines and imprisonment – leaving cities, counties, prosecutors and law enfor...
For the La Conner High baseball team, idle the past two seasons, progress is not always measured on the scoreboard. Take the Braves NW2B home clash with Orcas Island last Friday, for example. The Vikings posted a 20-6 triumph in six innings, but that does not reflect the strides that La Conner – with seven freshmen and two eighth graders on its roster – has made in three short weeks. The hosts, fueled by timely hitting, several catching gems and a strong start by pitcher Haydin Dinuis, held a 6-5 lead after four frames before...
Bill Skiffington can think of no better place than La Conner to have grown up but is aware more than most of all the opportunities the world beyond here has to offer. The 2001 La Conner High grad, who went on to earn economics and law degrees from the University of Washington, will soon be residing in Oman, the oldest independent state in the Arab world, as a Foreign Service officer with the U.S. State Department. In Oman, located on the Arabian Peninsula, Skiffington will work in the economic s...
Attorneys do not usually make a living drawing attention to cases they have lost. Stewart Riley, a retired, longtime Seattle criminal defense lawyer, is clearly an exception to the rule. Riley has spoken at length about a high-profile courtroom defeat early in his career – as he did during a stop at Seaport Books in La Conner on Thursday – and has expanded it into his debut as an author. Riley’s newly released “Helena Star” details the epic tale of a major international drug smuggling operation whose prosecution in Seattle more...
La Conner artist Maggie Wilder’s “Beloved: A Courtship of Place” opens with a reception 2-5 p.m. Saturday. It is the Perry and Carlson Gallery’s April exhibit. Wilder writes: “For many years I lived in a rustic cabin with Ika Island looming a short distance away. On winter nights, especially, the sight of it standing silently while the sun dropped beneath its silhouette gave me much comfort. Though I had many opportunities to travel with my kayak to her shores, I quietly pledged to never set foot on her. Perhaps not every place needs to be per...
Monday, March 22 12:22 p.m.: Bad dog owner – Report of a suspicious vehicle in the area. Deputies checked, but were unable to locate it. Bradshaw Rd. / Summers Dr., Greater La Conner. 1:34 p.m.: Eager learner – Caller reported a student was able to invite a non-student to a school Zoom class. The school will be working on tightening up security restrictions on Zoom classes. N. 6th St., La Conner. 7:50 p.m.: Burglary attempt – Caller reported an attempted burglary at his shop. No entry made or items taken. N. 3rd St., La...
This is known as wurstsalat in German. I subscribe to a monthly German food box and joined a German cooking group on Facebook. My adopted Polish family has German roots, so I grew up with a taste for sausages and sauerkraut, pickles and cheeses were staples in our home. The German mustard pickles (Senfgurten) I use in this recipe arrived in the German food box. It was not too sour and thus perfect to add to this recipe. Serving suggestion: with dark breads and on a buffet table. We ate it...
