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The Aleutian Isle remains in about 200 feet of water on the west side of San Juan Island near Sunset Point. Monday, Aug. 29, salvaging it was about to begin, after a boat and crew from Global Diving & Salvage arrived Sunday, said Petty Officer Steve Strohmaier, a U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson. He confirmed the 49-foot fishing boat is owned by the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community. The barge and crane were secured Sunday, preparing for the 10-day effort to raise the sunken vessel, place it on...
Jared Fair is no longer the director of the La Conner Regional Library. His employer, the Library board of directors, announced Fair’s departure Friday, Aug. 26. Hired in early 2020 with the mission to build and open La Conner’s new library building, Fair will not be finishing the job he started. His last day was Aug. 25. While board members Jean Markert and Jim Airy asked to meet with the Weekly News, they provided few details beyond a short written public statement. Airy said “No comment. People can speculate” and repeatedly replied no commen...
Inflation? What inflation? Recession? Not here. The only thing moving up in price at the La Conner Rotary Club auction Saturday evening in Maple Hall was live auction bids. The only thing low that evening were members' hands digging deep into their pockets for their wallets to pay for the items they purchased. And dig they did, raising $91,000 for the many programs they manage and support for children and youth in La Conner and internationally. It was as if club members were doubling down on bei...
Monday is Labor Day, a holiday unique to the United States It is a day set aside to honor America’s laboring masses, a term – like class – that is out of favor. The rest of the world unites in solidarity May 1st, May Day, International Workers Day. That day masses of people in countries around the world gather and march. International Workers Day recognizes and remembers that in union there is strength That day affirms, yes it is true, we are all brothers and sisters working together to bring a better world into being for all our fellow broth...
When the Town of La Conner considers amendments to its Comprehensive Plan this year, it will be lookinng at only one request, from the Port of Skagit, Planning Director Michael Davolio wrote in a summary Aug. 25. No others were received in the two month Dec. 1, 2021-Jan. 31, 2022 period for submitting amendments for 2022. In his memo, Davolio wrote “There has been some misunderstanding regarding public submittals for requested amendments. While members of the Planning Commission have encouraged members of the public to submit amendment p...
Being a caffeine addict, I was excited to welcome La Conner's new Beaver Tales Coffee & Tea and indigenous gift shop and what I found was so much more than another excellent local outlet to satisfy my addiction. The owners, Michelle Calvin and her mate Tony Cladoosby, roast coffee in small batches daily to ensure freshness. They are committed to bringing so much more to La Conner than a great cup of coffee. They are a diverse couple and they want to celebrate diversity in our town. Tony is a...
Unpredictable gasoline and heating costs. Reliable electricity. Wars in the middle east and Ukraine. Energy independence. The environment. And more. The energy industry affects almost everything, from the price of groceries to geopolitics. People have reacted to energy issues by developing new technologies and policies for the production, delivery and use of energy. These innovations are being adopted faster than energy professionals believed possible 20 years ago. You are probably aware of...
The Port of Skagit and Town of La Conner propose happily to move ahead on the Port's elaborate proposal based on a few, token, public meetings and little-to-no community understanding of the near and long term implications of the project. There is no time nor process in place for serious discussion of what we want our town and our Town to be. It is completely reactive to the Port’s vision, supported by the town administration, which is hard pressed to describe a comprehensive vision for the community. The Port knows exactly what it wants to d...
Dear town residents. The La Conner Municipal Code is in need of major revision. Current practice here is to have the planner suggest piecemeal items for the planning commission and town council. He has spent interminable mind- numbing time on sign language, for example. Not exactly the big picture. A planner-proposed code line to define tiny houses is another example. What is the big, big picture for tiny houses? Where is the vision? Well, it is in our comprehensive plan – which has general language supporting affordability and neighborhood p...
Friday is the last day to order free at-home rapid antigen COVID-19 tests from the federal government. The COVID.gov website has a banner reading “Ordering through this program will be suspended on Friday, Sept. 2 because Congress hasn’t provided additional funding to replenish the nation’s stockpile of tests.” Order at covidtests.gov. Washington state also offers free COVID-19 tests. Order at: sayyescovidhometest.org....
Is a commercial airport in Skagit County possible to relieve pressure on SeaTac, the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport? Washington State’s Commercial Aviation Coordination Commission has identified two county sites on their list of 10 possible locations. The Southwest location is Skagit Flats, between Highway 20 and La Conner. The Northwest location is Samish Flats. Both are opposed by at least Skagit Audubon, the Skagit Land Trust and Evergreen Islands. A virtual public meeting today, Aug. 31, at 5:30 p.m. provides information and offers t...
The Town of La Conner is in line for state funds to help with long-planned upgrades to its nearly half-century old wastewater treatment plant. Town Administrator Scott Thomas told council members at their hybrid meeting Aug. 23 that La Conner’s application for a Puget Sound Nutrient Reduction grant was successful. The question is just how much money will arrive here from Olympia. “Unfortunately,” he said, “we don’t know what we’ll receive in terms of the amount.” Thomas said the state legislature in its 2021-23 biennial budget set aside $9...
Customers of Astound Broadband will see price increases of up to $22.44 starting Sept. 28, the company notified the Town of La Conner by email Aug. 25. Fees for services will increase by at least $17.50, with an additional $1 monthly for telephone service. Expanded content customers will also be charged $1.92 monthly to offset the cost of programming content. The letter states the company must adjust pricing “as the amounts programming networks charge us continue to rise, along with overall cost increases.” The fee increases are: $2 for loc...
