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CORRECTION / CORRECTED: May 17 is the meeting date: The conversation starts at 6 p.m. May 17 at Maple Hall. The Port of Skagit will present its vision for what Director Sarah Young calls “very big concepts” for developing 10 acres of its “uplands” at the La Conner Marina at a May 17 visioning session with the Town of La Conner’s council and planning commission. Greater La Conner residents attending the 6 p.m. hearing at Maple Hall will get in on the ground floor of what might be the biggest e...
OLYMPIA — The U.S. Postal Service and Postmaster General Louis DeJoy were sued by the state of Washington, 15 other states, the District of Columbia and New York City for not buying electric vehicles while replacing 165,000 vehicles. State Attorney General Bob Ferguson filled a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California April 28, asserting violation of the National Environmental Policy Act. The lawsuit insists the review process was deficient with a late environmental review that “did not consider r...
Citizens of greater La Conner are invited by the Town of La Conner to participate in hearings the next two weeks. The town council first holds an obligatory public hearing May 10 before applying for a $30,000 economic development planning grant. This Community Development Block Grant will support revitalizing the area around the former Moore Clark building and between Maple Hall and Pioneer Park and South Third Street and the Swinomish Channel. This is the same proposal from 2021. The goal is decent wage job development for lower income...
Hi. I’m in Texas now where I am nice and warm and it is much cheaper to live. I love my new house. I hope you are okay after that cold rainy weather. I’m homesick for all of you when the flowers bloom. I also miss the mountains and good fish. I am eating Mexican food and tilapia fish. Stay safe. I still so enjoy reading the La Conner Weekly News. Thanks. Marlys Rodgers Mission, Texas...
On April 13 a meeting of Shelter Bay homeowners was held at Summit Park Grange Hall. It was well attended and all homeowners welcomed. No elected board members chose to attend. The group sponsoring the meeting is called the Rainbow Action Committee (RAC); the name may change as the focus shifts over time. Initial concerns reflected the devastating tree clearing that occurred at Rainbow Park, the excavation of the tree stumps, potentially damaging tribal archaeological artifacts, potential environmental impact (runoff), followed by the...
I am a relative newcomer to La Conner and I have been surprised by the pending approval of the 20-unit condominium development proposed off of Center Street. As a developer of medical facilities for over thirty years, I have never seen the approval for a project like this that does not demonstrate that it can handle its own parking. I have also never seen an approval for a project that did not fit in with the current use in the proposed development neighborhood. Let’s look at the parking issue first. With 20 units you can expect that the p...
I would like to thank the La Conner Middle & High School for the wonderful 2022 spring concert on the evening of April 19. It was truly a tribute to the hard work of two teachers, Ms. Mitchell and Mr. Clark and their students! We were amazed at the complexity of some of the numbers! It is great to be able to sit in the audience and hear the music in person once again. I am looking forward to the future and more outstanding concerts. Kay York Shelter Bay...
Ria Burns, apparently the manager for the state’s Department of Ecology’s water resources, including the Skagit River, would do well to take some classes on hydraulics. The only way to harm fish by taking water from the Skagit for irrigation would be if it were taken from above the spawning grounds. From Concrete on down, if every farm along the way had irrigation pumps and all were pumping, they could not reduce the river level at the lower end enough to measure, especially with variants such as rain, wind and tides. At the worst it might inc...
Thank you for continuing to talk about our existential crisis in your last editorial, “The world after Earth Day.” I am sorry that you have not had anyone else saying that you were not radical enough but let me say it now: you were not radical enough. I have always been a nature-lover and concerned about the environment, but only began really learning about oncoming climate chaos when I retired seven years ago. I cannot believe we have only taken baby steps, and many people are still kicking and screaming about any policy that might appear to...
I would like to commend Ken Stern for his April 20 editorial calling for creating Car Free Sundays downtown. As he points out it would reduce our carbon footprint and help clean the air for not only our citizens and our children but also those coming to visit our town. But I would like to take this one step further and suggest we have Car Free Weekends throughout the tourist season, Tulips to Christmas. And replace the cars with a shuttle service that would move folks between our two municipal parking lots as well as the parking lot near Maple...
Parts of historic downtown La Conner are sporting a 21st century look these days. Four new solar-powered credit card pay stations have been installed to collect boat moorage and launch fees along the waterfront, replacing the old cash boxes that were vandalized. The town council opted earlier this year to invest in the digital payment collection system rather than spending about $1,500 for repairs when cash boxes were robbed. Cost of the credit card pay units was just over $38,000. “The other o...
La Conner officials last week inched closer to their goal of developing park space on the town’s portion of the former Hedlin’s Maple Avenue ballfield. Council members during their April 26 hybrid meeting at Maple Hall approved Town Administrator Scott Thomas submitting a grant application to the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office to develop the park on just over a half-acre on the Maple and East Talbott site. Funds would be for “direct eligible and allowable costs that are r...
The La Conner School Board has chosen the right formula – they hope – to raise student math test scores and provide instructional programs featuring more hands-on problem-solving and critical thinking skills. At their hybrid meeting April 25 the board adopted new K-12 math curricula composed of three separate parts –for the elementary, middle and high schools. The 4-0 vote accepted district staff recommendations to adopt the Bridges to Mathematics component for Grades K-12, iReady Classroom Mathematics for Grades 6-8 and...
The La Conner High School baseball team made major strides with an impressive 6-0 league triumph at Concrete April 26. Braves pitcher Brogan Masonholder earned his first win by tossing a six-hit shutout that secured La Conner a two-game season series sweep of the Lions. “We played with energy and confidence,” coach Jeremiah LeSourd said afterward. “It was a major step forward.” C.J. Edwards started off with a double and was driven home by Nathan Bailey. Leading 1-0, the Braves sent 11 batters to the plate during a five-run outburst keyed b...
The La Conner Guitar Festival is back after a two-year hiatus caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Beginning Friday, May 13 and ending that Sunday evening, music enthusiasts from La Conner and well beyond will gather in Maple Hall and the Civic Garden Club to experience the festival’s world-class luthier exhibits, workshops and concerts. Luthiers are craftsmen that build or repair guitars and other stringed instruments. Single day tickets and weekend passes can be purchased online or at the door. The box office at Maple Hall will open 9:30 a...
It is not a stretch to say that Chris Dariotis is a force of nature. After all, he has repeatedly defied both age and gravity. At 73-years-young, the La Conner business owner and commercial landscaper continues to reach new heights. The most recent example was his induction in April into the U.S. Masters Weightlifting Hall of Fame during ceremonies in Salt Lake City. It was the latest highlight in his second act as a competitive weightlifter. After qualifying for the 1968 Teenage National Championships in Philadelphia and excelling as a...
These are the ingredients I always keep on hand: milk, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and frozen berries. Mix them all up and we have a wonderful snack and something to enjoy with the morning coffee. For this recipe you can use an unsalted butter because this recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of salt. I use an old fashioned hand sifter, but you can use a large wire strainer, with a small weave. Ingredients Sugar, 1 cup Butter, 4 tbsp Milk, 1 cup Flour, 2 cups Baking powder, 4 tbsp Salt, 1 tsp...
Greater La Conner residents, particularly “lower income persons” are invited to the May 10 La Conner Town Council meeting to voice their interests in community development and housing needs ahead of the Town submitting a proposal for state Community Development Block Grant funds. The hearing is required as part of the application process to the state Department of Commerce. Funds of up to $1 million are available to develop, but not construct, affordable housing, with a $500,000 ceiling for housing rehabilitation. The hearing’s purpose is pr...
