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How do you eat your crab? Store-bought crab-leg crackers and picks or just your teeth and jaws with a dactyl ripped from the end of a crab leg? Do you crack open the crab, dig out the meat and place it in your mouth, fingers dripping with butter and garlic, or do you make a pile of meat and then eat it all at once with a fork? Are newspapers strewn all over the dining room table to catch the mess a tradition in your family? Do you buy it cooked, cleaned and ready to go or do you toss a crab...
If ever someone was destined to be harbormaster at La Conner Marina, it's Charlie Knapp. And not just because he has an uncanny knack of finding smooth sailing after entering uncharted waters. "I've always enjoyed challenges," said Knapp, who grew up in Atlanta and launched his current gig with the Port of Skagit in mid-March. "I like trying new things," he told the Weekly News on Saturday. "That's how you grow." Consider that the graduate of Samford University in Homewood, Ala., has taught...
After four years of struggles and challenges, most notably isolation and remote instruction imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Class of 2024 capped its high school experience with a picture-perfect day. La Conner High School's graduating seniors, an accomplished group comprised of talented scholars, artists, musicians, public speakers and athletes, received their diplomas during seamless and briskly paced commencement exercises held in warm, sunny conditions at Whittaker Field Thursday...
The $46,949 reported in sales tax revenues to the La Conner Town Council in May by the state's Department of Revenue is the second highest 2024 monthly total, but below 2023's May collection by $1,123, 2.3%. The special use fire tax revenues were similarly down, 4.2% below May 2023, now $4,594. Hotel/motel tax collection was $11,740, 7.6% behind 2023's record May total, but also the second highest 2024 month. The May totals represent March collections and are typically the last low, pre-tourist...
Summer doesn’t arrive for another eight days, but it sure looked and felt like summer this past weekend. After two Sundays of overcast skies and rain pouring down, this week the La Conner Live Gilkey Square concert band Adrian Xavier & Ska Island and listeners were blessed with sun, blue sky, a mild breeze and temperatures almost to 70 degrees. May Sundays all summer long be warm, but not climate change induced too hot. Next Sunday it is Skagit favorite Chris Eger Band. Concerts start at 1 p.m. through Sept. 8. Bring your lawn chair. There is a... Full story
Elliot: Like most people I have heard numerous references to Project 2025 from the Heritage Foundation. However, I did not understand the complexity and reach until I read this editorial column in the Seattle Times. I feel that if Project 2025 is adopted or even sections of it, everyone needs to have a better understanding of the effect on the U.S. Please republish. There are a multitude of issues that voters must assess when deciding between President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump and the independent presidential candidates before... Full story
Every year, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers publishes updated statistics for water safety (or lack thereof) at its project locations throughout the country. In the eight years I’ve been working for USACE, the statistics on drownings have not significantly changed (that I can recall), regardless of the amount of focus and messaging the enterprise has published. Again, it’s no surprise that USACE data from 2023 shows that drowning victims at our locations are 88 percent male and 89 percent who weren’t wearing life jackets. This is an impor... Full story
The “Ins and Outs of Our Ballots and Elections” will be explained by Gabrielle Clay, Skagit County elections manager June 24 at a League of Women Voters of Skagit County voter education forum. Clay will discuss how ballots are created, the ballot handling steps after votes are collected and the systems used to validate that votes are accurately counted. The league promotes the meeting to aid first-time voters, seasoned participants and those interested in civic processes. It starts at 6:30 p.m. at the Public Utility District meeting room, 141...
With U.S. post offices closed next Wednesday for the national Juneteenth holiday, the June 19 Weekly News will arrive on a one day delay in mailboxes. The paper will be printed Tuesday. Copies for retail sale will be distributed around La Conner Wednesday morning. Mail carriers will make deliveries Thursday in La Conner and Friday in Mount Vernon....
There’s food for thought, and food for survival. Both were addressed during the 75-minute La Conner Emergency Management Commission meeting at Maple Hall last week. During their June 4 public session, commissioners invested more thought into their ongoing development of a Community Emergency Management Plan and studied the role the La Conner Sunrise Food Bank could fill should a local disaster occur. Food Bank board chair John Petrich, who has an extensive background in housing and utilities management, was the commission’s guest speaker. He...
In terms of solving a longtime housing shortage here, the town is being asked to make the impossible possible. It will take about 20 years to tell if La Conner is successful. Town Planning Commission chair Bruce Bradburn had some gripes when reviewing state and county mandates that La Conner prepare to add 124 new housing units – one-third of which would serve low-income residents – between now and 2045. Bradburn called that a “pipe dream.” “It’s fine to say we have a goal to provide more family housing in town,” he said. Town Assistant Pla...
A burn ban begins 8 a.m. June 15. It is modified for all residential and land clearing fires in unincorporated Skagit County, until further notice. County staff will no longer issue permits and existing permits are suspended. La Conner residents must check at Town Hall for local burning restrictions. Recreational and cooking fires are allowed following restrictions when using charcoal, seasoned firewood, or propane-fueled firepits, with safety requirements. Outdoor burning will be prohibited when there is a “Red Flag Warning” issued by the Nat...
