Your independent hometown award-winning newspaper
Your independent hometown award-winning newspaper
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 25
La Conner's underground – at least on S. Maple Avenue – has been in plain sight the past few days. Welch Brothers Construction has cut deeply into and through the heavily traveled roadway's surface to extend a water main that will serve the future Didgwalic Wellness Center transitional housing and staff office facility on Maple Avenue near the east approach to the Rainbow Bridge. La Conner Public Works Director Brian Lease said on Monday that the work upgrades an existing water main to imp...
By Ken Stern Skagit County continues to have a huge shortfall in housing construction, particularly in multi-unit buildings of any type. The state’s Affordable Housing Advisory Board five-year housing advisory plan, a 75-page report released in May, shows within the county the need for more residential construction and a critical lack of affordable housing options. This mirrors housing needs throughout Washington. Some 1,300 homes were built in the 2020-2023 period in the county, about 434 annually. That is 38% below the projected production n...
If practice makes perfect and perfect needs practice, area firefighters and emergency responders are perfectly practiced and practically perfect. This after Swinomish Reservation and the Port of Skagit's La Conner Marina were sites last week of major multi-department training exercises that participants lauded afterward for their realism and long-term value. Skagit County Fire District 13 Training Officer Capt. Chris Olbu scripted a drill for June 26 that challenged several agencies, led by La...
In August 2022, a 58-foot fishing boat sank off the western shore of San Juan Island, kicking off a complex, lengthy response to prevent additional diesel from spilling out of the sunken vessel, and to eventually raise the boat back to the surface. Now, the Washington Department of Ecology is penalizing Matthew Johnston, the boat's owner, $18,000 for the spilled diesel. Johnston actively participated in cleanup efforts and fully cooperated with Ecology's investigation, the agency said in a news...
Town and school district officials were in full retreat June 24, though both panels spent the day charging forward with reviews of their respective five-year strategic plans. The La Conner Town Council met for seven hours at the Waterfront Café. Councilmembers, staff and Mayor Marna Hanneman addressed five focus areas – public safety, climate and environmental sustainability, capital projects and utilities, economic vibrancy and governmental organization. Council members and department heads al...
Second Congressional District Rep. Rick Larsen kicked off his re-election campaign in Skagit County June 27, telling some 30 supporters at Skagit River Brewery in Mount Vernon that this year voting will be a values election. The Democrat’s low-key remarks were twice disrupted by women bursting in and vehemently protesting his support for military aid to Israel’s war against Palestinians in Gaza. The first carried a sign reading, “Larsen sends Skagit taxes to BOMB BABIES in Gaza.” She shouted she was a Jewish school teacher, to stop the genocid...
Lynda Murphy O'Brien, born June 3, 1944, peacefully entered into eternal rest June 12, 2024, surrounded by her beloved family at their Edmonds home. Lynda was a cherished wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, sister-in-law and friend. Lynda will be especially remembered for her kind, caring and soft-spoken manner and for her unlimited devotion to family and friends. She loved family gatherings and celebrated each and every holiday, birthday and special occasion. Lynda was a devoted Camp Fire...
The La Conner School Board spent June 24 with interim superintendent David Cram for their annual daylong retreat. They addressed roles, responsibilities and goals for board members. Cram projected a K-12 student enrollment of 460 and beginning fund balance of $535,000 this fall. While the enrollment figure is lower than last year, the fund balance estimate represents a significant improvement. The school district opened 2023-24 in the red. Cram, who returned to La Conner as finance director in...
Basketball has always been a big deal in La Conner. But in Spokane it's a really big deal. Bigger, in fact, than almost anywhere else. As has been the case every June since 1990, thousands of hoops players and enthusiasts crowded into downtown Spokane last weekend for the largest outdoor three-on-three basketball tournament in the world. La Conner wasn't left out. La Conner High School girls' basketball head coach Joe Harper entered a local third grade boys' team in the 2024 Spokane Hoopfest, a...
There's one summer rerun that's a guaranteed hit in La Conner. It's the annual Hometown Independence Day celebration here, featuring a parade down First Street, a slew of July 4 activities with live music at the La Conner Marina and a fireworks display over Swinomish Channel. "It will pretty much be the same as every year," Town Administrator Scott Thomas said. The variety of events assures that everyone in La Conner will again have a blast on the Fourth of July. The fun starts at noon with the...
Many pine siskins have been seen ill or found dead around local bird feeders lately. The culprit is the salmonella bacteria, to which they are very susceptible. As a precaution, take bird feeders down and stop filling them. If feeders are kept filled, clean them every two days. A 10% bleach solution with detergent works best. Rinse well and let dry before filling. Raking and rinsing the ground under feeders helps too, since the bacteria are in the bird's droppings. Even though siskins usually...
The ancient Greek poet Homer’s “Iliad” is a 24-book epic of the Trojan War, originally told orally, the poet wandering village to village. At almost 28,000 lines, it was not recited, but must have been performed, the original rap. Fast forward almost 3,000 years to the present moment, to Glenn Hergenhahn-Zhao’s performance of “An Iliad” at the iDiOM Theater in June. This Poet walks onto a near empty stage, chairs and tables scattered about, some overturned, a dresser, large drop cloths hanging from the top of walls and on some of the furnitu...
