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BNSF Railway Co. must pay the Swinomish tribe $395 million for violating the terms of an agreement that allowed the railroad to run trains across a strip of the tribe's land in northwest Washington, a federal judge ruled Monday. U.S. District Judge Robert Lasnik ruled last year against the railroad for trespassing between 2012 and 2021 as it sent trains carrying crude oil from North Dakota through the Swinomish Reservation, en route to refineries near Anacortes. Determining what amount of money...
Conner Waterfront Park, perhaps best known for its signature salmon slide, now has a new landmark to showcase. The ribbon was cut Friday to dedicate a long-planned pavilion at the popular shoreline park. Town Public Works Department staff had worked on the pavilion's construction since December, as time permitted. "This is another piece of the puzzle put together," said local landscape architect Curt Miller, among a crowd of over 40 on hand for the ceremony. Mayor Marna Hanneman, Town Parks...
"I love La Conner; I love the church and I love the people." La Conner United Methodist Church Pastor Marcella Baker repeated that phrase often in an interview Saturday. Her parishioners also repeatedly commented on her great love and her great faith. "We are extremely happy for her getting ready for retirement; but very sad for our part because she is a fabulous woman and has incredible faith," said parishioner Anita Mesman. Bill Taylor, a member for nine years said, "She is spot on – the e...
It's a rare spring day when you won't find Dave Hedlin on his family's La Conner farm. Saturday was one of those days – if only for a couple hours. The third-generation farming the family property, a key figure in launching Skagitonians to Preserve Farmland and a vocal advocate of organic agriculture, served as Grand Marshal of the 87th annual Berry Dairy Days Grand Parade in Burlington June 15. "The neat thing about Berry Dairy Days," Hedlin told the Burlington Chamber of Commerce upon his s...
The public is invited to celebrate Pride Month with the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community with events on Thursday, June 20, and Wednesday, June 26. At noon June 20, celebrate pride on the longest day of the year in the Cedar Hats Pavillions at swadabs Park on the Swinomish Channel. Pick up your Swinomish Pride Day shirt. Enjoy lunch, snow cones, a bouncy house, art and sign making. Listen to hip hop by “Reservation Dogs” composer Mato Wayuhi. On June 26, Swinomish Pride Day car parade and community dinner begins at 4:30 p.m. at John K. Bob Bal...
Over $420,000 was raised at the 32nd Museum of Northwest Art’s Annual Art Auction June 8, the Museum posted in an email Friday. The thank you to supporters starts “we have soared to incredible new heights,” echoing the auction’s theme of “spreading our wings.” A week earlier, staff reported over 200 people attended the auction. Proceeds came from sale of tickets, silent and live auction art and the raise the paddle appeal, with people joining from Whatcom County down to King County and all the way to Eastern Washington. Source: MoNA...
The “Ins and Outs of Our Ballots and Elections” will be explained by Gabrielle Clay, Skagit County elections manager, at a League of Women Voters of Skagit County voter education forum 6:30 p.m. June 24 at the Public Utility District meeting room, 1415 Freeway Drive in Mount Vernon. 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 as for everyone: first-time voters, seasoned participants and tho...
The summer solstice occurs at 1:51 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time June 20. It marks the sun’s most northerly point in Earth’s sky. Thursday will have the longest day and shortest night of the year. Most consider the day the beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere. Meteorological summer started June 1....
Another hearing has been scheduled in the ongoing discussion of how to permit agritourism in Skagit County. On June 24 at 2:30 p.m. the Skagit County Commissioners will discuss a resolution that will send back to the county planning commission the agritourism proposal the commission recommended to them in December for further study and evaluation by the planning commission. A county press release said that the remand resolution is in response to feedback the commissioners have received from local business and farm owners, community comments...
Town officials are guardedly optimistic that La Conner can weather a spring sales tax revenue slump. Citing wet, chilly weather as a possible factor, Mayor Marna Hanneman shared with town council at its June 11 meeting that La Conner’s total tax receipts are down $17,000 from this time last year. Reported town tax receipts totaled $230,770 through May 2023, compared to $213,974 through May 2024. “The weather’s not helping, but I believe people are coming to town,” said Hanneman. “They’re just not spending money.” May’s receipts of $46,949 are...
Drill, baby, drill. It’s not just a Sarah Palin slogan. Locally, it’s the approach Skagit County Fire District 13 is taking to prepare for emergency and disaster scenarios in greater La Conner. The fire district has planned two major training drills this month – a June 26 exercise at the La Conner Marina and a wildland fire practice session June 27 on the Swinomish Reservation. The district held a windstorm training exercise on March 30. The drills are designed to prepare fire district personnel and neighboring firefighters and emergency medic...
Preservation is close to the heart of Jeanne Youngquist – preserving agriculture, open space, secure elections and county history. The greater La Conner resident, of Mike and Jean's Berry Farm, was honored at last week's Our Valley Our Future awards breakfast hosted by Skagitonians to Preserve Farmland. She received the Community Legacy in Agriculture award. Daniel Waltner earned the Achievement in Agriculture Award, which comes with a $5,000 scholarship. The Mount Vernon resident graduated f...
The best kept secret in La Conner, eight months in the making, was fueled by an appreciation for vintage cars. Jason Coughlin waved the checkered flag on a deeply personal covert mission with a classic Father's Day weekend surprise gift at Friday's annual La Conner Retirement Inn Invitational Car Show on N. First Street. From his childhood, Coughlin knew that his dad, Jim Coughlin, had always wanted a restored Chevrolet Chevelle. The younger Coughlin made that dream come true in dramatic...
