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The Landed Gentry property that will become the 10 home Maple Field subdivision is an empty grassy field today, but that will soon change. By the end of August site and utility construction will begin and by the end of October it will look like a small subdivision, Brian Gentry, president of the firm, told the Weekly News last week. Gentry did not have a date for when equipment will be moved onto the property but he estimated a 60 day construction period for getting all the site work done: sewer, water, utilities and private roadways and...
Steve Edwards is known for his soft-spoken, consensus-building approach. But the Swinomish Tribal Senate chairman has taken a more strident stance in response to recent authorization by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife for Cooke Aquaculture to stock 365,000 triploid steelhead at its net pen facility near Hope Island within traditional tribal fishing areas. Edwards termed the WDFW action “reckless” in a statement issued last Friday. “WDFW has completely disregarded the significant interference with Swinomish’s treaty fishing rights...
Concerned letter writers are again sharing both frustrations and hopes for involvement and for influencing decision making in the La Conner community. Are residents adequately informed by government staff and elected officials? Are citizens brought into discussions, with information shared? Is there a robust give and take and a chance to shape plans or are projects presented as done deals with all the heavy lifting, or not, done by their elected council representatives? A huge opportunity was missed last year to have a community conversation...
Open letter to Mayor Hayes: On July 13 I pleaded for the restoration of Zoom to town meetings in part because of the WHO announcement (July 13th) about the danger of the delta variant. I said this to you, the council, and a crowd of 45 mostly unmasked citizens at Maple Hall. On July 15, two cases of the delta variant were announced by Dr. Howard Leibrand of Skagit County Health. I made the case for safety, for parents of little kids, and for immunocompromised citizens. I suppose you and your colleagues didn’t hear any of that. Others spoke t...
Our town administration agreed with the Hedlin family on a restricted covenant on the Maple Avenue property it bought. The covenant states a 24,000 square foot park in perpetuity. When does “in perpetuity” begin? Wouldn’t a rational person say, at the point of sale to the town? Not so, according to our town lawyer. In the sales agreement with the developer, Landed Gentry, are several amendments, including: “8. The seller (town) shall create a temporary construction easement in favor of the buyer (Landed Gentry) at Closing over the eastern...
Last week’s paper closed the chapter and maybe the book on the Maple Avenue ballfield controversy. It is now in the past. Or is it? (“The past isn’t dead. It isn’t even past.” William Faulkner.) The Town’s decision has permanent effects and it may leave the council and administration open to future dispositions of public property to the benefit of private interests and real estate brokers. In the purchase and disposition of Maple Field – and as was the case with the sale of the Kirsch property – the council, the mayor and his sta...
Joey Warren passed away unexpectedly on Friday, July 30th. Joey Warren passed away unexpectedly on Friday, July 30th. He was looking forward to the newest chapter in his life, which included meeting new friends in La Conner. That this was cut short brings deep sadness and he will be missed.... Full story
Skagit Valley artist, instructor and hostess of the Barn Show, Lavone Newell Reim, passed away peacefully on July 29 at home, with her family at her side. Newell Reim lived most of her life in the Skagit Valley area. She taught art for more than two decades, led the valley’s Barn Shows art events from 1987 to 2003, travelled extensively, wrote two books and was a renowned painter throughout. An obituary and full-length feature story will run in a future edition of La Conner Weekly News.... Full story
Commenting on the death Aug. 10 of Lorraine Loomis, Swinomish Indian Tribal Community Chairman Steve Edwards said, “It is with deep sadness that I announce the passing of our beloved elder, Lorraine Loomis this morning. Lorraine was not only the director of the Swinomish Fisheries program for more than forty-five years and the chair of the Northwest Indian Fish Commission, she was also the revered matriarch of a large Swinomish family. Please join us in prayers for her family in the difficult days ahead. We will share future plans as they b... Full story
The half-inch of rain Saturday, along with 0.23” Friday does not change the fact that Skagit County was declared in drought July 8 by the U.S. National Integrated Drought Information System. The rain is the first locally since June 16. No precipitation was measured at the Washington State University Memorial Highway weather station in July. This is the third year since 2000 that it has not rained in July, joining 2001 and 2013. Eight years between 2010-2020 had 0.6” or less of rain. Less tha...