With wildfire season approaching, the Washington State Department of Ecology wants people to get #SmokeReady. This week its staff are posting on social media daily themes of identifying personal health risks, learning how to protect your indoor air and knowing where to find the most up-to-date information about the location and intensity of wildfire smoke. For June 12: Smoke and your health. June 13: Minimize exposure to smoke. June 14: Prevent smoke. View Ecology’s website, social media pages and the Washington Smoke Information blog – the...
Three graduating La Conner High School student-athletes will take their best shots at the collegiate level next year. Graduating seniors Abigail Udlock, Tommy Murdock and Morgan Huizenga signed letters of intent June 5 to compete in college athletics during a 30-minute ceremony at Whittaker Field attended by friends, family members, coaches, school administrators and fellow students. Udlock, a state qualifier in golf this season, signed to compete in 2024-25 at the University of Puget Sound in...
The seating chart is a tool used in school classrooms across the country. Same with the La Conner School District’s meeting room, where board members and administrators sit in order of seniority. That being the case, interim superintendent David Cram – now the district’s finance director – slid into seat formerly held by Superintendent Will Nelson during the board’s 90-minute June 10 public study session. Nelson, who officially departs the district June 30 after three years, isn’t attending this month’s board meetings and didn’t partic...
The Kiwanis Club of La Conner has announced the Students of the Month for May. La Conner High School Student of the Month for May is Kendall Lee, a junior. Her parents are Jason and Dawn Lee. Kendall's favorite classes are chemistry and trigonometry. She is a member of the Prevention Club because mental health is important. Kendall loves sports. She plays tennis and soccer. After graduation, Kendall would like to attend the University of Washington to study health sciences and become a... Full story
Students from the La Conner area have been named to the dean’s list at the University of Washington. To qualify for the dean’s list, a student must have completed at least 12 graded credits and have a grade point average of at least 3.50 (out of 4). Students are notified that they have achieved this distinction when they receive their grades for the quarter. Autumn 2023 Quarter MacQuaid Hiller, junior Kylee Marie Navarro, junior Winter 2024 Quarter Eleanor Drews, freshman MacQuaid Hiller, junior Andre Knudson, junior Preston Miguel Rivas, jun...
Washington State University alumni will tell you that their classmates have fascinating careers and are doing wonderful things in every part of the state. As if to prove how varied these callings and careers are, in 2023 WSU Press published the "Evergreen Collection," essays detailing accomplishments of graduates and faculty first printed in Washington State Magazine over the last 20 years. The Skagit Valley is represented by the Roozen family and their Washington Bulb Co. The succeeding generation of ownership, after founder William, are all W... Full story
Last Saturday over 200 people attended the 32nd Museum of Northwest Art’s Annual Art Auction, reported Executive Director Stefano Catalani. The year’s theme is “spreading our wings” and participants did that: “The museum galleries on both floors were filled with energy and excitement,” Catalani shared in an email. He called it an incredible night and “one of the most successful auctions ever, if not the most successful both in terms of gross and net revenue,” though funds raised were not totaled up Tuesday morning. Proceeds came from sale...
La Conner will again serve as host and the upriver community of Concrete will receive special accolades when the Skagit County Pioneer Association holds its 120th picnic and business meeting at Pioneer Park on Aug. 1. Concrete civic leaders Jason Miller, Valerie Stafford, Fred West, John and Gail Boggs, and Marty and Adrienne Smith will receive Pioneer Spirit awards during the event in recognition of their key roles promoting Concrete’s rich historical heritage and maintaining its envied quality of life while nestled amid some of Washington s...
Mark your calendars for these upcoming fun activities. La Conner Retirement Inn Car Show, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday, June 14, 204 N. First Street. Featuring classic cars, barbeque, Kona ice truck, prizes and live music by The Esquires. La Conner Live 2024 Summer Concert Series takes over Gilkey Square every Sunday from 1-4 p.m. through Sept. 8 at First and Morris streets. The lineup features Chris Eger Band, June 16; BrohamM, June 23; Full Spectrum, June 30; Joan Penney & Herding Kats Jazz Nonet, July 7; The Fabulous Murphtones, July 14; Lost at...
The Black Oystercatchers live along the rocky shores searching for marine mussels, snails and worms. They actually don't eat oysters. Their long narrow beaks makes it easy for them to find food in between the rocks and in tide pools. They also nest on the rocks above the high tide line. Our favorite spot to see them is at Rosario Beach. From the bluff you can see them flying over the water or sitting on the rocks to the northwest where they nest. It is recommended that you watch them from a...
Don McMoran’s recent promotion to full professor with Washington State University is built on a lifetime love for Skagit County and its farmers. Born on the driveway of his parents’ home on the dividing line between the Mount Vernon and La Conner school districts, he joined the WSU Skagit County Extension in 2006 as Agriculture & Natural Resources extension educator. He earned tenure a few years later and became the county Extension director in 2012. His two-year quest to become full professor was backed by community members who wrote let...
Emergency management has been a hot topic in the La Conner area the past couple years. Tabletop disaster preparation exercises have become more frequent. An even more visible two-day emergency response activity staged from the Duane Berentson Twin Bridges boat launch on the north end of Swinomish Channel took place June 4 and 5. “The purpose of the exercise is to validate response equipment, practice our emergency response plan, confirm viable spill control points, and refresh personnel on response tactics,” a spokesperson with the Can...
