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Sorted by date Results 1 - 20 of 20
Good fences make good neighbors. That adage is being put to the test – at least for the short term – at the 306 Center St. construction site, where safety fencing installed ahead of mandated soil removal has blocked nearly a dozen parking spaces of several businesses, including two cafes, at the adjacent commercial building. The fencing went up on Aug. 15. Since then, employees and customers of businesses in what locals refer to as the Station House Building, have sought parking elsewhere. Opt...
A hazy blanket hovered above La Conner last weekend as smoke from multiple wildfires in north central Washington and southern British Columbia drifted into the area, shrouding typical summer views of the snow-capped Cascades but providing brilliant red sunsets over Swinomish Channel and Skagit Bay. By Monday, though, local air quality was much improved as weekend north winds returned to onshore flows, bringing relief in the form of slightly cooler morning temperatures and easier breathing. At 3...
La Conner is taking a novel approach when it comes to celebrating the best things in life. The town will be the scene for "Tom Robbins Day" Sept. 2, an event designed to promote fun, friendship, wit, whimsy and positive vibes, all reflective of themes and characters in books penned by La Conner's famed best-selling author. It will also be an opportunity to support mentoring opportunities in the arts for local youth at the new La Conner Swinomish Library. A full slate of activities is planned, in...
Robert LeRoy Hunt died on Friday, Aug. 11, 2023, in Mount Vernon, Washington, at the age of 85 surrounded by his children. Born on the family farm in Gunn Hill in Lenox Township, Pennsylvania, on Dec. 10, 1937, Bob's life journey would take him to every corner of the globe where he discovered and loved the oceans, mountains, rivers and exploring any new destination and any road less travelled. Together with his beloved wife, Phyllis, who preceded him in death in 2015, the two set forth in...
Maddie Huscher has swapped out her rock-climbing boots for soccer coaching cleats this fall. Huscher, the reigning Northwest Region Teacher of the Year and who has sponsored the middle school climbing club, will spend the next few weeks on flat ground as La Conner High School’s new girls’ soccer coach. Huscher greeted a young but enthusiastic roster to pre-season workouts this week. In a way, though, Huscher will be employing climbing techniques with the Lady Braves. She will be looking to help guide the youthful Lady Braves up NW1B/2B sta...
Finally. A witch hunt exposed, captured on the front page of newspapers all across the country and blaring from TV screens. Yes, corrupt law enforcement staff exist, backed up by a law-breaking judge willing to bend the law to punish those nipping at their heels. Cronyism run amok, on steroids! Kurt Batdorf’s story, below, sums up the unprecedented-in-our-time attack on a Kansas newspaper, the Marion County Record, gone after for doing its job. Small town cronies tried to out-muscle the 69-year-old publisher and his 98-year-old mother, the c...
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is looking into how and why Marion County sheriff’s deputies and local police raided the Marion County Record newspaper office and the homes of its owners and the town’s vice mayor Aug. 11. Police seized computer equipment and cell phones from Record staff and the vice mayor. The case quickly gained national attention as an unprecedented violation of established American press rights. “Freedom of the press is the core value when we think about our democracy,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pi...
A year ago, the best offense for the La Conner High School boys’ soccer team was a good defense. That script will flip in 2023, however, as a deep roster with plenty of playmakers will be more aggressive on the offensive side of the pitch. Blessed with a solid core of returnees from a club that dropped tight 2-0 and 3-0 matches with Mount Vernon Christian and highlighted the 2022 campaign with a 1-0 shutout win over NW2B/1B rival Coupeville, head coach Galen McKnight envisions a more robust attack this fall. “We have a big incoming junior class...
Our summer reading program, All Together Now, has officially ended, but please don’t stop reading. Make sure to turn in your reading log so you can get your reward for all your reading during summer vacation. We hope you read some terrific books and discovered new genres and authors while meeting your reading goal. When you stop by the library to turn in your log, please tell us about the best book you read this summer. You can fill out a bookmark to tell others about your book so others will check it out. We had a wide variety of summer r...
Atlanta, GA – The Handweavers Guild of America, Inc. (HGA) announces its 2023 annual juried exhibit of small works: Small Expressions. Featuring 35 contemporary small-scale artworks by artists from 18 states and 2 countries, Small Expressions will tour galleries in the United States from July 2023 through June 2024. The exhibit opened July 5 in La Conner at the Pacific Northwest Quilt & Fiber Arts Museum. The show’s juror is Allyce Wood, a textile artist based in Seattle. Wood began weaving as part of her master’s degree at Oslo National Acade...