After a 16-month absence, the Senior Center at La Conner’s Maple Hall reopened in early July. Although indoor fitness programming is still not allowed, favorite and familiar activities are back on the schedule. Every Tuesday folks pursue a variety of interests including woodcarving, non-fiction creative writing, a ‘quasi philosophical’ discussion forum, a knitting and crafting group, as well as games including Scrabble, canasta and mahjongg. Participants range in age from 45 to 99. Yet for many attendees, the activities are only part of the a...
An abnormally dry summer here didn’t stop the Pacific Northwest Rain from descending on the Valley of the Sun. The Rain, an area girls’ travel team, took top honors in their high school age division of the recent 2021 Summer Sizzle basketball tournament in Phoenix. Five La Conner High players – Juna Swanson, Rachel Cram, Sarah Cook, Ellie Marble and Josie Harper – were members of the tourney title winners, coached by former Mount Vernon High standout Tyler Amaya, who played col...
After sustaining heavy graduation losses from its NW2B football title team, La Conner High School will likely sport a youthful lineup this fall. It only made sense, then, that the school district would tap someone with past success developing young talent to succeed championship coach Jeff Scoma at the Braves helm when the season kicks off in a few weeks. Charlie Edwards, a longtime local youth sports coach and member of the Braves staff this past spring, has been promoted to fill the head coaching vacancy created when Scoma left La Conner in...
The Handweavers Guild of America, Inc. 2021 exhibit of small works: “Small Expressions,” debuted in July at the Pacific Northwest Quilt & Fiber Arts Museum. “Small Expressions” is an annual juried exhibition showcasing contemporary small-scale works (not to exceed 15 inches in any direction) using fiber techniques in any media. These small but visually compelling pieces speak to the intricacy of expression, intimacy of design, thoughtful communication and visual excitement. The artists create a big impact employing a variety of traditi...
Camp Korey has been named an official charity partner for the 2021 TCS New York City Marathon, celebrating its 50th running Nov. 7. Camp Korey will be among the more than 400 official charity partners providing thousands of runners the opportunity to run in the world’s largest and most popular marathon. Camp Korey’s 26 “Team Korey” runners will travel from across the U.S. to raise funds that support year-round camp programs for children with complex medical conditions. This team includes two Skagit-County women: Katie Roden of Mount Vernon,...
The Blue Heron Canoe Family camped at the former Maple Avenue ballfield in La Conner last week, a stop on their Healing Waters 2021 journey to Lummi Island. The Willapa Spirit canoe accompanied it. Swinomish tribal member Eric Day joined the journey in La Conner to help skipper the second canoe. The Snohomish tribe crew and supporters totaled 65 people, Karen Condos, director of Natives United Journey, told the Weekly News Thursday. Vehicles arrived at the ballfield site late Wednesday morning...
Wednesday, August 4 10:39 a.m.: Another IRS call – Caller reported receiving a phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS and demanding personal information. She did not give out any of her info and reported the call to the sheriff’s office. Valentine Road., Greater La Conner. 12:54 p.m.: Made silk purse – Business found a fake $20 bill mixed in with money in the till, She had no idea who passed the bill but decided to keep it for training purposes. S. 1st St., La Conner. 3:57 p.m.: Asleep at wheel – A male driver f...
This recipe is mixed in a food processor. I plan to mix this up when the house is cool and wait to preheat the oven to make a pie, after creating the pie dough. To cut the lattice and lift it, I use a multi-purpose stainless-steel scraper. To chill the water, I put ½ cup in a small plastic container and set in the freezer. You could place ice cubes in a cup of water. The extra flour is sprinkled on the surface where you will roll out the dough and sprinkled on top as it is rolled out. If...