It was a slow week for crime in La Conner. So slow, in fact, that there’s nothing noteworthy to report in the Police Blotter. But please, do not feel compelled to commit a crime just to make the blotter....
Tommy Murdock hasn't slowed down since capturing twin state hurdles titles in Yakima last month. A week after graduating from La Conner High School, Murdock competed in an elite national meet at historic Hayward Field at the University of Oregon in Eugene. Murdock, who collected five state gold medals as a La Conner hurdler, took part in the 2024 Nike Outdoor Nationals and USA Track & Field U20 Championships on the same track where the U.S. Olympic Trials will be held starting Friday. Hayward...
Departing La Conner Schools Superintendent Will Nelson, who is leaving after three years to accept a teaching post at Western Washington University, was among special honorees during the year-end Swinomish Education Dinner at John K. Bob Ball Park on June 13. Nelson received a ceremonial blanket representing warmth and protection as part of a program that also honored the first-ever cohort of Swinomish-trained teachers, the tribal community’s corps of classroom student advocates, Swinomish K-12 students and college graduates, and La Conner Sch...
Most Washington K-12 students failed to meet basic math and reading proficiency standards in recent years, according to a new report. The analysis from the Annie E. Casey Foundation shows that in 2022, 66% of Washington fourth graders were not proficient in reading and 72% of eighth graders were not proficient in math. A spokesperson for the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction pointed to progress the state is making based on other measures and called into question “the methodology and the narrative being pushed by the Foundation i...
Dealing with loss is a universal challenge, but establishing a memorial garden can serve as a beautiful tribute to honor a loved one, offering a serene space for reflection and remembrance. There are no strict guidelines for creating such a garden. Whether it's on a small balcony or a spacious yard, the focus should be on capturing the essence of the individual being honored. Consider their interests, personality and favorite spots, perhaps incorporating elements they cherished or frequented....
Two exhibits open at the Museum of Northwest Art on First Street on Saturday, June 22, and run through Sept. 29. “Joseph Gregory Rossano: Portraits of the Divine” is a compassionate tribute to nature. The distillation of decades-long engagement of the artist with the impact of human beings on the natural world, it offers a selection of large-scale sculptures, drawings and paintings from three of the artist’s ongoing series: “At the Top of Her Lungs,” “Whitewashed” and “Ivory”. By depicting a menagerie of animals whether endangered or already ex...
Mark your calendars for these upcoming fun activities. Free outdoor concert at La Conner Marina July 4. Local favorites Pacific Twang will hit the stage at 5:30 followed by The Power Players Band from Seattle at 7:30. The Power Players are a dynamic 11-piece band featuring a full horn section, percussions and a host of talented vocalists playing classic rock. Fireworks show follows at 10 p.m. Local food vendors and a beer/wine garden provided by Anacortes Brewery will open at 5 p.m. The concert is a fundraiser for the Rick Epting Foundation...
This is a take on my mother's recipe, who made them with moose burger. I use a very lean hamburger. After handling raw meat, I wash my hands thoroughly. Prepare all vegetables before handling meat. Ingredients Hamburger, 1 lb. Onion, 1/2 C finely chopped Green bell pepper, 1/4 C finely chopped Garlic, 1 T finely chopped Parsley flakes, 1 T dried Worcestershire sauce, 1 T Prepared yellow mustard, 1 T Egg, 1, slightly scrambled Salt and pepper, 1 tsp each Seasoned bread crumbs, 1-1/2 cups Flour,...
SUPERIOR COURT OF WASHINGTON, COUNTY OF SKAGIT In re the Guardianship of: EMMA JUNEBY BILLINGSLEY Respondent/s No. 24-4-00266-29 Summons Served by Publication (SMPB) To (other party’s name/s): Emma Juneby Billingsley 1. Petitioner has started a court case by filing a petition. The name of the Petition is: Petition for Guardianship, Conservatorship, or Protective Arrangement of an Adult 2. You must respond to this summons and petition by serving a copy of your written response on the person signing this summons, any other party, and by filing t...
Is the La Conner economy like a log floating in the Swinomish Channel, carried by the tides, up or down channel as the tide rises and falls with no momentum except moon and wind? Sometimes the log travels for miles in a single day and over the course of days or weeks, maybe helped by the breeze or a favorable obstruction or beaching. The next rising tide continues its forward direction. If progress is measured in distance, then that log may have a phenomenally successful run. Other times a log’s movement is held back for any of a host of r...
One of the central themes of Pope Francis’ encyclical letter Laudato Si’, “On Care for our Common Home,” is Francis’ strong and repeated critique of anthropocentrism, or the tendency for us humans to not only prioritize our species over and against the rest of creation but also to promote a hubristic sense of our exceptionalism on this planet. The results of this misguided way of thinking, to borrow a phrase from the pope, have been devastating for the environment. We have put our own comfort, desire for wealth and distorted sense of dominion...
Some nominally recyclable organic materials, in some specific locations, may be better used as fuel for a waste-to-energy system, even if that system produces some carbon dioxide, for the purpose of replacing a fueled heating system that would produce even more carbon dioxide and reducing waste shipments. La Conner may be one such location. There are two major reasons to recycle. If you can reuse raw materials that have already been extracted and processed, you’ll reduce the need to extract n...
