Your independent hometown award-winning newspaper
Your independent hometown award-winning newspaper
Sorted by date Results 1 - 20 of 20
A fishing boat carrying 2,600 gallons of fuel sank off the western shore of San Juan Island on Saturday, releasing an oily sheen that spread for 2 miles in critical habitat for the Northwest's endangered orcas. Researchers called it "incredibly lucky" that the whales and the diesel apparently never crossed paths. The crew aboard the Aleutian Isle radioed for help Saturday, saying they were taking on water. They abandoned their sinking ship and clambered into the skiff they normally use to maneuv...
First time candidate Clyde Shavers has won once, topping State Rep. Greg Gilday (R-Camano Island) for his legislative district 10 position 1 seat in the Aug. 2 primary election. Shavers won convincingly in Skagit County, with 58.5% of the vote. Districtwide, it was close, 51.9-47.9% and an almost 2,000 vote margin. Tuesday the remaining 250 or so votes in the three county district were counted and each county’s totals certified. Not all outstanding ballots were in the 10th district. This race is competitive. Gilday can win in November, as D...
In one of his hit songs, the late entertainer Prince urged fans to party like it was 1999. At Swinomish last weekend everybody was fine with partying like it was 2019. For the first time in three years the popular Swinomish Days summer festival, a celebration of Coast Salish history and culture, was back on the calendar. "We're grateful to be able to host Swinomish Days 2022," Swinomish Senator and Tribal Cultural Events Director Aurelia Bailey said beforehand. "It's been a long three years." Th...
Temperatures in the 80s will return starting today, Aug. 17, with a high near 84 degrees for Burlington, the National Weather Service forecast Monday. Thursday may be hotter, to 87 degrees. The lows both evenings are estimated to be near 60 degrees. The weekend will not be as hot, with a high of 78 degrees forecast for Friday, a high of 79 degrees Saturday and 80 degrees Sunday. Lows will be in the 56 degrees range. The cause is upper-level ridging building into the Great Basin Tuesday, allowing temperatures to rise into the mid-to-upper...
August opened with the news that a federal judge ruled for Whidbey Island resident Paula Spina and the group Citizens of the Ebey’s Reserve for a Healthy, Safe and Peaceful Environment in their lawsuit against the U.S. Navy. The Navy's 2019 plans to expand the number of Growler jets at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island needs to be redone. Why did the Navy lose to these people and the state of Washington, also a plaintiff? The Navy failed to follow the law in its development of an environmental impact statement. The judge did not say the Navy c...
We are all better off when everyone who lives and works in Skagit County has a safe, affordable place to call home. Healthy neighborhoods need healthy schools. Healthy schools need kids and families. Kids and families need housing they can afford. Seniors should be able to downsize in the same community where they owned a home and still afford to buy medicine and groceries. Employers and communities thrive when workers on our waterfronts, art galleries and restaurants can afford to live near where they are employed. From first responders, to...
La Conner Town Council approved a job description for a Town Permit Technician during their August 9 hybrid meeting. This position will restructure the clerical and administrative assistant position formerly held by Danielle Freiberger, who took a job with the City of Mount Vernon. The new post’s pay scale will bump up to $48,000 annually and is designed to provide support to the planning department based on job parameters crafted by staff and administrator Scott Thomas. “The new permit technician would focus more on planning than the hod...
Skagit County Fire District 13 Commissioners have expanded their summer reading list. The three-member panel will focus in the weeks ahead on details of a proposed cooperative services study with the Anacortes Fire Department regarding future station construction and development in the March Point area. Anacortes Fire Chief Bill Harris and retired chief Richard Curtis asked commissioners at their hybrid meeting Aug. 11 to jointly develop a study addressing the feasibility of the two departments staffing a shared facility at March Point near the...
Homeowners selling, and their realtors, had a great July in the La Conner housing market: the $627,5000 median price for the 12 closed sales was almost $200,000 above June’s median sales price, as larger homes sold, according to Northwest Multiple Listing Services data. The 21 new homes listed in the La Conner area in July is the highest one month total in 2022. Realtors estimate a two month inventory. The $800,000 median sold home price for the 23 Anacortes homes sold in July is just below last month’s median price, when 36 homes sold. Anacort...