Port of Anacortes presents Rock the Dock at Seafarers’ Memorial Park in Anacortes, 5-11 p.m. July 4. Free community concert featuring bands High Voltage and Point of Sail. Food and beer garden open at 5 p.m. with fireworks display at nightfall. Skagit Bay Search & Rescue Fundraiser, 1-7 p.m. July 4. Celebrate the Fourth and help our Volunteer Marine Search & Rescue team raise money. Buy ice cream, water, T-shirts or donate at the booth at La Conner Marina on N. Second Street. Museum of Northwest Art has two new exhibits through Sept. 29. J...
The Baker Lake sockeye were running on the Skagit River. Fresh, bright red and full of eggs. These were filleted for a dinner meal. I am harvesting garlic scapes from our garden and I selected three to chop for this recipe. I always have butter on hand for cooking and baking. Ingredients Sockeye, fillet for two Butter, 1 T Garlic scapes, 3 chopped Preparation Cut parchment paper to cover a small baking sheet. Rinse, pat dry salmon. Place skin side down on parchment paper. Cut butter into 5...
NOT TO BE MISSED Saturday with the Mayor, 10 a.m. Saturday, July 6, in the La Conner Swinomish Library Community Room. Fire Chief Aaron Reinstra will speak about Firefighting 101. Come with your questions. LIBRARIES La Conner Swinomish Library. 520 Morris St., La Conner. 360-466-3352. www.lclib.lib.wa.us. Open 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday. Storytime for Children. 11 a.m. Fridays. Tech Help. 3-5 p.m. Mondays. Dungeons & Dragons Club. 3-5 p.m. Tuesdays. No experience necessary. Mount Vernon Public Library. 315...
Island Drug closed its Clinton pharmacy Monday, essentially going our of business. The company, owned by pharmacist Aaron Syring, started 2024 serving people with pharmacies in La Conner, Oak Harbor and Clinton. Syring shuttered his other two stores in January. Friday, June 28, Syring posted a long analysis on his website explaining the unreasonable rules and low payments from pharmacy benefit managers. They are hired by insurance companies to control prescription costs. His website article, “Why Pharmacies Close,” His website article, “Wh...
Sunday, June 23 4:50 p.m.: Phone caution needed – Caller was caught in a scam where the subject posed as someone from the bank. The caller had shared banking information and now was locked out of the account. Its unknown if any money was taken and the caller will be contacting the bank as soon as they open. S. Second St., La Conner Monday, June 24 9:46 p.m.: Who you gonna call? – Caller called to advise she had left a phone in the public bathroom that locked when she left. Public works was able to let her back in to retrieve the phone. S. First...
The Swinomish Canoe Family needed to bundle up as a steady rain soaked the Pride Parade through the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community on Thursday, June 27....
Tomorrow is the 248th anniversary of the Continental Congress passing the Declaration of Independence in 1776. The easy thought, the belief that the colonists rose up with one voice in kicking the Brits out and demanding self-representation and democracy is a nice story, but not completely true. The anger, energy and righteousness throughout the 1760s and early 1770s leading up to war with Great Britain came from a minority of the population. Historians estimate that perhaps 20% of people in the 13 colonies were ardent patriots working toward...
Ambrose Bierce fought with honor and distinction in the Civil War, but the carnage and horror scarred him deeply. He became a fiction writer of some renown, but the darkness and cynicism in his words was unique for his time. His black humor and unhappy endings are more of the late 20th century than the 19th century. His 1906’s “Devil’s Dictionary” may not be appreciated today, either, given that our time is not one of subtlety or nuance. Take his definition of prejudice: “n. A vagrant opinion without visible means of support.” And politics: “A...
On June 5, the La Conner Firefighters Association took over the La Conner Pub and Eatery. Firefighters, EMTs and association members ran the restaurant with the help of John, Jada and a few pub employees: Julie, Jasmine, Adolfo, Blythe and Estella. We wanted to thank our community for all of the support and for joining us for such a fun event! We’re looking forward to seeing all of you at our Golf Tournament on Sept. 7. Natalie Baker La Conner...
It was fun to see that a photo of what some call the “La Conner Loopers” on their bikes and trikes in “A view from the editor’s eye,” the centerfold in last week’s La Conner Weekly News. Much ado has been made about this old dude crossing mileage milestones, when the attention really should be about all of the other characters that have been the inspiration to get me up and rolling every morning. Weather permitting. Fred, the recognized leader of the Loopers, caught me tooling around on my new trike shortly after Barb and I moved to Center S...
I was greatly moved by last week’s editorial, in which Ken Stern ponders the fate of our truly local newspaper, the La Conner Weekly News. I would urge you to read it if you have not, or to re-read it if you have. We are in danger of losing a critically important component of our community. Social media and individual websites are not adequate replacements. We are uniquely blessed to have a locally owned paper dedicated to the interests of our community, with reporters actually reporting what is going on, often in depth, which you would n...
Describing the thoughts and feelings over these last two weeks is challenging, to say the least. A house fire is one of those things that you always think will never happen to you. It’s such a surreal experience that we are still trying to fully process our new reality. Having gone through this trauma, we should be feeling despondent and defeated. In every right, we should be miserable and yet, we find ourselves optimistic with smiles on our faces looking toward the future. There is one clear cause of our positive outlook: this extraordinary c...
Reducing energy use through energy efficiency is easier than ever. As we say in the energy efficiency business, a megawatt is the energy you use, but a “negawatt” is the energy you don’t need to use. Efficiency, as I’ve mentioned before, doesn’t mean that you have to stop using energy-consuming devices, or even that you have to use them less. It means that you choose systems and controls that enable you to use less energy to get the effect you want. Often, new, energy efficient technologi...