The honorable Patricia Paul was reappointed as a tribal court appeals judge with the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, in Grand Ronde, Oregon in July, her fourth two-year appointment. She is a member of the Inupiaq Tribe. Paul received her law degree from Seattle University School of Law. She earned a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies from Antioch University in 1993. Paul is a business and estate-planning lawyer specializing in land use law and federal Indian law and practices law in La Conner. She lives on the Swinomish Reservation w...
At the La Conner Town Council Aug. 23: Planning Director Michael Davolio presented a draft of a proposed impact fee ordinance for review. This would raise funds toward priorities such as acquisition of a fire boat and ladder truck and/or support for parks and recreation initiatives here. Impact fees are often used by municipalities to cover local match requirements tied to grant awards. “I’ve done this before in other jurisdictions,” Davolio said, “and it has worked well.” Mayor Ramon Hayes announced dedication ceremonies for the new La Conner...
There is an urgent need for blood donations heading into Labor Day weekend. Donating blood takes about an hour. Encourage a friend to book an appointment with you. Appointments, masks, and photo ID required. A pop-up blood drive is today, Aug. 31, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at Salem Lutheran Church in Mount Vernon. Appointment and donation information can be found at BloodworksNW.org or 800-398-7888. Source: Bloodworks NW...
New La Conner Schools administrator Tanya Houle is fond of hats. Good thing, too, since she will be wearing several in her dual role as La Conner Middle and High School assistant principal and career and technology education (CTE) director. The personable Houle wears a smile as often – if not more – than her stylish headpieces. Her approach to school administration is to lead with compassion and create safe and meaningful learning environments for all students. "A couple of my primary goals wil...
Great Expectations. It is not just a famous Charles Dickens novel. It is also the mantra of the La Conner High School volleyball program, winner of six state crowns in the past 20 years, including 2019 and 2021. Only the pandemic stood in the way of another likely championship run in 2020, when the season was shifted to spring with no post-season. Despite significant losses to graduation, the team has turned the page while still hoping to write another chapter, as if inspired by the Dickens title. “We don’t change our expectations from yea...
Data was the name of the game – along with a fall sports update – when the La Conner School Board met Aug. 22 in a 90-minute hybrid session on campus. Director of Special Programs Andy Wheeler and Teacher and Learning Director Beth Clothier took lead roles. Clothier provided her update via Zoom on staff summer training for the new all-grades math curricula. Clothier said more than 50 staffers had participated in nine days of math curricula training this summer. The trainers commended the La Conner staff, ranking it ahead of “90% of other staff...
The La Conner Library will close Sept. 1in order to transition to the new La Conner Swinomish Library building at 520 Morris Street. The Library will reopen in October. We are very excited to be moving to the new location and look forward to welcoming everyone to the new La Conner Swinomish Library! What to expect until we reopen: The book drop will remain open throughout the move. Please keep your items as long as you like. We do not charge late fines, but if you wish to return your items before we reopen in October, the book return at the...
Washington State Poet Laureate Rena Priest reads her poetry Saturday, Sept. 3 at 7:30 p.m. at the Lincoln Theatre. A generative poetry workshop with audience participation follows. Salmon, and its cultural impact on the peoples of the Salish region, will be the theme, as salmon are sacred to her tribe, the Lhaq’temish (Lummi) Nation. Her debut collection, “Patriarchy Blues,” received an American Book Award. Her most recent book “Northwest Know-How: Beaches,” includes poems, legends and descriptions of beaches in Washington and Oregon. P...
I was recently gifted pesto on two occasions. One from Jane Stephens, who lives in town and one from Ann Maroney, who works in town. The balsamic vinegar is a bit overpowering in flavor and color. After seeing and tasting the results, I may use less balsamic vinegar next time. To expedite the preparation, I added the cherry tomatoes in whole and after they cooked two minutes, I used a potato masher to burst out their flavor. If you like the visual effect of cut cherry tomatoes, you will cut...
Due to seasonal low water flow conditions in the Skagit River, the City of Anacortes and Skagit Public Utility District water customers are asked to voluntarily reduce their water usage by 10%. The Washington State Department of Ecology has established minimum instream flows for the Skagit River. These minimum flow levels fluctuate throughout the year and are designed to protect fish habitat primarily. There are generally two times a year when we anticipate the Skagit River falling below instream flow levels – once in late winter and early s...
The Swinomish Police Department responded with two vessels Aug. 30 to assist the Anacortes Fire Department with fighting a blaze near the center of the Tommy Thompson Trail trestle, Anacortes Police Department Community Service Officer Brent Lindquist told the Weekly News. Lindquist said APD arrived on scene to assist the Anacortes Fire Department just prior to 2 a.m. First responders found the fire had fully engulfed the width of the bridge and the pylons below. “After the fire was extinguished,” Lindquist said, “an officer checked the bridg...
Sunday, August 21 4:30 p.m.: Tesla technology – Report of a dog locked inside a Tesla. The Tesla was set to “Dog Mode” which means the AC was on. 1st St., La Conner. Monday, August 22 9:13 a.m.: BB through window – Report of a small hole found in a house window. The hole was caused by a BB or small rock. The actual cause was not able to be determined and there were not any witnesses who saw the damage occur. McLean Rd., Greater La Conner. Tuesday, August 23 10:17 a.m.: Feral cats – Two repor...