The La Conner Town Council joined Mayor Ramon Hayes and fire chief and code enforcement officer Aaron Reinstra in accepting a plaque honoring fallen La Conner firefighter and Town Marshal John Hilsinger during their Aug. 9 meeting. Hilsinger died by electrocution while fighting a blaze at the old La Conner Shingle Mill north of town in July 1945. He was just 41 years old. Sgt. Beau Montgomery, Skagit County Sheriff's Office La Conner detachment administrator, made the presentation. Montgomery...
Officials from the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, Washington State Department of Agriculture and the Washington Invasive Species Council are asking the public to check their trees, water features and other outdoor fixtures this month for invasive pests as part of National Tree Check Month. August is the ideal time for residents to make a habit of checking for harmful bugs and diseases on their properties and in public spaces, because it is often when the visible impacts of those pests become most obvious. “We have a forest h...
The Skagit County Transfer Station, 14104 Ovenell Road, is closed to self-haulers garbage drop-off until further notice. The station is managing temporary capacity issues for waste storage. “A piece of essential equipment used by our contractor, Republic, to load containers onto rail cars failed earlier this week. This compounded the issue of garbage already stockpiled at the transfer station,” said Margo Gillaspy, Skagit County Solid Waste Division manager Friday. Commercial haulers are able to bring in waste said Mike See, assistant dir...
If it takes one step at a time to end the misery of drug and alcohol addiction, the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community is clearly on the right path in gaining support for that mission. The tribe's annual March Against Addiction on Aug. 10 drew participants from other reservations who donned green Didgwalic Wellness Center t-shirts as they strode shoulder-to-shoulder with local residents across Swinomish streets and through its neighborhoods calling for a stop to drug and alcohol abuse. The...
Our local seahawks (aka ospreys) return annually to nest on this pole on the westside of the Swinomish Channel near the Swinomish offices and raise their young. Once endangered due to the impact of pesticides, ospreys are a comeback success story and have rebounded enough since their population plummeted in the '70s to now be a bird of low concern for conservation. Their nests are usually found near shallow water with abundant fish as they eat fish almost exclusively. In addition to the ospreys...
Dad used to pride himself on being handy. He could make anything, imagine anything, fix anything. He was handy, from tools to toys and kitchens to kids. But last week, Dad got lost on his way home from the grocery store, a trip he’s made once a week for thirty years and it scared you both. You might imagine what is coming; be better prepared for it by finding and reading “Living in the Moment” by Elizabeth Landsverk, MD with Heather Millar. So you noticed some memory or cognitive issues and Dad is not himself lately. How do you know if this...
A lot has changed in 50 years. But some of the best things in life have not. Tom and Judy Zimmerman celebrated their 50th anniversary on Aug. 13 during an open house hosted by their daughter and son-in-law Kelsey and Lance Stevens. The Zimmermans have been community leaders in La Conner over the past five decades – he as a fire chief and Dunlap Towing skipper and she as a council member and La Conner Elementary School teacher. Those attending the festivities were treated to good food and good memories in equal measure. Many of those memories w...
Zucchini is one of those summer perpetual vegetables. It grows in abundance and if you do not garden, friends will often give away their excess. Or you can still buy them at a good price from the local farm stands. This recipe makes two loaves. This recipe uses medium size zucchini, before the center is full of large seeds. I particularly enjoy the clove flavor. Ingredients: 3 cups shredded zucchini (3 medium) 1 2/3 cups sugar 2/3 cup vegetable oil 2 tsp vanilla 4 large eggs 3 cups flour 2 tsp...
After a vigorous week at the Skagit County fair, two leaders with La Conner roots are taking it easy. As 4H dairy supervisor for the whole fair, Chelsy Mesman of Mesman Farms helped 18 young people between the ages of nine and 18 prepare and show their cows. "It's a lot of responsibility and a lot of kids," she said. Valley Green Acres 4H Horse Club supervisor Lauren Hedlin of Hedlin Family Farms worked with 10 young riders who performed in the horse arena. All county 4H clubs arrived two days...
Sunday, August 7 11:31 a.m.: Shirtless wanderer – Report of an approximately 20-year-old shirtless male walking through a backyard and then a neighbor’s backyard. The male then walked eastbound on McLean Road. The area was checked by a deputy, but the male was not located. McLean Rd., Greater La Conner. 9:59 p.m.: Vehicle prowl – A Predator suitcase style generator was taken out of the back of a pickup truck in the parking lot. Currently there is no suspect information. Maple Ave., La Conne...