Nonprofit organizations promoting La Conner tourist activities beyond Skagit County can apply for Town of La Conner Hotel/Motel tax distributions for 2024. The deadline is 3:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 8, for proposals to be received at Town Hall, 204 Douglas, P.O. Box 400, La Conner, WA 98257. No late submissions, including postmarked submissions. The Lodging Tax Fund Request for Proposal is on the website: townoflaconner.org. Questions? Ask Maria DeGoede, finance director: [email protected] or 360.466-3125....
First, today, Aug. 23: Roger Small’s opening for his paintings at La Conner Brewing Co. on First Street is 5-7 p.m. The Skagit Community Band Summer Concert is at 2 p.m. Aug 26 in Gilkey Square. Bring your chair. The La Conner Rotary Club 2023 Harvesting Hope annual auction and dinner “Hope Springs Eternal” is Saturday at Maple Hall, 5:30 p.m. La Conner Mayor Ramon Hayes will be honored as recipient of the Paul Harris award. Tickets are $100. rclcf.ejoinme.org/2023hopespringseternal. Stuff the Bus Saturday at Radius Church to support the CHOW...
Yum! Longtime friend Roxanne Wilbur offered to bring us peaches from her travels over the mountains. From a case of peaches, I made three batches of jam, a galette and a peach cobbler. This recipe makes 3 to 4 pints. This is a water bath canning recipe. Ingredients Peaches, 10 freestone; 5 cups chopped Sugar, 3 cups Lemon, 1 Cinnamon, 1 teaspoon Nutmeg, ½ teaspoon, freshly grated Liquid pectin, one 3-ounce packet Preparation Remove the skin of the peaches, remove pit and chop small....
Tuesday, Aug. 15 10:07 a.m. Roasted RV – Fully engulfed RV fire at N. First and Morris. Driver stated they believed it had started near the refrigerator unit and they were unable to put it out before it was out of control. A deputy and Swinomish PD arrived on scene with fire extinguishers but ultimately it was La Conner Fire that arrived and put out the fire. N. First / Morris Sts., La Conner. Friday, Aug. 18 6:31 p.m. Out of mind – Subject waved down a deputy and advised he had lost a backpack somewhere in town and wanted contact if it was...
The smoke from fires across the western U.S. and Canada is across the sky, and with it we have people coming in who cannot get home due to the fires in their home areas. We have had a family from Maui here as well, and they are wondering not just “when” they can go back but “if.” Everyone else we have spoken with is waiting for either Highway 20 to reopen or one of the Canadian fires to die down enough they can pass through the affected areas. We had the largest vessel of the year put in yest...
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON FOR SKAGIT COUNTY In the Matter of the Estate of Hazel Cherry Monahan, Deceased. Cause No. 23-4-00420-29 PROBATE NOTICE TO CREDITORS (RCW 11.40.030) The Personal Representative named below has been appointed as Personal Representative of this estate. Any person having a claim against the decedent must, before the time the claim would be barred by any otherwise applicable statute of limitations, present the claim in the manner as provided in RCW 11.40.070 by serving on or mailing to the Personal...
Affordable housing is the issue nearly every city and county in our region is struggling with, including La Conner. And, with the town considering new code changes, it seems the situation may only get worse. Over the past few years, I’ve attended many planning commission meetings and at every meeting, the urgent need for affordable housing is discussed. Yet, instead of pursuing policies that will produce more affordable permanent housing, the town is considering encouraging even more short-term rentals by expanding the rules for short-term r...
I am at this moment (early August – ed.) watching these heartbroken Moms testify about their beloved sons and daughters who lost their lives, needlessly, at the hands of the U.S. Government. They are asking for the truth about who made the decision to pull out of Afghanistan in a deadly, foolish, coldly calculating, absolutely horrendous method. It was a complete failure. Shame on this administration. Disgusting and unforgiveable decisions that cost 13 lives needlessly. Also, other questions that need to be answered, which this government seems...
On Wednesday, Aug. 16, a young, seemingly likable, fast-talking fellow knocked on our door to pitch his pest control services. My wife and I listened for a short while and I went back indoors since I was busy. He kept talking to my wife and wanted to quickly check our shed for signs of pests. Later, my wife mentioned she had made an appointment for him to come back on Thursday, assuming it was for a more detailed discussion about whether to sign up for the services. To make that appointment, he asked her to sign and initial a form on his smart...
What is it like to use a short-term rental? Simple. You look for a mega corporation site (VRBO or Airbnb or similar – one that advertises units in a location you wish to visit and then sign up for a rental of choice. (They are usually expensive once all the charges are added in, which doesn’t happen till the final page of your agreement.) Financial advisors suggest that people “put their money to work” by buying property in a place where said client might want to hang out. Easy money for the owner, they say. A contract is signed with AIRBNB...
